《Glorious God Throne》


 Chapter 1

    Chapter 1


    <i>[¡­Once again, we remind all citizens to be vignt, the serial killer ¡®K¡¯, who holds thirteen lives, is highly likely to have infiltrated our city¡­]</i>


    <i>[We hope all citizens protect themselves, and if anything is discovered, please report it promptly¡­]</i>


    On the old TV screen on the wall, an emergency news broadcast was being temporarily inserted.


    The serious voice of the host came out word by word from the TV, mixed with the drizzling rain outside the window, it seemed somewhat distorted.


    The rich night had seeped in.


    The first floor of the small inn was shrouded in dim light, the light mixed with the night seeping in through the window formed a dark hue.


    The man standing under the light gently put down the ck umbre in his hand, the tip of the umbre ¡°clinked¡± on the ground.


    Rainwater mixed with a bright red liquid fell along the umbre, a faint red color spread from its tip.


    <i>[The characteristics of the serial killer ¡®K¡¯ are: medium and thin build, about 1.82 meters tall, likes to appear on rainy nights, holds a special weapon disguised as a ck umbre¡­]</i><i>[He is keen to lodge under the name of a traveler, then brutally kill the homeowner¡­]</i>


    <i>Click!</i>


    The light on the TV screen on the wall went out instantly, the sound in the inn alsopletely disappeared, leaving only silence.


    The increasingly urgent sound of raindrops outside the window became particrly noticeable.


    Casually throwing the remote control onto the sofa next to him, the man looked down at the two bodies lying at his feet.


    They were a young couple dressed very ordinarily, the dim light shone on their gradually pale and rigid faces, like two pale statues.


    The eyes that had lost their luster still retained the shock and fear before death, the dull pupils reflected a tall and thin man in a ck trench coat.


    This small inn, which was not doing well in the small town, had weed a guest that night after a long time.


    This weary traveler, who was said to be sightseeing in the small town for at least a week, was the only business they had had in several days.


    When this young couple was hit by the sudden surprise, the emergency news suddenly started broadcasting.


    The guest, who looked tired but couldn¡¯t hide his elegant demeanor, slightly furrowed his brows.


    He elegantly and swiftly raised his ck umbre.


    Two living people quickly turned into corpses.


    The light on the TV screen dimmed, and in the dim light of the bulb, the wide-open eyes of the two bodies looked increasingly terrifying.


    ¡°¡­I almost exposed myself. I didn¡¯t n to make a move.¡±


    The man reflected in the pupils of both eyes frowned. His drooping gaze swept over the two rigid faces one by one.


    The blood on the ground gradually began to dry up, and the man who deliberately avoided all the bloodstains withdrew his gaze from the two bodies, looking around, trying to find a handy tool.


    ¡°I rarely take lodging seriously.¡±


    After all, he would thoroughly investigate each target and prepare all the escape routes in advance. He wouldn¡¯t make a hasty move in a situation where he knew nothing, almost being counter-killed by the male host who had goodbat experience.


    Thinking of this, the man straightened his cor that had been sshed with a few drops of blood. ¡°What a mess¡­¡±


    This sudden ident disrupted his original n. Now, he had to clean everything up to avoid being tracked down by those useless detectives whose brains were empty and waiting for clues to appear, ruining his supposed one-week vacation.


    Suddenly¡ª¡ª


    A hurried footstep sounded from behind him, apanied by the overburdened sound of the old wooden board.


    <i>Creak!</i>


    It was as if someone had been startled and stepped heavily on the wooden board.


    The man¡¯s figure suddenly paused.


    He held the handle of the umbre with one hand and quickly turned around.


    The blood-stained umbre tip drew a swift shadow in mid-air, shaking off a string of droplets.


    With the silent contraction of the mechanism, a pitch-ck gun barrel appeared where the umbre tip had been, pointing directly at the neer.


    Then, he was taken aback.


    A small figure fell on the staircase steps, his nk and hollow pupils meeting the man¡¯s deep gaze.


    Reflected in the boy¡¯s pupils, along with it, were the bloodstains behind the man, belonging to his parents¡¯ bodies.


    ¡­The sudden appearance of a child in this inn, which had no guests at all, was already clear.


    The oue that was about to greet him seemed quite obvious too.


    The man gently lifted the tip of his umbre.


    ¡°¡­Are you Dr. Filte?¡±


    Just then, the boy who had fallen on the steps suddenly stood up, feeling the wall next to him.


    His vacant eyes looked around for a while, finally looking in the man¡¯s direction, just slightly off.


    The boy¡¯s trembling voice carried a bit of surprise, he almost stumbled down the steps, nearly falling again, before finally stopping, his hands firmly supporting the wall.


    His vacant eyes were always looking to the side of the man.


    ¡°Mom said, if anyone can cure my eyes, it must be you! Have you finallye?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± The umbre tip pressed down a bit, the man lightly raised his eyebrows in surprise, as if he had discovered something interesting, ¡°How do you know I came?¡±


    The boy slightly widened his eyes, smiled shyly, ¡°I vaguely heard the voices of my mom and dad talking to a stranger upstairs, it¡¯s been a long time since we had any guests here. Mom said yesterday that she had already contacted you¡­¡±


    In the other¡¯s silent listening, he spoke clearly, with a bit of pride in showing his abilities in front of mature adults, finally lifting his chin slightly, revealing a big smile, ¡°¡ª¡ªSo, I guessed it must be Dr. Filte who arrived!¡±


    <i>Snap!</i>


    ¡°You guessed right.¡± The man suddenly raised his hand and snapped his fingers, the ck umbre he held in his hand had somehow returned to its original state, the umbre tip once again gently prodded the ground.


    Heughed softly, ¡°Smart little guy.¡±


    The smile on the boy¡¯s face seemed to be even brighter because of his praise, his mncholic eyes seemed to be shining.


    ¡°Actually, I thought you would arrive in a few days, I didn¡¯t expect you to take the night bus¡­¡±


    It wasn¡¯t until then that he seemed to suddenly realize that the inn was overly quiet, he couldn¡¯t help but sweep his vacant eyes from side to side. He scanned the two bodies lying quietly on the ground again, and also the man who had dragged the two bodies to one side and started cleaning the bloodstains on the ground.


    The boy who knew nothing about this opened his mouth in confusion, ¡°Huh? Where did mom and dad go? Why aren¡¯t they here to entertain you properly? That¡¯s a bit rude.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no. You misunderstood, your parents were very enthusiastic. Very enthusiastic.¡± The manughed, his tone a bit strange.


    As he spoke, he casually wiped off thest piece of bloodstain on the ground with the mop he had found.


    ¡°Probably seeing meing in the rainte at night, cold and hungry, they insisted on treating me well, then they braved the rain and went out, this is really¡­I didn¡¯t have time to stop them.¡±


    While he was looking down at the bodies he had dragged together, thinking about how to deal with them, he answered in a polite, even elegant voice.


    ¡°¡­I think, you¡¯ll see them soon. Very soon, I promise.¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 2

    Chapter 2


    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is¡­¡±


    The boy, without any suspicion, spoke thoughtfully, ¡°It seems they probably went to prepare some necessary living supplies for you. As you know, we haven¡¯t had guests here for a while.¡±


    ¡°Ah, with such heavy rain, I don¡¯t know when they wille back. I hope they don¡¯t get sick from the rain.¡±


    A hint of worry appeared on the boy¡¯s face.


    ¡°Yeah, I hope they don¡¯t get lost outside¡­¡± The man jokingly said as he dragged a body from beside his feet.


    ¡°What¡¯s that sound¡­¡±


    The boy suddenly tilted his ear.


    ¡°I¡¯m mopping the floor. The rain was so heavy that it made the floor all wet when I walked in.¡±


    ¡°No, you are a guest, how can we trouble you? That would be too impolite.¡± The boy¡¯s face showed a clear look of surprise. He instantly put his worries about his parents behind him and seemed to remember something.He said, ¡°Dr. Filte, please have a seat. Just sit on the sofa over there. Almost forgot, would you like a cup of steaming hot milk to ward off the cold?¡±


    Without waiting for an answer, he had already walked over to the reception desk, feeling his way along the wall with his hand. Unconsciously, he had walked near the reception desk, not far from the nearest body.


    He reached into the reception desk and fumbled around for a while, finding a clean porcin cup and milk powder. He filled the cup with hot water from the water dispenser nearby, a movement that might seem slow to a normal person but was extremely proficient for him. He turned his body to pour in the milk powder and gently started to stir.


    Then, he lifted the steaming cup of milk, his hollow eyes looking in the direction where ¡°Dr. Filte¡± probably was. He opened his mouth with a look of joy on his face, as if he wanted to share his favorite vor with this guest, ¡°This is my favorite vor. I drink a cup every night before going to bed to fall asleep.¡±


    The steam from the milk covered the boy¡¯s eyes, and the curve of his lips was so bright and satisfied.


    For a blind child to be able to do these things was already extremely difficult. It was only through countless failures and umted experience that he had be so proficient. Even so, such actions still posed a risk of burns to him.


    But in the face of a doctor who could potentially cure his eyes and bring him hope, it seemed only natural to be diligent, even at the risk of getting burned.


    The boy took a few steps forward with the milk in his hand, intending to hand it over.


    Seeing his actions, the man who had just pulled out arge old tablecloth from the kitchen and was preparing to use it as a shroud, changed his expression. Almost reflexively, he put down the old tablecloth and was about to bend over after a few steps forward¡ª


    A cold arm was ced in front of the boy¡¯s path. If he took a few more steps forward, he would trip and fall, and it was very likely that he would fall directly onto the lifeless body, falling into his mother¡¯s arms.


    This instantly broke the harmonious atmosphere between the two.


    However¡­


    What would his reaction be at that time? Would he scream in fright, or would he copse?


    Such a scene almost quickly emerged in ¡®K¡¯s mind. Some indescribable stimtion made him slightly interested, and he was somewhat expectant.


    He who was about to move the body away immediately paused his arm and slowly straightened his waist.


    ¡°Dr. Filte?¡±


    The raised milk was not received by anyone for a long time, and he did not hear the other party¡¯s response. The boy called out in confusion.


    ¡°Are you still there?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± The man¡¯s voice sounded softly, with a hint of sleepiness, ¡°Sorry, I identally fell asleep on the sofa just now.¡± Saying this, he raised his hand to take the cup of milk from the boy¡¯s hand, ¡°You really went to a lot of trouble.¡±


    The boy shook his head andughed shyly, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for me, you wouldn¡¯t have rushed over like this. I should be the one apologizing.¡± He quickly admonished with a serious face, ¡°By the way, you must drink the milk while it¡¯s hot. You¡¯ve been out in the rain for so long, don¡¯t catch a cold.¡±


    Such a serious and earnest expression on a child¡¯s face made people couldn¡¯t help but find it a bit funny.


    This child, who thought he was about to see the light, was smiling so brilliantly. At the same time, his parents¡¯ bodies were lying stiffly in front of him, like dead fish at the mercy of others, while the murderer was treated as a guest by him.


    <i>What a ridiculous and absurd scene, yet it was inexplicably exciting!</i>


    ¡°I am indeed a bit thirsty. Thanks for the hospitality.¡±


    Like a real guest, ¡®K¡¯ smiled slightly and took a sip from the cup of milk.


    The dim light slowly shone in the hall. The boy, whose height had just reached the height of the reception desk, leaned against the side of the desk, smiling sweetly. The guest who hade from afar shook the water droplets off his clothes and held the hot milk, drinking it sip by sip. If one didn¡¯t look at the two bodies lying on the ground, this scene would undoubtedly be warm and harmonious.


    The sound of wind and rain outside the window grew louder, the pitter-patter of the downpour hitting the windowsill. The moisture mixed with the smell of dust swept in, covering the faint smell of blood in the air.


    In the suddenly urgent sound of wind and rain, the boy frowned towards the door, muttering, ¡°Why haven¡¯t mom and dade back yet¡­¡±


    He straightened his head to ¡°look¡± in the direction of the door, even unconsciously taking two steps forward.


    Not far from his feet, the bodies of his parentsy quietly, their wide-open eyes staring at him.


    His mother¡¯s arm, which hadpletely stiffened, was stretched out in front, almost half a centimeter away from the boy¡¯s toes.


    And he was still waiting for them in confusion.


    This ck humor-like drama made even ¡®K¡¯, who had directed all this, couldn¡¯t help but find it interesting.


    The boy¡¯s foot finally lifted again.


    ¡®K¡¯ opened his eyes wide, almost expectantly watching all this.


    This was different from every ident he had experienced before, but it seemed to teach him another more interesting art of tragedy beyond simple and brutal killing.


    <i>Learned, learned.</i>


    ¡°Ah!¡± The boy¡¯s cry of surprise sounded, as if he had been tripped by something on the ground, and discovered the ¡°surprise¡±.


    <i>Sure enough¡­</i>


    Just as he muttered these two words in his heart, K¡¯s vision suddenly blurred, and he uncontrobly fell backward, copsing directly onto the sofa, a sense of weakness sweeping over his body.


    <i>¡ª Not good!</i>


    <i>¡ª Been tricked!!!</i>


    This thought just shed by, he didn¡¯t even have the strength to do anything else, his consciousness began to sink.


    In the dim moment of his vision, he saw the familiar small figuree to him in a nimble posture that did not match a blind person, and even skillfully took the ck umbre from the side of the sofa. The raindrops falling from the umbre hit his face.


    The icy temperature made ¡®K¡¯ barely awake for a moment, he bit his tongue hard, letting the pain temporarily dominate his nerves, with a strong will, he was about to jump up.


    But the next moment, he frozepletely.


    The familiar tip of the umbre was against his forehead.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be impulsive, little guy.¡±


    ¡®K¡¯ slowly, slowly raised his hands, looked up at the boy in front of him, and tried to pull out a smile, ¡°¡­People like me should be dealt with by the police, don¡¯t let hatred cloud your mind.¡±


    He met a pair of very calm eyes, they didn¡¯t seem impulsive at all.


    <i>!!!</i>


    A child so small, who could pretend to be blind the first time he found out his parents were killed, could chat andugh with the murderer in this house full of bodies as if nothing had happened, and decisively took action when he was paralyzed¡­


    <i>Wait¡­</i>


    An involuntary chill spread through his heart.


    ¡®K¡¯ murmured subconsciously, ¡°That cup of milk¡­¡±


    ¡°Strong sleeping pills. Didn¡¯t I say? I drink a cup every night before going to bed to fall asleep.¡±


    The boy tilted his head and showed a smile.


    ¡®K¡¯ suddenly realized. He didn¡¯t expect to fall into the hands of such an apparently harmless child¡­


    ¡°Alright, the Q&A is over.¡± The cold muzzle on his forehead moved, and the other party didn¡¯t even ask his real name from beginning to end, ¡°Dr. Filte, you should be on your way.¡±


    ¡®K¡¯ snapped back to reality, ¡°No, wait, wait! Once you kill me¡­¡±


    ¡°¡ªThis dream will end.¡±


    The boy interrupted him with a smile.


    ¡°What, what?¡±


    ¡°After all, it¡¯s not the first time being killed. First time unfamiliar, second time it gets familiar, this is the third time, you should be used to it, doctor.¡±


    In ¡®K¡¯s astonished and confused eyes, the boy¡¯s tone suddenly became casual, he yfully bit thest two words, showing a bit of impatience.


    ¡°So, see you next time, Dr. Filte.¡±


    <i>Bang¡ª¡ª!</i>


    The moist air seeping in from the outside window mixed with the bloody smell in the room, exploding with a ¡°gunshot¡±.


    Toplete a perfect dubbing for this silent bullet, the boy nonchntly moved his left hand away from his lips, and his right hand retracted the umbre to shake a beautiful ¡°gun flower¡± in the air.


    Then, he raised his index finger, gently blew, and announced.


    ¡°¡ª Game over!¡±


    Following his line of sight forward, the bullet that entered from ¡®K¡¯s forehead and flew out of the back of his head, flew towards the rain curtain outside the window at an unabated speed, sshing countless droplets.


    For a moment, the world seemed to be frozen. Just like the slow motion in movies began to y frame by frame, the whole world, like the ss window pierced by the bullet,rge cracks began to spread along the sshing droplets.


    Then, it turned into countless sshing fragments.


    This world shattered with a bang.<hr>


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 Chapter 3

    Chapter 3


    The moment the world shattered, countless lights spread out from the cracks. It seemed as if he was surrounded by a pitch-ck sea, whererge fragments of stars were scattered, densely covering the distant horizon.


    The sea water chased him,ing from all directions.


    Under a pressure that felt like drowning, Bai Yi struggled to surface, the light shining on his eyelids.


    He slowly opened his eyes, waking up.


    The ring light shone on his face through the gap in the curtains, and beneath him was the soft touch unique to a bed.


    The wall clock on the opposite wall made a ¡®ding¡¯ sound, its two hands forming a straight line.


    ¡ª It was exactly six in the morning.


    Bai Yiy on the bed, his gaze unfocused, continuing to space out. Like a machine that had suddenly lost its connection and was stuck, he could fall back asleep at any moment.


    It wasn¡¯t until five minutester that his blurry eyes finally focused, and his whole body, as if fully charged, suddenly sat up straight, ing to life.¡±The next second, he stretched out his arms and let out a long yawn, his messy hair trembling with his movement, and those eyes that had just focused half-closed again. He looked like he was running low on battery and was about to go back to sleep.


    ¡°The same dream has been going on for seven days now¡­¡±


    A thought shed through his mind, and he let out a drawn-out sigh.


    ¡°So¡ªboring¡ª¡±


    Dreaming was an experience that everyone had, but to enter different dreamscapes every night, to remain absolutely conscious, and to remember every detail clearly after waking up¡­such a special experience was not something everyone got to have.


    For Bai Yi, however, this had been his daily life.


    Ever since he could remember, it had always been like this.


    Every night after falling asleep, he would uncontrobly plunge into various dreams, facing all sorts of strange beginnings.


    Most of the time, he dreamed of a deep sea, where the water was as thick as ink, and around him were constantly falling fragments of stars. The pressure, so real it was suffocating, always gave him the illusion of drowning, until he struggled to wake up from the nightmare with all his might.


    At other times, he would dream of various scenes, ying a certain role in them. Sometimes he was just delivering a letter for someone, sometimes he might be in mortal danger, needing to make the right choice in a very short time.


    The duration of these dreams varied. The longest one repeated the same dream for half a month, the shortest one changed every day.


    After many years of trial and summary, Bai Yi was not without gains. He found that as long as he immersed himself in the role, ording to his own spection, tried to do things that were in line with the role¡¯s wishes, the same dream often wouldn¡¯tst a few days before itpletely disappeared from his side.


    But if he seriously vited the role¡¯s wishes, then he would continue to repeat this dream day and night.


    The longest time, a dream repeated for three months.


    It was simply¡­like being possessed by an evil spirit.


    The dreamst night, was the seventh repetition.


    The moment he entered the dream, what appeared in front of Bai Yi was a ring crime scene.


    As far as the eye could see, there were two fresh corpses and a freshly baked murderer.


    And he, like a ghost hovering in the sky, silently overlooked all this.


    Then, he watched as the little boy who walked down the stairs was frightened by the scene in front of him, directly fell on the stairs, and made a piercing noise.


    And the murderer was quickly rmed by the noise made by the little boy, turned around to look at him for the first time, and was about to add another fresh corpse to the ground.


    ¡ª All this was too much to take in, like a cutscene in a game ying out in front of Bai Yi¡¯s eyes, until his vision blurred and he found himself already in the body of the little boy, bing the role that was about to be a cannon fodder.


    Facing a pair of eyes full of murderous intent, Bai Yi didn¡¯t hesitate, immediately unfocused his gaze, stumbled and touched the wall to get up, his face showing the bewildered and innocent look unique to children, ¡°¡­Is it Dr. Filte?¡±


    The other party, as he expected, was stunned for a second, and then responded¨Ctemporarily stopping the action in his hands.


    All the lies were so fluent, Bai Yi¡¯s fast-running brain allowed him to make the most advantageous choice in an instant¨Cto y a blind child, and actively give this murderer who might kill him at any time a reasonable identity, reducing the other party¡¯s vignce.


    Even in his speech, he deliberately guided the other party¡¯s interest in talking.


    The parents who died tragically, the child who knew nothing and saw the enemy as a friend, the closed environment that had not been visited by guests for a long time and was likely to be undisturbed in the future¡­ He actively offered the murderer in front of him enough material for a wonderful script, and a stage without anyone¡¯s interference¡­


    The fact proved that such a small trick was indeed effective.


    Perhaps some people had a bad factor in their nature that liked to tear up others¡¯ beauty, appreciate others¡¯ tragedy, and get pleasure from it. Even if this time to watch the drama was likely to increase the risk for himself.


    Perhaps¡­this was also one of the important reasons why so many viins died of talking too much.


    And a young, weak and blind child, what threat did he pose? Even if killed a littleter, it¡¯s not a big deal.


    In this way, K was gradually led on, rxing his vignce towards Bai Yi. With a certain perverse mentality, he dealt with the bodies while conversing with the boy in front of him as ¡°Dr. Filte¡±, even feeling a bit regretful about having to kill such an obedient and sensible prey.


    This process was enough for Bai Yi to roughly figure out his character, while also using the corner of his eye to subtly familiarize himself with the surroundings. For example, where there were handy tools, where there were suitable escape routes, where there were key props that could help a child ovee an adult¡­


    The strong sleeping pills stored under the reception desk were his unexpected joy.


    ¡ª Although the dream world was different from reality, and the types and packaging of the drugs were also different, just by opening the bottle and taking a sniff, Bai Yi was able to determine from his long-standing experience that this was a drug with a strong sedative effect.


    ¡ª Although finding such strange drugs at the hotel¡¯s reception desk was a bit off¡­it was hard not to suspect that this was a ck shop.


    Then, Bai Yi tasted it himself.


    Three minutester, he started to feel dizzy.


    Five secondster, this weak body fell directly to the ground.


    This sudden ¡°drop dead¡± even scared ¡°K¡±, who thought that a colleague had unknowingly infiltrated the hotel, and he immediately gripped his weapon, doubting and suspecting until thest second of the dream shattering.


    But Bai Yi sessfully used the first opportunity to enter the dream to find a key prop that could break the situation, and estimated the effect and approximate onset time himself.


    By converting between the physique of a child and an adult, he roughly knew how long the same dose would take to work on another person.


    The next night, when he opened his eyes again on the familiar steps, Bai Yi already had aplete n in his mind.


    This time, with early preparation, he deceived ¡°K¡±¡¯s eyes with more perfect acting skills. Then, he focused all his attention on observing this ¡°Dr. Filte¡±, without diverting too much attention to observe the surroundings.


    And he made his first tentative counter-kill.


    This rash attempt failed as expected.


    Then came the second time, the third time.


    Failure after failure, each time closer to sess¡­


    The power gap between a child and an adult was not easily bridged, especially when he had not fully grasped the other party¡¯s mind, and every step was perfectly responsive, as long as a slight w was exposed to arouse the other party¡¯s suspicion, there was absolutely no room for resistance.


    But his goal had been achieved.


    With the information collected from the dreams time and time again, the murderer¡¯s personality model established in Bai Yi¡¯s mind became more and more perfect, and the previous failures of counter-killing also provided him with more ample experience.


    Until the fifth time he entered the dream¡­


    This time, everything was under Bai Yi¡¯s control.


    <i>How to make people rx their vignce, how to make the other party¡¯s every step follow your guidance¡­When you understand this person¡¯s character enough, it¡¯s not a difficult thing.</i>


    From the moment he woke up from the dream, every word Bai Yi said, every step he took, his expression and tone, and even the position he stood in, were all considered.


    The moment he opened his mouth, he knew what the other party would say next, just as this time in the dream when he handed out that ss of milk, he was sure that the other party would definitely not refuse. This was when his vignce was at its lowest.


    After a sessful experience, on the sixth day, the seventh day, when Bai Yi woke up in the same dream again, facing the same opening, it was simply like holding a clearance guide to brush the copy, without any difficulty.


    In order not to be so boring, to add a little difficulty to himself, he didn¡¯t evenpletely copy the guide from thest time¡­


    <i>Even so, when you know enough about a person, and the other person knows nothing about you, it¡¯s not difficult to design a trap for them to step into. Just as a prey that has been killed once by a trap, it¡¯s not difficult to kill a second or third time.</i>


    In this way, Bai Yipleted a triple kill.


    ¡ª It was not an escape, but a counter-kill.


    ¡ª He could feel the deep pleasure from the bottom of his heart of the role he was ying. Each time deeper than thest.


    But Bai Yi went from being initially enthusiastic to now being bored. It was like repeatedly solving a puzzle with a known answer, or eating the same snack over and over again.


    Even if he changed the way he ate, he couldn¡¯t help but get tired of it.


    ¡°Hey, this level should be satisfying enough.¡±


    Standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom, he gently sshed cold water on his face, Bai Yi looked up at the mirror on the wall.


    The boy in the mirror was thin and tall, wearing arge white short-sleeved shirt, his ck hair was messy, a few strands of hair on his forehead were wet by the sshed water droplets, revealing his dark eyes, and there were faint and unnoticeable dark circles around them.


    Bai Yi yawned, and the deep ck eyes in the mirror suddenly became misty. He murmured, as if speaking to the regret in the dream that may or may not exist, or the ¡°reason¡± that made him fall into the dream behind all these nightmares, he said,


    ¡°¡ª At least bring some fresher dreams.¡±


    He didn¡¯t expect a response, however¡­


    The sshed water hit the mirror, flowing around, making the person in the mirror extremely blurry due to the water flow.


    The next second, the water flowing around suddenly became orderly, forming one blurry and distorted text after another on the mirror, like an old TV screen flickering with static, presenting a poor signal reception.


    Bai Yi suddenly widened his eyes.


    ¡°What is this¡­¡±


    <i>[System energy is full, nightmare game officially online.]</i>


    As the first line of text disappeared, another line of text emerged.


    <i>[Detected the only beta yer, already bound.]</i><hr>


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 Chapter 4

    Chapter 4


    ¡°¡­Something interesting happened.¡±


    Staring at the scene before him that clearly exceededmon sense, Bai Yi was silent for a few seconds. He reached out to push the non-existent sses on the bridge of his nose, revealing a detective-like determined expression.


    He slowly said in a tone of ¡°there is only one truth¡±:


    ¡°Could it be, this is the legendary system cheat?¡±


    ¡°And I, am I the chosen one?¡±


    The surroundings were still silent. On the blurry mirror, the distorted text flickered dimly and brightly.


    Bai Yi seemed to have received an answer, nodded seriously, andpleted his self-questioning and self-answering.


    ¡°It must be so.¡±


    Saying this, he stretched out his finger and seriously poked the mirror that obviously was not right and did not reflect any figures.¡°So, where is the newbie gift pack? Where is the newbie gift pack?¡±


    He poked the mirror several times, and the text on it became more and more distorted and flickered, but there was not even a cheap special effect, as if nothing had happened.


    Bai Yi¡¯s originally excited eyes suddenly became extremely disappointed, full of doubt and disdain.


    He said expressionlessly, ¡°No way, no way, in this day and age, there can¡¯t be a system that doesn¡¯t even have the standard newbie gift pack, right?¡±


    With each sentence, he poked once.


    System: <i>???</i>


    In the silence, one by one, the text emerged on the mirror, flickering more and more intensely.


    <i>[The system energy is full, the Nightmare Game is officially online.]</i>


    <i>[From the officialunch of the game, yers can enter different nightmare fragment instances after falling asleep. Whenever a yer sessfully clears a nightmare fragment instance, they will receive game rewards corresponding to the difficulty and content of the instance.]</i>


    <i>[Detection of existing nightmare fragments that have notpletely dissipated, included in the yer¡¯s game database, beginning settlement¡ª¡ª]</i>


    This time, the text on the mirror changed extremely quickly, giving Bai Yi no time to react or evenin.


    <i>[Cleared Nightmare Fragment [Blood-colored Inn]]</i>


    <i>[Instance Level: ¡ï¡î]</i>


    <i>[Clearance Evaluation: A]</i>


    <i>[Points Earned: 10]</i>


    <i>[Beginning special reward extraction.]</i>


    The transparent text turned into a stream of water and dissipated in front of Bai Yi¡¯s eyes, and everything around suddenly became illusory.


    The mirror seemed to be constantly extending up and down, blurring the boundaries of space.


    At some moment, Bai Yi felt as if he had returned to the bottomless deep sea. Star fragments fell all around, and countless glows enveloped him.


    As the starlight dissipated, several crystals slowly condensed. The dreamy and confusing color shed in front of Bai Yi¡¯s eyes and disappeared in an instant.


    <i>[You have obtained a special drop: Nightmare Crystal (White) ¡Á3. The game backpack has been opened and automatically stored.]</i>


    <i>[You have obtained a one-star character card ¡®Ghost of the Rainy Night¡¯ (upgradable).]</i>


    A phantom card flew out from mid-air, gently spun in front of Bai Yi, and then slowly dissipated.


    On the card, a tall and thin man in a trench coat was walking in the rainy night, a ck umbre covering most of his face. Only the corner of his mouth showed a smile that was not quite a smile.


    Under the umbre, the pitch-ck shadow merged with the background of the card.


    He bowed to Bai Yi, and the whole person slowly exited with the dissipation of the phantom card.


    <i>[Based on your performance in the instance, you have obtained a growable skill card ¡®Praise of the Blind¡¯.]</i>


    Another phantom card condensed in mid-air.


    This time, what appeared on the card was a frail-looking little boy. He was squatting on high steps, his body shrouded in the shadow of the corridor, under his long and curled eyshes, his pupils were hollow and deep.


    There was a faint reflection of blood in his eyes.


    He smiled slightly at Bai Yi and also dissipated.


    In the end, there was only one line of text left on the mirror¡ª¡ª


    <i>[Settlementpleted, disying yer attribute panel.]</i>


    **


    Name: Bai Yi


    Age: 17


    Talent: Rhythm of All Things lv10 (Awakening 10%)


    <i>[Note: A talent that awakened on its own due to a naturally powerful soul, capable of passively sensing the life rhythm and spiritual fluctuations of all things, seems to have brought you a lot of trouble. Under the dual suppression of the Nightmare Game system and thewless world rules, this talent cannot awaken further at present.]</i>


    **


    Bai Yi¡¯s gaze couldn¡¯t help but linger for a second.


    He continued to look down without changing his expression.


    **


    Life Skills (not disyed below lv1):


    Bewitch lv3


    <i>[Note: Your natural talentbined with years of rich practice has created your transcendent aplishments. As long as you are willing, you can deceive anyone in this world, including yourself. All pyramid scheme leaders pale inparison to you, willingly admit defeat, and can only beid off and re-employed.]</i>


    <i>[This ordinary skill has reached the limit of mortals, and after integrating with the rted spiritual transcendent abilities, there is a chance to further break through to an transcendent skill.]</i>


    **


    Bai Yi had a question mark above his head. ¡°¡­?¡±


    ¡°Ah, this, I¡¯m not, I don¡¯t have, don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡±


    First was a subconscious denial, Bai Yi¡¯s tone gradually became righteous. ¡°This system, how did it learn to make up stories?¡±


    ¡°Could it be because I used the task reward to offset the newbie gift pack, and it¡¯s worried about being exposed by my cleverness, so it¡¯s feeling guilty?¡±


    The response to him was still silence. It made him look abnormal talking to the mirror.


    But Bai Yi didn¡¯t have any sense of embarrassment at all. ¡°As expected, it¡¯s feeling guilty. I told you I¡¯m not that kind of person¡­¡±


    More text flickered quickly on the mirror, as if it couldn¡¯t bear it any longer, it interrupted someone¡¯s words in this way.


    **


    Dark Cuisine lv2


    <i>[Note: In a certain sense, being able to elevate cooking to this level and achieve the effect that only poison can do with ordinary ingredients is also a kind of transcendent talent.]</i>


    Iron Stomach lv2


    <i>[Note: Enjoying your own dark cuisine every day and still being able to live until now, it¡¯s obvious how strong your stomach is. This may be an even more transcendent talent.]</i>


    Personality Mask lv1


    <i>[Note: Special experiences allow you to switch between multiple character personalities skillfully, as simple as putting different personality masks on your face.]</i>


    <i>[When the fake bes real, the real is also fake. When an intermittent schizophrenic perfectly ys the role of a schizophrenic, should he be recognized for his superb acting skills, or should his condition be diagnosed as worsening?]</i>


    <i>[Click to view more skills]</i>


    **


    Bai Yi had a second question mark: ¡°¡­??¡±


    <i>¡­Is this note serious?</i>


    <i>¡­The legendary way of countering sarcasm with sarcasm, using the way of the Onmyoji to cure the great Onmyoji¡¯s body? </i>(TL: from ¡®ÒÔÆäÈËÖ®µÀ£¬»¹ÖÎÆäÈËÖ®Éí¡¯-using other people¡¯s own principles and methods to cultivate themselves)


    <i>I suspect you¡¯re implying something about me but I have no evidence.jpg</i>


    The text on the mirror continued.


    **


    Transcendent Skills:


    Praise of the Blind lv1<ol><li><ol><li>Passively increase the goodwill of neutral units by 5 points, friendly units by 10 points, and reduce the defense and hostility of enemy units. <i>(Only effective for the same unit for the first time, cannot be repeated. Aura-type skill, no need for the yer to cast.)</i></li></ol></li></ol><ol><li><ol><li>Actively cast on people within ten meters, can produce an effect simr to #lowering one¡¯s own presence#, making other people subconsciously ignore the yer¡¯s existence. But once the yer makes a noticeable move, this effect is automatically broken. The casting effect and range are rted to the yer¡¯s mental power.</li></ol></li></ol><ol><li><ol><li>Actively cast on oneself, temporarily reducing one¡¯s own vision as a price, briefly amplifying one¡¯s own strength. The degree of strength amplification is directly proportional to the degree of vision reduction. In apletely blind state, the strength will be amplified by 300%. Lasts for up to three minutes, after three minutes everything returns to normal.</li></ol></li></ol><ol><li><ol><li>Special: Adams¡¯ Soul Praise</li></ol></li></ol>


    Can only be used once, a unique consumable. After using this skill, it will summon a soul phantom that obeys yourmands 100%, and will go through fire and water for you until itpletely dissipates.


    <i>[Note: This is a praise for the ¡°blind¡±. You yed with enemies far stronger than yourself in the identity of the blind,pleted the identity switch between the hunter and the prey, ignited the nightmare with the me of revenge, and obtained the specialment of the soul praise.]</i>


    <i>[People often trust too much in what they see with their own eyes, but who is the real blind one?]</i>


    **


    This time, Bai Yi was full of question marks: ¡°???¡±


    ¡°Being able to blind enemies, making people rx their guard, ignore oneself, and also being able to blind oneself, enhancing strength¡­Hmm, either you¡¯re blind or I¡¯m blind, this skill, it really lives up to its name.¡±


    He muttered aint without words, his gaze fell on thest special soul praise, as if he was thinking.


    Just as Bai Yi¡¯s gaze was drifting, not knowing what he was thinking, the text that was originally flickering quickly gradually slowed down, revealing thest few lines,pletely solidifying on the mirror.


    **


    Points: 10


    Card Slot: [Ghost of the Rainy Night¡ï]


    <i>[Characteristic to be confirmed] [Can be equipped / consumes Nightmare Crystal (White) ¡Á1 every 24 hours] [Click to no longer disy]</i>


    Backpack: Nightmare Crystal (White) ¡Á3


    **


    After reading this long panel information, especially thoserge paragraphs of text written as notes but read as sarcasm, Bai Yi was silent for a full five seconds.


    With a face devoid of expression and a pair of dead fish eyes with dark circles, he suddenly spoke.


    ¡°Speaking of which¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to exin what you said before about ¡®energy is full¡¯?¡±


    He unexpectedly did not ask more about the situation of the Nightmare Game, nor did he mention the extraordinary skills and cards he had just obtained, but instead targeted the first sentence the system said when it appeared. ¡°What is the so-called energy? Where does ite from? How is it full?¡±


    <i>Element detection.jpg</i>


    Word by word until the end, Bai Yi¡¯s smile gradually distorted, and his body almost showed substantial ck air.


    ¡°¡ª¡ªI¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve been working hard in the nightmare for you all these years.¡±


    System: ¡­


    Bai Yi let out a sigh of regret.


    ¡°Sigh, the dignified system, after swallowing the hard work of this poor worker for so many years, surely you wouldn¡¯t even give a single exnation and a little bit ofpensation?¡±


    Although this system never gave any response, making him look like he was always talking to himself as if he was sick, but just through the frequency of text changes, it was enough for him to realize that this system was definitely not a rigid standalone system. Even if it didn¡¯t have human-like consciousness, there was a certain logical pattern.


    <i>¡ª¡ªSo, of course, take the opportunity to shear the wool, even if this wool is likely toe from his own body.</i>


    In the silence of the room, Bai Yi, who did not get a response, continued to issue weak, helpless and pitifulints. ¡°The world of capitalists is so cruel, I, who have been working for so many years, really should not get deeper and deeper¡­Just ck off every day, anyway, there is everything in the dream.¡±


    The previous expression of fatigue as if he hadn¡¯t woken up appeared on his face again, he was indifferent to the yer panel and the skill card he had just obtained, which looked very attractive, and he yawnedzily again, his eyes half-closed with dark circles.


    Bai Yi turned around and left.


    <i>[yer detected to have one more reward to im¡ª¡ª]</i><hr>


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    Discord Server: https://discord.gg/HGaByvmVuw

 Chapter 5

    Chapter 5


    <i>[yer detected to have one more reward to im¡ª¡ª]</i>


    Bai Yi had just turned around and taken a few steps.


    Suddenly, the water vapor in the air, which was hard to detect, was condensed by an invisible force, revealing vague and distorted text floating quietly in front of him.


    It was as if someone had written on a window fogged up with rain, stroke by stroke.


    ¡°Oh ho?¡±


    Bai Yi nced at it with interest, but his steps didn¡¯t stop, and he looked like he was about to walk right into it.


    ¡ª¡ªOr rather, he wanted to try walking into it.


    ¡ª¡ªThat¡¯s the kind of person he was. He could do things that others found inexplicable or childish, even if onlookers cringed, he could do it as if it was nothing.


    However, no matter how many steps he took, the floating text always maintained a perfect distance from him.This made Bai Yi show undisguised disappointment on his face.


    The reward mentioned by the system soon appeared¡ª¡ª


    <i>[As the only beta yer, who has made outstanding contributions to the officialunch of the Nightmare Game System over the years, the yer has received a special achievement item, a fragment of ¡®The Principle of All Things¡¯ x1.]</i>


    <i>[It can be used to unconditionally upgrade any talent, skill, card, item, can be converted into corresponding Nightmare Crystals, can exempt a Nightmare Fragment instance, directly passing it.]</i>


    <i>[Given the rarity and specialness of this item, it is rmended that yers understand the game deeply before making a careful choice.]</i>


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± Bai Yi stopped in his tracks, staring intently at those words, ¡°¡­¡­A fragment of ¡®The Principle of All Things¡¯?¡±


    The system¡¯s hand was unexpectedly generous this time.


    Just looking at this description, the so-called ¡®The Principle of All Things¡¯ fragment was like an omnipotent item in the game.


    Let¡¯s not talk about converting Nightmare Crystals for now. Bai Yi didn¡¯t understand Nightmare Crystals at the moment, but just by its ability to exempt a Nightmare Fragment instance, it was quite extraordinary.


    Like the dream he had before, if it were now, Bai Yi could directly skip the cycle and start a new dream with the ¡®Principle of All Things¡¯ fragment in his hand.


    And the ability to unconditionally upgrade any talent, skill, card, or item was even more precious.


    At this stage, these things were still at a low level, and upgrading might not be difficult. It wouldn¡¯t be worth it to use the ¡®Principle of All Things¡¯ fragment.


    But if he saved it forter, when there were high-level skills or cards, or even directly max-level items, if he could still upgrade one level, it would be like a bug.


    In this way, this was a strategic item.


    <i>A little thought would tell that now was not the time for the ¡®Principle of All Things¡¯ fragment to exert its maximum value. The correct thing to do was to keep it for now and use it someday in the future.</i>


    <i>Thus, as expected, he should¡­</i>


    ¡°Use it now.¡±


    Bai Yi finished speaking, but found that there was no response on the mirror surface. The flickering font seemed to be frozen there.


    He expressed surprise, ¡°No way? Did it crash on the first day ofunch? Or did you not want to fulfill the reward from the beginning?¡±


    The frozen font finally started to flicker one by one.


    <i>[yer confirms to use the ¡®Principle of All Things¡¯ fragment?]</i>


    ¡°Confirmed, upgrade the talent ¡®Rhythm of All Things¡¯.¡± Bai Yi spoke lightly, ¡°One ¡®Principle of All Things¡¯, one ¡®Rhythm of All Things¡¯, it sounds so matching.¡±


    System: <i>???</i>


    <i>¡­Is it you who are wrong, or am I wrong? Or is it this world that¡¯s a bit off?</i>


    <i>[The current mystery level of this world is 0, the talent ¡®Rhythm of All Things¡¯ is suppressed, moreover this talent has special awakening conditions, a ¡®Principle of All Things¡¯ fragment cannot upgrade it.]</i>


    ¡°So, you can¡¯t do it.¡±


    The mirror was silent for a moment, then words popped out one by one.


    <i>[It is rmended that the yer do not try to upgrade ¡®Rhythm of All Things¡¯ at present. The yer¡¯s long-standing troubles are caused by the awakening of this talent. If it goes further, it will only deepen the troubles, which contradicts the yer¡¯s long-standing goal of trying to get rid of the troubles¡­]</i>


    ¡°So, you really can¡¯t do it.¡±


    This text hadn¡¯t finished disying yet, and Bai Yi simply and rudely interrupted it, not giving it any face.


    He concluded, ¡°You¡¯re so useless.¡±


    System: ¡­


    ¡°Really too useless, too useless, simply the most useless system I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± After all, he hadn¡¯t seen a second system yet. There¡¯s nothing wrong with saying that.


    System: ¡­


    ¡°I really can¡¯t imagine that the system industry has been so internalized to this point, such a useless system can actually take up a post? Thepetitive pressure is so small, it¡¯s really enviable.¡±


    System: ¡­


    <i>¡­The yer can live safely to this age, it must be because the people in this world are very kind, right?</i>


    Seeing that the text in front of him hadn¡¯t changed for a long time, Bai Yi finally stopped outputting two opposing techniques and reluctantly opened his mouth, ¡°You can¡¯t do this, you can¡¯t do that, then I¡¯ll just ask a question, you should be able to answer it, right?¡±


    One word after another appeared impatiently.


    <i>[In view of the contribution made by the only beta yer for the Nightmare Game, the yer can ask a question that does not exceed the current authority. If it exceeds the authority, this extra reward will be invalidated. The yer will not have a second chance to ask questions.]</i>


    ¡°Forget it, I won¡¯t make it difficult for you.¡± The young man sighed, ¡°My question is very simple.¡±


    He stared at the mirror surface abruptly, and spoke word by word, ¡°I want to know, what is the essence of the talent ¡®Rhythm of All Things¡¯, and how to solve the ¡®little trouble¡¯ it brings?¡±


    As he spoke, he took a few steps forward, swiftly pulling open the thick gray curtains. Along with the sunlight that poured into the room, there was a sudden, extremely loud collision sound.


    Countless streams of information rushed towards him.


    Or rather, from the moment he woke up, the hustle and bustle around him had never ceased.


    But at this moment, those voices that he had long been ustomed to suddenly became incredibly harsh. They lifted his skull and screamed loudly, desperately drilling into his mind.


    Bai Yi looked down through the window.


    This was a very remote street, located in an old city area that had long been abandoned. Most of the area was uninhabited, and the shops across the entire street were almost all closed. Only a few old people without children still lived here and hadn¡¯t moved away. It was rare for such a bigmotion to ur.


    He urately cast his gaze in the direction where the information flow was most intense, and found that quite a few people had unusually gathered at the corner of this usually quiet street.


    In the center of the crowd, amidst a sea of blood, were the copsed old walls and overturned big truck. Some people were crying, some were shouting.


    Sadness, despair, resentment, regret¡­Arge amount of mixed emotions were surging.


    Bai Yi felt as if his skull was about to be pried open, and then a pile of chaotic information was as if it had been kneaded into a rag by someone, carrying the not yet dried dirty water stains, and stuffed into his head all at once.


    He withdrew his gaze from the window, calmly walked away from the window, and the whole person fell back onto the bed.


    Bai Yi, who was spread out in a big character shape on the bed, yawned silently again, his eyelids almost sticking together, looking extremely sleepy, as if he would fall asleep the next second.


    He seemed to finally remember that there was a system that had been ignored, barely opened his eyelids, and askedzily, ¡°Such a simple question, you should be able to answer it, right?¡±


    In his line of sight, one word after another appeared.


    <i>[Rhythm of All Things: The yer¡¯s naturally strong soul allows them to uncontrobly sense the life rhythm of all things, including mental fluctuations, but because they live in a world without magic, they can¡¯t find any way to turn passive into active control. Ordinary people living in this world have not stepped into the transcendent stage, they are just mortals, unable to control themselves, unconsciously dissipating their own life rhythm, especially when their emotions fluctuate intensely. Therefore, yers living in crowds will always be passively aware of too many chaotic emotional impacts at all times¡­]</i>


    ¡°Make it simpler, speak in a simpler way.¡±


    <i>[The yer¡¯s soul is naturally strong, other ordinary people¡¯s souls are naturally weak. The yer cannot control themselves and passively receives all life rhythms, other ordinary people cannot control themselves and constantly dissipate life rhythms.]</i>


    <i>[Just like a signal tower that cannot be turned off and can only passively receive signals within a certain distance, and countless signal sources that unconsciously emit fluctuations.]</i>


    <i>[There are three solutions.]</i>


    <i>[First, turn off the signal reception function of the signal tower.]</i>


    <i>[What the yer has been trying to do is this one, actively lowering their own mental activity, making themselves in a state of low spirits most of the time, to reduce the passive perception of the life rhythm of the outside world. Because the yer themselves is just a mortal, they don¡¯t understand any psychic transcendent skills, this method has limited effects. It can only temporarily shield life rhythms that are not high in intensity.]</i>


    <i>[Unless the yer themselves achieve a certain sublimation, life breaks through to a higher level, the talent fully awakens, and control is freely exercised.]</i>


    <i>[Second, let the signal source control its own signal fluctuations. Because ordinary people in the non-magical world have not even stepped into the threshold of transcendence, it is even more impossible to learn to restrain their own thoughts.¡¿</i>


    <i>[Unless everyonepletes the sublimation of the essence of life, bing a transcendent who can control their own life rhythm and no longer dissipate.]</i>


    <i>[Third,pletely clear the Nightmare Game, the yer will have the ability to realize all their wishes.]</i>


    <i>[¡ª¡ªBe an omnipotent god.]</i>


    ¡°Omnipotent, huh¡­¡±


    Bai Yi quietly looked at the text presented in front of him. The noisy voices in his mind were boiling.


    The transparent font condensed by water vapor twisted in mid-air, and the faint water vapor spread around along the blurry edges, like the whispers of an evil god, bewitching people¡¯s hearts.


    He thought for a second, not knowing whether to say that his brain circuit was quirky or that he loved to court death with great courage.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s no problem to dismantle you then?¡±


    <i>[If that is your wish.]</i>


    The words in mid-air emitted a strange aura, and a line of blurry font re-condensed.


    <i>[What you think, will inevitably be reality.]</i><hr>


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 Chapter 6

    Chapter 6


    At two o¡¯clock in the morning, the lights on Maple Leaf Street were bright.


    This was the busiest bar street in the new district of Jiangyuan.


    ¡°Damn it, damn it! A bunch of dogs!¡± A man reeking of alcohol was propped out of the bar door, thrown on the ground like trash.


    Someone kicked him in the butt, but it wasn¡¯t clear who.


    Laughter echoed around without any attempt to hide it.


    He fell, dizzy, cursing and covering his forehead that had been hit by a bottle. Blood flowed through his fingers, smearing his face and hands, mixing with the smell of alcohol into a pungent odor.


    ¡°Hiss¡ª¡ª¡± The pain from the wound on his forehead made the man grimace, ¡°Just wait for me¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°There are many of you this time, I won¡¯t stoop to your level¡­¡­¡± He cursed while ring back at the bar, spat forcefully, and finally left the bar reluctantly.


    Compared to the brightly lit and noisy bar, the dark and quiet alley at the back door was like a different world.There was not a single figure on the road. A garbage can that had not been cleaned for a long time was knocked over by someone, and the garbage that spilled out emitted a foul smell. The long-neglected street light was leaning on the side of the road, its shadow under the moonlight looked like a ghost.


    At two o¡¯clock in the deep night, it was as quiet as a graveyard.


    For some reason, Han Shan felt a little creeped.


    ¡°Damn¡­¡­¡± He cursed softly, but he didn¡¯t choose to turn back and take another road. As a person who had been hanging around bars and casinos for many years, he believed he had the courage to walk alone at night.


    But such an association was a bit ominous for him.


    He shook his dizzy head and continued to walk forward unsteadily.


    But he hadn¡¯t walked far¡­


    <i>Pada!</i>


    A drop of water fell on his head, followed by the second, the third¡­In a blink of an eye, countless droplets were falling down with a pitter-patter.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    Han Shan cursed again, feeling unlucky.


    ¡°It¡¯s actually raining¡­¡±


    The wound on his forehead was washed by the rain, causing another wave of intense pain. In the end, he could only grit his teeth, take off his coat to cover his head, and start running. He was in a very sorry state.


    If he remembered correctly, there was probably about five hundred meters to the end of this alley. Not far from the alley entrance was a cheap small hotel that had been open for many years. He could take shelter from the rain there, or simply spend the night¡­


    The increasing rain was smearing the whole world like ink, and the blood flowing down his forehead made his vision increasingly blurry and dizzy. Han Shan felt his body heating up, and his steps were getting heavier and heavier. It was as if he was carrying a growing mountain on his back.


    Just when he thought he was going to copse in this alley, suddenly, a beam of pale yellow warm light came from the front, casting a faint glow on his face.


    He looked up.


    In his blurry vision, a somewhat old inn appeared in the night. The door of the inn was not tightly closed, and the light was shining out from the crack of the door.


    Through the curtain of rain, he vaguely saw a figure in the door crack.


    Han Shan immediately perked up, his whole body suddenly energized. He ran over in two or three strides and pushed open the half-closed door.


    ¡°Is the boss here? I want to stay¡­stay¡­¡±


    His voice suddenly choked, as if a walnut was suddenly stuck in his throat. His impatient steps also stopped, and he just stood stiffly at the door, his hand on the door shaking violently.


    The dim yellow light illuminated the blood all over the floor. Two cold bodiesy not far from him, one in front of the other. A man was squatting on the ground with his back to him, one hand touching the body on the ground, seemingly doing something strange.


    Disturbed by the noise of his pushing the door, the man turned around¡ª


    Han Shan¡¯s body started to shake violently.


    The scene before his eyes scared him.


    This sudden shock was like a huge hammer hitting him. His head, which was already dizzy from the injury and the fever from the rain, buzzed, and he swayed and fell to the ground, his hands smeared with blood.


    But he was dizzy and weak, and didn¡¯t have the strength to get up.


    ¡°Ah, the first time I do this kind of thing, and I was caught¡­¡±


    A deep and slow male voice sounded above his head, apanied by the sound of approaching footsteps, then the sound of an umbre tip hitting the ground. The man had alreadye to his front.


    From bottom to top, what appeared in his vision were the man¡¯s long legs, a ck trench coat hanging straight to his knees, half-long pale golden hair that was slightly curled at the cor, and a face that at first nce made people think of musicians, painters, and other identities rich in artistic atmosphere.


    ¡°Coming uninvited in the middle of the night, what a rude guest.¡±


    The man¡¯s deep green eyes looked at him, the curve of his smile was as standard as if measured with a ruler, and his tone was very elegant, which made Han Shan feel a chill.


    He calmly raised the ck umbre in his hand, a light red droplet fell along the umbre surface, just falling on Han Shan¡¯s trembling eyshes. Apanied by the slight rotation of the umbre, dark muzzle appeared at the tip of the umbre.


    Then, it was pressed against Han Shan¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°¡ª¡ªShould I say you¡¯re lucky, or unlucky?¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­haa¡­you¡­¡± Han Shan wanted to beg for mercy, wanted to get up and run away, but his chaotic brain didn¡¯t obey, the unprecedented fear slowed his thinking by a few beats. He didn¡¯t even know what he was saying, only making a few vague sounds from his throat.


    <i>¡ª¡ªHe didn¡¯t know anything, he only knew he didn¡¯t want to die!</i>


    Han Shan¡¯s sorry, funny, and pitiful appearance seemed to amuse the man. He couldn¡¯t help but look him up and down, his gaze especially falling on his wrinkled clothes reeking of alcohol and the wound on his forehead, bing clear.


    The man casually poked at the wound on his forehead with the tip of his umbre, sighing like a poet, ¡°The mediocrity of this world always seems to be like this, squandering life when they have it, and only when they are about to lose it do they so desperately crave to cherish it?¡±


    ¡°Spare¡­ spare me¡­¡± Han Shan, who was too scared to speak, finally managed to stutter out aplete sentence, ¡°Please¡­please¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Hmm?¡±


    The man paused, took a serious look at him, and seemed thoughtful, ¡°After all, you are the first living person I¡¯ve met here since I arrived. To simply and brutally kill you doesn¡¯t seem to fit with my aesthetic.¡±


    He thought for three seconds and had an idea.


    ¡°An unexpected twist of fate brought you here tonight, so why not let fate decide your life and death.¡±


    With a crisp sound.


    The man¡¯s hand somehow pulled a coin from his left pocket and flicked it into the air.


    ¡°Heads is life, tails is death.¡±


    The coin was tumbling in mid-air, quickly falling down.


    A hand steadily caught it.


    Han Shan tried hard to straighten his neck and widen his eyes to see, but due to the height difference, he could only see the back of the man¡¯s hand.


    His whole heart was hanging, pounding wildly.


    The man looked down and clenched the hand on the umbre handle, ¡°Ah, I¡¯m really sorry¡­¡±


    His attitude clearly indicated the result.


    ¡°No¡ª¡ª¡± Han Shan¡¯s face turned white in an instant, feeling the gun muzzle against his forehead, he was about to faint from fear.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    But the next second, the force on his forehead disappeared.


    <i>He didn¡¯t die???</i>


    Han Shan looked up in astonishment.


    The man who had just simted a gunshot with his mouth casually hooked up the corner of his mouth, revealing a standard smile, ¡°Just a small joke, lucky guest. Fate has finally favored you this time.¡±


    ¡°¡ª¡ªSo, excuse me for not seeing you off.¡±


    The man¡¯s trailing voice was drowned out by the increasingly loud wind and rain, and Han Shan waspletely overwhelmed by the ecstasy of escaping from death.


    The moment he was let go, he jumped up from the ground at a speed he had never had before. This body, which had been weak and dizzy, seemed to suddenly surge with infinite strength, supporting him to suddenly jump out of the inn¡¯s door and run out without looking back!


    In the storm, he ran like a rabbit being chased by a tiger, until the sudden surge of strength gradually left his body, and the intense fatigue finally swept over him.


    This guy, who had been tormented tonight, finally couldn¡¯t hold on any longer and simply fainted.


    ****


    The dim yellow light of the inn shone faintly, looking at the increasingly blurred figure in the heavy rain, the man sighed softly.


    ¡°Unsurprisingly easy to deceive.¡±


    ¡°¡­It really gives no sense of aplishment.¡±


    He spread out his palm, a coin quietlyy there, the surface wasplex and gorgeous patterns.


    ¡ª¡ªIt was tails.


    He flicked the coin into the air again and caught it.


    <i>¡­Where was there any choice of fate.</i>


    <i>¡­Rather, he was fate.</i>


    ¡ª¡ªAt least, in the script he wove, he was the one who controlled the direction of the story, including the life and death of the other party¡­¡­he was fate itself.


    Pulling his gaze back from the window, the man turned around again, the hem of his coat drawing an arc in mid-air, ¡°Compared to that guy who gives no sense of aplishment, these two bodies seem more interesting.¡±


    He squatted down and reached out to poke the face of the corpse.


    ¡°It¡¯s clearly a product formed by the crystallization of nightmares, but the touch is so realistic¡­..I wonder if it¡¯s just superficial, or if the internal structure is the same as a real corpse? How did they do it?¡±


    ¡°I really want to see¡­¡±


    Just as he seemed to want to do something outrageous, in the upper right corner of his vision, a virtual clock that only he could see suddenly shed, the minute hand gently jumped, the scale was infinitely close to the hour.


    ¡°An hour has passed so quickly?¡±


    He murmured in disappointment and stood up.


    ¡°Never mind, for a first attempt, this level is enough. From now on, all I have to do is wait¡­¡±


    He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.


    In an instant, the entire inn, along with the man himself, disappeared at a rapid speed, as if being erased from a white paper by an invisible eraser, until it waspletely empty.


    ****


    Meanwhile, an abandoned old city district, almost back-to-back adjacent with the bustling Jiangyuan district.


    On the second floor of an old building.


    Bai Yi opened his eyes, his gaze cast out the window.


    The rain curtain blocked his vision, the heavy tree shadows in the distance and the continuous eaves merged into one.


    He raised his palm, and a phantom card slowly condensed in his palm. On the card, a man shrouded under a ck umbre revealed a smile, his expression unpredictable.


    ¡°Oh my, oh my, the first performance seems to have gone well~¡±


    Bai Yi raised an eyebrow, revealing a pleased smile, the curve getting bigger and bigger.


    He recalled what the system had ¡°said¡± before.


    <i>Clear the nightmare game, and you can realize all wishes, be an omnipotent god¡­</i>


    <i>¡­Let me see if this is just a bluff false advertising, or if there is some possibility.</i>


    Thinking this, Bai Yi casually flipped the card in his fingers.


    On the back of the card, were lines of brief character settings.


    <i>[A ghost that appears in the rainy night at any time]</i>


    <i>[A butcher who brings ughter and blood]</i>


    <i>[A pleasure offender who is good at ying with people¡¯s hearts]</i>


    <i>¡ª¡ªK</i><hr>


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 Chapter 7

    Chapter 7


    The hustle and bustle of the streets had faded away at some point, those sounds of sorrow, despair, resentment, and regret gradually receded in the long wail of the ambnce.


    The whole world had returned to a state of murmuring whispers, all illusions had dissipated.


    Yet, the distorted text floating before his eyes had not disappeared. This surreal, fantastical scene existed incredibly real.


    <i>[If this is your wish.]</i>


    <i>[What you think will inevitably be reality.]</i>


    Bai Yi waszily sprawled on the bed, looking up at these two lines of text on the ceiling.


    <i>¡­It wasn¡¯t an illusion? He had really been chosen by a baffling nightmare game.</i>


    ¡°¡­You really dare to say it.¡±


    He startedughing, sitting upright.¡°Your system is really messed up. You falsely used me before, and in the end, the pyramid scheme leader turned out to be you?¡±


    <i>¡­Who knew if the so-called nightmare game was real or fake, what the existence that imed to be the game system was in essence, perhaps everything was just a scam.</i>


    <i>¡­If one were to go by conspiracy theories, the monster in the depths of the nightmare wearing the skin of the game system, choosing someone in reality, and gradually invading this world through this¡­ this seemed like a reasonable setting too.</i>


    <i>But, who cares?</i>


    Bai Yi only knew that his interest had been sessfully piqued.


    ¡°Three paths, huh? Only children make choices, mature adults naturally want it all.¡±


    Summoning the familiar basic panel, Bai Yi¡¯s gaze swept over it, directly aiming at the bottom.


    This was a function he hadn¡¯t had the chance to understand before, perhaps he could use it soon, so naturally, he had to figure it out first.


    Points: 10


    Card Slot: [Ghost in the Rainy Night¡ï]


    <i>[Trait to be confirmed] </i>


    <i>[Can be equipped / Consumes Nightmare Crystal (White) ¡Á1 every 24 hours] </i>


    <i>[Click to no longer disy]</i>


    Backpack: Nightmare Crystal (White) ¡Á3, Principle of All Things ¡Á1


    **


    Points were easy to understand, they were the currency of the Nightmare Game, and Nightmare Crystals seemed to be some kind of special consumable. As for that character card¡­could it be what he had guessed?


    With a thought, Bai Yi conjured a phantom card in his palm. Under the ck umbre, the man¡¯s smile was inscrutable.


    Following that, rows of text prompts appeared.


    <i>[Card: Ghost in the Rainy Night¡ï]</i>


    <i>[Origin: Bloody Inn¡ï¡î]</i>


    <i>[Prototype: Serial Killer K who appears on rainy nights]</i>


    <i>[Description: A special reward obtained by the yer for defeating an enemy that they should not have been able to defeat, crossing their own character limitations. Possesses all of K¡¯s killing techniques and other skills. Apart from this, it¡¯s nk. The yer can add their own background, experience, personality, and other trait settings to this card. Limited to three. And cannot exceed the limit of a one-star card.]</i>


    <i>[Note: Traits that are severely ipatible with the character prototype cannot take effect. The higher thepatibility of the trait, the more likely it is to take effect. When equipping this card, the yer will directly master all the skills of the card character and transform into the character itself. The closer the yer¡¯s portrayal is to the trait setting, the faster the card¡¯s growth and upgrade experience will be gained.]</i>


    This exnation was indeed full of information.


    ¡°So, the name is K? That¡¯s too casual.¡±


    Recalling the NPC whose surname was still unknown, Bai Yi made ament, then ignored it and focused on the key point.


    ¡°So, this is like giving me a nk assassin NPC card that I can mold as I wish, with skills already maxed out, and the character setting is all up to me?¡±


    As for not being able to be severely ipatible with the prototype character, that was also easy to understand¡­


    Following the system¡¯s prompts, Bai Yi¡¯s fingers danced, and he casually wrote in mid-air:<i> [Inherently kind, unable to bear to kill, a good old man who loves cats and dogs]¡ª</i>¡ª


    <i>Hiss!</i>


    Just as he expected, as soon as this line of text fell, it turned into a puff of blue smoke and disappeared cleanly.


    <i>[This trait is severely ipatible with the character prototype.]</i>


    ¡°Then let¡¯s try this.¡± Bai Yi persevered.


    <i>[Unmatched skills, able to fight a hundred alone, the king of assassins who can catch bullets barehanded]</i>


    After this line of text appeared, it shed in mid-air, although it did not turn into blue smoke and disappear, it obviously dimmed bit by bit, and a suddenly appearing long line directly crossed out the entire sentence.


    <i>[Exceeds the card limit, currently cannot take effect.]</i>


    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is¡­¡±


    Bai Yi was not disappointed, his eyes lit up instead.


    The corners of his mouth curled up high, like a child who had suddenly found a new toy, his face was full of anticipation:


    ¡°Let¡¯s try this again¡­¡±


    ¡­..


    After more than ten attempts, Bai Yi had roughly figured out what kind of trait settings were within the eptable range of this card.


    And as long as the trait was judged to pass, it would automatically glow and turn into golden text, floating above.


    At this moment, the golden text floating in mid-air already had dozens of dense lines, bizarre and varied, some of the content was purely the result of his own bad taste.


    Bai Yi raised his hand and randomly selected three from them.


    <i>[Confirm traits?]</i>


    As Bai Yi confirmed his decision, the other golden characters in mid-air all dissipated, leaving behind thest three lines that turned into three streams of light, rushing straight towards the card in his palm.


    The glowing card floated up.


    The man holding the ck umbre slowly turned around as the card flipped, and on the originally nk side of the card¡¯s back, several lines of pitch-ck characters gradually appeared.


    <i>[A ghost that appears at any time on rainy nights]</i>


    <i>[A butcher who brings ughter and blood]</i>


    <i>[A pleasure offender who is good at ying with people¡¯s hearts]</i>


    <i>¡ª¡ª[K]</i>


    ¡°La, perfect!¡±


    Bai Yi cheerfully raised his hand, threw the card in his hand into mid-air, and then pinched it firmly between his middle and index fingers.


    At this moment, he was like a kindergarten child who had just received a new toy, simply couldn¡¯t wait to get started.


    However¡­


    ¡°Equipping a card consumes Nightmare Crystals, apart from Nightmare Crystals, are there no other alternative consumables?¡±


    Bai Yi couldn¡¯t help but puff out his cheeks.


    ¡°Hey hey hey, just now you imed to be a nightmare game that can realize all wishes, you¡¯re not going to copse so soon, are you?¡±


    ¡°Is this the legendary trick to lure yers in and kill them?¡±


    There were only three Nightmare Crystals (White) in Bai Yi¡¯s backpack, which could only equip cards for a total of 72 hours, which was obviously not enough.


    Thinking of this, Bai Yi couldn¡¯t help but start outputting two opposing principles techniques, and the great Onmyoji was online again.


    <i>[A Nightmare Crystal can be used multiple times, each use less than one hour is calcted as one hour. In addition, character cards can also be charged through the obtained Legend Degree, extending the time they stay in the world.]</i>


    ¡°¡ª¡ªLegend Degree?¡± Bai Yi pondered over this word, ¡°It seems quite interesting.¡±


    He suddenly perked up, the fatigue that had been lingering around his eyes and brows swept away.


    As he no longer suppressed his mental state, the next moment, the information flowing from all directions suddenly increased several times. The passive perception of the rhythm of all things that had been reduced in the vicinity, uncontrobly expanded its range.


    The originally tolerable whispers turned into loud screams andughter, as if a calm stream was reced by a stormy ocean.


    They surged from all sides, wave after wave charging towards Bai Yi¡¯s brain. They lifted his skull, burrowed into his scalp, like opening a trash can, dumping all kinds of messy things into it, regardless of whether the ¡°trash can¡± was willing to ept it or not.


    At this point, Bai Yi was really quite ¡°spirited¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He skillfully flopped backwards, rolled to the left on the bed, then to the right, then back to the left, and once again sprawled out.


    After maintaining this power-off mode for a full ten seconds, Bai Yi sat up again, once again full of energy.


    As if nothing had happened just now, he very naturally ¡°forgot¡± his previous actions, took out his phone from beside the pillow. ¡°So, the next step¡­¡±


    In the pleasant muttering, Bai Yi opened the weather forecast on his phone, his gaze falling on the familiar raindrop-shaped icon.


    ¡°¡­Three dayster?¡±


    ****


    Three dayster, at nightfall.


    With the fall of the first drop of rain¡­


    <i>[Card equipped, please select the deployment location.]</i>


    A virtual map unfolded in mid-air, epassing the entire city of Yuanyang. Some areas on the map were dimmed in gray, indicating they were not selectable, while some areas were slightly illuminated, marked with a rain pattern.


    ¡°So, I can directly choose the deployment location? As long as it¡¯s a rainy night¡­System, you¡¯re surprisingly considerate.¡±


    In a surprised murmur, the area where Jiangyuan New District was located lit up, and a finger urately poked a point on the map after it was erged, a point where a certain alley was located.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s choose here then.¡±


    Back when he was still unable to suppress his perception range, this ¡°dump¡± had caused him quite a bit of trouble for a long time.


    <i>[Please choose to directly deploy, or spend Nightmare Crystals to construct a virtual scene (can bind character cards. When the character card is unequipped, the scene will dissipate at the same time).]</i>


    <i>[Setting up a scene on your own requires arge amount of Nightmare Crystals. Based on the yer¡¯s current situation, it is rmended to choose to directly deploy the card, or construct an existing scene temte.]</i>


    <i>[Currently selectable scenes: [Bloody Inn]]</i>


    ¡­¡­


    Rainy night.


    The stars and moon were dark.


    In the depths of the secluded alley, a dim yellow light lit up.


    An old inn silently appeared, as if someone was sketching it out bit by bit on a nk canvas with a pen.


    Inside the inn, a man in a ck trench coat silently appeared on the stairs, his gaze from above sweeping over the entire inn, not missing any detail.


    ¡°It¡¯s so real, too real. Is this really an illusion?¡±


    Bai Yi pinched his arm with a face full of novelty, then lifted a strand of light golden hair from his ear and took a light sniff.


    ¡°Is this what it feels like to equip a character card?¡±


    At this moment, he felt as if he had been split into two halves, possessing two different perspectives.


    One was his original self still in the apartment, and the other was this guise of the assassin [K].


    He could effortlessly control both sides with one mind, not knowing whether it was the effect of the character card itself, or his own [Persona Mask] ability.


    The Bai Yi lying in the apartment had already taken out a bag of sunflower seeds and started cracking them, while inside the inn, [K] began his action.


    While touching here and looking there, he made his way to the front desk on the first floor, even finding a bottle of very familiar strong sleeping pills in the front desk¡­


    Then there was the blood-stained hall, and those two bodies lying in the pool of blood¡­


    Finally, there was the TV on the wall.


    <i>¡­If turned on, could this TV receive external signals? Would it be the news channel in the dream, or could it connect to the real TV station?</i>


    Bai Yi decisively made an attempt.


    The TV did not turn on, but a line of text jumped out instead, unting its presence on the screen.


    <i>[The degree of illusion in this scene is too high, some functions are missing. It is rmended to increase the Legend Degree, or use the Fragment of the Principle of All Things, which can make the scene fragment continuously shift from illusion to reality.]</i>


    Another prompt with a wealth of information.


    ¡°So, in the end, you just want the Legend Degree, right?¡±


    Bai Yi disappointedly put down the remote control, and shifted his attention to other ces.


    He was just like a child who had discovered a secret base,pletely engrossed in the novelty of exploration.


    Until the time that was constantly passing in the upper right corner of his vision reminded him. ¡°¡­I almost forgot about the main business.¡±


    He, who had received too much foul ¡°garbage¡± pollution from this area, couldn¡¯t know more about it.


    <i>Every day, who knows how many drunkards would pass through this alley¡­</i>


    The location was secluded, the experimental subject was special, and it wouldn¡¯t cause too muchmotion. It was perfect for a first attempt.


    <i>Then, let¡¯s see who would be the lucky customer who would automatically show up~</i>


    As for now, he was more interested in the two incredibly realistic bodies¡­


    While waiting for the lucky customer, Bai Yi couldn¡¯t help but cast his curious gaze at the two bodies on the ground.


    He couldn¡¯t help but reach out his hand.


    <i>Just then¡ª</i>


    Apanied by the increasingly loud rain outside, an incredibly strong mental fluctuation was rapidly approaching.


    All kinds of chaotic information dispersed at the same time.


    Comints, regrets, resentment, anxiety¡­


    In the sound of the wind and rain, someone pushed open the door of the inn.


    Bai Yi, who was lying on the apartment sofa eating sunflower seeds, suddenly opened his half-closed eyes. ¡°Oh, the protagonist finally makes an appearance?¡±


    And in the inn, a man in a ck trench coat smiled and turned around, his light golden half-length hair brushing past his face.


    ¡°Coming uninvited in the middle of the night, what a rude guest.¡±


    ****


    ¡°Coming uninvited in the middle of the night, what a rude guest.¡±


    The man smiled and raised the tip of his umbre.


    ¡°Bang¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ah!!!¡±


    A scream echoed, startling the entire hospital ward.


    Han Shan, lying on the hospital bed, opened his eyes, still immersed in the nightmare and unable to recover, as if he had returned to that terrifying night, his whole body trembling.


    ¡°Sir, are you okay? An hour ago, someone found you passed out on the side of the road and brought you to our hospital¡­¡±


    ¡°This is a hospital?!¡±


    In the nurse¡¯s concerned voice, Han Shan finally realized his surroundings. He looked around the ward and finally breathed a sigh of relief as if he had been pardoned.


    Coming back to his senses and thinking back to his previous embarrassment and fear, he suddenly felt a bted sense of embarrassment and annoyance.


    <i>Damn it! Isn¡¯t it just a murderer¡­</i>


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    Han Shan immediately grabbed the nurse who was about to get up.


    ¡°¡ªI, I want to call the police!¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 8

    Chapter 8


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that you identally stumbled upon a murder scene, the murderer had already killed two people, and almost killed you too?¡±


    Half an hourter, the police involved in the murder case rushed over, listening seriously to Han Shan¡¯s ount.


    ¡°The location is behind the Tianhai Bar on Maple Leaf Street, in a small inn?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Han Shan nodded firmly. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the ce.¡±


    Just thinking back tost night¡¯s experience, he couldn¡¯t help but feel scared, and quickly said, ¡°That guy is definitely a bona fide murderer, a madman, a pervert! You absolutely cannot let him go, you must catch him as soon as possible!¡±


    The gaze of the two policemen looking at him became strange.


    ¡°The ce you mentioned, there¡¯s no inn at all.¡±


    The older policeman was the first to speak.Han Shan was taken aback, his eyes widened. ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡±


    The young policeman who had been silent added, ¡°There has never been any building in that alley. If you¡¯re talking about an inn, the nearest one is 300 meters away from the entrance of the alley, and it doesn¡¯t match your description at all ¨C could you have remembered it wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s absolutely impossible! I didn¡¯t remember it wrong, it was there¨C¡± The memory of running in embarrassment in the rainy night once again surfaced in his mind, Han Shan recalled the agitation that arose when that beam of light shone on him, he affirmed again, ¡°I definitely didn¡¯t remember it wrong! It was there, it was in that alley!¡±


    At this point, he couldn¡¯t help but shiver.


    ¡°Then, you might have had a hallucination.¡±


    Seeing that he seemed a bit agitated, the young policeman softened his voice, adding a bit offort to his tone.


    ¡°After all, you were drunk that night, and here¨C¡± he pointed to his head, ¡°you also suffered a minor injury. It¡¯s normal to have hallucinations when you¡¯re soaked in the rain and have a fever.¡±


    But Han Shan was not calmed down, his tone became more urgent, ¡°I really didn¡¯t remember it wrong, and I didn¡¯t have a hallucination! You don¡¯t believe me? What I said is true! The feeling of being held at gunpoint was so real, how could it be a hallucination!¡±


    ¡°¡ª¡ªI almost thought I was going to die!¡±


    He pped heavily on the edge of the bed, and in his agitation, he pulled the infusion tube, a few drops of blood oozed out from the back of his hand, and his face twisted for a moment.


    The two policemen hurriedly calmed him down, restrained him, and secretly exchanged a nce with each other.


    Five minutester.


    ¡°¡­Urine test?¡± Han Shan, who failed to convince the police to believe his words and was suspected for his abnormal mental state, was dumbfounded, ¡°???¡±


    He realized afterwards. ¡°You suspect me of using drugs?¡±


    ¡°Given that Mr. Han, you insist that you are not lying, did not have a hallucination, and must report to the police, but the oral evidence you provided does not match the facts at all¡­..Plus, you just went to a bar yesterday, we have reason to suspect that you may have inadvertently taken some hallucinogenic drugs.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Han Shan subconsciously wanted to curse, but after looking at the two policemen, he swallowed the words that had reached his throat.


    He tried his best to control his inner restlessness and anxiety, and nodded heavily. ¡°I agree to the urine test. I will prove that I did not lie. If the test shows that I did not use drugs, will you believe what I said?¡±


    ¡°This¡­Every citizen who reports a case, we will take it seriously and conduct a strict investigation.¡±


    With the special approval of the public security organs, the results of the urine test came out quickly.


    The answer was negative.


    Although Han Shan ruled out the possibility of taking hallucinogenic drugs, the murder case he described still made people unbelievable.


    There was no crime scene, no suspect, and no body¡­Everything seemed like a story imagined by a drunkard after getting drunk, how to file an investigation?


    At Han Shan¡¯s almost persistent request, the police took him to the crime scene he mentioned.


    The overturned trash can, the dpidated streetmp leaning on the side of the road due to years of disrepair, the old wall where the wall paint had peeled off revealing the red bricks¡­From the head of the alley to the end, there was nothing but these things exuding an old atmosphere.


    This secluded and quiet alley was like an old man who had already stepped into his twilight years, exposing every age spot on his body under the strong sunlight of the morning sun.


    The young policeman who apanied Han Shan did not speak all the way, just apanied him from this end to that end, watching his obviously shocked, disappointed, and incredulous expression on his face, he sighed, ¡°You should have no doubts now, right?¡±


    Han Shan stood in a daze, his eyes fixed on a slightly copsed wall in front of him, showing a doubtful expression.


    ¡°It should be here¡­¡±


    Despite the fact that he was injured, rained on, drunkst night, and his head groggy, but this special experience made his memory too deep, especially when he escaped from the inn, he clearly saw this obviously copsed wall.


    He couldn¡¯t help but walk up, reaching out to touch the wall.


    ¡°How could it¡­¡±


    At this moment, even Han Shan himself began to waver.


    <i>Was it really a hallucination he had?</i>


    <i>¡ª¡ªNo! Absolutely not!</i>


    The next moment, a pair of deep green eyes that made him tremble appeared in his mind, and he quickly shook his head vigorously.


    <i>¡ª¡ªHow could a hallucination be so clear, so real, so logical?</i>


    Besides, he saw two bodiesst night, blood all over the floor¡­wait, blood?


    Han Shan¡¯s face suddenly changed, and his eyes showed ecstasy. ¡°Blood, yes, the blood on the ground! I fell to the ground at that time, and I might have gotten blood on me¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°Damn!¡± He forgot to restrain himself in his excitement, and suddenly turned his head to look at the young policeman. ¡°I have evidence! You must believe me! This time it¡¯s true¡ª¡ª¡±


    He turned around and ran, almost sprinting.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Given his unstable mental state, the young policeman hurriedly chased after him, ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°To the hospital, for a blood test!¡±


    ****


    The wall clock pointed to eleven in the morning, Bai Yi finallyzily opened his eyes and got up from the bed.


    He routinely cut off power for five minutes before fully waking up.


    Then, he stretched afortable stretch.


    These past few nights were rare in many years where he didn¡¯t have nightmares and slept till dawn.


    Ever since the Nightmare Game started, he finally didn¡¯t have to fall into the fragments of nightmares every night when he went to sleep, but could choose whether to enter them.


    And the previous three nights, he chose not to enter fragments of nightmares. Last night, he also equipped the only character card [K], and put on a good show outside.


    The murmuring whispers in his mind did not ruin his good mood at all, Bai Yi went into the kitchen, humming a song happily while making breakfast (or lunch?).


    ¡°Are you happy?¡± He hummed a song, picked up a fish from the fish tank, shook the fish¡¯s head, then, ¡°smack¡± itnded on the chopping board, ¡°I am very happy~¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± The fish rolled its dead fish eyes.


    ¡°Happiness actually has no reason, let me tell you~¡±


    While humming a song, Bai Yi waved a shiny kitchen knife. ¡°Do you like this new kitchen knife I bought?¡±


    <i>Whoosh¡ª¡ª</i>


    ¡°I think you must like it.¡±


    The de was as fast as cutting a piece of soft tofu, drawing a quite dangerous trajectory in mid-air.


    With one cut, it peacefully passed away.


    ¡°Happiness is such an easy thing~¡±


    Bai Yi¡¯s actions and tone became more and more cheerful, and he didn¡¯t forget to mutter in the gaps of humming songs, as if treating a good friend.


    ¡°So what about this new vor of sauce? This is carefully blended ording to your body shape and meat quality, privately customized, and it must match your meat.¡±


    ¡°¡­Sure enough, you look very satisfied.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s decided.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The golden oil in the iron pan sizzled, apanied by a strange smell that filled the air.


    Not far from the window, a sparrow suddenly fell headlong from an electric pole, fell into the bushes, and didn¡¯t react for a long time, its eyes were dazed.


    <i>¡­Caught off guard and suffered a fatal blow.jpg</i>


    The remaining few sparrows flew away skillfully at the first sign of movement from the kitchen window.


    Seeing their newly joinedpanion suffer such a heavy blow, their wings pped even harder.


    There should be background music here¡ª¡ª


    <i>Demon King¡¯s Entrance BGM.mp3</i>


    ¡­¡­..


    After Bai Yi finished breakfast, he remembered what he had donest night and prepared to see how it turned out.


    A sh of light in his palm, and a card slowly condensed.


    However, in such a short time, it shouldn¡¯t be so fast¡­


    ¡°Eh?¡± Bai Yi raised his eyebrows in surprise, and couldn¡¯t help but weigh the card in his hand.


    Although only one night had passed, the feeling this card gave him now had a subtle difference. It was as if¡­..it had be a little bit more real?


    It was really just a little bit. This extremely subtle change might not be noticed by ordinary people, but Bai Yi, whose mental power was different from that of ordinary people, caught it at the first moment.


    He was very curious and looked down at the card.<hr>


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 Chapter 9

    Chapter 9


    A progress bar had mysteriously appeared at the top of the card. It was like the experience level bar in a game, and now there was a hint of blue at the far left.


    The progress bar was marked in the middle with ¡ª


    <i>[Legend Degree 0.1%]</i>


    ¡°Sure enough, my thinking was correct. The legend degree is all about making things happen~¡± Bai Yi immediatelyughed with satisfaction.


    As he happily yed with the card in his hand, the progress bar in front of him began to ¡°skyrocket¡±. In just a few minutes, it had be 1%, and it was still rising.


    This gave Bai Yi a little surprise.


    He had only tried the effect of equipping the character card for the first time, and he hadn¡¯t even started to make a serious mess yet. The growth of the legend degree was so unexpected¡­


    It seemed that the lucky customer not only willingly became a test subject but also kindly helped him with some publicity.


    Moreover, it spread so quickly in just one morning, it was obviously not just simple word-of-mouth.Bai Yi thoughtfully opened his phone.


    He quickly saw the news published today on a local news and entertainment official ount.


    <i>[Daily Fun News V: #Man Drunkenly Reports False Murder Case#]</i>


    <i>[At nine o¡¯clock this morning, a man reported that he had identally entered a murder scene, encountered a psychopathic killer, and two victims had been killed. He narrowly escaped with his life. After investigation by the Yuan Yang City Public Security Bureau, it was found that there was no such thing. It is possible that the man had hallucinations after drinking and mistook them for reality.]</i>


    <i>[ording to a reporter¡¯s investigation, the reporter Han had been drinking in a bar until the early hours of the morning, was in a state of drunkenness, and had fought with someone. He had a head injury and braved the rain to go home at night. At eight o¡¯clock this morning, he was found unconscious on the street, with a high fever, and was sent to the hospital. After waking up, Han immediately called the police, iming to have encountered a murder case, and provided a description of the murder scene. The police verified that there was no ce that matched the description. Han did not give up and is still actively looking for evidence.]</i>


    <i>[Here, the official kindly reminds all citizens: Drink in moderation. Drunkenness harms the body and the mind. Try not to walk alone at night after drinking, and pay attention to safety!]</i>


    The news was followed by a detailed video link, including Han¡¯s description of his experience that night in the news.


    By this time, several hours had passed since the news was published, and thement section waspletely upied by sillyizens.


    <i>[23333 These days, all kinds of silly things are popping up. Breaking into a room to kill, killing two at a time, and finally sparing a drunk with zerobat power, do you think I would believe it?] </i> (TL: 23333=LOL)


    <i>[This guy must have watched too many movies, thinking he was in a movie after getting drunk. So let me just say it, the viin setting is too strong, the protagonist setting is too trash, and in the end, he can only survive by being spared by the viin, hmmm the plot is extremely stupid, it¡¯s bound to flop!]</i>


    <i>[Speaking of which, could it really be some kind of novel movie promotion? It¡¯s not impossible considering the integrity of those moviepanies! An inn on a rainy night, a psychopathic killer, and a blonde beauty, I can! I really can! Hehehehe~]</i>


    <i>[I just want to say, it¡¯s fine for such people to waste social resources by living, but can they not cause trouble for the police station? Do you know how many important things the police have to deal with every day, can you shake off the alcohol in your brain before reporting!]</i>


    Everyone¡¯s reaction was the same. They simply didn¡¯t believe what Han Shan said in the video. If there really was such an inn, could it disappear overnight?


    So, this was nothing more than a drunkard¡¯s delusion.


    As the sillyizens in thement section spoke, the legend degree progress bar on the ¡°Ghost in the Rainy Night¡± card was slowly increasing.


    Bai Yi watched the video from beginning to end.


    Han Shan¡¯s reaction at the beginning was not unexpected, and the police¡¯s actions were even less surprising.


    But when he saw the end, he found that after the unsessful report, Han Shan actually took his clothes from that night to the hospital for a blood test, even though the hospital did not agree¡­


    ¡°He could actually think of this, he¡¯s a bit smarter than I originally thought.¡±


    Bai Yi stroked his chin, his eyes full of anticipation.


    <i>¡ª The entire scene, along with the bodies and blood, were all fictitious constructs of the nightmare crystal. After the character card and the scene were taken back together, would the blood that had stained the other party still exist?</i>


    <i>Would it disappear along with the scene, or would it be real?</i>


    Even he was very curious.


    <i>If in the end no result could be obtained, and there was no stranger¡¯s blood at all, would that guy be hit so hard that he would doubt life and have some mental problems?</i>


    <i>When everyone denies the truth of a matter, and there are countless pieces of evidence that can prove its falsehood¡­what can be used to define the so-called true and false?</i>


    <i>Just like when the whole world thinks you¡¯re crazy, how do you prove that you¡¯re sane?.. Maybe even you start to doubt whether you¡¯re normal.</i>


    Bai Yi¡¯s gaze fell on the progress bar on the card.


    ¡ª¡ª Although the news about the ¡°Ghost in the Rainy Night¡± had already spread, because the information was not yetplete and the situation of this card had not been fully outlined in everyone¡¯s mind, and people did not believe the truth of this matter, the increase in the legend degree was almost negligible.


    ¡°You said before that increasing the legend degree can make the illusory scene gradually be real¡­so, if the legend degree is enough, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem to make a few drops of blood be real, right?¡±


    Bai Yi summoned the nightmare game system.


    <i>[The current legend degree is enough to transform a part of the fictitious scene into reality, and the degree of transformation is equivalent to the percentage of the legend degree. Currently, 3.7% can be transformed. But which part is transformed first is determined by the depth of the impression caused by the legend, and is not controlled by the system or the yer.]</i>


    <i>So, the most critical evidence in this matter, the existence of those few drops of blood, waspletely in a state of Schr?dinger¡¯s blood? </i>


    (TL: from ¡®Schr?dinger¡¯s cat¡¯-discussing an uncertain state. If no one observes this uncertain state, it will always be in uncertainty. As long as someone observes, then this uncertain state will disappear, convert to a fixed state.)


    The lucky customer he had chosen, in the end, either found nothing and fell into the pit of possibly having hallucinations, thus doubting life, or found the existence of strange blood but found the situation bing more bizarre and strange, thus doubting life even more¡­even he, the puppeteer behind the scenes, found it hard to predict.


    However, a story with an unknown direction was more interesting.


    Thinking about it, Bai Yi couldn¡¯t help but show a wickedly amusing expression: ¡°Now, things have be fun.¡±


    ****


    At the same time, someone walked out of the hospital with a dejected look.


    Standing at the entrance of the hospital, Han Shan held the blood-stained clothes in his arms, his expression very ugly.


    No matter how he had wheedled and threatened, the hospital had not agreed to his request for a blood test.


    His request was really too difficult for people.


    He had been injured and bled before, and his clothes were already stained with blood. Then it was washed by the heavy rain, and the area of the bloodstains was evenrger.


    Now, he insisted that there might be someone else¡¯s blood in such arge area of bloodstains, and asked the hospital to test it bit by bit, which was simply not amon trouble.


    If there really was a murder case, and the police stepped in, the hospital might agree to such a troublesome request.


    But now, apart from what Han Shan himself said, which was not known to be true or false, there was no other evidence. He personally went to the hospital for a blood test, and the hospital naturally didn¡¯t want to deal with it.


    They were practically looking at him as if he were mentally ill.


    ¡°Darn it!¡±


    He couldn¡¯t help but punch the pir next to him, his heart was both anxious and depressed, and he was filled with indescribable fear.


    The reason he was so persistent was not because he had such a strong sense of justice, but simply because¡­as soon as he thought of that psychopath who terrified him, he couldn¡¯t help but tense up, feeling both fear and anger.


    As long as that guy wasn¡¯t caught for a day, the shadow lingering in his heart would never dissipate¡­


    What¡¯s more, now that the news had somehow spread, perhaps, that psychopathic murderer woulde to take revenge on him¡­Han Shan shivered all over!


    ¡°I think, I can try to find someone to test the blood.¡±


    Just then, someone suddenly spoke up, interrupting the fear that had suddenly sprung up in his mind because of that thought.


    Han Shan was startled and turned around subconsciously, bing even more surprised. ¡°Why is it you?¡±


    The young man who suddenly appeared was in a police uniform, with a crew cut, gentle and upright eyebrows, and still retained eighty percent of his good looks under this hairstyle. It was that young policeman.


    Li Fufeng smiled, didn¡¯t answer, just reached out his hand, indicating for him to hand over the blood-stained clothes. ¡°If you¡¯re willing, you can give it to me. I¡¯ll find someone to test the blood.¡±


    Han Shan looked at him uncertainly, ¡°You believe what I said¡­¡±


    ¡°I can tell that you¡¯re not lying, and I can see that you¡¯re really scared right now.¡± Li Fufeng pondered, ¡°Whether it¡¯s true or just a false rm¡­¡±


    ¡°In any case, if there really is a murderer, we¡¯ll arrest him. If not, then you can rest assured.¡±


    He said this in a jokingly rxed tone.


    ¡°As aw-abiding citizen, being so fearful within our jurisdiction, this is my dereliction of duty.¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 10

    Chapter 10


    ¡°The car ident in the old city three days ago?¡±


    Li Fufeng returned to the police station after his fieldwork, and before he could bring up the matter of blood testing, he heard about another case.


    He frowned immediately, ¡°It wasn¡¯t an ident, but man-made?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been confirmed that it wasn¡¯t an ident, although the murderer devised it very cleverly, leaving almost no ws. Even the driver involved in the ident didn¡¯t know he was set up, thinking it was his own carelessness that caused the ident.¡±


    Liu Ningshuang, who was next to him, handed him a cup of water and shook her head, ¡°To harm such a well-respected good person in this way, I really don¡¯t know what deep hatred there is. Moreover, the murderer¡¯s method ofmitting the crime is so skilled, it¡¯s likely a veteran.¡±


    Saying this, she turned her gaze to the transparent stic bag in Li Fufeng¡¯s hand, and the blood-stained clothes in the bag. She almost immediately understood his intention, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, you really believe that drunkard¡¯s nonsense?¡±


    As the youngest policewoman in the Yuan Yang City Police Station, Liu Ningshuang¡¯s personality was a stark contrast to her poetic name, a gap between a ¡°goddess¡± and a ¡°neurotic goddess¡±.


    On the contrary, Li Fufeng was just like his name.


    This pair of buddies, with names like the male and female leads in a martial arts novel, perfectly embodied the characteristics of a martial arts novel protagonist, ¡°full of chivalry, highly skilled in martial arts¡±, with Li Fufeng corresponding to the first half and Liu Ningshuang to the second half.The reason for their close rtionship was entirely due to their parents, who had known each other for many years and were equally obsessed with martial arts novels, giving their children the same style of names.


    So, even though she thought Li Fufeng¡¯s matter was very unreliable and a waste of effort, Liu Ningshuang still took the stic bag to solidify their friendship that hadsted for many years.


    ¡°Forget it, big good guy, I¡¯ll help you with this¨Cremember, you already owe me three meals!¡±


    She held up three fingers and muttered, ¡°Looks like I have to deal with that jerk again¡­ If I could, I really wouldn¡¯t want to go. If you don¡¯t treat me to a good meal this time, I¡¯m going to be at a loss!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t be short-changed.¡± Li Fufeng swore solemnly.


    Temporarily putting aside a worry in his heart, Li Fufeng¡¯s attention returned to the case just now, he asked, ¡°Has the murderer of the car ident been caught?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. But we already have some clues, and now that you¡¯re back, we might have results soon.¡±


    ****


    Bai Yi woke up to the sound of crying.


    After sending off the fish he had raised for several days with a grand ceremony and burying it in his own Five Zhang Temple, he took a nap and slept in the afternoon.


    (t/n: Five Zang Temple refers to the human internal organs)


    Then, he was awakened by the increasingly loud crying outside the window. The cries of many people mixed together.


    People had gathered on the street at some unknown time.


    A long funeral procession passed in front of everyone. The elderly living in this old city area were almost all startled, standing on both sides of the street or at their doorsteps, watching this scene.


    Almost everyone¡¯s gaze fell on the two old people.


    They cried until they almost copsed on the ground, tears and snot flowing, their faces wrinkled and trembling, their white hair messy, they were about to faint from crying.


    A young girl in mourning clothes stood between the two, supporting them on either side so they wouldn¡¯t fall.


    Her beautiful face was expressionless, but her eyes were red.


    ¡°Poor thing, so young, how could this happen? How are the two old people going to live!¡±


    ¡°Ah, who could have thought this would happen¡­..Teacher Gu was such a good person, and he just left like that. It¡¯s all the fault of that damned driver, why didn¡¯t he kill himself too!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t me the driver, no one wants this kind of thing, it¡¯s just fate¡­¡±


    ¡°Old Gu and his wife have done good deeds all their lives, Teacher Gu was also a good person, I heard he even donated money to support so many children. The child in his family, he adopted her after her parents died, right? Ah, good people just don¡¯t live long!¡±


    Various discussions floated through the crowd.


    Countless streams of information, like iron sand attracted by a ma, involuntarily converged towards Bai Yi.


    Grief, regret, despair, hatred, and pleasure¡­..In the end, all emotions were surrounded by intense joy, like a chocte mixed with various fillings, sweet on the outside, but strange when bitten into.


    This joyous emotion far exceeded everyone else.


    Bai Yi looked up in a certain direction.


    Suddenly someone came over, ¡°Bai Yi, you¡¯re here too? Remember, Teacher Gu used to teach you?¡±


    Bai Yi looked at the woman who was talking, she was the owner of the shop where he often bought vegetables, her surname was Li, the fish that he had solemnly buried at noon today was from her shop.


    Out of respect for the fish, he nodded, ¡°I only stayed in Teacher Gu¡¯s ss for half a month, then I applied for home self-study.¡± His tone carried a hint of regret, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect something like this to happen to Teacher Gu.¡±


    ¡ª¡ªIf it weren¡¯t for this person¡¯s reminder, he almost forgot that he was a high school student studying at home.


    ¡°And Teacher Gu, he¡­¡± The woman seemed to want to say something else, but the man next to her pulled her arm, and she was somewhat dissatisfied, ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything, just asking if Teacher Gu had offended anyone. I heard from Old Gu that it seems this matter is not that simple¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough. The person is dead, what¡¯s the point of saying these things?¡±


    Her husband seemed very reluctant to speak ill of the dead. This man, who was always honest, silent, and only knew how to make money, rarely stood up to his wife.


    ¡°Really, you¡¯re the only one who understands things!¡± The womanined in a low voice, but couldn¡¯t help but bring up the topic again, ¡°You said that Old Gu and his wife only have one son, what are they going to do now that he¡¯s gone? Although they have a granddaughter, she¡¯s not their own, how can she be as close and filial as their own granddaughter?¡±


    Just then¡­


    There was a suddenmotion in the crowd, followed by a ¡°p¡±. Everyone else¡¯s attention was drawn over.


    ¡°You evil spirit! Your father was killed by you!¡±


    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you leaving home in a huff, your father wouldn¡¯t have gone out to look for you in the middle of the night, and he wouldn¡¯t have been hit by a car!¡±


    The old Mrs. Gu, who had been crying so hard that she couldn¡¯t catch her breath, was now ring at the young girl. If it weren¡¯t for the other people around her holding her back in time, it looked like she was going to hit her again.


    The young girl, on the other hand, reached out a hand to cover her face and stood there expressionless. She was thin and silent.


    Mrs. Gu, who had lost control of her emotions, was still cursing relentlessly, ¡°Let go of me! It¡¯s this girl who killed my son! You killed your own parents, killed my daughter-inw, and now you¡¯re here to harm my son¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°Damn it!¡± The old Mr. Gu, who seemed slightly calmer, finally couldn¡¯t help but stop her. He looked around and said in a deep voice, ¡°This has nothing to do with Tiantian. Tiantian has always been filial, don¡¯t you also like this girl very much usually? Let¡¯s go home first, don¡¯t make a fool of ourselves outside.¡±


    The other people around also began to persuade her.


    Finally, the emotional old Mrs. Gu calmed down a bit.


    The young girl called Tiantian also stepped forward, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, grandma.¡± She bowed her head, her voice was also hesitant.


    After all, she was a retired teacher, and Mrs. Gu had lost her temper with her in a moment of grief. Now that she hade to her senses, she also regained her rationality, tightly holding the young girl¡¯s cold hands, ¡°I was confused, I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t me you. How could your father just leave us like this¡­¡±


    Thinking of her son who had passed away prematurely, she held her granddaughter in her arms, crying inconsbly.


    Seeing the family regain harmony and the funeral procession continuing to move forward, the onlookers seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, life has to go on¡­¡±


    Seeing this, the woman standing next to Bai Yi showed a satisfied expression as if she had seen a happy ending in a TV drama.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right, Bai Yi, you¡¯re still here?¡±


    At this moment, she seemed to finally notice the young man standing next to her, quickly putting on a warm smile, feeling a bit strange in her heart.


    <i>¡­She didn¡¯t know why she had ignored him just now. Logically speaking, this child¡¯s appearance should not be ignored. Could it be that she was starting to have memory problems in advance?</i>


    Fortunately, the thought of making money allowed her to break through some unknown buff, remembering this long-term patron of their business, and she enthusiastically started talking.


    ¡°¡ª¡ªWe just got a bucket of fresh carp from the countryside yesterday, as well as eels and loaches, they¡¯re so fresh and lively. If you¡¯re interested, I can give you a 10% discount!¡±


    ¡°Okay, how lively?¡± Bai Yi was interested.


    ¡°¡­¡­???¡±


    Half an hourter, after careful selection, the most lively fish stood out from the crowd, winning a private custom sauce bath, oil bath, and a luxurious burial reservation.


    Humming a song, Bai Yi returned home.


    He opened the tabletputer on the living room sofa, skillfully logged into an ount, and found a remittance prompt.


    <i>[¡ª¡ªYou have received 5000 yuan.] </i><hr>


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 Chapter 11

    Chapter 11


    In this rapidly developing city, which was expected to be the secondrgest metropolis in Yaoguo Country apart from the capital, the existence of the old city symbolized thest history of Yuanyang City.


    It was like the elderly who lived here, half-buried in the earth, who would sooner orter be abandoned by the new era.


    And this car ident, on the contrary, made this ce, which was so quiet that it was almost forgotten, noisy for the first time.


    In the following days, the noise continued.


    Rtives, friends, students of the Gu family¡­..all kinds of acquaintances rushed over when they heard the news, causing Bai Yi¡¯s mind to be filled with even more chaotic and noisy voices.


    Fortunately, such noise was only temporary. Bai Yi simply stayed at home, entering dreams during the day to explore the Nightmare Game.


    It was still that familiar, suffocating deep sea, as thick as ink, as dark as night, with fragments of stars scattered in the ocean surrounding him.


    Until he gently touched one of them. Then, he woke up in a nightmare.


    It seemed that even after loading the Nightmare Game, Bai Yi still couldn¡¯t actively choose which nightmare fragment to enter. Just like before, he would wake up randomly in any dream, on any person.The only difference was that in the past, he was aimless in his dreams. He could only do anything based on his own guesses until he stumbled upon the solution.


    As time went on, Bai Yi realized that the key to ending the nightmare cycley in the role he entered. Only by following the wishes deep in the character¡¯s heart, fulfilling the character¡¯s desires, and turning the nightmare into a beautiful dream, would the dreampletely leave him and stop entangling him repeatedly.


    And after the Nightmare Game system was activated, Bai Yi didn¡¯t need to rack his brains to guess. The moment he woke up in the nightmare fragment, the game system revealed the conditions for clearing the game¡ª


    <i>[You are the owner of a flower shop.]</i>


    <i>[This flower shop is ordinary, business is okay, it is one of the many flower shops in the city, not noticeable.]</i>


    <i>[Relying on the ie of the flower shop, you barely make ends meet. You live a life that is not enough for the upper ss, but more than enough for the lower ss.]</i>


    <i>[¨CBut you were not satisfied with this.]</i>


    <i>[Running a flower shop was your dream. Every flower was nted, cared for, and sent out by your own hands. You hoped they could bring happiness to every customer, and you hoped that the flowers you nted yourself would be loved and praised by everyone.]</i>


    <i>[Task: Collect sincere praise from a thousand customers.]</i>


    The system¡¯s narration ended, and the familiar yer panel appeared.


    **


    Name: Bai Yi


    Age: 17


    Talent: Rhythm of All Things lv10 (Awakening 10%)


    Life Skills (not shown below lv1):


    Bewitch lv3;


    Dark Cooking lv2;


    Iron Stomach lv2;


    Personality Mask lv1


    Extraordinary Skills: Praise of the Blind lv1


    Points: 20 Slot: [Ghost of Rainy Night¡ï]


    Backpack: Nightmare Crystal (White)¡Á4, Principle of All Things¡Á1


    **


    Bai Yi woke up on a quiet lounge chair. The warm sunlight poured in from the transparent ss door, falling on him. The air was filled with a faint floral scent, which made him feel sleepy again.


    ¡°This task is¡­ unexpected.¡±


    If it had been before the Nightmare Game started, he would never have guessed that the final clearance condition would be like this, no matter what.


    In the end, he would inevitably spend a lot of time in the dream, being entangled by such a dream for half a month.


    ¡°So, the system is notpletely useless.¡±


    He stood up from the lounge chair, stretchedzily, and his gaze swept over the pink, white, yellow, purple¡­..all kinds of flowers in the shop that he couldn¡¯t name and could only roughly distinguish by color, showing a troubled expression.


    ¡°I¡¯m good at making flower cakes, but growing flowers is not within my skills. If the role this time is a pastry chef, and I need to use the flower cakes I make to win the praise of a thousand customers, I can clear it in one go!¡±


    At this moment, Bai Yi was inexplicably confident, very inted.


    Regardless of whether his confidence was reasonable or not, this task obviously did not meet his assumption.


    With a regretful sigh, Bai Yi pushed open the slightly ajar door of the flower shop, smiled at the ordinary face on the transparent ss door, and walked towards the nearest shop next door.


    To make the flowers in the shop a token of happiness, to harvest sincere praise from customers¡­<i>then first, you need to understand who are potential customers, find out who can be converted into customers, and explore their inner needs.</i>


    ¡°Set a small goal first, take over this street!¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­..


    For several days in a row, Bai Yi was immersed in the ¡°friend interaction game¡±. Although he was not a person who was keen on making friends, as long as he wanted to, he could be the most understanding ¡°friend¡± of anyone in the shortest time.


    After the Nightmare Game system went online, the biggest convenience it brought him was that he could choose to enter and exit the Nightmare Game at any time, in other words, save and load.


    This made it more convenient for him to brush up on instances.


    <i>[You used Bewitch lv3, gained friendly unit +1]</i>


    <i>[You used Bewitch lv3, NPC friendliness +10]</i>


    <i>[You used Bewitch lv3, neighborhood reputation +50]</i>


    <i>[You gained arge amount of experience, Bewitch skill has been upgraded to the limit of life skills, cannot be further upgraded.]</i>


    ¨CIf this were a traditional single-yer game, then by now, Bai Yi¡¯s game panel would probably have been flooded with such information.


    After Bai Yi expanded his circle of friends to the entire street in the game, along with these new friends¡¯ rtives and friends, and their rtives and friends, the seemingly unreachable task of gathering a thousand praises was far exceeded.


    Perhaps, this was the talent of a pyramid scheme leader?


    Resolving the knots between people, allowing lovers who had a crush on each other to finally be a couple, letting a mother and son with misunderstandings resolve their differences, letting an old man on his sickbed reunite with his brother after many years of separation, leaving no regrets¡­..The originally healing-style game, under Bai Yi¡¯s operation, turned into a strange style of rapidly developing downlines.


    ¡ª¡ªThe lovers who finally became a couple turned into the shop owner¡¯s loyal fans, helping out in the shop daily, and crazily rmending the #gentle and understanding shop owner# and his #flowers that convey the feelings between lovers, the symbol of happiness# to their friends;


    ¡ª¡ªThe old mother who reconciled with her son seemed to have been bewitched, praising the magical flower shop owner to everyone she met, as if he had some magic that could make the old and frail rejuvenate, so she brought a group of elderly people to buy flowers, and some even wanted to introduce their daughters and nieces to the still-single shop owner;


    ¡ª¡ªThe old man who reunited with his brother left without regrets, and on his deathbed, he didn¡¯t forget to rmend to his hospital friends, as if the shop owner had be the messenger sent by the god in his heart, the omnipotent incarnation that can solve everyone¡¯s regrets¡­


    In this way, when submitting the save to clear the game, Bai Yi had already opened three branches with the help of customers, and if he continued to develop, he was likely to be the industry leader.


    <i>[Sessfully cleared the Nightmare Fragment [Flowers and Wishes]]</i>


    <i>[Dungeon Level: ¡î]</i>


    <i> [Clearance Evaluation: S]</i>


    <i>[Points Earned: 10]</i>


    <i>[Unlocked Achievement: [What is your wish?]]</i>


    <i>[Exnation: You understand the human heart and develop downlines smoothly. Being able to turn running a flower shop into something like preaching is also a unique talent. If you are willing, you can establish a cult in minutes and have countless fanatical followers cheer for you.]</i>


    <i>[You fool the world, but also redeem the world.] </i>


    <i>[You are a god that exists in people¡¯s hearts.]</i>


    <i>[Start special reward extraction.]</i>


    <i>[You get a special drop: Nightmare Crystal (White)¡Á1.]</i>


    <i>[You get a new one-star character card [Flower Speaker], with a built-in scene temte [Ordinary Flower Shop]. Due to the yer¡¯s actions in the Nightmare Fragment dungeon, should it be integrated into the achievement and automatically generate characteristics?]</i>


    <i>[Hint: This character is a one-star ordinary character card, integrating achievements will have a 90% chance of generating extraordinary characteristics.]</i>


    Awakening from the Nightmare Game, Bai Yi looked at the lines of text hanging in front of him, somewhat surprised.


    In the past few days of exploring the Nightmare Game, he had already cleared many nightmare fragments that were not difficult at all, all of which were very daily tasks.


    In the end, he only obtained one Nightmare Crystal (White) and 10 points.


    He had thought that this task of running a flower shop would be no exception.


    Unexpectedly, not only was the reward equivalent to the sum of those from previous nightmare fragments, but he also obtained another character card. The most surprising thing was the so-called achievements and extraordinary characteristics.


    <i>¡­As for whether to integrate achievements and automatically generate characteristics?</i>


    <i>Was this question even worth considering?</i>


    ¡­¡­..


    ¡°Is this question even worth considering? The facts have now proven that Han Shan did not lie that day, at least, what he said was not entirely false. We certainly need to investigate¡­¡±


    ¡°Just based on a few drops of suspicious blood of unknown origin, without any other evidence, and without any missing persons report¡­This is a bit too far-fetched.¡±


    ¡°But these few drops of human blood, which cannot find any matching information in the national DNA database, are enough to prove that he indeed encountered something unusual that night. My intuition tells me that there is something going on here, it¡¯s not simple.¡±


    In the police station, Li Fufeng rarely argued with his colleagues.


    When he initially agreed to help Han Shan test the blood, he was just out of goodwill, hoping to reassure him after the results came out.


    But even he didn¡¯t expect that he would actually find a stranger¡¯s blood on the other person¡¯s clothes.


    This made the situation be strange.


    Assuming that Han Shan did encounter a murder case that night, the murderer could certainly escape, the body could be destroyed, but an inn, such a conspicuous building, couldn¡¯t disappear overnight, could it?


    But if all this was just his illusion, how could he exin these few drops of human blood of unknown origin?


    Li Fufeng always felt that there was something strange about this, and wanted to persuade his colleagues to investigate together, but the others didn¡¯t take this seriously, thinking that he was thinking too much.


    Just at this moment, several police officers who had gone out to investigate returned. Liu Ningshuang ran in front, full of energy, pped her hands, and attracted everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Everyone, it¡¯s time to work, the culprit of that car ident has been found!¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 12

    Chapter 12


    Although he had obtained a new card, Bai Yi did not consider himself a person who was fond of the new and tired of the old. Moreover, the card [Ghost in the Rainy Night] had not yetpleted its mission.


    As a person who had been forced to ept various chaotic information streams for a long time, good and bad, sweet and bitter, dirty and smelly, all crammed into his head, but still lived strongly to the present, his psychology was still normal, he had not be abnormal and he considered himself a very lively and positive good citizen, Bai Yi had always beenmitted to quietly eliminating those stinky garbage that would cause him mental pollution in his own way.


    The old city area of today was an environment that he had worked hard for many years, carefully selected for himself, and built that was still eptable.


    But outside the old city area, those garbage that had once left a deep impression on Bai Yi and still emitted a stench, the progress of cleaning was extremely slow, and there was still too much waiting to be cleaned.


    Before the Nightmare Game system went online, Bai Yi could only choose a slow and roundabout way.


    But theunch of the system, and the appearance of the card [Ghost in the Rainy Night], made him realize that he seemed to have a simpler, more brutal, and more convenient and quick choice.


    <i>¡ª¡ªA ghostly figure, unrted to himself on the surface, killing as simple as eating and drinking, wasn¡¯t it the most convenient choice for a big clean-up?</i>


    Therefore, he entered the Nightmare Game during the day these days, and Bai Yi was not idle at night.


    Before going to sleep, he would always equip the [Ghost in the Rainy Night] card and walk around those ¡°stinky garbage¡± that he had long noted in his notebook.<i>¡ª¡ªWhat bad thoughts could Bai Yi have? It was just to step on the spot in advance, so it would be more convenient to clean up at that time.</i>


    The characteristic of [Appearing Anytime in the Rainy Night] certainly restricted this card to only appear in the rainy night, but it also meant that as long as it was a ce where it rained, he could appear at any time.


    Bai Yi only needed to choose the location ording to the weather that night, and he could throw this card into any ce where it rained.


    Because Bai Yi did not deliberately hide his tracks, in the past few days, many people have seen such a figure strolling on the streets of Yuanyang City at night.


    ck clothes, ck umbre, light golden hair, an elegant temperament with an unclear face, these elementsbined together were enough to make people impressed and couldn¡¯t help but take a few more nces.


    The Legend Degree rose slowly and subtly.


    That night was no different.


    As usual, Bai Yi controlled the [Ghost in the Rainy Night] card to make a round on the street, and Bai Yi [K] canceled the card equipment in a quiet corner without surveince and disappeared on the spot.


    On the second floor of the apartment in the old city area.


    The illusory card condensed in the palm of his hand and slowly disappeared.


    Bai Yi, lying on the bed, closed his eyes, ready to sleep.


    Before falling asleep, he faintly heard the sound of a police siren outside the window.


    Then, there was the noisy sound of every household hearing the movement and running out to watch the excitement. There were women¡¯s screams, old people¡¯s curses, and unbelievable cries.


    Various information flowed, like leaves swept up by the wind, and came straight to Bai Yi¡¯s crown.


    ¡°Oh, has thest garbage in this city been cleaned up¡­¡±


    Bai Yi didn¡¯t get up, but rolled around on the bed. Three secondster, he couldn¡¯t help but roll again.


    In the extremely joyful mood, the noisy, chaotic, harsh and sharp sounds in his mind seemed to be much more pleasant, not so unbearable.


    He fell asleep with a joyful mood.


    ¡­¡­¡­.


    When Bai Yi opened the curtains against the daylight, he found that there were already quite a few people downstairs. ording to these people¡¯s usual biological clocks, half of them shouldn¡¯t have gotten up so early.


    He went downstairs, with that forever sleepy expression, and yawned a big yawn.


    The young man¡¯s long eyshes still had two drops of water on them, and he looked around in confusion, ¡°What happened? I went to bed very early yesterday, it seemed like there was a lot of noise outside.¡± If he acted indifferent to such a big noise, it would be a bit strange.


    ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t know?¡± Sure enough, soon someone who likes to gossip pped their thigh, they said in a tone as if Bai Yi had missed five million in his sleep, ¡°Last night the police came and took away the couple from the Li family! Do you know why? I guess you can¡¯t guess!¡±


    Bai Yi shook his head very cooperatively.


    Immediately, the other party became more interested, ¡°Teacher Gu¡¯s car ident was not an ident, it was calcted. That Xiao Zhang is the murderer! Who could have thought of that? Without any grudges, he looks so honest and decent on a regr basis, who could have thought that he dared to harm people like this!¡±


    ¡°What Xiao Zhang? His real name is Liu Quan!¡± Another old man came over, his voice was so loud that he wouldn¡¯t need a loudspeaker anymore, ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what the police said? He is a vicious fugitive who has been on the run for murder seven years ago.¡±


    In the excitement, he raised his voice again, attracting everyone¡¯s attention all at once, ¡°¡ª¡ªSuch a murderer was hiding among us, usually honest and only knew to work hard, sometimes being scolded and not talking back, so many peopleughed at him behind his back, who knew he was such a ruthless person? Now thinking about it, it¡¯s scary!¡±


    Other people were also scared, with a look of fear on their faces.


    Some people couldn¡¯t help their curiosity, ¡°Why did he suddenly attack Teacher Gu for no reason? He¡¯s been hiding for seven years, why suddenly so impulsive?¡±


    ¡°What do we know about the thoughts of a murderer? Maybe he just couldn¡¯t help it, wanting to kill someone.¡±


    Suddenly such a big thing happened, the residents of the old city area were all uneasy, plus the human nature of gossip, at this time they gathered together and started talking. Bai Yi waspletely forgotten.


    At this time, someone shouted, ¡°They¡¯re fighting, they¡¯re fighting! Old Gu and them are fighting with Xiao Li!¡±


    Someone ran over from the other end of the street, shouting as they ran, the voice came from afar. The crowd immediately scattered, swarming towards the direction the person was running from.


    Bai Yi was walking at the back, a distance away, taking his time.


    By the time he arrived, the three people who were fighting had been pulled apart by others, but they were all disheveled and in a sorry state.


    Thedy boss with the surname Li, whom he had met just a few days ago, had several scratches on her face and arm from fingernails. Across from her, the white-haired old man Gu and olddy Gu were not much better,pletelycking the elegance of the former teacher, and instead looked somewhat mad.


    The olddy was struggling and still crying out, ¡°Give me back my son,¡± ¡°It¡¯s your man who killed my son,¡± and so on.


    The others, who hadn¡¯t been held back, rushed up to fight again.


    Bai Yi looked at the few people who were fighting together, then looked at the shop behind him with the door half-closed, and the empty shelves that could be vaguely seen through the crack in the door. On normal days, the shelves were always filled with the freshest and most vibrant fruits and vegetables.


    He pushed up the non-existent sses on his nose bridge, pondered for three seconds, and concluded seriously, ¡°¡­It seems that I won¡¯t be able to buy vegetables today.¡±


    ¡°¡ª¡ªThen I can only make do with cooking some noodles.¡±


    Regretfully shaking his head, Bai Yi turned around and left.


    His gaze inadvertently swept over the crowd, and he saw a girl standing alone outside the crowd, looking confused and shocked.


    ****


    ¡°Liu Quan, on March 9, 2017, you broke into a house in Huayin City and killed a family of four, then fled.¡±


    ¡°On June 17, 2024, you nned a car ident to kill a teacher from the city¡¯s No.1 Middle School, Gu Fangyou. You admit all of this, right?¡±


    In the police station, an old policeman in his forties, with a stern expression, was flipping through the interrogation record and speaking.


    ¡°¡ª¡ªSeven yearster, why did you choose to attack Gu Fangyou? What is your motive for murder?¡±


    ¡°¡­Why?¡±


    The man sitting across slowly raised his head, his tone unwilling.


    ¡°Who let him discover my identity!¡±


    ¡°I just want to live a peaceful life now, he wants to destroy all of this, I can only choose to kill him.¡±


    <i>¡ª¡ªHmm???</i>


    <i>¡ª¡ªAlready discovered the identity of the fugitive, didn¡¯t report it at the first time, but let the other party notice and counter-kill?</i>


    The experienced old policeman keenly realized that something was wrong here, ¡°Exin in detail from start to finish, starting with how you knew that Gu Fangyou discovered your identity.¡±


    ****


    Meanwhile, Bai Yi had a simple lunch and logged into the Nightmare Game again.


    His consciousness surfaced from the deep sea and woke up in the nightmare.


    He noticed that this body was sore all over, curled up on the ground in a self-protective posture, his head dizzy.


    The system¡¯s narration appeared in time¡ª¡ª


    <i>[You are an ordinary boy with no special features. Average looks, average grades, nothing stands out. You have spent the sixteen years of your life in mediocrity, enduring your father¡¯s scolding and endless bullying from others.]</i>


    <i>[You are the joke, toy, and punching bag in many people¡¯s hearts. Your existence has entertained their cheap and boring lives, enriching their extracurricr life.]</i>


    <i>[This day, you finally made up your mind to change yourself, the first step is to hone your courage and guts.]</i>


    <i>[You decide to casually kill someone.]</i>


    The narration got to this point, a low whisper like a horror game voiceover murmured in his ear, revealing a bit of unwillingness and madness.


    ¡°Anyone will do¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had enough¡ª¡ª¡±


    <i>[Task: Casually kill someone.]</i>


    <i>[Taskpletion degree is judged by the method of murder, the probability of being identified as the murderer, and the probability of being arrested.]</i><hr>


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 Chapter 13

    Chapter 13


    ¡°Kill someone casually¡­¡±


    This was indeed a task without any difficulty.


    However, considering the aim to maximizepletion, simply killing a person and ending the first week would undoubtedly be a waste.


    <i>¡ª¡ªI need to collect as much information as possible.</i>


    Bai Yi, clutching his head, crawled up from the ground, his palm naturally reaching out to the wall next to him, paved with white tiles.


    His gaze naturally swept around the room.


    It looked like a school bathroom. In the mirror on the adjacent wall, a frail-looking teenager dressed in arge blue and white striped school uniform was reflected.


    His eyebrows and corners of his mouth were marked with obvious bruises and scrapes. His school uniform was dirty, with some areas stained with sshed water. He looked very disheveled.


    Through the messy and heavy bangs that were lifted, a pair of eyes that clearly did not match his temperament quietly observed everything, revealing an obvious color of contemtion in his pupils.The dazzling afternoon sun shone through the window on one side, clearly telling him that unless it was a holiday, it should be ss time for students now.


    Bai Yi turned and walked towards the door. A phantom arrow timely appeared in mid-air ¡ª the system kindly pointed out the direction to the ssroom after leaving the bathroom.


    On the way, information about this character naturally appeared in Bai Yi¡¯s mind.


    <i>[Xu Dong]</i>


    <i>[Male] </i>


    <i>[16 years old] </i>


    <i>[High school sophomore]¡­ </i>


    One by one, small bubbles popped up in his mind.


    As for why he would appear in such a disheveled state during ss time¡­


    For Xu Dong himself and the teachers and students of the school, his appearance in any disheveled state at any ce in the school every day was not surprising. It was as normal as having three meals a day.


    <i>¡ª¡ªThis is the normal treatment for a toy.</i>


    <i>¡ª¡ªSometimes, there were too many people who wanted to y with this toy in a single day. Perhaps he had to rush around three times a day, waking up in the bathroom in the morning, missing lunch because he was locked in the art room at noon, and being locked on the rooftop to feel the cool breeze at night.</i>


    The power of habit was strong. When something happened every day, even if some people thought it was wrong at first, over time, they gradually saw it as a part of the normal world. Perhaps if it didn¡¯t happen one day, they would find it strange.


    Everything that happened to ¡°Xu Dong¡± had long been taken for granted by everyone, and they even couldn¡¯t be bothered to guess in what state he would appear today.


    When the boy with water stains on his clothes appeared at the ssroom door, it only drew a dismissive nce from others.


    Even the teacher who was lecturing just paused for a moment, skillfully and naturally instructed, ¡°Xu Dong, you¡¯rete. Go back to your seat first, don¡¯t disturb everyone.¡±


    The boy responded as usual, silently walked through the aisle between the desks and chairs, stepped over a foot that someone suddenly stretched out, and quickly scanned the ssroom.


    A phantom arrow pointed straight to an empty seat in the corner of thest row of the ssroom, and Bai Yi walked over.


    Then, he took out a ck leather notebook from the crumpled bag on his seat, sat down and started writing vigorously.


    <i>[Group A, Row 1, Seat 1, Male, has a certain hostility towards Xu Dong, judged from his height and appearance, possibly due to inner inferiority. Suspected to like the girl sitting next to him, can be used.]</i>


    <i>[Group A, Row 1, Seat 2, Female, has a cold and ignoring attitude towards Xu Dong, judged from her clothes, her family is not wealthy, the hairpin on her head obviously exceeds the affordable economic quota, observed to be very cherished. Suspected to be a gift from an important person, can be used.]</i>


    <i>[Group A, Row 2, Seat 1¡­]</i>


    In just one ss period, Bai Yi had roughly observed everyone in the ssroom and recorded the preliminary information in this ck leather notebook.


    During the break, Bai Yi casually nced at the seating chart and everyone¡¯s names near the podium, and then corresponded these names with the codes in the notebook.


    <i>¡ª¡ªThere was still an hour and a half before school was over in the afternoon. It was enough for him to continue observing and preliminarily verifying his conclusions.</i>


    He began to seemingly casually strike up conversations with the NPCs around him that he had marked as ¡°cold¡±.


    Under the effect of the ¡°Praise of the Blind¡± passive aura and Bewitch lv3, the NPCs¡¯ ¡°coldness¡± quickly turned into ¡°friendliness¡±, even though this passively increased ¡°friendliness¡± was very limited.


    It didn¡¯t take long for Bai Yi to get the information he wanted from these NPCs, and he made appropriate modifications and supplements to the entries in the notebook.


    For example, he identified the main people who used Xu Dong as a toy on weekdays, determined which of the people he was currently observing could be used, and who was most suitable forpleting the task.


    Others were unaware of this, but they felt a bit strange, ¡°Today¡¯s Xu Dong doesn¡¯t seem so annoying¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Strange, why did I find him annoying before?¡±


    But such puzzling thoughts were fleeting and did not continue to ponder.


    When Bai Yi no longer actively tried to talk to others, under the effect of ¡°Praise of the Blind¡±, his own sense of existence was instantly reduced to the extreme, no longer attracting attention.


    This saved him a lot of unnecessary trouble.


    ****


    In the evening, Jingchuan left the school gate.


    ¡°Today you didn¡¯t see, when Xu Dongdong came in from outside, that ghostly appearance¡­¡± He and a few boys around him were gesticting andughing, full of schadenfreude.


    ¡°If you ask me, there¡¯s nothing fun about Xu Dongdong. Every time he just has that gloomy ghostly appearance. And today¡¯s routine is already old¡­¡± Some people found it boring, ¡°When will there be something fresh?¡±


    The boy who spoke was very tall, unusually burly among his peers. The people around him obviously followed his lead. As soon as he spoke impatiently, several boys, including Jingchuan, nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Boss Fang is right, it¡¯s really a bit boring to y like this all the time. And Xu Dongdong, he only knows how to y turtle, it¡¯s not interesting to y¡­¡±


    Arriving at a park near the school, the boys quickly dismissed the shrinking turtle they mentioned, and took out a ser ball from their backpacks.


    ¡ª¡ªThis park, originally nned as a key city construction project butter abandoned for unknown reasons, had arge open space. It had long been upied by them as a ser field for after-school y.


    Not until dusk fell and the sunset was almost gone, did the sweaty boys finally finish ying ser. They each picked up their backpacks and ran towards their homes.


    Jingchuan went west alone, taking a different route from the others.


    He bought a bottle of iced soda at the snack shop he passed by every day on his way home. Just after paying the bill, his gaze inadvertently swept over a familiar figure.


    The girl had taken off herrge and ugly school uniform jacket, revealing her undeveloped figure. She had undone her original hairstyle, and her ck and straight long hair fell down, without any decoration, naturally exuding the charm of youth.


    She stood under a streetmp opposite the snack shop, her body sideways to this side, her gaze on the phone in her hand, asionally looking around, seemingly waiting for someone.


    The sky was extremely dark, the light from the streetmp shone on her fair profile, and she looked very anxious.


    <i>¡­A good student who goes home on time every day after school, how could she suddenly appear here? Who was she waiting for?</i>


    Jingchuan subconsciously walked out of the snack shop, hid behind a tree at the shop door, and quietly looked across the street.


    Then, his eyes widened in shock.


    A figure walked out from behind the tree shadow of the streetmp, came to the girl, seemed to give her something, and the twoughed and talked for a while, the atmosphere seemed very harmonious.


    ¡°Xu, Dong, Dong!¡±


    Jingchuan suddenly clenched his fists, his eyes zing with fire.


    Shock, astonishment, and a certain indescribable sense of humiliation all surged up at the same time.


    He watched as the two said goodbye and parted ways, the girl¡¯s figure disappearing in another direction. He immediately ran across the road, chasing after the other person, and followed him.


    Jingchuan chased him directly into an alley nearby.


    Thest bit of sunset had already sunk.


    He didn¡¯t know if it was because it was too dark, or the other person was too fast, but in a blink of an eye, that person was gone.


    In the alley without street lights, Jingchuan chased for a while, gasping for breath, and vaguely saw a blurry shadow ahead.


    ¡°Xu Dongdong, stop¡ª¡ª!¡±


    He suddenly found the strength, running and shouting at the same time.


    The next moment, a gust of wind came from the side.


    Jingchuan, who was running, felt his face being scraped painfully.


    <i>Bang¡ª¡ª</i>


    A heavy brick hit him squarely in the face, making him dizzy. He instinctively fell to the side, reaching out to brace himself against the uneven wall.


    Before he could recover from the dizziness and see who had attacked him and where the brick hade from, a figure lightly jumped down from the top of the wall, took a few steps over, and there was another brick!


    This one hit him squarely on the forehead.


    Jingchuan felt his forehead was dizzy and painful, and he passed out directly.


    Bai Yi squatted down, not reassured, and added another brick. Only when he was sure that he was really unconscious, did he feel relieved.


    He threw away the brick, and his palm lightly patted with joy. Just like a trainer who had sessfully captured a wild Pok¨¦mon.


    ¡°¡ª¡ªAha, capture suc¨Ccess¡ªful¡«!¡±


    Then, Bai Yi headed straight for a corner of the alley not far ahead.


    There, a tree growing ntingly from the outside stretched its sturdy branches in, and an empty blue and white school uniform was hung there, gently swaying in the evening breeze.


    In the dim night, looking from the special perspective of the alley entrance, it looked like a blurry figure.


    Bai Yi took off the school uniform, walked back to the person who had fallen on the ground, directly used the school uniform as a rope to tightly bind the person¡¯s hands, and brutally dragged him deeper into the alley.


    Jingchuan¡¯s phone somehow appeared in his hand. In the screen that had been unlocked by fingerprint, amunication interface was opened, and many familiar names scrolled by.


    ssmates, teachers, parents¡­


    Bai Yi finished reading the conversations with other people on the phone within a week, and started typing on the phone, imitating Jingchuan¡¯s tone.


    ¡°Who should be the next capture target¡­¡±


    TN: ÐíßË is the real name; ÐíßËßË should be the nickname given by his ssmates/bullies<hr>


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 Chapter 14

    Chapter 14


    <i>[Cold, trembling¡­Oh no, that¡¯s wrong. Let¡¯s do it again. Action!]</i>


    A strange, deep melody echoed in the darkness.


    <i>[Dark, damp, dizzy, weak¡­]</i>


    <i>[When Jingchuan woke up from a severe headache, he was horrified to find himself hanging upside down in the air in a strange posture, like a string of sausages hung up to dry.]</i>


    <i>[He tried to struggle, but his hands and feet, bound by ropes, betrayed him first, unable to cooperate with his brain. A damp sensation came from the sparse hair on his head.]</i>


    <i>[His brain, which was not very smart to begin with and became even more stupid due to overheating, seemed to be stimted by the coolness and regained a bit of rity. Of course, only a bit, it couldn¡¯t possibly be more. This was the upper limit determined by intelligence.]</i>


    <i>[He rolled his eyes to look down.]</i>


    The music was very cooperative, a sudden stop, like the moment when the protagonist in a horror game suddenly encounters a door kill.


    <i>[Ah~ How terrible!]</i>Jingchuan¡¯s heart skipped a beat.


    <i>[At this time, the stupid him finally realized that just below his head was a medium-sized indoor swimming pool. From any perspective, the area and depth of the pool were enough to amodate his entire head, with plenty to spare. In the dark environment, the water surface faintly glowed.]</i>


    <i>[And now, his sparse hair had already made intimate contact with the water surface of the pool. Oh, this might have contaminated the pool water to some extent. The person who nned all this felt very sorry.]</i>


    <i>[Let¡¯s get back to the point.]</i>


    <i>[Even the most stupid person should realize their situation. Of course, </i><i>Jingchuan</i><i> was not out of this range.]</i>


    <i>[Fear, anger, and more elusive emotions bombarded his brain, and his face turned red due to congestion.]</i>


    <i>[After looking around for the culprit to no avail, he finally couldn¡¯t control himself and yelled out loud¡ª]</i>


    ¡°Shut up! Shut up! I¡¯m telling you to shut up!¡±


    Jingchuan¡¯s face was distorted, almost losing hisposure as he roared.


    <i>[Oh, this isn¡¯t very friendly. A qualified protagonist would always cooperate with the narrator¡¯s performance, not destroy the atmosphere. Unfortunately, our protagonist didn¡¯t understand this.]</i>


    Jingchuan, who was hanging upside down in mid-air, suddenly dropped a centimeter, his hairpletely soaked in the pool.


    ¡°Who is it? Who¡¯s ying tricks? Get the hell out here! You¡¯re dead, you know? You¡¯re dead!¡±


    <i>[The sudden change in the dangerous environment greatly stimted the fear in Jingchuan¡¯s heart, and he chose to cover it up with harsh words. He tried to make himself look like a tiger ready to pounce, rather than a Hello Kitty being manipted.]</i>


    <i>[But we all know what the truth is.]</i>


    <i>[Unfortunately, our protagonist seemed unable to ept the blunt truth, and he became even more irritable.]</i>


    ¡°Ah ah ah¡ª¡± Jingchuan was going crazy. These two opposing principles¡¯ strange narration kept drilling into his brain.


    ¡°Xu Dongdong, Xu Dongdong, get out here! You think I can¡¯t recognize your voice? You think you can scare me by ying tricks? You wait for me¡ª¡±


    <i>[The height dropped again, and the water surface had reached his forehead.]</i>


    <i>[The cold chill made Jingchuan shudder all over.]</i>


    <i>[He finally picked up his not-so-smart brain, and for the sake of his cheap life, he temporarily learned to shut up.]</i>


    <i>[If he had always been so obedient and sensible, perhaps today¡¯s drama would not have been staged.]</i>


    <i>[To avoid the following plot being all about the fool¡¯s shouting or the coward¡¯s silence¡ªthis is too boring. The evil viin finally decided to make an appearance.]</i>


    The surrounding dull music suddenly became cheerful. It was like ten thousand frogs suddenly dancing together.


    The narrator¡¯s voice also became full of power.


    <i>[Let¡¯s have some apuse! We need a more exciting and interesting plot¡ª]</i>


    ¡°p p p p p.¡±


    A series of rhythmic apuse sounded, the lights above the ceiling lit up, and the light shone straight down.


    A person appeared under the shining light, nonchntly pping for his own appearance, and then waved at Jingchuan with a smile. ¡°Yo, Jingchuan!¡±


    ¡°Congrattions, you didn¡¯t recognize the wrong person¡ª I didn¡¯t expect that you could recognize my identity so quickly, such deep affection really leaves me at a loss for words!¡±


    His cheerful and surprised tone was like meeting an old friend in a foreignnd after many years. As if he wasn¡¯t the one who hung the other party upside down here facing the threat of death.


    Jingchuan¡¯s anger gauge was almost overflowing.


    The dark environment, that neurotic cat-and-mouse-like narration, the constant threat of falling into death¡­The fear and repression that had been built up during this period of time suddenly dissipated a lot when he saw that familiar face, saw the remaining bruises and wounds on the other¡¯s face.


    He was like a cat that had finally been scratched by an overconfident mouse. After the shock, a sense of anger and humiliation sprang up in his heart.


    Even though this mouse seemed to have the power to kill the cat at this moment, the sense of superiority that had long been used to ying with it as a toy still made him ignore this. He was used to the absolute dominance in front of the other, and didn¡¯t believe that the long-weak person dared to really do something to him.


    ¡°Xu Dongdong, are you crazy?! Be careful I¡¯ll kill you! Let me down now¡ª¡±


    Bai Yipletely ignored him, but continued to narrate on his own. ¡°Obviously, in our protagonist¡¯s narrow brain capacity, the smart IQ can¡¯t always upy the high ground, just a brief moment to give up the throne, dominated by stupidity.¡±


    Jingchuan: ¡°You¡ª¡±


    Bai Yi spoke with a passionate, enthusiastic voice, just like narrating for a superhero blockbuster.


    ¡°¡ªHe knew nothing about his situation!¡±


    ¡°¡ªBut the evil viin will make him understand!¡±


    As he said this, the expression on his face almost made people think that the next moment he would casually shout out a line like ¡°Bara energy little fairy transform¡±. It made the onlookers feel so embarrassed that they couldn¡¯t help but dig out a luxurious vi.


    ¡ªThest syble fell, and the gear above the rope that bound Jingchuan¡¯s feet suddenly spun rapidly. His entire body plummeted, and his head ¡°bang¡± hit the water!


    Water sshed everywhere, and the water surface had already submerged his neck!


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Jingchuan struggled desperately. Unfortunately, his hands and feet, which were tightly bound, once again betrayed his thoughts.


    Thirty secondster, the gear turned again, and he was lifted up, his forehead reconnected with the water surface.


    ¡°Huff¡­huff¡­¡±


    Jingchuan was gasping heavily, like a fish out of water.


    This time, he couldn¡¯t speak, and he didn¡¯t dare to speak.


    At this moment, his eyes were full of fear. Even anger and hatred were hidden.


    <i>[The fierce tiger pretending to be calm finally tore off its mask, ah, it turns out he¡¯s just a powerless Hello Kitty!]</i>


    <i>[His heart was as weak and powerless as his breath.]</i>


    This time, Jingchuan didn¡¯t get angry again, he spoke in a weak voice, his sybles trembling, ¡°You¡­ what¡­ do you want to do¡­¡±


    A mobile phone lit up in his direction, the familiar screen clearly indicated that it belonged to Jingchuan himself.


    Then there were familiar contacts, segments of invitations that had been edited but not yet sent out in his name. Each invitation was unique, almost precisely targeting the personality of each person on it.


    ¡ªEven Jingchuan himself would doubt whether this familiar tone was content he edited in his dreams.


    ¡°I just want to invite everyone to gather, after all, we have been together for so long, and have formed deep friendships. Obviously, using Jingchuan¡¯s name, the call to action is stronger.¡±


    A hateful smile spread out behind the phone, every word the other party spit out sounded so gentle and harmless.


    ¡°So, please, Jingchuan, see for yourself, are these reasons enough to move your dear ssmates to ept the invitation? If not, please, Jingchuan, use your brain and think again. I think Jingchuan would be happy to help, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Jingchuan couldn¡¯t help but fall silent.


    He knew very well what it meant to agree. But he was even clearer about the consequences of a direct refusal.


    The annoying narration sounded again.


    <i>[Jingchuan was caught in a fierce inner struggle.]</i>


    <i>[It¡¯s really hard to understand, does he still need to struggle between sacrificing himself to save others and sacrificing others to save himself?]</i>


    <i>[¡ªPerhaps some people do have the character to sacrifice themselves to save others. But he obviously wasn¡¯t that kind of person.]</i>


    <i>[Perhaps, he was still thinking about seeking help from others through impliednguage? No, if he had self-knowledge about his IQ, he shouldn¡¯t fantasize about such good things.]</i>


    <i>[After all, the evil viin just happened to know that he liked someone, happened to know that he would appear at the snack shop to buy soda at this time, happened to ¡°pick up¡± the hairpin that someone cherished, happened to invite her to meet at this time, and then happened to be seen by our protagonist¡­]</i>


    <i>[It was just a casual attempt, and the protagonist was easily fooled. There was no need to try anything else. The protagonist¡¯s stupidity made the viin lose his sense of aplishment.]</i>


    <i>[¡ªHooking him was simpler than using dried fish to tease a cat. Even cats are wary of strangers now.]</i>


    <i>[Once he recognized this fact, our protagonist should know what choice he should make.]</i>


    ¡°Ah ah ah¡­¡±Jingchuan¡¯s mentality copsed again.


    ¡°I agree with you, I agree with you, that¡¯s it.¡±


    ****


    Half an hourter, the first person named arrived, pushing open the door of the rest room of the long-abandoned old campus swimming pool. ¡°Jingchuan, what¡¯s the good news that you¡¯re in such a hurry to call me over, I had to climb out of my house window, if there¡¯s no surprise¡­¡±


    A strong smell permeated the room, he didn¡¯t have time to say a few more words, and was knocked out on the spot.


    Then the next one, and the next, ording to the distance of each person¡¯s journey and the timing of the notification, they arrived almost at equal intervals, and were captured one by one.


    Even if asionally there was an unexpected fish that wasn¡¯t knocked out, it also fell under the unexpected brick.


    When they gradually woke up, they found that everyone was hanging upside down in a row at the top of the swimming pool, like a string of air-dried sausages. The one called ¡°Fang Yu¡± forcefully upied the C position.


    Everyone red at Jingchuan.


    ¡°One, two, three, four¡­a total of eleven. Just enough to form a football team.¡±


    Bai Yi counted from left to right, slowly walked out with a loudspeaker, and everyone was shocked and widened their eyes.


    ¡°Xu Dongdong, it¡¯s you¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Bai Yi nodded with a smile.


    ¡°¡ªTo thank you all for the games you¡¯ve brought me to experience over the past two years, I took the liberty of inviting everyone over in Jingchuan¡¯s name, I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    ¡°I just suddenly found a more interesting and exciting new game, and couldn¡¯t wait to give back to everyone¡¯s deep affection.¡±


    Everyone was both shocked and angry. But before they could say anything, Bai Yi had already waved his hand. ¡°Then, let¡¯s get started.¡±


    ¡°Truth or Dare. Liars or rule breakers will be¡­¡±


    <i>Bang¡ª</i>


    The gear above suddenly turned, all the ¡°sausages¡± hanging in mid-air dropped rapidly, and their heads were buried in the pool one by one, not being pulled up again until a full thirty secondster.


    Everyone experienced the feeling of suffocation that Jingchuan had experienced before. And Jingchuan was lucky enough to experience it for the second time.


    ¡°¡­be punished like this~¡±


    The cold pool water extinguished everyone¡¯s anger, making this group of people who should have been fierce and evil be obedient one by one. They became the best-behaved children who obeyed the rules.


    Bai Yi showed a satisfied smile.


    Then, he turned on the shlight on his phone, a beam of light shone straight on the first person on the left, and the music for the character¡¯s entrance sounded timely. ¡°Then, the first one~¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your darkest secret?¡±


    ¡°Do you prefer to eat onions ortro?¡±


    ¡°Have you ever killed anyone?¡±


    ¡°Do you like to dress in women¡¯s clothing?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your biggest weakness?¡±


    ¡°Do you have any habits that are different from ordinary people?¡±


    The light shone on each person one by one, and all kinds of strange questions came out of his mouth, even before people had time to react.


    Then, there were sessive sounds of falling into the water.


    <i>Bang¡ª!</i>


    <i>Bang¡ª!</i>


    <i>Bang¡ª!</i>


    <i>Bang¡ª!</i>


    ¡°Liar!¡±


    ¡°Liar!¡±


    ¡°Liar!¡±


    ¡°Liar!¡±


    Until someone cried out in grievance. ¡°I didn¡¯t lie, everything I said was true!¡±


    Bai Yi: ¡°Ah, I¡¯m used to it. It was a slip of the hand.¡±


    He still looked very polite.


    But the soaking wet people were already shivering.


    Every time they were thrown into the water and then pulled up, their height would drop a bit, which meant they were closer to the water surface.


    Now, the most dangerous person among them had been submerged by the water over his eyes, and he could only close his eyes tightly.


    If it continued¡­


    They dared not think any further, and shivered deeply.


    In the short time before, wailing, cursing, begging, threatening, had all been proven useless.


    The Xu Dongdong in front of them was no longer the usual him, he was the incarnation of the devil!


    He yed with their lives like a cat ying with a ball of yarn, without any psychological burden.


    There was another ¡°bang¡± sound.


    ¡°Ah, I forgot to add, if you don¡¯t want to say your own, you can exchange it with someone else¡¯s secret.¡±


    ¡°Simrly, if someone lies, and others choose to expose it, they can directly skip a round of the game and pass the question to the next person.¡±


    Bai Yi, like every evil viin in the story, used a meaningful tone to bewitch everyone. Making people who had no conscience in the first ce teeter on the brink, andpletely copse.<hr>


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 Chapter 15

    Chapter 15


    ¡°En, good friends should enhance their understanding of each other~¡±


    ¡°Thank you all for your cooperation!¡±


    This game of Truth or Dare ended with Bai Yi¡¯s satisfied speech. He waved his hand at the row of ¡°air-dried sausages¡± hanging upside down in front of him with a bright smile. ¡°So, see you next time~¡±


    All the ropes fell instantly, and the uniform sound of falling into the water harvested the wailing and cursing, turning them into bubbles on the water surface.


    <i>Gurgle¡­Gurgle¡­</i>


    ¡°Cough cough.¡± Bai Yi cleared his throat, lowering his voice.


    <i>[Souls filled with resentment and fear sank to the bottom of the water, spitting out malicious curses at thest moment of their lives.]</i>


    <i>[But they can rest assured, this is not the end.]</i>


    <i>[¡ª¡ªThe real game has just begun.]</i>In order to let them die in peace, Bai Yi even used such a narration to hint at the truth that they could start over.


    In fact, this was not the first round.


    Apart from those games that could be cleared in one life, Bai Yi was not in a hurry to clear any game that could be saved and restarted.


    Years of falling into nightmares had given him a wealth of experience. He often used the first few rounds to collect all the necessary information, made adequate preparations, and then struck decisively, perfectly resolving everything.


    Therefore, in the real first round, Bai Yi was always observing. He collected information about everyone, even quietly followed Jingchuan and his group to figure out everyone¡¯s whereabouts. Including how many minutes they stayed at each location at each time point.


    When he was ready to end the first round, thinking of the task of ¡°killing a person casually¡±, he casually picked Jingchuan who had just arrived home. Using the phone he had smoothly obtained from the girl Jingchuan had a crush on, he easily lured him out.


    Then, he left him lying in the alley.


    ¡ª¡ªAlthough there were many rough details in this, Bai Yi, who had no intention of achieving a high taskpletion degree in this round, just took a sheep on his way out.


    Who would have thought that the sheep woulde running so willingly :).


    Everything was going too smoothly. Jingchuan¡¯s over-cooperation even left Bai Yi without a ce to kill and bury the body, so he had to start a hasty interrogation in the alley.


    Then, after a series of ruthless operations, he pried a very suitable location from Jingchuan¡¯s mouth.


    ¡ª¡ªThe long-abandoned old campus swimming pool.


    Sure enough, didn¡¯t he personally experience the secret location rmended by the other party in this round?


    And he was the first one to experience it.


    Bai Yi felt that he was really a kind person.


    Leaving the swimming pool, Bai Yi was determined not to favor one and discriminate against the other. In addition to these eleven good friends who had already bonded with him, there were many ssmates in the school who were only at the surface stage and needed to be understood more deeply.


    However, dealing with those people didn¡¯t need to be so troublesome. It could be done in a simpler and more brutal way¡ª¡ª


    Locked in an emptyboratory, a beautiful girl facing a skeleton specimen shivered and cried out:


    ¡°¡­Wuuu wuuu I¡¯ve already told you about the time when I was eight years old and fell in love with a handsome little brother only to find out that he was actually a little sister. I¡¯ve told you about not liking to brush my teeth at night, eating food, and liking to bite chopsticks. There¡¯s really nothing else to say wuuu wuuu wuuu can I go now¡­¡±


    Until she found that there was no sound outside theboratory, the girl who tentatively ran over and easily opened the door had a stunned expression:<i>¡­ Are today¡¯s suitors all so wild? They don¡¯t bother to observe a girl¡¯s preferences and directly interrogate the person involved?</i>


    The bookworm straight A student who was blocked on the way home from school faced the ¡°quality¡± of the test paper that had been filled with words and was snatched away, showing a heartbroken expression, and surrendered before the other party¡¯s ¡°tearing ticket¡±. ¡°Let¡¯s talk it out, don¡¯t resort to violence¡ª¡ª¡±


    The old-fashioned head teacher who always had sparse hair and cherished every strand of hair, found that he was tied up in the office by a mysterious person, his first reaction was to be furious and refuse topromise.


    Until he saw the shiny scissors approaching his head, he screamed in horror. ¡°Ahhh don¡¯te over¡­¡±


    ¡­¡­.


    In the next few rounds, Bai Yi just slightly concealed his figure and face, so that people wouldn¡¯t recognize him at first sight, and got the information he wanted to know from each person in the most direct way.


    This method, which was too simple and brutal in reality and even full of loopholes, might not take long to be found by the parties and the police, but in a game that could be constantly saved and restarted, it was just the simplest and most efficient method.


    He was immersed in this pleasant new type of friend-making game, taking Xu Dong¡¯s ss, sophomore year ss seven, as the core, constantly radiating and spreading his ¡°circle of friends¡±.


    Until this circle spread to the gatekeeper.


    Bai Yi walked out of the gatekeeper¡¯s room lightly, with a happy expression full of harvest, and as soon as he turned his head, he met a pair of round and pitch-ck eyes.


    The cat squatting on the windowsill spread out its round belly, its eyes like ss beads curiously looking at the bipedal beast that suddenly came out, its long tail flicking up and down.


    ¡°Meow~~~¡±


    ¡°Look what I found?¡± Bai Yi stretched out his hand with lightning speed, instantly grabbing the back of the cat¡¯s neck, its destiny. He lowered his head in response to its fluffed-up fur, revealing an evil viinous smile, as if he would choose to kill the cat and silence it in the next moment, ¡°There¡¯s actually a cat that slipped through the~¡±


    The cat was greatly startled, ¡°Meow!!¡±


    Bai Yi shook it. ¡°Yo, it¡¯s quite energetic.¡±


    He began to ruthlessly interrogate the dizzy cat. ¡°Confess, your name, origin, what you heard hiding here, how many small dried fish will it take to bribe you?¡±


    ¡­¡­.


    <i>[Achievement system has been refreshed.]</i>


    <i>[You have achieved the ¡°Kill eleven people in half a day¡± achievement.]</i>


    <i>[You have achieved the ¡°Master of the Melon Field of Qingnan High School¡± achievement.] </i>


    <i>[Note: From the fifty-year-old gatekeeper to the five-month-old kitten, you have ¡°interrogated¡± them all. Cold-hearted, ruthless. You have be the man who holds the secrets of everyone in Qingnan High School.]</i>


    At the moment of choosing to save and exit, the stars scattered, the deep sea engulfed everything, and lines of text refreshed.


    A question mark popped up above Bai Yi¡¯s head. ¡°¡­?¡±


    <i>¡­Forget it, won¡¯t bother with this silly system.</i>


    Having yed with the cat for half a day, Bai Yi, who almost broke the cat, was in a good mood at the moment and decided to be magnanimous for a while.


    Today there was wind outside, the sky was somewhat gloomy, it looked like it was going to rain, Bai Yi put on a coat and went downstairs to pick up the express delivery, and found that the vegetable and fruit shop not far away was open.


    However, probably due to the impact of the car ident, the business was far from as good as before, and at this time, there was no one.


    He carried the express delivery and strolled over, as usual, greeted the bossdy who was sitting in the shop in a daze, and asked. ¡°What fresh vegetables do you have today?¡±


    The bossdy, who had been in a daze, came back to her senses and forced a smile. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s Bai Yi. Today¡¯s bok choy is quite fresh, you see if you want to get some¡­¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll take the bok choy.¡± Bai Yi went with the flow, and casually picked a few other vegetables.


    When paying the bill, probably because Bai Yi¡¯s attitude was still the same as before, unlike some people who always looked at her and whispered, or tried to ask about her husband¡¯s situation in a roundabout way, the bossdy¡¯s smile became much more genuine.


    She casually chatted with Bai Yi.


    ¡°By the way, howe I haven¡¯t seen you go out for several days?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been toozy to go out recently, just staying at home ying games.¡±


    Bai Yi raised his eyebrows, answering with a chuckle.


    ¡°What game is so attractive? You young people still need to take care of your health¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a game with multiple saves, looks like it can be yed for quite a few days. The NPCs are all interesting, I really like it, it¡¯s even more fun when ¡®eliminating¡¯ them~¡±


    ¡°Oh oh oh, I get it. I¡¯ve heard of it, is it called something like ¡®eliminate¡¯, Happy Elimination, right?¡± The bossdy suddenly realized, and mumbled doubtfully, ¡°But does that game have those NPCs?¡±


    Bai Yi, holding the express delivery in one hand and taking the vegetables with the other, didn¡¯t forget to nod. ¡°Yes, yes, it¡¯s Happy Elimination. The elimination process is full of variety, so happy, so joyful!¡±


    He went upstairs with his bags and parcels, reopened the nightmare game, and entered the so-called ¡°Happy Elimination¡±.


    The moment he woke up, the familiar narration slowly appeared, just like every other time.


    But this time, the content of the narration changed¡ª¡ª


    <i>[You were born a devil.]</i>


    <i>[Under your seemingly ordinary appearance, hides a restless, uneasy heart that disregards allws and regtions.]</i>


    <i>[You suppress it, trying to make yourself fit in.]</i>


    <i>[Rather than being insulted and ridiculed by others, being treated as a joke, a piece of trash, bing a little bit of fun in their boring lives, you would rather put on human skin and stand among the crowd of ordinary people.]</i>


    <i>[But you know, you¡¯re not like them.]</i>


    <i>[You endure the pain, until the beast bursts out of your chest.]</i>


    <i>[¡ª¡ªIt¡¯s time to make a change!]</i>


    <i>[Task 1: Kill a person at will, prove your courage.]</i>


    <i>[Task 2: Complete a wonderful murder, prove your wisdom.]</i>


    <i>[Task 3: Manipte others toplete an unexpected murder, break away from the crowd of ordinary people, and prove to the world¡ª¡ªyou are an existence far superior to them!]</i><hr>


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 Chapter 16

    Chapter 16


    ¡°Miss Tian Yin, on the morning of June 13th, did you go to Li¡¯s Vegetable and Fruit Shop with the deceased, Gu Fangyou?¡±


    ¡°¡­June 13th? ¡­I remember now, that day was a Saturday, just when we returned to the old city¡ªevery weekend, my father would take me back to visit my grandparents, and we bought some fruit on the way at the vegetable and fruit shop.¡±


    ¡°Do you remember what happened then?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t quite remember¡­..what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Do you remember ¡®20170309 Xihe¡¯?¡±


    ¡°¡­What is that?¡±


    ¡°ording to the suspect Liu Quan, who is also the owner of Li¡¯s Vegetable and Fruit Shop, Mr. Zhang, Gu Fangyou was holding the fruit and it was inconvenient for him, so you used his phone to scan the code to pay. As a result, you identally entered the memo interface, this is the content of the first memo. At that time, Liu Quan was next to you, and from his perspective, he could just see the beginning of this memo.¡±


    The bewildered young girl finally showed a look of sudden realization, recalling and saying, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s that matter. I remember now! When I was checking out, I think I did identally enter the memo, and when I exited, I was in such a hurry that I almost dropped the phone on the ground. Fortunately, it seemed that my father didn¡¯t notice.¡±


    The girl showed a slowly recalling expression.She asked again. ¡°Does this matter have anything to do with my father¡¯s car ident?¡±


    ¡°It does have some relevance. It can only be said that Liu Quan is really meticulous and ruthless¡­¡±


    ¡°March 9, 2017, Xihe County, this is the time and ce where Liu Quanmitted the crime that year, he has a deep impression. He has never forgotten it in these seven years of fleeing.¡±


    ¡ªSo, when he unintentionally saw the beginning of this memo, he was alert at the first moment.


    Then, under his careful observation, he found that Gu Fangyou had been quietly observing his every move in the shop, as if confirming something, his eyes were full of scrutiny and suspicion.


    He found that Gu Fangyou didn¡¯t even carefully select the fruits in the bag, there were obviously a few that looked small and sour¡ªobviously, buying fruit was just a cover.


    At this point, the police paused.


    ¡°For several days afterwards, he noticed that Gu Fangyou, who should have been at school, had actually stayed in the old city with his parents and was often observing him in secret¡­¡±


    Whether it was having breakfast at different tables in the breakfast shop, meeting on the road, or Gu Fangyou going to the vegetable shop to buy vegetables, as long as he paid careful attention, he would find that Teacher Gu, who should have nothing to do with him, always couldn¡¯t help but look at him with unfriendly eyes, as if looking at a hidden criminal.


    This feeling made Liu Quan extremely ufortable.


    ¡°¡ªThese were all confessed by Liu Quan afterwards. ording to his recollection, there were many such details.¡±


    At this point, the police officer took a sip from his water cup.


    With the umtion of details, Liu Quan, relying on his anti-detection consciousness, determined that Gu Fangyou might have dug up the case from somewhere and suspected that he was the fugitive, but he was notpletely sure, so he was observing him in secret¡ªthis made Liu Quan murderous!


    ¡°Time was pressing, so before Gu Fangyou could confirm his identity and report to the police station, he took the initiative.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s how it was¡­¡±


    Tian Yin murmured, showing an incredulous expression.


    In the eyes of the experienced police officer, her shock and realization at this time were definitely not pretense.


    Through theparison of the testimonies of both parties, it was proven that Liu Quan did not lie, and the policepletely restored the course of the whole incident.


    ¡ªGu Fangyou discovered Liu Quan¡¯s identity for unknown reasons and observed and investigated in secret. Unexpectedly, the memo on his phone identally exposed his thoughts, which made Liu Quan on guard and instead took the initiative to kill and silence him.


    When Tian Yin walked out of the police station, it was already dusk.


    She stood quietly in ce, looking up at the sky.


    In the gloomy sky hung a ray of rosy clouds, half of the sky was sinking into darkness, and half of the sky was illuminated by the rosy clouds.


    ¡°Miss Tian Yin, please wait!¡±


    A voice came from behind, someone caught up with her.


    Tian Yin turned around and recognized the person. ¡°Officer Li, do you have anything else?¡±


    Li Fufeng looked at her with aplicated gaze, but spoke frankly. ¡°I just have some doubts about the case. After all, this case is too coincidental.¡±


    He casually enumerated. ¡°Gu Fangyou obviously already suspected Liu Quan¡¯s identity and should have been more cautious about him, but the memo on his phone was not kept confidential, and it happened to be seen by Liu Quan, and the content on it happened to be the most likely to alert Liu Quan, but Gu Fangyou himself did not know that he had been exposed and was killed by Liu Quan without being vignt¡­..Everything is as coincidental as a carefully woven story, which is unbelievable.¡±


    Tian Yin frowned, ¡°So, what are you implying?¡±


    ¡°I just suddenly had a bold guess.¡±


    ¡°If Gu Fangyou never suspected Liu Quan¡¯s identity from beginning to end, he naturally wouldn¡¯t be on guard against him.¡±


    ¡°And there is a person who neither of them would suspect.¡±


    ¡°She could easily add to Gu Fangyou¡¯s phone memo; Gu Fangyou trusts her enough, she could influence Gu Fangyou¡¯s thoughts, speak ill of Liu Quan in front of Gu Fangyou, making Gu Fangyou look at him with the eyes of scrutinizing a bad person; she could also let Liu Quan discover the addition to the memo at this time, which could easily cause misunderstandings between the two¡­ all of this is simple for her.¡±


    Li Fufeng word by word, his gaze tightly on Tian Yin, scrutinizing her every expression.


    Tian Yin eximed, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Officer Li to have such a wild guess. It does make some sense.¡±


    ¡°For example, if I were to tell my father that ¡®Boss Zhang¡¯ harbors ill intentions towards me and has been harassing me, and then convince my father that if he doesn¡¯t believe it, he can observe carefully for a while, my father would definitely believe me, observe in secret, and might even want to quietly find the other party¡¯s handle to deal with him.¡±


    ¡°Right, I could also easily add content to my father¡¯s phone memo, and then deliberately show it to Liu Quan¡­¡±


    ¡°Thinking about it this way, it really is easy to cause misunderstandings, making him think that my father is doubting his real identity.¡±


    ¡°¡ªOf course, all of this is impossible.¡±


    She sighed and shook her head, ¡°Who could have thought that Boss Zhang would turn out to be a fugitive? It¡¯s even less likely to think that an ordinary memo would have such important significance. If I had known all this earlier, maybe my father wouldn¡¯t have¡­¡±


    At this point, Tian Yin looked gloomy.


    ¡°You indeed didn¡¯t know. But what if the person behind the scenes who was guiding everything knew? He knows Liu Quan¡¯s identity, knows Liu Quan¡¯s character, and knows more clearly that once that memo is shown in front of him, it will arouse Liu Quan¡¯s vignce and suspicion. Knowing that Gu Fangyou only dares to observe in secret, looking for Liu Quan¡¯s handle, not daring to confront him face to face¡­ he knows how to guide everything step by step towards the direction he wants.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Tian Yin opened her mouth in surprise, looking at the serious Li Fufeng, as if she had heard some absurd joke that she couldn¡¯t understand, ¡°I thought we were just making a few casual assumptions. Officer Li, you wouldn¡¯t really suspect that I did something based on groundless guesses, would you? The story you told me sounds like a detective novel. Even the big viin who maniptes everything behind the scenes hase out!¡±


    She shook her head with a smile, looking helpless.


    ¡°Yes, without any basis.¡± Li Fufeng nodded, ¡°You can just think of me as talking nonsense, diverging thinking.¡±


    Tian Yin smiled without changing her expression, showing a maturity beyond her age, ¡°No, this is Officer Li¡¯s dutiful performance. You¡¯ve also worked hard for this case!¡± She looked at the sky, ¡°But it¡¯s not early anymore, if I stay any longer, my grandparents at home will worry, I should go back.¡±


    She nodded to Li Fufeng, turned around and left.


    Suddenly, Li Fufeng¡¯s voice came from behind.


    ¡°On June 20th, three days after the car ident, you transferred 5000 yuan to an unknown ount registered overseas.¡±


    ¡°You respectfully call that person¡ªDoctor.¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 17

    Chapter 17


    Tian Yin¡¯s steps paused for a moment.


    She suddenly turned her head, her eyebrows furrowed. ¡°What?¡±


    Li Fufeng, as ifpletely unable to read the room, still spoke frankly. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m a bit curious and always like to explore. If I have offended¡­¡±


    ¡°If you know it¡¯s offensive, then stop.¡±


    This slender girl, who always gave a sense of softness, showed such firmness for the first time. Her words were sharp as a knife, ¡°I¡¯m not a suspect. Even if you, Officer Li, have a special status, you don¡¯t have the right to pry into my privacy, do you?¡±


    Li Fufeng was not angry at all, but rather murmured thoughtfully. ¡°It seems that this doctor really holds a special ce in your heart¡­¡±


    Tian Yin fell silent.


    She clenched her fists bit by bit.


    ¡°Fine, since you insist on knowing, I¡¯ll tell you.¡± Tian Yin began to speak word by word, ¡°I don¡¯t know what the doctor¡¯s identity is in reality, I only know that he is a good doctor. At least, he saved me.¡±Li Fufeng assumed a listening posture.


    A struggle appeared on Tian Yin¡¯s face, and she was silent for a while before she began. ¡°I¡¯m not my parents¡¯ biological daughter. Three years ago, I was just an orphan who had just entered high school and lost her biological parents. Because I had no other rtives, my homeroom teacher, Teacher Gu, and his family adopted me. My new parents were very good to me¡­¡±


    ¡°But since my mother fell ill and died nine months ago, my father started to act strangely, he began to care about me very, very much. At first, he strictly controlled my time, every day I was either at school or at home, I couldn¡¯t go anywhere.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t allow me to interact with strangers outside, telling me that bad people outside would try to kidnap me.¡±


    ¡°¡­Then it was talking to male ssmates at school. If my father saw it, he would scold me severely when I got home, forbidding me to date early. Even if I exined, it was useless.¡±


    ¡°Later, going home on weekends to see my grandparents was the most rxing time for me. At other times, every move I made was under my father¡¯s watchful eye, he was like a shadow. I couldn¡¯t establish even a temporary rtionship with anyone.¡±


    ¡°¡­One day, after I finished taking a bath and came out of the bathroom, I found my father standing by the bed, staring at the bathroom door. His eyes were terrifying. I was scared! I felt like I was suffocating!¡±


    ¡°¡­But this was not the most terrifying part. One day not long after, my father suddenly moved his luggage into my room. He said he wanted to watch me all the time, and I could never, never, never escape from him.¡±


    As she narrated, Tian Yin¡¯s tone became elusive. Her gaze also became unfocused.


    ¡°So day by day, I felt sick. Very sick. I didn¡¯t know if it was my father who was crazy or me, the world in my eyes became very strange¡­¡±


    ¡°I suddenly felt that everything in front of me was false, just a dream. If I died in the dream, I could wake up, right?¡± The girl¡¯s voice was barely audible, ¡°Just when I was preparing to do so, the doctor found me.¡±


    ¡°He said he was a psychologist who hadn¡¯t received a certificate, and was umting relevant experience for himself. He saw my distress on an anonymous forum. He was willing to help me, as a way to umte new cases.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but I believed him.¡±


    ¡°Those words that I couldn¡¯t tell anyone in reality, I told him all at once. In retrospect, I was like a babbling madman at the time, full of disjointed nonsense.¡±


    ¡°¡­The doctor was really amazing, during his treatment, I felt myself getting better. This false, distorted world, began to recover bit by bit.¡±


    A smile reappeared on Tian Yin¡¯s face, her tone was full of heartfelt gratitude, and there was an imperceptible fanaticism in her eyes.


    ¡°It was then that I realized. Both my father and I were sick, we both needed treatment. I rmended my father to the doctor, hoping that everything could return to the way it was at the beginning.¡±


    Hearing this, Li Fufeng, who had been silent all along, finally spoke, ¡°So, did the doctor guide you on how to deal with him?¡±


    ¡°No, why would you think that?¡± Tian Yin¡¯s tone was surprised, she seemed to havepletely detached from the dark memories, and regained her firm and cold tone, ¡°I admit you are very good at expanding your thinking, but it¡¯s better to say less without basis. The doctor is a good person who understands others!¡±


    ¡°My father¡¯s car ident was really too unexpected for me, I had already introduced him to the doctor, wanting to cure him. Who could have thought, a wanted murderer was hiding among us all along, and just like that, took his life!¡±


    The girl¡¯s face was expressionless, she sighed disinterestedly.


    Perhaps she already knew, even without evidence, the person across from her had guessed the truth, so she didn¡¯t bother to pretend anymore.


    ¡°¡ª¡ªEverything ended just like that.¡±


    ¡°About that five thousand yuan¡­¡±


    ¡°That five thousand yuan was a symbolic consultation fee charged by the doctor, although I think it¡¯s far from enough. I will always be grateful to him.¡±


    Li Fufeng fell silent.


    Tian Yin¡¯s words were almost watertight, or rather, even if there were loopholes, they couldn¡¯t touch her. After all, in this case, she was just a character who opened the memo in front of the murderer, unintentionally provoking him.


    Perhaps she had yed another role in front of Gu Fangyou, guiding his actions. But apart from Gu Fangyou himself, who had died, no one would reveal the answer.


    <i>¡­What bad intentions could such a little girl have? Did she instigate the murderer to kill?</i>


    ¡°Officer Li, do you still have any further doubts?¡±


    ¡°If not, then I¡¯ll leave first. After all, my grandparents have been waiting at home for so long, they must be anxious.¡±


    When Li Fufeng came back to his senses from his contemtion, he saw that Tian Yin had returned to her previous state, as if the tense atmosphere of confrontation just now didn¡¯t exist.


    Before leaving, she didn¡¯t forget to add with a smile, ¡°Also, regarding your unauthorized investigation into my privacy, I mayin to the police stationter, I hope you understand.¡±


    Watching the girl¡¯s retreating figure, Li Fufeng stood in ce and suddenly spoke, ¡°Do you think what she said is all true?¡±


    ¡°Seventy percent true, thirty percent false, I guess.¡±


    Liu Ningshuang, who had appeared at some point, continued the conversation.


    Li Fufeng nodded, ¡°Of course, she doesn¡¯t trust us. Or rather, she doesn¡¯t trust anyone other than the doctor. Of course, she wouldn¡¯ty everything out. For example, does she really think that Gu Fangyou was sick? And the doctor¡¯s treatment method, I¡¯m also curious.¡±


    When he mentioned the name Gu Fangyou, a strange emotion shed in Li Fufeng¡¯s eyes. But the person was already dead, the one who would suffer the most would only be the living.


    After a long time, he just slowly exhaled, ¡°But, really amazing.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s not even 18 yet, and she has such a strong psychological quality, able to control her emotions so perfectly¡­ Some of her emotions just now were deliberately shown. Except when ites to the doctor, it¡¯s from the heart.¡± Liu Ningshuang sighed, her toneplex, ¡°Such a girl, indeed amazing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about the person behind her, that doctor.¡±


    Li Fu Feng shook his head.


    ¡°Borrowing a knife to kill, and can perfectly remove himself, as if invisible. Even if all the truth is revealed, she won¡¯t have any charges on her¡­ really amazing.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, even if it can be checked, to verify your guess, but the one who chose to kill was Liu Quan himself, no one instigated him.¡±


    Liu Ningshuang also sighed in admiration from the bottom of her heart.


    Butpared to herpanion¡¯s excessive sense of justice and curiosity that sought to get to the bottom of things, Liu Ningshuang was more emotional.


    She looked in the direction the girl had left, her gaze somewhat pitiful. ¡°Since the final result is no different, why go to great lengths to uncover all the secrets? Perhaps, the truth will only hurt everyone.¡±


    Whether it was Tian Yin, or the two old people.


    ¡°Perhaps.¡± Li Fufeng had a different idea, ¡°But no matter how hurtful the truth is, it¡¯s still the truth.¡±


    His tone was very firm. ¡°And what I care about is not Tian Yin, but that doctor.¡±


    ¡°By controlling others¡¯ personalities and weaknesses, enticing others to act ording to his own ideas, like manipting puppets. And he himself stays behind the scenes, achieving all his goals¡­Such a person, if left unchecked, is really too dangerous.¡±


    ****


    ¡°Look, once someone discovers your weakness, this is the oue of being at their mercy.¡±


    As soon as he entered the game, Bai Yi found the cat that he had messed with in the previous round. The cat was now spirited and hadpletely forgotten its previous painful experience.


    He stroked the cat while giving it a lesson, his smile very bright.


    ¡°As a cat that can be easily lured out by a few small fish, you should reflect on yourself.¡±


    As he spoke, he lifted the cat¡¯s two paws with both hands, staring seriously at those round eyes.


    ¡°Meow~~~¡± The cat made a soft, powerless sound.


    ¡°Do you understand?¡± The hateful bipedal beast didn¡¯t let the cat go.


    ¡°Meow!!!¡± <i>Super fierce.jpg</i>


    After giving the kitten a theory lesson, regardless of whether it understood or not, Bai Yi began to prepare for practice.


    His gaze swept over the task bar floating in front of him.


    <i>[Task 1: Kill someone at will, prove your courage.]</i>


    <i>[Task 2: Complete a wonderful murder, prove your wisdom.]</i>


    <i>[Task 3: Manipte others toplete an unexpected murder, break away from the crowd of ordinary people, and prove to the world¨Cyou are an existence far above them!]</i>


    ¡°The tasks have actually changed¡­¡±


    ¡°This is really the first time for such a thing.¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 18

    Chapter 18


    <i>Weewooo¡­</i>


    The rm in Qingnan High School was ring non-stop.


    This was already the third time this week.


    If the first time filled everyone with curiosity and a desire to investigate, the second time they were still surprised, by the third time, all that was left in people¡¯s reactions was numbness.


    Beyond numbness, there was a deep-seated fear.


    In the school that was supposed to educate people, three murders had urred in just one week.


    One of them was a conflict that erupted without any warning. By the time others reacted, a person had already fallen in a pool of blood;


    Another was a secretive murder that took ce off-campus. If it weren¡¯t for someone who happened to discover the body, the murderer might still be attending sses in the school as if nothing had happened, and the deceased, due to his past record of truancy, would only be thought to have skipped ss and disappeared again;


    Now, another murder had happened without any warning.The teachers and students of Qingnan High School were deeply puzzled by this.


    Although none of the guys who died were worth sympathizing with, among their ssmates, either they were the ones who had been humiliated and oppressed by them, or they were aplices who had colluded with them. No one would genuinely feel sad for them.


    Perhaps some even felt a heartfelt delight.


    But the frequent urrence of murders still made people feel sorrowful.


    It was as if an invisible ghost was hovering over the campus, leading these people to a dead end.


    It spread fear wantonly, causing everyone to feel insecure.


    At this time, no one had the mind to care about the transparent person who had always been treated as a joke and a toy, even those who were very keen on using him for leisure and entertainment on ordinary days.


    Bai Yi, holding the fat cat, was moving through the panicked campus. He was like a ghost invisible among the crowd.


    The intense spiritual fluctuations from all directions surged towards him, and endless panic wove into a vortex that pulled at him.


    He silently looked at these faces, each like a palette.


    Even though the school had already strengthened its measures, and teachers repeatedly soothed everyone¡¯s emotions, the most hot-tempered guys on ordinary days began to learn restraint, yet bizarre incidents were still happening.


    The person manipting all of this behind the scenes was not surprised.


    <i>In this world, even the most honest and timid guys have a day when they wield a butcher¡¯s knife, biological fathers and sons can turn against each other, loving couples can kill each other¡­ it all depends on whether there is a motive that makes you determined to risk everything.</i>


    ¨C And just so, he could give everyone a motive.


    ¨C He knew everyone¡¯s important or unimportant secrets, and had control over everyone¡¯s biggest weakness.


    Over the course of half a month, Qingnan High School had frequent murders.


    No matter how they investigated, it was all coincidental. All the murderers calmly admitted that their actions were from their hearts, there was no one behind the scenes directing them, because the deceased had touched their untouchable scales.


    For a time, Qingnan High School had almost be the location for countless horror novels. Some people even thought that there was some terrible curse here.


    One could imagine that perhaps many yearster, many people would still have the ¡°Seven Legends of the Campus¡± rted to it.


    Under the tremendous pressure of public opinion, the school had no choice but to announce a temporary holiday and let the students go home.


    Bai Yi was slowly mingling in the crowd leaving the school, suddenly he slightly turned his head and looked at a big tree next to the school gate.


    A cat as fat as a ck dumpling was lying on the tree, its round eyes met the young man¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°Yo!¡± Bai Yi waved at it in greeting.


    ¡°Meow~¡± The cat responded to him.


    ¡°So, see you in the next loop~¡±


    At the end of this loop, Bai Yi decided to start a new save.


    Even though he could submit the results of this loop directly, he was 100% sure he could sessfully clear the game and get a high evaluation.


    But Bai Yi suddenly realized that he seemed to be acting foolishly.


    ¨C Tailoring a script for each person based on their weaknesses, making everyone obey his will and let him manipte them, indeed could hide himself very well, but the efficiency was too low.


    After all, the design of each script required time and effort, which made the game time long and boring.


    He suddenly realized that he didn¡¯t have to be so cautious, pursuing a wless script.


    <i>The difference between games and reality is that he doesn¡¯t have to be careful every step of the way, avoiding any mistakes. Because it doesn¡¯t matter if there are loopholes, having fun is the most important!</i>


    At the start of the new loop, Bai Yi decided to change his approach.


    Once again waking up in the bathroom, he was not in a hurry at all, leisurely washing his hands and face, making himself clean.


    The moment he pushed the door and came out, Bai Yi snapped his fingers.


    ¡°I¡¯ve decided, this is thest loop!¡±


    ****


    With only an hour and a half left before school was out in the afternoon, in the middle of ss, the young man with water stains on his clothes hurried back to the ssroom of sophomore year ss 7.


    No one expressed anything about this.


    Jingchuan, who was originally bored and hiding in the back ying with his phone, noticed this scene, and a smile spread across his face.


    Just as the young man was passing by him, he stretched out a leg and blocked the other¡¯s path.


    If it were in the past, this guy would most likely have been tripped.


    But today, this waste managed to dodge it agilely.


    This made Jingchuan feel a bit upset, and he red at the other fiercely. Due to the ongoing ss, he didn¡¯t do anything.


    ¡°Darn it!¡± At that moment, the game ended, and Jingchuan lost. He furiously tapped on his phone, spewing a string of trash talk at his opponent before angrily quitting the game.


    The failure in the game left Jingchuan with a belly full of anger, and he wanted to find some fun elsewhere.


    As soon as the bell rang for the end of ss, he turned around, casting a malicious gaze towards thest row of the ssroom, at the guy who was sitting with his head down, not knowing what he was doing.


    He was just about to get up when his phone suddenly vibrated silently.


    Jingchuan took out his phone, only to find a message from a stranger on the screen.


    At the same time, the other students all did the same thing as him, which was to look down and check their phones.


    ¨C In this school where discipline was not strict, bringing a phone to school was the norm for everyone.


    The same content appeared on everyone¡¯s screens.


    <i>[Do you want to get to know the real you?]</i>


    ¡°Which guy is messing around? Boring!¡±


    Upon seeing this nonsensical content, Jingchuan frowned. He was about to delete it when his phone started vibrating again.


    <i>[Let¡¯s y a game!]</i>


    <i>[I know the secrets of each and every one of you.]</i>


    <i>[To prove that I¡¯m not lying, each of you will receive two messages. The first one is your biggest secret, and the second one is the biggest secret of another person¡ªI will randomly choose one person from among the others besides you. Conversely, your secret may also appear in someone else¡¯s phone in this way~]</i>


    The content of these messages left everyone stunned.


    The ssroom suddenly became noisy.


    ¡°I seem to have received a prank text message, which guy is causing trouble?¡±


    ¡°I got the same thing here.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding me? I don¡¯t believe him!¡±


    Amid the discussions andughter of the crowd, the phone vibrated again.


    Jingchuan, with a mindset of just ying around, clicked to open it.


    The next moment, he subconsciously clenched his phone, blocking the screen.


    <i>[Your little angel-like sister, your whole family has been heartbroken over her idental disappearance when she was six years old, and your family has been immersed in the shadow. But it wasn¡¯t an idental disappearance. It was intentional, you were jealous of her, you wanted her to disappear.]</i>


    ¡°Who the hell is it¡­¡±


    Jingchuan¡¯s face changed dramatically.


    His voice trembled with anger and fear. But he held his phone tightly, looking around like a thief.


    As if trying to find the person hiding in the crowd, and as if afraid that his secret had already been exposed to the world.


    And it was at this time that he realized that at least half of the people in the ss had the same reaction as him, and although the reactions of the others were not as intense, they were not looking too good either.


    Before he could think more, another message followed closely.


    <i>[Randomly selected: Fang Suo.]</i>


    <i>[His secret is¡ªAt the age of fifteen, he went swimming with his best friend. During an argument, he pushed his best friend into the river and drowned him. But afterwards, as the only witness, he imed that it was an ident caused by a slip of the foot, thus escaping punishment, and no one knew.]</i>


    ¡°This!¡±


    Jingchuan, who was originally both shocked and angry, suddenly widened his eyes, his face showing extreme shock.


    <i>¡­This was actually Boss Fang¡¯s secret? That leader who always acted arrogantly and domineeringly in front of them, actually had such a deadly handle?</i>


    Now, the handle had fallen into his hands.


    Jingchuan subconsciously looked in the direction of Boss Fang.


    He saw the other party¡¯s fierce gaze sweeping around, scanning each person with eyes full of threat and suspicion.


    <i>¡ª¡ªThe person he is looking for is me!</i>


    Jingchuan¡¯s heart pounded, and he quickly lowered his head.


    But he couldn¡¯t help but think about whether he could use this secret to do something.


    Especially when he thought about how he had always been submissive in front of Boss Fang in the past, like ackey, but now, he had grasped the other¡¯s fatal weakness¡­


    A strange sense of excitement spread in his heart.


    But when he lowered his head and saw the secret about himself, it was like a bucket of cold water poured on his head, making him shiver.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking this way now, won¡¯t there be other people thinking about how to deal with me¡­Damn it, damn it! Damn bastard! Don¡¯t let me know who¡¯s messing around!¡±


    He cursed the puppeteer behind the scenes.


    At this moment, Jingchuan was just an insignificant member of the entire ssroom. Most of the others had the same reaction as him.


    Only a few people who hadn¡¯t done anything guilty remained calm. Their secrets being exposed was just a matter of embarrassment.


    So they were still able to deal with the secrets about others on their phones with the mentality of bystanders.


    But these people were ultimately a minority.


    The bell rang for ss, and self-study began, but everyone was in no mood to study, their faces stiff and strange.


    Some people startedughing.


    ¡°What era is this, and people are still ying this kind of prank! No way, no way, no one would really believe it, right?¡±


    ¡°Whoever believes it is a fool!¡±


    ¡°This joker is really boring¡­¡±


    While saying they didn¡¯t believe it, almost everyone subconsciously clenched their phones, quietly casting their eyes on the other people in the ssroom, and the atmosphere unconsciously became strange.


    The panic of worrying about their own secrets being leaked, and the excitement of having a handle on another person, shed in their hearts, and everyone¡¯s gaze towards others became flickering.


    The phone started vibrating again.


    This time, everyone opened it at the first moment.


    <i>[¨C Now, you who have grasped another person¡¯s biggest secret, and your own secret is also held by someone you don¡¯t know, what kind of performance will you have?]</i>


    <i>[Is it to act as if nothing has happened, choose to maintain good character by keeping silent, or to use it without changing your expression? Do you trust yourself, and do you trust others?]</i>


    Everyone¡¯s faces turned very ugly.


    And the person behind the scenes didn¡¯t let them go at all.


    <i>[People will never get to know their true selves. Until a special moment finally arrives.]</i>


    <i>[¨C It¡¯s time to open your chest and face yourself :)]</i>


    The smile at the end of the text message was like a clown¡¯s funny face, mocking each and every one of them.


    Knowing that the guy behind the scenes meant no good, but having to fall into his trap¡­ This feeling was really terrible to the extreme!


    Bai Yi sat in thest row, watching everyone¡¯s reactions with interest. The surging and chaotic spiritual fluctuations around him undoubtedly indicated that these people were anything but calm inside.


    He casually stuffed the phone he had picked up from a student wandering outside on his way back to the ssroom into his pocket, looking forward to it.


    The beginning had already been written, and the rest of the script depended on how these characters were prepared to improvise.


    <i>The unknown always fills people with interest!</i><hr>


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 Chapter 19

    Chapter 19


    The performance of the NPCs in the game did not surprise Bai Yi. Just by the impure aura emanating from their souls, Bai Yi did not believe they could love each other unconditionally.


    He chose to submit the task and end this instance.


    The system, which had been ying dead most of the time, appeared again.


    Lines of twisted, blurry text flickered before Bai Yi¡¯s eyes.


    <i>[Sessfully cleared the Nightmare Fragment [Lamb¡¯s Counterattack]]</i>


    <i>[Instance Level: ¡î] </i>


    <i>[Clearance Evaluation: S] </i>


    <i>[Points Earned: 5] </i>


    <i>[Unlocked Achievements: [Killed Eleven People in Half a Day] [Master of the Melon Field in Qingnan High School] (Exnation omitted)]</i><i>[Opened Hidden Instance: [Demon¡¯s Game]] </i>


    <i>[Instance Level: ¡ï¡ï] </i>


    <i>Clearance Evaluation: S] </i>


    <i>[Points Earned: 20] </i>


    <i>[Unlocked Achievements: [Heart of the Demon]]</i>


    <i>[Exnation: Youpleted the basic task with apletion degree of 300%, and on this basis, you elevated the task several levels. The weak and powerlessmb was twisted into a man-eating demon by your outstanding performance.] </i>


    <i>[Want to y a game?] </i>


    <i>[Exnation: You toyed with everyone in a way that could be described as ruthless, bing everyone¡¯s nightmare.] </i>


    <i>[Seven Mysterious Legends of the Campus] </i>


    <i>[Exnation: Because of your existence, Qingnan High School became the prototype of a horror novel. Seven mysterious legends were born here and will be permanently circted in the Nightmare Fragment instances. The ghosts who died tragically curse day and night with resentment, but they don¡¯t even know who the real culprit is.]</i>


    <i>[Start special reward extraction.]</i>


    <i>[You received a special drop: Nightmare Crystal (White) ¡Á10.]</i>


    <i>[You received a special growth card [???]]</i>


    <i>[Exnation: Since this card has not yet reached its peak, it can continue to grow, and the current star-level characteristics are unknown.]</i>


    <i>[Do you choose to keep this Nightmare Fragment instance and cultivate this special growth card in the instance? The system will open a new hang-up mode for yers to elerate time within the instance.]</i>


    Bai Yi, who was originallycking in interest, brightened up. ¡°Idle mode? It seems that you, the system, have finally learned to keep up with the times!¡±


    He decisively chose to keep the instance.


    Regarding the inability to idle, Bai Yi had never stoppedining. In every interval of the game, his two opposing principles technique output was enough to make anyone want to kill him on the spot.


    Fortunately, the system was not a person.


    For general mobile games or PC games, he only needed to sit in front of the screen controlling the NPCs. Perhaps five minutes had passed in reality, but five days had already passed in the game time. During this time, he could idle and daydream.


    But the nightmare game was not so friendly in this regard.


    Although there was a huge difference in the speed of time between reality and the nightmare, every minute and second in the nightmare was truly experienced by Bai Yi himself, which meant that he could only carry out tasks that were rtively short in duration.


    If a certain instance required three years to clear, he would really have to spend three years in the nightmare instance as a character.


    ¨CThis kind of patience, he had alwayscked.


    Under Bai Yi¡¯s expectant gaze, the system hesitated for a moment.


    <i>[Idle mode is about to start.]</i>


    <i>[Under idle mode, time elerates within the Nightmare Fragment instance. The game character will continue to grow ording to the traits assigned by the yer, and the system will deduce his fate line for a period of time in the future until he reasonably reaches the peak.]</i>


    <i>[The main traits currently assigned by the yer to the game character [Xu Dong] are: [Cunning] [Cold] [Insight] [Maniption] [Control Desire] [Disguise]]</i>


    <i>[Combining the worldview within the Nightmare Fragment instance, the system will deduce the character¡¯s fate line ordingly.]</i>


    <i>[Do you want to start idle mode?]</i>


    Bai Yi chose without hesitation: ¡°Of course.¡±


    The next moment, he only felt his soul lightly floating up into the sky, looking down at everything below from a bird¡¯s eye view.


    First was Qingnan High School, then the nearby streets andmunities, and finally an aerial view of an entire city appeared in Bai Yi¡¯s line of sight, with arge nk area on the edge of the city.


    The whole world was like a jigsaw puzzle that had been shattered and reassembled, undergoing dizzying changes. Under the eleration of time, all things were like the scenery flying by outside the car window, leaving only a blurry impression on his retina.


    Feeling bored, Bai Yi temporarily exited the game.


    He surfaced from the deep sea adorned withrge pieces of star fragments, and the first thing he saw was the gradually sinking night outside the window.


    The ckness, like ink, dyed his pupils.


    <i>Gurgle¡­</i>


    Because he had been immersed in the final week of the game and missed dinner, his stomach protested.


    Bai Yi reached out and touched his shriveled stomach, lying on the bed not wanting to move.


    He tried to persuade his stomach. ¡°Be quiet, you can do it, be strong for a while¡­¡±


    <i>Gurgle gurgle¡­</i>


    The response from his stomach was very disrespectful to him.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Bai Yi rolled around on the bed, from left to right, and finally got up reluctantly. ¡°Alright, alright, I really can¡¯t handle you. Even though I¡¯m not hungry yet, who made you hungry?¡±


    The wall clock was already pointing to 7:30 in the evening, and Bai Yi slowly walked towards the kitchen to start washing the vegetables.


    Fortunately, before he started the final week, he had already bought all the vegetables for dinner, otherwise, at this point in time, he might not be able to buy any fresh ingredients.


    The kitchen knife seemed to have a life of its own, almost dancing out afterimages on the chopping board.


    This knife skill was enough to make any onlooker doubtless that the person with such knife skill must be a rare great chef¨Cbefore they tasted the food he cooked.


    Today, the sparrows outside the window were smart and stayed away from Bai Yi¡¯s kitchen early. The heavy clouds gathered.


    The sky was gloomy all day. When Bai Yi was immersed in the final week of the game, he just missed the brief glow of the sunset, and then the sky returned to its dark tone.


    When he went downstairs to throw out the trash, many residents were walking outside. Seeing Bai Yi, they all greeted him.


    For this young man who had moved to the old city area for more than half a year, everyone considered themselves to be quite familiar with him.


    Although he hardly went out unless it was necessary to buy vegetables, and seemed a bit reclusive and strange, hard to approach; but once theymunicated with him, everyone couldn¡¯t help but like his quiet and easy-going, good at listening personality.


    He was friendly to everyone, could take a joke, and never got angry about anything. The older people liked such a ¡°good boy¡±.


    So, everyone was keen to chat with this young man who was good at listening, and they were also willing to share gossip with him who rarely went out, so that he would not be left behind because of thegging news.


    Just as he went downstairs, someone started a conversation with him.


    ¡°It¡¯s been more than half a month since Ist saw you, Bai Yi, you look even whiter, I¡¯m really envious.¡±


    The girl who was speaking was tall and wore casual summer clothes. Her hair was tied into a ponytail and peeked out from under a baseball cap. The ends of her hair curled up on her shoulders, giving off a different kind of vitality.


    This was a resident living downstairs from Bai Yi, named Xia Jiajia. A warm and straightforward college student who spent most of her time living in school, allowing Bai Yi to enjoy the quiet.


    Just for this reason, Bai Yi was very satisfied with her.


    Xia Jiajia was still looking at the young man in front of her, praising him with a sound of admiration that only girls could understand.


    This time, she had a rare vacation toe home, and also happened to bump into Bai Yi going out. She immediately enthusiastically cut the fresh watermelon in front of her into several slices and handed one to Bai Yi.


    ¡°Here, have a slice of watermelon. It¡¯s just bought, big and sweet.¡±


    ¡°En, it¡¯s really sweet~¡± Bai Yi thanked her, took a bite of the watermelon she handed him, and then made a fair evaluation.


    ¡°You must have heard about Teacher Gu¡¯s incident, right? I didn¡¯t expect such a big thing to happen in the old city area while I was at school for more than half a month¡­um, this watermelon is delicious, eat more.¡±


    Xia Jiajia gossiped while eating watermelon. Looking at the face in front of her that exceeded the standard of beauty, the watermelon in her hand tasted even sweeter.


    <i>After all, who isn¡¯t a beauty dog?</i>


    She casually handed Bai Yi another slice of watermelon.


    Bai Yi touched his stomach, chose to refuse, and naturally took over her topic. ¡°Looking at your reaction, is the car ident not over yet?¡±


    ¡°You guessed it!¡± Xia Jiajia gave a thumbs up, ¡°I just got some fresh gossip. It seems that not long after Tian Yin went to the police station to testify, the Gu family made a fuss again. Just ten minutes ago, Mrs. Gu had a heart attack and was sent to the hospital, and it seems that Mr. Gu is not in a good condition either.¡±


    She shook her head in confusion. ¡°What does Teacher Gu¡¯s incident have to do with Tian Yin? I really didn¡¯t expect that Mrs. Gu and the others are such people! Do they really think that Tian Yin killed Teacher Gu? I didn¡¯t see them being so superstitious before!¡±


    Because of this reason, she, who should have sympathized with Teacher Gu¡¯s car ident, felt that she couldn¡¯t sympathize.


    Bai Yi was ying the role of a ¡°melon-eating crowd¡± on the side.


    He knew that even if he didn¡¯t speak, Xia Jiajia would be very interested in continuing.


    Sure enough, after criticizing Mrs. Gu and the others a few times, Xia Jiajia brought the topic to Bai Yi. ¡°If I remember correctly, your initial target for renting a house should be next to the Gu family, right? That room is almost the best environment in the old city area. If I wasn¡¯t short of money, I would have chosen there. Weren¡¯t you very satisfied at the time? Why did you back outter?¡±


    ¡°¡ª¡ªBecause I originally thought there were only two old people there, but every weekend the biggest source of garbage pollution would appear.¡±


    Xia Jiajia was stunned, even her ent came out. ¡°Ah? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know? Teacher Gu has body odor, and every weekend when he passes by my house, I get smoked.¡±


    Bai Yi said in a serious tone.


    It was such an absurd thing, but his tone and demeanor were so serious that Xia Jiajia really believed his nonsense. She immediately gasped, showing an incredulous expression, her eyes full of disgust.


    ¡°No way? He, he¡¯s really that¡­¡±


    ¡­Suddenly, she didn¡¯t want to eat the watermelon in her hand anymore.


    ¡°Of course¡­I¡¯m joking! You didn¡¯t really believe me, did you?¡±


    Bai Yi, however, retracted his words, a smile appearing on his face, with a lively spirit of a child who had sessfully yed a prank.


    Xia Jiajia was startled, quickly eating the watermelon to calm herself down, and couldn¡¯t help butin, ¡°You said it so seriously, who wouldn¡¯t believe it? But, I don¡¯t really like Teacher Gu either, I always feel that his temperament is a bit gloomy¡­¡±


    As the two were talking, there was a sudden chill above their heads.


    One drop, two drops, three drops, the raindrops fell.


    Bai Yi stretched out his hand to catch the raindrops. ¡°It¡¯s raining.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s raining!¡±


    Xia Jiajia eximed, hastily packing up her things.


    Bai Yi, who hade back to his senses, helped her move the tables, chairs, and benches that she had ced outside into the house.


    Then, he declined Xia Jiajia¡¯s enthusiastic invitation and turned to leave.


    The illusory card flickered at his fingertips.


    Looking at the slender figure of the young man in the rain curtain, Xia Jiajia inexplicably felt a strange feeling rise up, and couldn¡¯t help but shake her head.


    ¡°Why do I always have a premonition that something big is about to happen? Is it because this scene is so beautiful, just like the prelude to a blockbuster movie where the curtain is about to be lifted?¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 20

    Chapter 20


    The idle mode had been turned off.


    The time in the Nightmare Fragment instance had elerated to ten yearster, and the character had grown to the peak state within this instance.


    Bai Yi slowly opened his eyes, apanied by the system¡¯s narration, as he passed through the deep sea filled withrge fragments of stars.


    A wind blew from afar, causing his cor to rustle.


    He was standing at an unprecedented height. With a slight downward shift of his gaze, he could see the continuous city buildings under his feet.


    The rich night enveloped the city, and the flickering neon lights drew a series of crisscrossing ¡°rainbows¡± on the pitch-ck night sky, like a child¡¯s crayon drawing.


    Bai Yi stood on the rooftop. Behind him, the unsealed door faintly transmitted the elegant piano music and speeches.


    Whether from the luxurious scale of this building or from the words floating out from behind the door, it was undoubtedly a grand and extraordinary party taking ce here.


    Yet, he stood alone on the rooftop, enjoying the breeze, standing at the highest point of this city, appreciating the scenery under his feet.This inevitably reminded Bai Yi of the first time he entered this game, the embarrassment that this character had shown.


    ¡ª¡ªIt was a startling contrast.


    Bai Yi sighed immediately, ¡°Dongdong ah Dongdong, I didn¡¯t expect that after ten years, you have changed from a double ¡®Dong¡¯ to a single ¡®Dong¡¯! The aura is different all of a sudden! Did the system really not choose the [show-off] trait at the beginning?¡±


    After a round of indiscriminate mockery of the character, the system, and even himself who had be this character, he took his hand out of his pocket¨Cyes, this body was indeed in the show-off pose of one hand in the pocket¨Cand then concluded.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s like a living history of the evolution of a waste material stream novel protagonist~¡±


    With such a sigh, Bai Yi casually pulled open the panel.


    One after another, historical messages brushed past on the panel.


    <i>[Idle mode has been activated, character fate deduction in progress.]</i>


    <i>[Under the cultivation and influence of the yer, your character [Xu Dong] had evolved from a weak and ipetent waste to a demon possessing a series of traits such as coldness, cunning, disguise, and insight.]</i>


    <i>[In the first year of your release, your character [Xu Dong] continued to y the demon game, creating the most terrifying and bizarre [Nightmare March] in Qingnan High School. He not only sent every one of his enemies to hell, but also single-handedly increased the transfer rate of Qingnan High School, making Qingnan High School one of the countless legendary [cursed schools].]</i>


    <i>[In the second year of your release, your character [Xu Dong] began to lose interest in the game of Qingnan High School and gradually expanded the scope to the blocks around Qingnan High School.]</i>


    <i>[In the third year of your release, your character [Xu Dong] entered a university in the same city and found new fun in the new school. Feeling that he was understaffed alone, he began to hide in the dark to select targets to develop wings and build an informationwork that fully covered the surroundings.]</i>


    At this point, the screen was filled with more and more text.


    <i>[Your character [Xu Dong] obtained a simple-minded and physically developed tool person +1 through deception.]</i>


    <i>[Your character [Xu Dong] obtained a smart and wise tool person +1 who knows how to judge the situation through coercion and temptation.]</i>


    <i>[Your character [Xu Dong] obtained a full-fledged and extremely fanatical tool person +1 through pyramid scheme preaching.]</i>


    <i>[Your character [Xu Dong] obtained an ambitious and very useful tool person +1 through probing and inducing.]</i>


    <i>[Your character [Xu Dong] sessfully gathered four important members ¨C [Heroic Courage] with human limit individual strength responsible for action, [Wisdom of nning] who is always calm and good at making ns, [Fanatic Follower] who regards the leader as a god and willplete the task at all costs, and [Untamed Soul] who is ambitious and always wants to find opportunities to take over.]</i>


    ¡­¡­.


    <i>[In the fourth year of your release, your character [Xu Dong] was working hard to build a career.]</i>


    <i>[In the fifth year of your release, your character [Xu Dong] sessfully established his own [Shadow Council]. With the assistance of the ¡°Four Pirs¡±, it developed into an invisible hand hidden in the shadows, a greater evil above evil.]</i>


    ¡­¡­.


    <i>[In the tenth year of your release, your character [Xu Dong] hadpletely transformed into the dark side of this city. The [Shadow Council] hid in the reflection of the city, unknown to anyone, but subtly influenced the fate of countless people.]</i>


    <i>[Restricted by the size of the Nightmare Fragment instance, your character [Xu Dong] had reached the peak and became the crownless king hidden in the deepest shadow of ¡®Dawn City¡¯. He was the top puppet master in the world, holding the line that controlled any person in this city.]</i>


    The scrolling historical information finally rolled to the end, and the system began to remind: <i>[The end of fate deduction has been reached, the character card has been shaped, do you want to end the instance and extract the card?]</i>


    ¡°¡­?¡± A question mark appeared above Bai Yi¡¯s head.


    ¡°Otherwise? Not extracting the card, idling for half a day just to see the character¡¯s history of showing off? There¡¯s no need for such obvious questions, the system should learn to be more flexible.¡±


    As he spoke, he had already stood on the edge of the rooftop, looking down at the brightly lit city beneath him with an appreciative gaze, and he suddenly startedughing.


    ¡°¡ª¡ªMy answer is, of course.¡±


    As his words fell, Bai Yi suddenly spread his arms.


    Then, without any warning, he leapt forward.


    His body was falling rapidly in mid-air, the whole world was upside down in Bai Yi¡¯s eyes, just like a reflection in the water.


    Then, this reflection gradually stirred up ripples,rge pieces of shattered patterns spread around.


    ¡ª¡ªBai Yi was like suddenly jumping into the water, instantly smashing that perfect reflection in the water!


    The sound of urgent raindrops came from far and near into his ears, water vapor drifted into the room from the wide-open window, Bai Yi opened his eyes in the faint smell of rainwater, and spread his palm.


    A phantom card fell from the sky andnded in his hand.


    <i>[You have obtained a special two-star character card [Puppet Master]]</i>


    <i>[The characteristics of this card have been determined and cannot be modified.]</i>


    <i>[This cardes with a special identity [Master of the Shadow Council], inherent leadership temperament, and skills to bewitch people¡¯s hearts.]</i>


    <i>[This cardes with a nk special scene [Shadow Council], currently in addition to the chairman, four core members and several peripheral members can be recruited from the outside world. The chairman can give the ¡°Four Pirs¡± temte blessing to the four core members.]</i>


    <i>[Exnation: This member must have a certain fit with the ¡°Four Pirs¡± temte. After the temte is blessed, the ¡°Four Pirs¡± skill will be automatically obtained, and it can continue to improve through efforts and other ways.]</i>


    ¡°Is this a card thates with its own organizational system?¡±


    Bai Yi was spinning the character card at his fingertips rapidly.


    ¡°Just need to pull in a few more people, and an organization can be directly established?¡±


    The front of the card was a blurry ck fog, heavy shadows shrouded in the fog, obscuring the silhouette of the person in the fog.


    On the back of the card, several lines of text were arranged side by side¡ª¡ª


    <i>[Puppet Master¡ï¡ï]</i>


    <i>[Mysterious Leader of the Shadow Council]</i>


    <i>[The Greatest Evil Above Evil]</i>


    <i>[Puppet Master Hidden Under Heavy Curtains]</i>


    The card was spinning rapidly, the illusory brilliance flickered in mid-air, reflecting in Bai Yi¡¯s thoughtful eyes.


    He slowly curved up the corners of his mouth.


    ¡°When sleepinesses, a pillow is provided. This card has suddenly given me some new inspiration.¡±


    Bai Yi looked up at the heavy rain curtain outside the window, suddenly raised his palm, and threw the card out like shooting a dart.


    ¡°Biu¡«¡«¡«¡±


    He made a sound for himself like whistling.


    The card followed his intention, turned a circle in mid-air, and flew back.


    On the surface of the card that was shrouded in heavy shadows and ck fog, it seemed that someone had hooked up the corner of their mouth, revealing a smile with the exact same curvature.<hr>


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 Chapter 21

    Chapter 21


    The smell of disinfectant in the hospital was always so unpleasant, no matter how many times Tian Yin had been there, she could never get used to it.


    Especially outside the emergency room, it was always filled with the anxiety and panic of the family members, along with all kinds of prayers to gods and Buddha.


    However, whether she liked it or not, in her seventeen years of life, more precisely, in the short span of thest three years, this was already the fourth time she was standing outside the hospital¡¯s emergency room waiting for results.


    The day when her parents went to visit the mountainous area and both encountered a mudslide;


    The day when the idea of adopting her was truly proposed, and her foster mother, who treated her like her own daughter, passed away;


    The day of the car ident not long ago;


    And then there was today¡­


    After returning from the police station, she did not hide anything from the two old people andid out all the things for the first time.


    She could certainly disguise herself as an innocent person, she was confident that the two old people would believe her, and then, they would treat the enemy who killed their son as a loved one¨Cthen, she would be a person like her foster father who deceived everyone with the skin of a good father and a good teacher.Therefore, Tian Yin chose to be honest about her conversation with Li Fufeng, allowing the two old people to judge for themselves.


    Although she did not admit anything detrimental to herself in front of Li Fufeng, the hidden meaning in her words was very obvious.


    When she chose to calmly repeat it in front of the two old people, instead ofining to them about Li Fufeng¡¯s nder and telling her own grievances, the answer became even more obvious.


    After a bout of irrational reprimand, Mrs. Gu fell first, and Mr. Gu followed closely behind.


    So, Tian Yin appeared at the entrance of the emergency room for the fourth time.


    She paced back and forth in the corridor, her eyebrows furrowed.


    The atmosphere in the hospital was always gloomy, the smell of despair mixed with the smell of disinfectant permeated the corridor, someone covered with a white cloth was pushed past from the side, suddenly there was a loud cry, and the surroundings became noisy all at once.


    In the midst of chaos, Tian Yin suddenly walked to the end of the corridor and pushed open a window, as if she could vent out the heavy air umted in her chest.


    The sky outside the window was gloomy, and the damp rain mixed with the smell of earthy musk drifted in, suddenly assaulting her.


    A nurse appeared behind her with good news. ¡°The patient¡¯s condition has improved and has been transferred to the general ward 307, family members can visit at any time.¡±


    Tian Yin let out a sigh of relief, and under the guidance of the nurse, she arrived at the ward, but suddenly stopped.


    Her feet seemed to be glued to the ground, standing still.


    ¡ª¡ªShe didn¡¯t know if she should go in.


    The person lying inside was her benefactor, but she was their enemy, perhaps they didn¡¯t want to see her?


    Tian Yin¡¯s gaze drifted back to the window.


    The rain was getting heavier, the visibility through the rain-blurred ss window was extremely low, making the buildings outside and the hurried passers-by be blurred, the whole world seemed to be soaked in water.


    Just then, she suddenly noticed that a flower shop had appeared across from the hospital.


    The decoration style of the shop was very ordinary, simr flower shops could be found in Yuanyang City at least a dozen times.


    Perhaps the only thing that set it apart was that this shop had no name, the ce where the sign should be was filled with clusters of fresh flowers.


    But Tian Yin¡¯s gaze was inexplicably attracted.


    At some moment, a strong thought arose in her heart.


    <i>¡­¡­Should I go take a look?</i>


    <i>¡­¡­Perhaps, visiting a patient requires bringing a bouquet of fresh flowers?</i>


    Not knowing whether it was an excuse to dy time to avoid visiting the sick, or from the inexplicable attraction she felt in her heart, Tian Yin unconsciously walked out.


    The not-sorge flower shop stood in the rain, and when she got closer, it seemed even more ordinary. Tian Yin tried to recall, she didn¡¯t seem to see this flower shop on the way to the hospital? It seemed to have popped up suddenly.


    <i>However, such an ordinary shop front, being subconsciously ignored seemed to be a matter of course?</i>


    With this thought in mind, she pushed open the ss door.


    The ceiling, the walls, the area around the floor, were all covered with fresh flowers, all kinds of flowers seemed toe alive, all stretching their bodies in one direction.


    At this moment, Tian Yin felt like she had stepped into a kingdom of flowers.


    A person was standing in the sea of flowers with his back to her, holding a small watering can and watering an unknown flower.


    Hearing the noise, he turned his head and showed a smile.


    ¡°Wee, fortunate guest.¡±


    ¡°¡ª¡ªWhat can I do for you?¡±


    Tian Yin¡¯s heart suddenly calmed down.


    All the previous anxiety, unease, worry, and trouble seemed to dissipate at the moment she saw this smile.


    The young shop owner had the same characteristics as this shop front.


    His appearance was ordinary, simr to any passerby on the street, but his smile had a kind of inexplicable affinity.


    It made people almost subconsciously let down all their defenses and anxieties, as if they had met an old friend they had known for many years, and had a desire to pour out all their troubles to him.


    His extremely affable smile seemed to tell every customer who came in that he was very willing to share their hearts with them.


    Tian Yinposed herself. ¡°Excuse me, do you have flowers suitable for visiting the sick? I might be going to visit two patients who may not wee me, but I sincerely wish them to be discharged from the hospital as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Is this the deepest wish in your heart, dear guest?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­What wish?¡± Tian Yin was taken aback.


    ¡°Yes. Every fortunate guest whoes here has a wish that has never been spoken. I believe that every flower is a special friend, a sincere wish will cultivate the most beautiful flower, giving hope and blessings to the guest.¡±


    The unknown shopkeeper gave a slight smile. His soft xen hair draped over his eyelids, and those eyes that belonged to a young man seemed to have the gentleness and tolerance of an elder.


    It made anyone involuntarily believe what he said.


    Tian Yin blurted out without realizing it. ¡°I want to meet someone, I want to thank him in person, I also want¡­to be a person like him, to dissolve more people¡¯s misfortunes.¡±


    As soon as the words came out, she was taken aback.


    ¡­¡­Even she hadn¡¯t realized that such a thought had been hidden deep in her heart all along?


    The shopkeeper also seemed to be taken aback, a moment of surprise shed in his eyes. But it was only a moment, and he regained hisposure.


    He turned around and took out a small ss bottle, at the bottom of whichy a seed that looked quite ordinary, and handed it to Tian Yin.


    Then, there was a card with instructions on how to cultivate the flower. On the exquisite card were only a few short lines of small print.


    <i>[Sunflower seeds cultivated by the flowernguage speaker themselves.]</i>


    <i>[Required fertilizer: enough devotion, sincere desire, determination at all costs, courage to take action.]</i>


    <i>[Other: Bury it in the soil and water it.]</i>


    <i>[Note: This is a blessing for the brave.]</i>


    Tian Yin took the ss bottle.


    Although she felt that what was written on the card was unreliable, a mysterious seed speaking in riddles, it was like a simple and crude scam; but she inexplicably found it interesting, just like some temples would sell meaningless peace charms, often just to give people peace of mind. Perhaps this was the unique creativity of this flower shop?


    It must be said that in this short moment, the troubles that had originally settled in her heart had been swept away, and Tian Yin felt a sense of relief, as if she had really received some kind of blessing.


    She asked for the price. ¡°May I ask what the price is?¡±


    Just for the shopkeeper¡¯s ability to soothe people¡¯s hearts, as long as it wasn¡¯t too expensive, she was willing to pay for this ¡°blessing¡±.


    ¡°You have already paid enough.¡±


    The shopkeeper raised his finger and shook it, his smile somewhat mysterious.


    His palm stroked a branch of flowers hanging down from the ceiling, his body slightly leaning forward, and he took a light sniff.


    The deep red flower suddenly bloomed even more passionately.


    ¡°¡ª¡ªYour sadness and troubles are the best fertilizer for these flowers.¡±


    ¡°¡ª¡ªI wish you get what you wish for.¡±


    ****


    Until she walked out of the flower shop, Tian Yin was still a bit dazed.


    Today¡¯s episode made her doubt whether she had met a weird person who spoke in riddles, but she inexplicably believed what the other person said. This trust was simply unfounded.


    ¡°Did I get what I wished for¡­¡± She murmured, looked at the beautiful ss bottle in her palm, and couldn¡¯t help but look back.


    She suddenly widened her eyes.


    ¡°¡ª¡ªIt¡¯s gone?¡±


    All she could see was clearly an old hardware store, someone was welding, the sparks flying made people dizzy, where was the shadow of that flower shop?


    Tian Yin stood in ce for a good while, subconsciously put the ss bottle into her pocket, and then walked towards the hospital in a daze.


    She had rushed out too hastily earlier without bringing an umbre, and now the pouring rain hadpletely soaked her. Under the heavy night sky, vehicles wereing and going, andte-returning pedestrians hurried past.


    Tian Yin almost bumped into someone in her daze, but luckily the other person stepped aside in time and passed by her.


    She quickly turned around, about to apologize.


    But she saw that the person was hurrying along, in the blurred vision of the heavy rain, his ck clothes and ck umbre blended into the night, only a strand of light golden hair was gently fluttering under the umbre.


    <i>[Flower Language Speaker¡ï¡î]</i>


    <i>[Seemingly ordinary flower shop owner]</i>


    <i>[Unfortunate person, I listen to your heart¡¯s voice ande]</i>


    <i>[What is your wish?]</i>


    In the distant old city area, a hand gently flipped, and a card that turned from virtual to real in his palm was put away.


    ¡°Ah, what a surprise. Just routinely collecting legend degrees, and I actually found an acquaintance?¡±


    He withdrew the [Flower Language Speaker], and began to control the [Ghost in the Rainy Night] card he had just equipped, Bai Yi was quite surprised.


    When not ying games, he would asionally equip the [Flower Language Speaker] to brush up on legend degrees. Now there are already quite a few rumors about mysterious flower shops on the inte.


    Of course, there were also people who didn¡¯t believe it andined about encountering a flower shop scammer and cleverly didn¡¯t fall for it, but unfortunately, they couldn¡¯t even find the shop address in the end, and theinants naturally got a good lesson from the relevant departments.


    Meeting Tian Yin this time was really a coincidence.


    What¡¯s more coincidental was that Tian Yin¡¯s wish was actually rted to him.


    His fingers were flexible, flipping the card quickly. Just like a student who didn¡¯t listen carefully in ss and doodles with a pen.


    ¡°Hmm, could this be called¡­I¡¯m just greedy for your legend degree, but you¡¯re actually greedy for me?¡±


    Bai Yi hummed a song, and finally came to a happy conclusion.


    ¡°¡ª¡ªIndeed, it¡¯s worthy of me.¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 22.1

    Chapter 22.1


    ¡°Mr. Zhou, I have already transferred the rent for the second half of the year to you. Have you received it?¡±


    A young woman with a beautiful face leaned against the door, intentionally or unintentionally blocking it with her body. Her face was set with a standard smile, but her brow was slightly furrowed as she nced at the middle-aged man in front of her.


    ¡°Received, received. You¡¯re really efficient, Xiao Liu!¡±


    The middle-aged man¡¯s gaze remained fixed on her, sliding from her youthful and radiant face to her body. His oily face was filled with a sly smile. ¡°I¡¯ve worked with many tenants, but you, Xiao Liu, are the most trouble-free. You¡¯re young, beautiful, and capable¡­¡±


    He chuckled twice, his face disying an even more obsequious smile, and pounded his chest.. ¡°However, Xiao Liu, you¡¯re a young girl from outside who hase to work here. You must have encountered many difficulties. You don¡¯t understand the cunning ways of people. If you have any problems, just find me. I¡¯m local and know some people!¡±


    As he spoke, he nced casually into the half-open door, ignoring the young woman¡¯s increasingly furrowed brow.


    Seeing that the other party did not invite him toe in and have a cup of tea, nor did their enthusiasm for conversation remain high, the middle-aged man who had been being overly courteous finally fell silent and stepped back a few steps.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, Xiao Liu, I won¡¯t bother you then. Remember, if you have any problems, don¡¯t hesitate to find me. Don¡¯t be shy!¡±


    He had just turned around and taken a few steps when he heard a loud ¡°bang¡± behind him. He turned back to see the door had already closed.¡°Pah!¡±


    The man¡¯s smile suddenly disappeared. He spat a mouthful of saliva onto the ground with force, his face turning increasingly ugly.


    ¡°Stinky b*tch! Not appreciating the respect given. Don¡¯t know how many men have been yed with, and yet looking down on me like that¡­¡±


    Cursing all the way, he went upstairs and returned to his room, the anger in his heart burning more and more intensely.


    Driven by an unknown fire, whether it was anger or lust or both, the man couldn¡¯t wait to enter his bedroom and turn on hisputer.


    The small bedroom, dining room, bathroom¡­ each area was captured clearly by the miniature camera, divided into different sizes on theputer screen.


    The young woman he had just seen appeared on the screen.


    Probably because she was alone at home and didn¡¯t need to be proper, she was now casually sprawled on the sofa watching TV. Her left leg was crossed, her right leg bent up, and her palms rested on her knees. Due to this position, her skirt had slid down to her waist, revealing a pair of snow-white, straight legs with no cover whatsoever.


    ¡°Stinky b*tch, you look down on me, never thought Lao Zi would be able to see you every day, watching you whenever I want, knowing every detail of your legs, including the number and shape of the moles on your thighs, right?¡±


    The middle-aged man in front of the screen muttered to himself with satisfaction, leaning forward towards the screen, his eyes unblinking.


    As time gradually passed, the thick night slowly descended, apanied by a downpour.


    The time at the bottom of theputer screen reached eight o¡¯clock in the evening. Noticing this, the man¡¯s eyes lit up with excitement, his Adam¡¯s apple visibly bobbing, revealing his anticipation.


    He had closed all the other windows on the screen, erging the one belonging to the bathroom to full screen.


    In the sound of rushing water, the generated white mist blurred the lens, the young woman¡¯s figure faintly visible.


    The man¡¯s face was almost pressed against the screen. His greasy, disgusting skin was like a sticky piece of butter.


    Just then, the entire screen suddenly went ck.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The middle-aged man, who was immersed in his fantasies, had his good time interrupted. Before he could react, the screen in front of him suddenly turned blood red, as if arge amount of blood was flowing freely.


    And in the screen full of blood, an eye that upied half of the screen suddenly opened. The hollow white of the eye was filled with bloodshot veins, and the pitch-ck pupil stared straight at him!


    ¡°Ah¨C!¡±


    The middle-aged man, whose eyes were almost glued to the screen, screamed, flung theputer away with both hands, and instinctively jumped back, falling straight backwards.


    He fell straight off the bed.


    The shock of that moment sent his heart rate soaring to its peak, and he sat on the ground for more than ten seconds, unable to recover.


    <i>Thump, thump, thump¡­</i>


    There was a rhythmic knocking at the door outside.


    The middle-aged man¡¯s heart, which had just calmed down, tightened again.


    ¡°Who, who is it?¡±


    He forced down his panic and called out.


    The tightly locked door was slowly pushed open, and a shadow spread in through the gradually opening door gap. The iing scent of rainwater made the middle-aged man shiver with cold.


    ¡°Good night, sir.¡±


    An elegant and polite voice dispelled the eerie atmosphere. The man who stepped in shook the ck umbre he had folded in his hand, his pair of jade-colored eyes looking over with a smile.


    His soft, light golden hair slid down his cheeks, the ends clearly dripping with water, yet he didn¡¯t seem the least bit disheveled.


    ¡°Please forgive my intrusion.¡±


    ¡°On this rainy night, you wouldn¡¯t coldly reject a traveler with nowhere to go, would you?¡±


    ****


    On the second floor of an apartment in the old city, a hardcover notebook that looked somewhat old was spread open, revealing a page inside.


    <i>[Zhou, male, 41 years old, makes a living by collecting rent.]</i>


    <i>[Garbage ssification: ¡ï¡ï]</i>


    <i>[His soul is extremely filthy, emitting disgusting spiritual fluctuations outward without realizing it. On a certain day of a certain month of a certain year, an ordinary middle school student was celebrating his junior high graduation by enjoying a meal at a newly opened restaurant nearby. He was attacked by the sudden disgusting spiritual fluctuations. Having no experience in dealing with it, he almost vomited on the spot. Not only did he nearly ruin the reputation of the restaurant and affect its business, but he also left a deep psychological shadow, causing him to stay away from this area ever since and lose his aesthetic appreciation for food, starting to learn to be self-reliant. Since then, whenever he encountered other disgusting pollution, he could maintain a normal heart and continue to eat with the disgusting smell. As long as the food I cook is bad enough, there is no factor that can make it taste worse, and I don¡¯t have to worry about affecting my appetite anymore. Super great!]</i>


    <i>[Cleanup status:]</i>


    A hand picked up the pen next to it and wrote three words in thest column: ¡°[Cleaned up ¡Ì.]¡±


    Then, that hand turned to the next page.


    ****


    ¡°Brothers, I¡¯m finally out! Damn it, being disciplined every day in there almost drove me crazy!¡±


    ¡°Good to have you out, Brother Yao. Come on, today the brothers will wee you back, wash away the bad luck!¡±


    A group of young men with hair dyed in various colors swarmed up, surrounding a tall young man with only a shortyer of blue stubble on his forehead.


    The group walked down the street, attracting the nearby people to shake their heads and avoid them, their eyes full of disdain.


    They didn¡¯t care, walking and shouting, ¡°Brother Yao suffered a lot, now that he¡¯s out, he needs to make up for it!¡±


    ¡°We heard there are a lot of rules in the juvenile detention center, we¡¯re quite curious, how have you been these two years, Brother Yao?¡±


    The young man called Brother Yao shrugged nonchntly, ¡°Just so-so. Who am I, can they control me? They think about brainwashing me with moral education every day, they really think I buy their stuff! Anyway, I¡¯ve muddled through these two years, I¡¯m a good man again when Ie out!¡±


    His tone was very arrogant, and the young men around him all bought it, nodding and giving thumbs up.


    ¡°Awesome, Brother Yao! We admire you without leaning on the wall!¡±


    In thepliments of the crowd, ¡°Brother Yao¡± held his head up even more proudly, making an expression that it was nothing.


    ¡°By the way.¡± He suddenly thought of something and asked, ¡°How¡¯s thatme guy? I stabbed him so many times back then, if he could save a life, it would be considered as me showing mercy. This wimp still wanted topete with me for Yang Qingqing? Ha! I spared his life, and he didn¡¯t appreciate it, but wanted to send me to eat bullets? Funny! I wasn¡¯t even sixteen at the time!¡±


    The Yang Qingqing in his words was the former ss flower, and also the secret crush of many young men in the group, including ¡°Brother Yao¡± himself. Unfortunately, Yang Qingqing rejected his confession and instead got together with a nerd they always looked down upon. He happened to catch the two dating and, feeling a strong sense of humiliation, impulsively attacked.


    The lively crowd fell silent for a few seconds before someone finally spoke up.


    ¡°Brother Yao, you don¡¯t know yet? While you were in for these two years, justst year, thatme guy actually got into a key university in the capital, and he even chose thew department! Do you think he¡¯s funny? It¡¯s so funny it could kill me!¡±


    The others alsoughed along, but there was some awkwardness in their smiles. Even if they were messing around, they knew the gap between the future of a key university student and theirs.


    The face of ¡°Brother Yao¡± suddenly darkened.


    Someone was watching his face, cautiously saying, ¡°I think that crippled guy is just waiting for you, Brother Yao, toe out. He must be holding a grudge and wants to take revenge on you! We need to be on guard.¡±


    ¡°Guard against him?¡± ¡°Brother Yao¡± pointed at himself, suddenly snorted with disdain, ¡°What a joke!¡±


    ¡°If that kid dares to trouble me, I¡¯ll cripple his other leg too! He¡¯ll bepletely disabled!¡±


    He made a harsh statement on the spot. The atmosphere, which had been somewhat awkward, immediately returned to its previous liveliness.


    ¡°Brother Yao is right, he¡¯s just a crippled guy, we¡¯re not afraid of him!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go, let¡¯s first wee Brother Yao back! I¡¯ve already reserved a table at the restaurant, after dinner we¡¯ll go to the Sky Sea Bar, there¡¯s a super hot chick there recently¡­¡±


    ¡­¡­..


    The colorful lights were changing, apanied by intense dance music. The people swaying in the dance floor had blurred expressions, each face illuminated by the lights in various colors.


    ¡°Brother Yao, have another drink!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡± The young man called ¡°Brother Yao¡± felt dizzy, his entire face twisted into a knot, ¡°I drank too much at dinner, and now I¡¯m drinking again, I really can¡¯t¡­¡±


    He felt a storm in his stomach, he didn¡¯t care about saving face, he stood up directly, pushed the people around him away, and staggered out, ¡°I¡¯m going to the restroom first¡­¡±


    The corridor to the restroom was dim, the constantly changing lights made his eyes dizzy. He stumbled forward with the help of the wall, and suddenly a figure appeared in his blurred vision.


    Someone was walking towards him, the ck umbre in his hand was like a cane, every step he took made a ¡°thud¡± sound.


    This ¡°thud, thud¡± sound inexplicably made his heart beat faster.


    The dangerous intuition honed by his two years of experience in the juvenile detention center made him tense his body subconsciously, like a rabbit that had discovered a patrolling lion and hid in the bushes.


    However, the person in front also stopped.


    This stranger, who he didn¡¯t recognize, slightly lowered his head to look at the young man who had slipped and fallen on his butt due to either drunkenness or fright. A perfect curve was drawn at the corner of his mouth.


    ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting, I seem to have arrivedte.¡±


    ¡°Or perhaps, the timing is just right?¡±


    ¡­¡­


    <i>[Zhang, male, 16 years old, just arrested for a crime.]</i>


    <i>[Garbage ssification: ¡ï¡î]</i>


    <i>[His soul was rtively filthy in nature, but extremely active and violent, long-term radiating 360 degrees of pollution to his middle school. A certain freshman who had just entered high school was tragically persecuted, at least five days a week under his negative ideological influence. The mind of the not yet adult suffered torment, the not yet formed world view was impacted, almost affecting physical and mental health, choosing to violently clear him who was close to the ink. Fortunately, the positive thinking and firm world view of a certain freshman was firm, not assimted by his stinky soul and poor IQ, and did not do anything to ruin his future. Instead, when passing by and discovering that he hadmitted a serious criminal case, he transformed into an excellent citizen and actively reported. #Doing good deeds without leaving a name, I speak for environmental protection!#]</i>


    <i>[Cleaning Status: Temporarily housed in a juvenile detention center, wille out to continue polluting the environment in two years, do not forget to clean.]</i>


    The hand holding the pen drew a line under the cleaning status column and wrote three more words: <i>[Cleaned up¡Ì.]</i>


    ¡­¡­


    <i>[Xiao, female, 19 years old, sophomore.]</i>


    <i>[Garbage ssification: ¡ï]</i>


    <i>[Her soul was nauseating in nature, with particrly strong mental fluctuations, emitting the smell of expired rotten food, and a strong sour taste containing jealousy. Every moment, various malicious ideas to frame excellent roommates emerged. A certain innocent high school student who passed by almost got shot, bing one of her tools to frame her roommate. On the spot, he was hit by the stench and sour taste in her soul, almost thinking that he had encountered a new type of biochemical weapon attack. In order to save the entire Yuanyang City, say no to war, in order to maintain world peace, all biochemical weapons should be cleaned. #Start being a peace ambassador today!#]</i>


    <i>[Cleaned up Status: Cleaned up ¡Ì.]</i>


    ¡­


    <i>[Cleaned up Status: Cleaned up¡Ì.]</i>


    ¡­


    <i>[Cleaned up Status: Cleaned up¡Ì.]</i>


    The notebook was flipped page by page, and one after another trash waiting to be cleaned was marked with [Cleaned up¡Ì].


    And a new page was turned again¡­


    ****<hr>


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 Chapter 22.2

    Chapter 22.2


    The cries of children, the pleas of women, and the violent roars of men were mixed together to form a special symphony.


    For the neighbors in this building, this had be a must-listen track after every meal.


    Ever since the young boss who was once praised by everyone as a young talent failed in business and owed a huge debt, he would make such a noise at home every day while drowning his sorrows in alcohol.


    At first, they thought about persuading him, and even the police were rmed several times. But with the woman¡¯s repeated sentence ¡°I¡¯m fine¡± and the man¡¯s repeated defense ¡°It¡¯s just a family dispute, mind your own business¡±, the neighbors gradually lost patience, and the police no longer came to the door.


    Upstairs and downstairs, they still ate, watched TV, and did homework as usual, treating the sound in their ears as special background music.


    Separated by a wall, they seemed to live in two different worlds.


    Only the elderly sighed a few times, ¡°Day by day, why can¡¯t this life be lived well?¡± Or sighed, ¡°Old Wang is confused, his wife is also soft-eared and unclear, it¡¯s just hard for the child!¡±


    ¡°Ah, who says it¡¯s not?¡±


    The 402 household, discussed behind their backs by the neighbors, were filled with a strong and pungent smell of alcohol at this time, broken wine bottle fragments were everywhere, the electric fan kicked over on the ground was leaning against the cab door, and the shattered vase, a few withered flowers leaned out, the withered petals were dyed red by the blood on the ground.¡°Stop crying, no crying!¡±


    With a roar from the man like an explosion, a stool was kicked out directly, narrowly missing the crying boy, his tender arm was directly bruised.


    The boy¡¯s crying stopped abruptly, his little face turned pale with fright, and he began to hup breathlessly.


    The woman who was paralyzed on the ground crawled forward a few steps, shielding the trembling boy behind her. She tried to soften her voice, ¡°Don¡¯t be like this, you¡¯re scaring the child. He doesn¡¯t understand, he woke you up, I¡¯ll teach him properly¡­¡±


    ¡°Bang!¡± Another empty wine bottle was smashed on the ground.


    Sshing fragments scraped a bloodstain on the woman¡¯s face, she just instinctively leaned back to dodge, not caring about the injury on her face¡­simr injuries, she had too many on her body already.


    ¡°The kid doesn¡¯t understand? He¡¯s seven years old and still doesn¡¯t understand?¡± The man¡¯s irritable roar echoed throughout the room, ¡°I work hard every day to entertain and do business, you can¡¯t even manage a child at home, what use are you!¡±


    With every word he said, he spewed out a breath of alcohol, his flushed face was like an angry bull, pointing at the woman and cursing.


    ¡°Prodigal woman, a star of death for the whole family! My parents were right when they told me not to marry you, it¡¯s you who ruined my fortune! You can¡¯t do anything, you only know how to spend money, now that my business has failed, are you nning to run away with some wild man?¡±


    The room fell into a suffocating silence.


    The woman lowered her head and did not retort.


    She wanted to say that it was the man who had promised to support her and let her live without worry, she also wanted to say that she was now trying to save every penny for the family, and she wanted to say that there was no need to worry about those men who had pursued her would still like her as she was now, because even she didn¡¯t like herself.


    But past experience told her that retorting was useless, choosing silence might let the other party vent their anger earlier, and after he got drunk, he might forget about it after sleeping.


    <i>¡­Endure it, endure it again.</i>


    <i>¡­Just endure it a little longer.</i>


    The woman still held a faint hope in her heart.


    <i>¡­He was just hit by the failure of his business, sooner orter, he would return to his former self.</i>


    <i>¡­He would be the good man who loved his wife and children again. How much he used to love her.</i>


    <i>¡­Just endure it a little longer, endure it again.</i>


    But the man was relentless.


    He roared. ¡°Speak! Speak!!¡±


    Apanied by another sound of a wine bottle shattering.


    The little boy huddled on the ground shuddered violently, he mustered the courage to raise his head. ¡°Mom didn¡¯t waste money, and she didn¡¯t find a wild man¡­I didn¡¯t mean to wake you up, mom said you didn¡¯t eat, and let me call you to eat¡­¡±


    His voice was small, but very clear, as he spoke, he sneakily nced at the dining table not far away, swallowing his saliva.


    A table full of food was just sitting there, untouched. For the man in front of them, they had already missed mealtime.


    But the man who was in a rage and just wanted to vent his emotions didn¡¯t want to hear any exnation, from beginning to end, he just needed an excuse to vent.


    In the boy¡¯s terrified gaze, he stepped forward and flipped the table. ¡°Eat, eat, eat, I tell you to eat! Like a pig, only knows how to eat! When you grow up, you¡¯ll still be a useless waste!¡±


    Still not relieved, he lifted his foot and kicked towards the two of them.


    The woman tried her best to shield the child under her, silently enduring.


    The boy was dodging and crying silently with his mouth covered.


    If this room was a small kingdom, then at this moment, this man who had failed and was ipetent outside was the king who ruled the entire kingdom.


    When he was angry, the sky of the kingdom was filled with lightning and thunder, a typhoon passed, and the entire kingdom had to undergo a baptism of storm and rain, his subjects could only bow their heads and bear all this.


    No one dared to stand up to overthrow his rule.


    Until a rhythmic knock on the door broke everything.


    The man didn¡¯t want to pay attention, but the knocking sound rang again, as if it would not give up without opening the door.


    ¡°Who¡¯s meddling again¡­¡± The angry man walked through the living room, his figure disappearing around the entrance.


    The mother and son curled up on the ground finally got a moment of rxation, they got up from the ground, their eyes asionally looking towards the entrance, like a pair of frightened birds.


    ¡°Mom, let¡¯s go.¡±


    The boy tugged at his mother¡¯s skirt, suddenly speaking.


    His eyes were hopeful, he shook the skirt. ¡°When he gets drunk, let¡¯s run away together, okay?¡±


    The woman turned her head back in astonishment, looking at her son.


    But the boy¡¯s eyes were very serious, he said in a childish voice, ¡°Mom, are you worried that you can¡¯t afford to raise me? I can beg for money, I can pick up trash to support you¡­let¡¯s run away together, we don¡¯t have to worry about being beaten by bad dad anymore.¡±


    The woman¡¯s lips trembled, unable to speak.


    ¡°Mom, don¡¯t wait for good dad anymore, now he is bad dad, good dad will nevere back.¡± The boy¡¯s clear eyes seemed to see through all her thoughts.


    In these eyes, some of her persistence in her heart finally copsed. She gritted her teeth. ¡°Okay, mom will take you away!¡±


    The boy suddenly smiled, his curved eyes were so bright, it was a brightness that the woman hadn¡¯t seen for a long time.


    This made her finally firm her resolve. She looked at the entrance that was still quiet, she pushed the boy. ¡°You go back to the room first, go to bed and sleep, I¡¯ll go and see.¡±


    The woman bravely walked towards the door. She guessed it should be a kind neighbor who had held back the man. Such things had happened before, but once the person left, the man would vent more anger on her and the child.


    ¡­She hoped to prevent this as much as possible.


    Walking through the entrance, the woman with scars on her face tried to show a smile. But the smile froze the next second.


    She stared nkly at the man lying on the ground.


    He looked like he had fallen asleep after getting angry every time, but this time, a ck umbre tip pierced his heart, and blood gushed out.


    A hand pulled the umbre tip out of his heart, gently propped it on the ground, and blood immediately bloomed on the ground.


    The woman¡¯s eyes followed the ck umbre, and finally, she looked up nkly, looking at the blond man standing in front of the man¡¯s body, slowly shaking off thest drop of blood.


    His movements were as elegant and understated as if he had just finished a meal and was wiping every bit of oil from the corners of his mouth.


    There was an aura of indifference about him.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± The woman, who had finally reacted, let out a short scream. The sound had just started when it was frozen by a nce from the man.


    He raised a finger to his lips. ¡°Shush.¡±


    ¡°Madam, please keep quiet. It¡¯s not polite to treat a guest who has braved the heavy rain and traveled a long distance in such a manner.¡±


    The curve of the man¡¯s smile was as perfect as a mannequin¡¯s.


    The woman¡¯s teeth were chattering.


    She knew how terrifying this man, who could silently deal with her husband, was. At least, he was not someone she could resist. But the emotions that surged in her heart at that moment made her blurt out. ¡°Did you kill him? Did you kill him¡­¡±


    The brutal king was finally overthrown by an even more brutal outsider, and the weak subjects finally showed some backbone.


    ¡°Interesting.¡±


    [K] lowered his head and looked at her. His gaze was like a biologist observing a newly discovered species.


    It was as if he wanted to dissect her flesh, dismantle her entire structure for careful observation, making one¡¯s hair stand on end!


    ¡°You don¡¯t hate the man who made you live in hell every day, but instead, you hate me who indirectly saved you from hell?.. Even though that was not my intention.¡±


    Heughed yfully and suddenly raised the umbre in his hand.


    ¡°Ah!¡± The woman instinctively crouched down and covered her head, ¡°Don¡¯t kill me!¡±


    The courage she had just mustered up disappeared in an instant.<hr>


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 Chapter 22.3

    Chapter 22.3


    She suddenly remembered a rumor that had been circting in Yuanyang City for some time¡­ A serial killer who appeared in the rainy night, like a ghost, leaving no trace, and no one had ever seen his true face. At least those who had seen him were already dead.


    <i>¡­Could the man in front of her be the ghost from the rumors?</i>


    <i>¡­Am I going to die?</i>


    <i>Tap, tap, tap.</i>


    The blood-stained tip of the umbre slowly tapped on the woman¡¯s shoulder three times, like the Grim Reaper knocking on the door, each tap making her shudder uncontrobly.


    Yet, he seemed to enjoy toying with people, watching them panic, fearful and anxious.


    ¡°Humans are truly fascinating creatures.¡±


    With a perfect curve of a smile that sent chills down one¡¯s spine still hanging on his lips, [K] sighed lightly, his tone sincere, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, madam. I¡¯m not some evil guest.¡±


    He spoke as if the corpse on the ground wasn¡¯t his doing. It was aplete mockery of the dead¡¯s right to speak.The woman chose to remain silent. All along, she had been dealing with brutal oppression with a submissive and patient attitude.


    ¡°As long as you¡¯re not as ruthless and merciless as the gentleman lying on the ground; an outsider who identally came to this strange city, homeless in the middle of the night, cold and hungry, just wanting to find a ce to rest, what bad intentions could he have?¡±


    ¡­¡­.


    A quarter of an hourter, [K] sat at the dining table, sharing ate dinner with two other people.


    Although the food in the living room was overturned by the man, the woman, who had experience with this, had already prepared some in the kitchen.


    The woman ate without tasting, her eyes constantly darting to the man sitting across from her, and her son who was happily eating.


    They seemed to get along very harmoniously, as if he was a real guest visiting. This made her even more panicked. She didn¡¯t know what this man wanted to do.


    The unknown was always the most terrifying. The fear that lurked in her heart turned into a shadow, almost swallowing her.


    The boy, however, seemed to have no such worries.


    He asked curiously.


    ¡°Are you the Magic Hero sent to rescue me from my bad dad? Why did youe sote?¡±


    The Magic Hero was a superhero-style protagonist in a popr animation that had been popr in Yao Country a few years ago. He also had golden half-length hair, which looked a bit like [K].


    This association left [K] stunned for a moment.


    He smiled, ¡°I suppose so. Now there¡¯s no bad dad, only a quiet good dad.¡±


    The boy couldn¡¯t help but retort, ¡°No, he¡¯s a bad dad.¡±


    ¡°But the dad who died is a good dad.¡±


    The two of them were like two children trying to convince each other over a trivial topic, but the topic they were arguing about gave off a chilling indifference.


    It was as if what had died was not a person, but an ant, a flower, an insignificant little thing.


    The woman watched this scene in horror, as if she had stumbled into a deep, eerie nightmare from which she couldn¡¯t wake up.


    She wanted to scream, to resist, to wave her fists and drive this devil away, but her body seemed to be suppressed by some force, and she couldn¡¯t even lift a finger.


    Until the end, she saw the man stand up and put a hand on the boy¡¯s head.


    The woman¡¯s limp body finally found strength, and she instinctively stood up, as if it wasn¡¯t a hand, but the w of an evil god, about to twist off the boy¡¯s head in the next moment.


    [K] patted the small head under his hand, which felt good to the touch, but his gaze was fixed on the woman¡¯s panicked eyes, and the corner of his mouth slowly curled up, ¡°For a child, hating his parents is a cruel thing. They should have taught him to love.¡±


    He lowered his head to meet a pair of innocent and clear pupils.


    ¡°So, forget about the bad dad. You just need to know that the dad who died will always be your good dad.¡±


    As he said this, [K] gently stroked the soft hair. His action was gentle, but his tone was the opposite of cold.


    ¡°From now on, you can hate me as much as you want.¡±


    As he spoke, he casually retreated backwards.


    Standing at the entrance, [K] suddenly smiled slightly, and the suddenly opened ck umbre covered his upper face, along with those eyes that blended gentleness and coldness.


    The heavy rain had stopped, and sporadic rain threads drifted in from the opened door gap, bringing a faint cool breeze.


    The man¡¯s tone was gentle and deep, like the end of a dance party.


    ¡°Well then, thank you for your hospitality, see you again if fate allows~¡±


    ¡­¡­


    It was still the apartment on the second floor of the old city area, and it was still that familiar old hard-shell notebook.


    The young man sitting in front of the window turned to a new page.


    <i>[Wang, 33 years old, a jobless vagrant who failed in business.]</i>


    <i>[Garbage ssification: ¡ï]</i>


    <i>[His soul essence has already rotted, long emitting the breath of a half-buried living dead. The entire building centered on his location 402 is his radiation range. The perverted pleasure he got from hurting and abusing the cubs made a certain high school student who happened to move next door suffer from insomnia every night, being washed by his twisted and stinky mental fluctuations, as if living in a garbage dump every day, finally couldn¡¯t help but turn into a good citizen and dial the police phone, but the garbage did not disappear, and the pollution became even more serious. It prompted a certain innocent high school student who was victimized to have to find another ce to live, and finally found the old city area where the amount of garbage was scarce and could be cleaned up quickly. But for the sake of the neighbors who used to have afortable environment, the garbage should be cleaned up. #Maintaining harmonious neighborhood rtions is everyone¡¯s responsibility!#]</i>


    Bai Yi skillfully wrote down the three words<i> [Cleaned up¡Ì].</i>


    In the past half month or so, it was the longest rainy season in Yuanyang City, and it was also a great opportunity for [K] to appear.


    He would almost equip the [Ghost in the Rainy Night] card every day, go out to clean up a piece of garbage, and after intermittent efforts, he had already emptied 1/4 of this notebook.


    Bai Yi, who was broad-minded and never held grudges, cleaned up the garbage only to protect the environment without any selfishness. He thought that the Environmental Protection Association of Yuanyang City should award him a medal, recognizing him as the city¡¯s environmental ambassador, tomend his outstanding contribution to the environmental sanitation of the entire Yuanyang City.


    <i>Of course, he who does good deeds without leaving a name would choose to refuse :).</i>


    Bai Yi closed the notebook and deftly twirled the pen.


    He suddenly had an idea and blinked, ¡°Speaking of which, if this notebook falls into someone else¡¯s hands, my identity as the ck hand behind the scenes wouldn¡¯t be exposed, would it?¡±


    ¡°¡­It seems I need to find someone to take the me~¡±


    Saying this, Bai Yi opened the [Puppet Master] card in the card slot, found the [Shadow Council] scene in the detailed column under the card, and selected the council item column.


    As a nk special scene card, the current [Shadow Council] was just an empty shell, but Bai Yi could add everything needed to build an organization himself, whether it was recruited personnel or other items and tools.


    <i>[Do you choose to bind this item with the Shadow Council?]</i>


    Above the hard-shell notebook, the system prompt appeared.


    After Bai Yi confirmed his choice, the text changed again.


    <i>[Sessfully bound to the Shadow Council, adapting.]</i>


    <i>[Item: Puppet Master¡¯s Mysterious Diary]</i>


    <i>[Description: A mysterious diary written by the mysterious Puppet Master himself, said to record secrets known only to him, as well as the Puppet Master¡¯s unspeakable ambitions and goals.]</i>


    <i>[Can continue to upgrade and synthesize, bing an extraordinary item.]</i>


    ¡°What do you mean by unspeakable ambitions and goals? That¡¯s small-minded~¡± Bai Yi protested, arguing, ¡°It¡¯s clearly a green, healthy, and environmentally friendly ideal!¡±


    Saying this, he sighed, ¡°Indeed! I shouldn¡¯t have expected that a system that only spectes maliciously could understand this kind of realm that rises to the level of protecting the world.¡±


    System: <i>¡­?</i>


    After routinely outputting two opposing principles in nature technique to the system, Bai Yi feltfortable.


    His attention was also pulled back.


    As the hard-shell notebook disappeared in a burst of light and was collected into the scene where the [Shadow Council] was located as a bound item, Bai Yi couldn¡¯t help but raise the corner of his mouth.


    ¡°In this way, whether it¡¯s what has already happened in the past or what is about to happen in the future, all things are done by the [Puppet Master]!¡± He quickly shifted the me to his own alias, ¡°And I, am just an ordinary high school student~¡±


    <i>As for why this time the cleanup n was executed by [K] and not the [Puppet Master] himself?</i>


    <i>Isn¡¯t the [Puppet Master] supposed to hide behind the scenes, giving others motivation, and controlling their actions?</i>


    <i>If one had a little understanding of K, by deliberately releasing clues to attract his target to those pieces of garbage, wouldn¡¯t this also be very consistent with the character settings of the two cards?</i>


    <i>As for what the clues are, who cares, anyway, as long as Bai Yi says there are, K won¡¯te out to refute.</i>


    <i>Is this the legendary I control my alias behind the scenes to control another alias???</i>


    <i>In this wave, Bai Yi stands in the atmosphere~</i>


    ****


    While Bai Yi was still #pitting himself# overnight, the Yuanyang City Public Security Bureau was brightly lit all night, everyone was working overtime, and even the rest time couldn¡¯t be squeezed out.


    In the past half month, there have been ten consecutive murders in Yuanyang City, and all the victims¡¯ wounds were exactly the same, suspected to be stabbed by the same weapon.


    This was undoubtedly a serial murder case.


    But so far, no one had been able to witness the murderer¡¯s trace, and no trace could be found in all the cameras.


    Even if the police station wanted to suppress the news, it would be impossible in this information age.


    With the reports from various media, the inte had been in an uproar, and panic had spread throughout Yuanyang City.


    ****


    The pressure on the police station was imaginable.


    They had almost interrogated everyone who appeared near the scene during that time period. The massive amount of work made everyone work overtime, and they lost a handful of hair.


    But there were still no decisive clues.


    The murderer was like a ghost, suddenly appearing in the world, and then suddenly disappearing,ing without a trace, and leaving without a trace. Could he really fly to the sky and escape?


    ¡°¡­The only thing that can be confirmed now is that all the cases happened on rainy nights. On those five days when nothing happened, it didn¡¯t rain at night. Is this just a simple coincidence?¡±


    Someone knocked on the dossier and began to diverge in thinking.


    ¡°Does the murderer himself have a preference for rainy nights? Or does his killing method only provide him with conditions on rainy nights? Or is the murderer¡¯s identity special, and he can only travel on rainy nights?¡±


    ¡°¡­Or is it that his way of leaving the scene is different from others, and the rainy night can just cover up his traces?¡±


    Thinking of this, listening to the patter of rain outside the window, everyone couldn¡¯t help but feel irritable.


    ording to the experience of the past half month, today was obviously another day when the murderer was going tomit a crime.


    Even if they were prepared in advance and specifically sent police to patrol in various areas, reminding citizens to be careful, they did not know the identity of the murderer, nor did they know his motive for killing, and they could not narrow down his scope of killing. In the entire city, a general warning of #Be careful of serial killers on rainy nights# was obviously not enough to keep everyone out of danger.


    This made everyone discussing the case hang their hearts.


    ¡°In addition, looking at the location of the victim¡¯s wounds and theck of resistance traces, either they trust the murderer very much and are not on guard, or the murderer is very powerful and has the ability to subdue them with one hit, the approximate height is¡­¡±


    ¡°And this person is quite confident in himself¡­¡±


    They tried to piece together all the clues to catch this rampant serial killer as soon as possible and give all the citizens of Yuanyang City a stable environment.


    Just then, there was an urgent ¡®ring¡¯ of the phone, and soon, a cry of surprise came from the police station. ¡°There¡¯s been another incident!¡±


    The meeting room exploded all at once.


    ¡°This time, there was a survivor at the scene.¡±


    ¡°They not only saw the true face of the murderer with their own eyes, but also had dinner with him!¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 23

    Chapter 23


    <i>#Yuanyang City shocked by a rainy night killer#</i>


    <i>#Eleven people killed in half a month#</i>


    <i>#The youngest victim was not yet eighteen, his parents were only children, they cried overnight and knelt down to beg the police to punish the murderer#</i>


    <i>#A family of three lost their pir overnight, the widow and orphan had no source of ie and could hardly survive#</i>


    <i>#Beware of the rainy night! The devil is in action!#</i>


    ¡­¡­


    After a night of heavy rain, the air was extremely fresh.


    It was a rare sunny day.


    Bai Yi was awakened by the sunlighting in from the window. Hey on the bed without moving, looking at the ceiling for half a minute, then he recovered from the ¡°power outage¡± state and sat up straight.He yawned and casually picked up the phone on the bedside table.


    A series of message notifications immediately filled the screen.


    Several major news clients were full of shocking headlines.


    This was almost the norm during this period.


    In the past half month, the reports on the murder case have been escting, from #A man was killed at homete at night, the police are investigating#, to #A minor boy was tragically killed in a bar, who is to me#, to #The serial killer ismitting crimes crazily, the list of victims adds one more#, the reports on the rainy night serial murder case were bing more and more numerous, and the news content was bing more and more serious.


    As the police were unable to solve the case for a long time, the murderer became more and more crazy inmitting crimes. The impact of this serial murder case was no longer limited to Yuanyang City, but began to spread outwards.


    Until now, various reports on the #Yuanyang City Rainy Night Murder Case# havepletely upied the homepages of major news clients, even stealing the heat from the entertainment circle stars. The mysterious rainy night killer had be a top streamer in such a peculiar way, ¡°fire¡± all over thework.


    As the puppeteer behind all this, Bai Yi just nced at it and put the phone aside. His sleepy expression didn¡¯t change at all, just like seeing the news that the price of pork had risen again.


    ¡°It seems that the Legend Degree is going to rise again~¡±


    A happy thought shed by, hezily yawned, rubbing his teary eyes to wash up.


    At this moment, there was a heated discussion on the inte.


    <i>[It¡¯s crazy, this murderer is killing like crazy!]</i>


    <i>[I see the victims are old people, minors, men, women, high achievers, unemployed vagrants, the murderer really carries out the attitude of treating all people equally, regardless of age. Is this the so-called equality of all beings?]</i>


    <i>[God damn equality of all beings! The psychological quality of the person above is really strong, now still in the mood to joke, the more the murderer kills like this, the more dangerous we all are, you this fool didn¡¯t think that you might also be one of the equal beings? To be honest, I¡¯m panicking right now.]</i>


    <i>[It¡¯s over, it¡¯s over. I¡¯ve been afraid to go out on rainy days during this period, and I¡¯m also afraid to order takeout and have the delivery guye to my door. I don¡¯t know how to cook, and I¡¯ve been hungry several times. Now it¡¯s a sunny day and I just want to go out and treat myself, but I start to have a stomachache. It¡¯s over, it¡¯s over. If I can¡¯t cook, do I deserve to live?]</i>


    <i>[The experience of the person above fully illustrates how important it is to master a skill in order to stand in this society!]</i>


    <i>[I¡¯ve already taken a night train to leave Yuanyang City, wish you all good luck~]</i>


    <i>[People from other ces can only wish everyone in Yuanyang City good luck.]</i>


    Everyone was discussing.


    If everyone could still have a melon-eating mentality at the beginning of a few days, then as time went by, as the case increased, thements that were rxed and joking a few days ago had already been suppressed, and what was left was only deep anxiety, worry, and fear.


    <i>[To be honest, this serial murder case is really too scary. I found out for the first time that Yuanyang City is so dangerous. The murderer is really crazy, inexplicably attacking innocent ordinary people, what kind of antisocial is this?]</i>


    <i>[I hope the police can solve the case as soon as possible and catch this perverted murderer. @Yuanyang City Public Security Bureau]</i>


    <i>[+1! Our whole family is scared. Even my little sister who is in kindergarten has temporarily taken leave and returned home. We have also stored enough rice and grain, preparing to stay at home honestly before the case is solved. If you don¡¯t know, you would think that the end of the world hase, and there are zombies walking around outside now.]</i>


    <i>[Have you seen the video collection of interviews with the victims¡¯ families on the Inte? It¡¯s too miserable, really too miserable! Especially that couple who lost their son and cried at the door of the police station¡­ They just killed their only son, who was still a minor. The murderer is really inhuman!]</i>


    <i>[He killed so many people, even the death penalty is not enough to relieve the hatred!]</i>


    Just flip through the various news clients, simr arguments are endless. This feeling of having a murderer lurking around and appearing at any time made many people almost sleepless at night.


    The inte had be the best channel for everyone to vent their emotions.


    And just at this time, a news media [Observer] that always liked to take a different path suddenly released a video, with the text #Unveiling the secrets behind the rainy night serial murder case, taking you to deeply explore the murderer¡¯s motive#.


    As a news media that was very good at tracking hot spots, [Observer] often found blind spots that others didn¡¯t notice in a different way, and then used them as gimmicks to attract attention. But most of the time, the news it publishes was rted to the entertainment circle. Who made the stars in the entertainment circle have high attention, and any controversial news could attract traffic?


    This time, it actually got involved in social news?


    Netizens only thought it was a hot topic, but thinking that the Observer always found some explosive points that others didn¡¯t notice, they still clicked on the news curiously.


    As a result, as soon as the video was clicked, everyone was really shocked.


    The first thing that appeared was a beautiful young woman. She was waving her arms angrily in front of the camera, and her whole person looked very excited. ¡°Zhou xx? This disgusting guy deserves to die! Do you think I will sympathize with him? I have never seen such a cheap person!¡±


    The subtitles on the side were timely: <i>[Miss Liu, the tenant downstairs of the victim Zhou, Zhou is herndlord.]</i>


    And the woman in the camera had already cursed a series of muted words angrily. ¡°Do you know? I found a total of eighteen miniature cameras in the house I rented, five in the bathroom, five in the bedroom, and eight in the living room and other ces. With these cameras, this guy can voyeur me 24 hours a day without any dead ends!¡± When she said this, she showed an extremely disgusting expression on her face, ¡°I always knew that the cheap man had some ideas about me, always squinting, if it wasn¡¯t for him being thendlord, I would have been unbearable, I didn¡¯t expect him to be so wretched and low!¡±


    Seeing the woman in the video start to curse wildly again, the host¡¯s voice sounded in time. ¡°When we interviewed the people around the victim Zhou, the tenant Miss Liu was very emotional and has decided to find another ce to live.¡±


    ¡°¡­It is reported that on the day of the crime, the police found aputer running in Zhou¡¯s room and found arge number of indecent photos and videos on theputer, all of which came from female tenants who had once rented a house from Wang. The eleven female tenants involved have been sessively notified by the police station to summon. After learning about this, they all expressed great anger and requested the police to destroy all indecent videos and photos.¡±


    Apanied by the host¡¯s voice, more girls¡¯ voices appeared in the camera, most people did not show their faces, but just listening to the voice can feel their shock and anger.


    <i>[Ah this¡­]</i>


    <i>[WC! As long as I think about the fact that there are cameras everywhere in my house, and someone is staring at me at the other end no matter what I do, I get goosebumps. Especially when I think about the other end being a disgusting greasy wolf¡­ Hiss! My scalp is exploding! Thedy is really unlucky, she actually encountered such a disgusting pervert¡­ I suddenly don¡¯t sympathize with this guy at all. When I think about him peeping in the dark, being found by the perverted killer, I inexplicably feel very happy, what¡¯s going on?]</i>


    <i>[This pervert is particrly disgusting, even if he is caught, he will not be severely punished, but he can always disgust you, maybe he will be more and more courageous in the future, the murderer is doing justice, eliminating hidden dangers in advance!]</i>


    Some girls who were too deeply involved had already started to explode. But there were also more people who felt¡­


    <i>[¡­Although this is the case, it¡¯s not a capital crime, right?]</i>


    <i>[I also think that killing is too much, these things are not enough to directly cost a life, right? To pay with a life like this, the price is too high.]</i>


    <i>[Bah! The life of a scum is just so worthless!]</i>


    Just as thements were about to start arguing, there were also other people expressing their confusion. <i>[What¡¯s there to argue about? The one who was killed is a scum, it doesn¡¯t mean that the murderer is acting for the heavens, it just happens that there is a morally corrupt guy among the victims.]</i>


    However, simr remarks were soon pped in the face by the subsequent video. From the video, it could be seen that [Observer] indeed made full preparations, they interviewed every person who knew each victim, including rtives, neighbors, ssmates, and other people who had contact with them.


    One face after another that had been mosaicked appeared in front of the camera.


    ¨C¡°Zhang Yao was killed? What can I think? Of course, it¡¯s good that he was killed! He deserved it! Do you want me, who was forced by him to drink urine, to sympathize with his death? Hahaha, I¡¯m more than happy!¡±


    ¨C¡°That¡¯s a bully, no one in our school wasn¡¯t afraid of him. He almost stabbed a ssmate to death,ter I heard that he went to a juvenile detention center. I didn¡¯t expect that he was just released and was stabbed to death by someone. This is retribution.¡±


    ¨C¡°Yes, at that time he stabbed me thirty-four times, I was rescued in the hospital for several days before I survived, but one leg wasme. Want to ask my thoughts? I want to express my gratitude to the unknown murderer, he saved more people in advance¡­ Yes, my meaning is, that guy won¡¯t repent, he will only continue to do evil. I heard that his parents¡¯ hair has turned white? Oh, they deserve it. When their son almost stabbed me to death, they didn¡¯t react like this.¡±


    ¡­..


    ¨C¡°Xiao xx? I regret her death. But I¡¯m not familiar with her, she used to spread rumors about another girl in school many times, forcing the girl to almostmit suicide, after the incident was exposed, everyone alienated her. I really didn¡¯t expect that she would be killed, I hope she goes all the way.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    ¨C¡°Yes, yes, yes, I know about Xiao Wang¡¯s situation, who doesn¡¯t know about themotion when the police car pulled up downstairs yesterday? No, no, no, I didn¡¯t hear themotion, and I didn¡¯t see the murderer. Because that night Xiao Wang was beating his wife and children again, his house was making a fuss. Everyone thought it was the same as usual, who could guess that the murderer actually went to his house! Yes, yes, yes, Xiao Wang beats people at home every day, who in our building doesn¡¯t know, there were two times when he almost beat someone to death, the police havee many times!¡±


    ¡­..


    As the carefully edited videos yed one after another, everyone became active again after a moment of silence.


    <i>[I never expected, it¡¯s actually like this???]</i>


    <i>[A voyeuristic pervert, a juvenile offender who stabbed someone thirty-four times, a girl who maliciously spread rumors and ndered others, a domestic violence scum who beat his wife and children¡­ A total of eleven people, there isn¡¯t even one slightly innocent one?]</i>


    <i>[Are these kinds of people worth sympathizing with?]</i>


    <i>[Think about the news before, what about a family of three losing their pir, what about the parents of an underage only child being killed overnight, is this editor writing news with his feet? Especially that juvenile offender, he has done all the bad things, if I gave birth to such a troublesome son, I would have been ashamed and hanged him and then hanged myself, still crying there?]</i>


    The level of video editing in these segments was too high, everyone watched all the way down, their hearts were jumping out of fire, their emotions were gradually rising, they just felt that they were not good things at all.


    But after calming down, many people also put forward different opinions, the ones that were topped to the top were these few.


    <i>[The victims are not guilty of death, although the murderer chose to kill, it is too cruel, but it can be understood, probably a person who pursues justice too much and goes the wrong way. All I can say is, I hope the murderer can stop in time and choose to surrender.]</i>


    <i>[The juvenile offender has already gone through the education of the juvenile detention center, why doesn¡¯t he have the chance to start over? Although the domestic violence man is hateful, can his wife and children ept that he was killed by someone? As for voyeurism, spreading rumors, these kinds of behaviors, it can only be said that the victims are not decent, they should be educated by the police, not directly deprived of their lives. Except for the legal authorities, no individual has the right to privately execute and deprive others of their lives! We can¡¯t demand perfect victims. In any case, the victims themselves have problems, it is not the reason for the murderer to kill them. The murderer is seriously trampling on our social order andws and regtions, he is simply crazy and inhuman! He must be caught as soon as possible, otherwise there will be more victims!]</i>


    <i>[God damn it, we can¡¯t demand perfect victims. This is not just imperfect, it¡¯s clearly a pile of mud. These scum and losers, death is not a pity! Anyway, I support it twelve points!]</i>


    The most poprments obviously represent the three attitudes of the people.


    Regardless, when everyone had confirmed that the murderer was not killing indiscriminately, but had a certain selection range, the previous atmosphere of panic dissipated.


    The unknown was the most terrifying. When they discovered that this murderer seemed to be executing ¡°justice¡±, those ordinary people who hadn¡¯t done anything wrong were no longer worried.


    For a time, the discussion about this mysterious serial killer gradually shifted from its original direction.


    Everyone began to discuss whether his actions were right or wrong. Some strongly opposed, some thought it was too radical, but there were also a portion of people who showed strong support and admiration for him.


    While the inte was buzzing with heated discussions, the Yuanyang City Public Security Bureau had been busy all night, finally catching a breather.


    As everyone was taking a break, drinking water, and eating to replenish their energy, someone on their phone came across rted news and also saw the debates amongizens.


    ¡°What justice or injustice? Talking about justice while taking thew into one¡¯s own hands?¡± After a dumbfoundedugh, this person shared it with other colleagues and frowned, ¡°But, is it really okay for us to let ¡®The Observer¡¯ spread these kinds of videos? Won¡¯t this mislead the public to side with the murderer on public opinion?¡±


    Li Fufeng walked in from outside and also saw the video. He saw through the mystery at a nce and couldn¡¯t help but shake his head.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way around it. This case has already caused panic throughout the city. The most important thing now is to stabilize the public.¡±


    ¡°Even though releasing this content might give the murderer some support in public opinion, I don¡¯t agree that the murderer¡¯s actions are just. But if the public thinks the murderer is just and will only target the scum, this will undoubtedly give them a great psychologicalfort.¡±


    He put the dossier that was tucked under his arm on the table. ¡°In short, the best way to quell all this turmoil is to catch the murderer as soon as possible.¡±


    Because he was on patrol outsidest night, he didn¡¯t have time to rush back to participate in thetest case progress. He had to flip through the dossier he had just fetched while asking.


    ¡°I heard that a victim¡¯s family member had seen the murderer¡¯s face and even had a meal with the murderer. Are the testimonies here?¡±


    As he spoke, Li Fufeng¡¯s gaze fell on the text record in front of him.


    Then, he suddenly froze.


    ¡°Medium build, golden semi-long hair, wearing a ck trench coat, the murder weapon is a ck umbre¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­This description, seems familiar?¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 24

    Chapter 24


    Ever since he got drunk and entered the eerie hotel, and escaped death from the hands of a psychopathic killer, Han Shan had been having nightmares almost every night.


    Because his call to the police had been fruitless, he was afraid that the psychopath woulde looking for him, so he didn¡¯t dare to go to the bar where he usually hung out.


    Not long after, the serial killings on rainy nights urred. When he learned that one of the murders had taken ce at the Tianhai Bar where he used to frequent, Han Shan immediately felt a sense of relief, eximing that he was lucky.


    But he, who had been trying his best to keep a low profile, never expected that during this period, he, who had been as honest as could be, would actually be summoned to the police station one day.


    His first reaction was to protest his innocence, almost raising both his hands and feet. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything!¡±


    ¡°Cough cough.¡± Li Fufeng was speechless at his skilled and decisive reaction, ¡°No one is using you of doing anything.¡±


    Han Shan, who had almost squatted down on the spot just now, immediately regained hisposure, a diligent smile appearing on his face. ¡°Then, Officer, you are looking for me because¡­¡±


    Li Fufeng gestured for him to sit down across from him and pushed a piece of paper on the table towards him. ¡°You first look at this¡­¡±


    ¡°This person, do you recognize him?¡±On the soft white paper was a printed color photo. The man in the photo had a face that could make most girls lose their minds, with soft golden semi-long hair casually scattered, and deep emerald pupils as deep as ink.


    ¡°This, this¡­¡± Han Shan¡¯s voice involuntarily trembled.


    The smile that had just filled his face also froze.


    It was like seeing the most terrifying and horrifying existence in the world, like reawakening the shadow that had been looming over his heart like a nightmare, he could hardly imagine how he managed to utter such a difficult and terrified voice.


    ¡°This is that person! That psychopath, devil!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s him!¡±


    A hand gently patted his shoulder a few times, Li Fufeng stood up andforted, ¡°Calm down, calm down. This is the police station, you don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    Han Shan¡¯s mood indeed calmed down again.


    Coming back to his senses from his loss ofposure, he seemed to realize something and immediately asked excitedly, ¡°Could it be that the police have already caught this guy, and you want me to be a witness?¡±


    Li Fufeng shook his head with a bitter smile: ¡°I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t fulfill your wish for now, but as long as you are willing to cooperate, perhaps this goal can be achieved soon, this is also the reason why we brought you here.¡±


    As he spoke, he pointed at the photo. ¡°Are you sure this is the person, absolutely no mistake?¡±


    Seeing his serious expression, Han Shan couldn¡¯t help but be infected, he carefully examined the photo, and after a while, he concluded. ¡°It¡¯s not exactly the same, but at least it¡¯s 90% simr.¡±


    His eyebrows were immediately furrowed in confusion.


    ¡°This is a photo synthesized by aputer based on the testimony of witnesses, of course it can¡¯t be exactly the same as the person.¡±


    After Li Fufeng exined, he concluded, ¡°It seems that the person you encountered back then was this person, the murderer of the serial killings on rainy nights!¡±


    In Han Shan¡¯s incredulous gaze, he spoke softly, ¡°I need you to recount what happened that day, and try not to leave out any details.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°What? The murderer had appeared before?¡±


    Upon learning of the new clue discovered by Li Fufeng, the Yuanyang City Public Security Bureau was shocked, they could hardly believe that they had once ¡°brushed past¡± such a dangerous person.


    Who would believe the absurd fantasy of a drunkard after getting drunk? Especially when there was no evidence to support it.


    Even now, there were people who dared not believe it.


    ¡°I still have a sample of that unidentified blood.¡± Li Fufeng took the initiative to speak, ¡°Through DNA testing, this drop of blood cannot match anyone in the national DNA database, perhaps it can serve as a special piece of evidence.¡±


    Everyone fell into contemtion.


    <i>If that drunkard hadn¡¯t lied, and hadn¡¯t hallucinated, he had indeed inadvertently entered the murder scene that day¡­</i>


    <i>Then, based on the existing clues and timeline, it is very likely that it was the first casemitted by the killer in Yuanyang City. What¡¯s more, that hotel might be the first ce the killer stayed after arriving in Yuanyang City.</i>


    <i>This is undoubtedly a crucial clue. Perhaps it is an important factor that will help everyone crack the case and catch the killer.</i>


    <i>But the biggest problem now is¡­</i>


    <i>Where is the inn? Where did the inn go?</i>


    <i>How could such arge inn disappear just like that???</i>


    In all the years of handling cases, they had only heard of bodies disappearing and evidence being destroyed, but they had never heard of the crime scene disappearing overnight.


    Plus, during this period of tracking and investigation, no matter what, they couldn¡¯t find any trace of this serial killer. The other party seemed toe without a trace and go without a trace, or even fly to the sky and escape to the ground¡­


    This made the whole thing even more mysterious and inexplicable.


    ¡°It¡¯s not possible that the drunkard was bought off by the killer, ying tricks in front of us so long in advance, just to make everyone admire him now, right?¡± A young policeman joked, ¡°That would be so boring!¡±


    The others alsoughed along. ¡°If a drunkard could have such good acting skills and deceive so many people¡¯s eyes, he could have changed his career and entered the entertainment industry a long time ago.¡±


    Despite the seemingly joking words, everyone¡¯s expressions became serious in unison, realizing the difficulty of the case.


    No matter what, they had to give it their all.


    Everyone started to take action.


    ¡°About the analysis group of the Rainy Night Killer, integrate all existing clues to establish his personality model, and try to predict his hiding range and next action trajectory.¡±


    ¡°Three other action groups, be ready to search the city at any time.¡±


    ¡°Others, pay attention to ces like train stations and airports to prevent the final suspect from choosing to flee¡­¡±


    ¡°And¡­¡±


    ¡°This case has already reached the heavens and attracted the attention of the cab. If we can¡¯t solve it as soon as possible, the imperial capital might send a special task force to investigate.¡±


    ¡­¡­.


    ¡°Can a living person evaporate from the world?¡±


    After the meeting was dismissed, Li Fufeng fell into a brainstorm and couldn¡¯t extricate himself. Even at noon when he got off work, he was still thinking while walking.


    When he came to his senses, he found that he had unknowingly walked to a familiar ce.


    The narrow and long alley, the old wall was full of moss and scratches, and a small section had already copsed slightly.


    Li Fufeng¡¯s hand couldn¡¯t help but brush over the copsed wall.


    In Han Shan¡¯s testimony, that non-existent inn appeared here.


    This was the most bizarre and mysterious ce in the whole case. It¡¯s also a point that couldn¡¯t be exined no matter what. It made all of Han Shan¡¯s words be unbelievable nonsense.


    But Li Fufeng¡¯s intuition told him that no matter how unbelievable it was, it could very well be the truth.


    The rough texture of the uneven surface came from his fingertips, and Li Fufeng¡¯s thoughts were flying, as if he was back on that night.


    <i>Late at night, cold rain, a drunkard rushing on his way, and a mysterious inn appearing in the freezing rain¡­</i>


    He seemed to really see the stumbling drunkard pushing open the door, encountering blood all over the floor, and meeting a pair of gentle, smiling eyes, feeling a chill in an instant¡­


    With the immersive simtion fantasy in his mind, at a certain moment, Li Fufeng seemed to suddenly see such an old-fashioned small inn in front of him, with the smell of blood floating from his nose through the still unsealed door.


    ¡°!!!¡± He was suddenly taken aback.


    Years of training instinct made him reach out subconsciously.


    But the next second, when he looked again, the fleeting illusion in front of him disappeared, and what appeared in his sight was still the old wall that had copsed a section.


    He frowned all at once, talking to himself. ¡°Could it really be a hallucination caused by too much mental stress?¡±


    ¡°No, absolutely not.¡±


    The next moment, Li Fufeng gave the answer himself.


    He spread his palm, and there was a bit of powder left in the crevices of his nails, which he had just scraped off the hotel wall.


    Li Fufeng¡¯s expression cracked, and the materialistic worldview he had cultivated over the years also cracked along with it.


    <i>It seemed that something incredible had happened¡­</i>


    ****


    ¡°It seems that something incredible has happened¡­¡±


    At the same time, Bai Yi spread his palm.


    A delicate card appeared in his palm, and at the top of the card, there was a progress bar that was already more than half full.


    <i>[Ghost in the Rainy Night] </i>


    <i>[Legend Degree: 71%]</i>


    Just now, when he found that the legend degree had skyrocketed, Bai Yi couldn¡¯t help but try to materialize the [Blood-colored Inn] scene.


    Because this scene temte in his settings was not like the flower shop that was located in the inteyer space and could be connected to any ce at any time, so trying again would only appear in the original ce.


    Even if it was just a momentary materialization, Bai Yi could perceive the changes brought about by the rise in the legend degree.


    ¡ª¡ªEverything became more real.


    ¡ª¡ªWhen the legend degree reached 100, would the illusory scenes in the nightmare fragment copy really be real?


    When Bai Yi canceled the manifestation, he suddenly reacted.


    Just now, was there a person in that ce?


    This thought shed through his mind and was thrown behind him. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, it¡¯s just for sending legend degrees~¡±


    As for that poor guy who suffered such a ¡°hallucination¡± shock, whether he would doubt life and then go to the mental hospital for a check¡­ that was none of his business.


    He took out the [Puppeteer¡¯s Mysterious Diary].


    ording to the continuous observation during this period, Bai Yi could confirm that as long as he continued to leave various thoughts on it, as the thoughts he wrote down were realized one by one, the quality of this diary would slowly improve.


    <i>Perhaps this is also a way to umte ¡°legend degrees¡±?</i>


    Maybe he could fantasize a bit, maybe in the future this diary would be upgraded to have a bug-level ability where [everything written on it wille true or have a high probability ofing true]?


    Bai Yi picked up the pen and began to perfect his script setting.


    <i>[At a certain moment, two unrted spacetimes had a strange ovep, and the serial killer K, who happened to be in the abnormal node of the space ovep [Blood Inn], identally came to this strange world after killing.]</i>


    <i>[He, who knew nothing about this, yed with a guy who had identally entered, and stepped out of the inn¨Cwhen he found that the outside environment had changed and realized that there was a problem, he found that the hotel behind him had disappeared, and the originally ovepping two spacetimes had returned to unrted states.]</i>


    <i>[And he became the only and biggest victim in this spacetime ovep ident.]</i>


    <i>[After taking some time to ept his current situation and understand the situation of this world, this executioner who is keen on killing and blood, couldn¡¯t help but start to move¡­]</i>


    <i>[What he didn¡¯t know was that there were otherworldly guests who hade to this world earlier than him before this, and his appearance had attracted the attention of the other party and became part of the n¡­]</i>


    <i>[Will this ruthless and ck-hearted man, who has yed with many wicked people, eventually be yed with?]</i>


    <i>[¡ª¡ªOr is it to say, the counterattack wille?]</i><hr>


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 Chapter 25.1

    Chapter 25.1


    ¡°Mental condition assessment passed, no abnormalities.¡±


    ¡°¡­There are no traces of drug influence, nor any signs of drunkenness. After testing, his mind is very clear now, there is absolutely no problem with his mental state. His logical thinking ability is even stronger than most people. You are asking me to treat such a normal person with the attitude of treating severe mental patients?¡±


    A young man in a white coat with silver-rimmed sses on his nose spoke in a cold tone. His already overly cold face that was hard to approach became even more serious. ¡°This is really unnecessary and a waste of time.¡±


    ¡°¡ª¡ªEspecially a waste of my time.¡±


    The faces of everyone present were a bit awkward, but everyone knew how high the IQ of the man in front of them was, how low his EQ was, how talented he was, and how difficult he was to get along with.


    Therefore, no one specifically argued with him.


    Liu Ningshuang, who was quietly standing in an inconspicuous corner, secretly rolled her eyes and muttered, ¡°I said it¡¯s fine to find anyone, there¡¯s no need to find this jerk.¡±


    The jerk in Liu Ningshuangs mouth was named Yin Xubai, who was her cousin in terms of blood rtionship.


    Butpared with Liu Ningshuang, who was lively, active, and mischievous since childhood, the other party was the legendary child of someone else¡¯s family. He skipped grades all the way from childhood, mastered knowledge in several disciplines such as medicine, biology, and chemistry, and had already obtained a doctorate degree at the age of twenty-seven. He was even almost retained by the Imperial Capital University for teaching.Even if Yin Xubai rejected the suggestion of staying for teaching and chose to return to Yuanyang City to set up a privateboratory, he still received the title of Honorary Professor of the Imperial Capital University with the various honors he received during his university period.


    Because he had helped the Yuanyang City Public Security Bureau solve cases several times, he was also one of the extra-bureau personnel of the Public Security Bureau.


    ¡ª¡ªCompared with this brilliant resume, it was simply a great fortune for Liu Ningshuang to be a police officer in the eyes of the elders.


    And growing up inparison with this child of someone else¡¯s family, the resentment umted in Liu Ningfrost¡¯s heart can be imagined.


    In addition, Yin Xubai¡¯s personality is indeed not easy to get along with. It seems that people with low IQ are not worthy to talk to him. Every time she stood in front of him, she always felt that every look of his was despising her IQ, which made Liu Ningshuang even more upset.


    Just as she was secretlyining, Yin Xubai seemed to have heard her muttering, and his cold eyes swept over directly, making Liu Ningshuang feel the familiar ¡°King¡¯s Contempt¡±.


    She couldn¡¯t help but shrink her neck and quickly changed the subject, ¡°So, there¡¯s nothing wrong with this guy Li Fufeng? Then what about the hallucinations he had before?¡±


    Yin Xubai frowned, ¡°¡ª¡ªYou don¡¯t believe my judgment?¡±


    Before Liu Ningshuang could go on, the others hurriedly spoke up, ¡°Professor Yin¡¯s judgment, how could we not believe it.¡±


    ¡°Just that¡­¡±


    Everyone¡¯s eyes turned to Li Fufeng.


    Li Fufeng understood their meaning, didn¡¯t say much, but insisted, ¡°What I have to say remains the same.¡±


    Yin Xubai had a look on his face as if they were ying some kind of charade, and the others finally spoke out in full, ¡°It¡¯s just that this time the situation is too incredible.¡±


    ¡ª¡ªAfter Li Fufeng returned to the police station, he immediately told everyone about his experience, which immediately drew everyone¡¯s attention.


    Hearing that he, like the drunkard, had ¡°seen¡± an inn at the same location, everyone¡¯s first reaction was that he had been tricked into having a hallucination.


    But now, Yin Xubai had already stated that his mind was clear. And Li Fufeng still insisted on his words without any change.


    So, there were only two possibilities in front of them.


    Either Li Fufeng was lying, or the thing was true. The probability of the former was extremely low, and everyone couldn¡¯t figure out why he would tell such an absurd lie.


    <i>And thetter¡­</i>


    It meant that the whole thing was quite unusual.


    Fortunately, Li Fufeng instinctively reached out and scraped off a bit of wall powder from the old wall of the hotel at that time, and this time he simply brought it to Yin Xubai¡¯s privateboratory.


    Hearing that the wall powder was going to be tested, Yin Xubai¡¯s attitude was much better than testing Li Fufeng, a living person.


    When the results came out, the always expressionless and overly cold ¡°Professor Yin¡± showed an excited, even fanatical expression on his face for the first time.


    His eyes were shining behind his sses.


    Liu Ningshuang had a creepy look on her face, and her body involuntarily backed up a few steps, ¡°Did this guy take the wrong medicine?¡±


    But Yin Xubai obviously didn¡¯t notice her, but stepped forward a few steps, grabbed Li Fufeng¡¯s sleeve, ¡°Where did you get this substance? Is there any more?¡±


    ¡°Wha, what?¡± Li Fufeng felt startled.


    ¡°In addition to the general building wall powderponents, glue powder, talcum powder and the like, it also contains an unknownponent ¡ª¡ª a substance that I could not identify before!¡±


    Li Fufeng noticed that the hands pinching his sleeve were trembling, and Yin Xubai¡¯s voice was also trembling with excitement, ¡°I can assert that this is not any known substance. Whether it¡¯s in Yao Country, or looking at the entire Blue Star ¡ª¡ª do you know what this means?¡±


    He met a pair of eyes that were eager as never before.


    ¡°¡ª¡ªThis means a new discovery!¡±


    Hearing this, even the stupidest person understood. The shock on everyone¡¯s faces could no longer be concealed.


    ¡°Professor Yin, you¡¯re not joking, are you?¡±


    ¡°Why would I joke about this?¡± Yin Xubai, who had previously had a look of you guys are wasting my time on his face, now had a full face of hurry up! Hurry up and waste my time! He asked eagerly, ¡°So, where did this thinge from? I must go and see!¡±


    Seeing his excited appearance did not seem to be fake, everyone looked at each other and realized the importance of this matter.


    ¡°It seems that we must report to the cab as soon as possible¡­¡±


    ¡ª¡ªAnd before they received instructions from the cab, none of them could leave temporarily to prevent leaks.


    ¡­¡­


    As one of the most powerful nations on the Blue Star, Yao Country itself has a long and profound history. The feudal system that had been in ce for thousands of years continued until fifty years ago, when it was broken by the development of technology and the war that swept the world.


    Thest monarch of the feudal dynasty realized that the existing system was hindering the progress of the country and would make them fall behind inpetition with other countries. So, he voluntarily gave up power and learned from the Chenxing Empire, which had the most advanced system on the Blue Star at the time.


    From then on, the feudal imperial system was reced by a more advanced constitutional monarchy. Starting from this monarch, the monarchs of Yao Country basically became the typical ¡°reigning but not governing¡±.


    They had a noble status and the honor of a king, but they did not have the power to rule the country, and they did not receive much preferential treatment under thew.


    Any citizen of Yao Country could enter the officialdom of Yao Country throughyers of exams such as college entrance exams and national exams. The cab,posed of six cab elders elected by the people, became the actual manager of the country.


    The situation reflected by the Yuanyang City Public Security Bureau was reported to the capital through a special secret channel, and it immediately attracted the attention of the cab, which dispatched experts overnight.


    ¡ª¡ªAnd their conclusion was consistent with Yin Xubai¡¯s.


    In the seemingly ordinary wall powder, there really existed some substance that had never been discovered on the Blue Star before!


    Combining the testimonies of Han Shan and Li Fufeng, everyone realized that they might have encountered a supernatural event.


    The mysterious blood of unknown origin, the eerie appearance and disappearance of the hotel, and this unknown substance that could serve as evidence¡­ All of these shattered everyone¡¯s original worldview. They had to start considering that there might really be supernatural phenomena in this world that are currently difficult to exin.


    Seeing that Yin Xubai had already started to dive into theboratory with the newly arrived experts, and even started a fierce debate on the research of this unknown substance, Li Fufeng was already speechless.


    ¡°The focus now should be on that serial killer, right? If we find him, we can understand everything.¡±


    About this point, the cab side of course could not fail to consider. After receiving the news sent back by the experts, the cab immediately issued an order to include the Yuanyang City rainy night murder case in the newly opened abnormal secret file library, and dispatched people from the capital to Yuanyang City, and jointly established a special case investigation team with the local public security bureau of Yuanyang City to specifically investigate this case.


    Early in the morning of the next day, the ne of the special case investigation teamnded at Huayang Airport in the new city area of Yuanyang City. As soon as a group of people got off the ne, they were reported by the reporters who received the news that the special case investigation team had arrived.


    This once again sparked a new round of heated discussion on the Inte.


    <i>[Special Case Investigation Team? No way, no way, the Yuanyang City Public Security Bureau can¡¯t even handle a case, and they have to ask for help from the capital side?]</i>


    <i>[I¡¯m really disappointed in the action power of our local public security bureau this time. It¡¯s been 18 days since the first murder case, and they haven¡¯t even found out who the murderer is. Now they even have to bother the capital side to help out. Isn¡¯t this making other provinces and citiesugh at us?]</i>


    <i>[It¡¯s good to hand it over to the Special Case Investigation Team. The people from the capital must be much more powerful. This time the rainy night serial murder case has shocked the whole country, and the murderer is probably not ordinary. I think the local police have done their best. Maybe with the addition of the Special Case Investigation Team, the murderer can be arrested and brought to justice.]</i>


    <i>[I actually hope that this serial killer will not be caught. Anyway, I think the people he killed are not good things. These scum and losers are a waste of food when they are alive, and they will cause harm to others. It¡¯s not too much to say that they deserve to be killed!]</i>


    <i>[The above statement is too extreme. No matter what, private execution is wrong. If the murderer cannot be arrested and punished, everyone will feel insecure.]</i>


    <i>[No, I feel very secure now. I walk straight and sit straight, the one who should feel insecure is not me~]</i>


    Unconsciously, the topic began to go off track again, and everyone began to discuss whether the killer¡¯s actions should be or not. In the end, the supporters, opponents, and neutrals fought evenly, and countless keyboard warriors were fighting fiercely on the Inte.


    So much so that the topic of the Special Case Investigation Team was unconsciously forgotten by people. Even if there were a few sporadicments, curious about whether the Special Case Investigation Team would have any hidden purposes, they were quickly brushed down by the debate.


    Invisible forces controlled the direction of public opinion.


    No one knew that while they were arguing about the old topic of justice on the Inte, the members of the Special Case Investigation Team from the capital had already arrived at the Yuanyang City Public Security Bureau and had taken all the files rted to this case.


    And Li Fufeng, Liu Ningshuang and several local police officers, along with Yin Xubai and others who could provide technical support, were temporarily incorporated into the Special Case Investigation Team.


    At noon that day, the alley where the back door of the Tianhai Bar was located and a nearby area were all isted. It was said that the government was going to demolish and rebuild this area, and the few residents nearby were relocated after receiving somepensation.


    The Tianhai Bar was also notified by the above to move. The once bustling Maple Leaf Street suddenly lost three points of prosperity.


    That night, the rain was pouring.


    ¡ª¡ªIn the mood of countless people¡¯s fear, worry, or expectation, the rainy night came again, and the ghost that haunted the rainy night finally appeared and disappeared again.


    What was different from the past was that there were three cases that night, and the locations spanned the east and west of Yuanyang City.


    ording to the normal vehicle journey, even if the process of killing was not calcted, the time spent on the road between the three ces alone would be more than an hour.


    But the autopsy results showed that the interval between the three cases was a quarter of an hour. The three victims died one after another, and the interval was only a quarter of an hour!<hr>


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 Chapter 25.2

    Chapter 25.2


    This gave the Special Case Investigation Team, which had just arrived and was ready to do a big job, a blow. ¡°Now we can determine that the murderer definitely has some way of traveling that surpasses ordinary transportation tools. This is likely to be one of the important reasons why we can¡¯t find out his route in and out of the murder scene.¡±


    ¡°Unless, the murderer is not a person, but a gang ¡ª¡ª if we rule out supernatural factors.¡±


    ¡°Is it likely that the murderer is a gang, is this your conclusion?¡± The reporter who came to the news asked.


    ¡ª¡ªThe Special Case Investigation Team had just arrived, and there was another murder, and it was even more serious than the previous ones. How could this not cause a sensation? How could it not let reporterse to chase?


    The Special Case Investigation Team, which was chased by reporters, had no intention of answering their questions. After all, this was not official media, but some reporters who followed the trend and hyped up hot news.


    Thetter, however, was not so easy to get rid of. Not only did they persist in entangling, but their words seemed to suspect that the Special Case Investigation Team might return without sess, and it seemed that the murderer was omnipotent.


    The youngest member of the investigation team couldn¡¯t help himself and blurted out, ¡°It¡¯s just a sneaky gang. That so-called serial killer is probably just a nameless pawn pushed out to deceive and scare the public. It¡¯s only a matter of time before we catch him!¡±


    The reporter quickly snapped a few photos, excitedly recording his words, and couldn¡¯t help but repeat to confirm, ¡°The murderer is likely to be a gang, is this your conclusion? So you already have confidence in solving the case?¡±


    The impulsive young man knew he had misspoken, frowned at the reporter, and seemed to find it hard to change his words due to face, so he had to maintain an arrogant posture and nodded, ¡°Of course!¡±Liu Ningshuang was dumbfounded in the back. She didn¡¯te to her senses until the reporters dispersed.


    Li Fufeng patted her on the shoulder, and Liu Ningshuang finally came back to her senses. Her gaze kept darting towards the guy who had just spoken, and she couldn¡¯t help but blurt out a curse in a low voice, ¡°Where the hell did this idiote from!¡±


    Li Fufeng shook his head, took advantage of the others not paying attention to them, and lowered his voice, ¡°His surname is Chu, and his name is Xingrui.¡±


    Liu Ningshuang looked puzzled, ¡°So what?¡±


    ¡°¡­The current monarch¡¯s name is Chu Xingbang.¡±


    Liu Ningshuang subconsciously wanted to say something, but quickly covered her mouth. Her eyes that were exposed outside turned around, showing a look of sudden realization.


    ¡°No wonder, he came here through the back door to gild!¡±


    Li Fufeng didn¡¯t say anything more.


    He didn¡¯t think that the top would specifically stuff someone into the Special Case Investigation Team to gild ¡ª¡ª <i>if they really wanted to gild, this was obviously not the best ce. Besides, now that the real power is in the hands of the cab, even a monarch cannot send his own people here without the permission of the cab. Is the cab going to y with such an important case?</i>


    The delicate-minded him observed for a moment and found that the other members of the Special Case Investigation Team had a lukewarm rtionship with Chu Xingrui, but no one stopped him from boasting just now.


    It seemed to have an attitude of letting him provoke and test.


    Thinking of the possible ¡°supernatural event¡±, the always delicate-minded Li Fufeng had a guess.


    <i>If the existence of supernatural power is really discovered, it is undoubtedly a ¡°new weapon¡± that can affect the current social order. Whether it is the cab or the royal family, they will definitely want to grasp it in their hands for the first time, rather than being excluded, leading to a step behind, and falling behind step by step.</i>


    Just as when the industrial age came, Yao Country was the first country to make changes and take control of its own destiny.


    <i>So this Chu Xingrui, who seems to havee in through the back door to gild, is likely to be a representative sent by the royal family. And the cab, in view of the face of the monarch, also turned a blind eye to this and tacitly approved his joining.</i>


    <i>In that case, Chu Xingrui is definitely not a blockhead. Even if he doesn¡¯t know how to solve the case, he wouldn¡¯t be so reckless.</i>


    <i>¡­So was the provocation just now deliberate?</i>


    <i>¡­Did he want to take the initiative to provoke the murderer to act in an irrational way, so as to find more ws and clues?</i>


    <i>Considering the arrogant self-personality model of the murderer that was written out before, this approach seems reckless, but it is not without hope. What if it seeds?</i>


    But for some reason, Li Fufeng had a premonition that this was mostly going to fail.


    <i>It¡¯s not that the murderer won¡¯t be provoked, but he thinks that the so-called ws and clues are not so easy to get.</i>


    Li Fufeng¡¯s premonition was soon confirmed.


    Just a few dayster, on another rainy night, six victims appeared in Yuanyang City overnight. Compared with thest time, the number of people doubled, and the direction was spread across the east, south, west, and north.


    What was different from before was that this time, there were survivors.


    Six victims, and six survivors. They all had a face-to-face encounter with the murderer at the time of the crime.


    Their descriptions were exactly the same as those of the mother and son.


    ck long coat, ck umbre, and that special light golden half-length hair, and the emerald green pupils that were different from the people of Yao Country¡­ The murderer¡¯s appearance and dress have not changed for thousands of years, even if he has been wanted by the police, he was still so arrogant and high-profile, without a trace of disguise.


    And among these six survivors, one was special.


    The others were not the targets of the murderer, and were purely innocent. But he should have been one of the targets of the murderer, but he survived after another target was killed.


    ¡ª¡ªThis person initially wanted to push the death of the victim onto the serial killer, but the police of course could not be so easily deceived, and quickly determined the truth through the wounds on the victim, and arrested this person as a suspect.


    Even though he was already in the police station, this man was still shivering, his heart full of fear, he stuttered and recalled the scenes that had happened not long ago.


    ¡°At two o¡¯clock in the afternoon, the victim Yue invited you to his house as a guest. After dinner, because it was raining outside, you were worried about encountering danger on the road, so you stayed in the guest room overnight, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±


    ¡°What happened after that?¡±


    ¡°After that, after that¡­¡±


    The man¡¯s voice was vague, and the sound of raindrops outside the police station window that had not yet stopped seemed to take him back to the night not long ago.


    ¡°That night, I had too much to drink. As soon as I entered the guest room, I wanted to fall asleep. I suddenly heard a knock on the door outside. I thought it was Yue Feng looking for me, so I went to open the door, only to find that there was another person besides Yue Feng¡­¡±


    ¡­¡­.


    ¡°Good evening, sir!¡± The blond man who appeared at the door gave him a slight smile, his demeanor elegant. And Yue Feng, with a look of horror and stiffness on his face, stood motionless in front of that man, like a rabbit hanging in a tiger¡¯s mouth.


    At that time, his head was dizzy and he hadn¡¯t reacted to what had happened. Instead, he staggered forward, ¡°Yue Feng, are you looking for me? Why don¡¯t youe in? And this one¡­¡±


    He was about to reach out to pull Yue Feng, but his whole body suddenly stiffened.


    He saw the ck muzzle behind the other man. The muzzle slowly moved up, aiming at him.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°¡­At that time, my head exploded all of a sudden, it really felt like I was thrown into ice water, and I woke up from the state of drunkenness. At this time, looking at that person¡¯s dress, how could I not guess who he was¡­¡±


    In the police station, the man¡¯s voice was somewhat weak.


    His gaze once again fell into a trance.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Ah, have you recognized me?¡± Noticing his gaze, K sighed lightly, ¡°This is really distressing.¡±


    Although he said so, the weapon in his hand kept moving between the two people, aiming at this one for a while, and that one for a while, making the other two people stand stiffly on the spot, not daring to make any movements.


    ¡ª¡ªEven though there were two of them, but with their understanding of the speed of bullets, if anyone tried to rush, they would definitely be hit before they could even touch the other¡¯s clothes. This might create a little time for the other person to escape or counterattack, but what use would it be for the person who had already fallen?


    They obviously didn¡¯t want to be the one to sacrifice for theirpanions.


    ¡­¡­.


    In the police station, the man¡¯s trance-like voice continued, ¡°At that time, we all dared not act rashly, we could only beg that person, we were willing to give up all our property, we were willing to do anything, as long as we could save our lives.¡±


    ¡°And then?¡±


    ¡°Then?¡± The man gritted his teeth, ¡°That devil!¡±


    ¡°¡ª¡ªHe said, he was only prepared to kill one person.¡±


    ¡­¡­.


    The bright light in the guest room couldn¡¯t dispel the darkness around, in the eyes of the two stiff people, the shadow under the feet of this uninvited guest seemed to be constantly spreading, covering everything in front of them.


    K, with his elegant demeanor, smiled slightly, ¡°I came here, just prepared to kill one person.¡±


    ¡ª¡ªSince there was only one target, it could only be the owner here, not the asional overnight guest.


    The expressions of the two people who were originally stiff changed in unison.


    Just one showed horror, and the other rxed.


    K¡¯s gaze circled around the two people, seeming to find it extremely interesting, and finallynded on the man who had breathed a sigh of relief, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that the ident of fate made you appear here tonight, which perfectly fits my aesthetics.¡±


    This time, the expressions on the faces of the two people exchanged.


    And K once again changed his tone, making the two people show fear again, ¡°Ah, two choices, but tonight I have already visited five guests, now I only need to make up six, who should I choose? It¡¯s really distressing.¡±


    His gaze was moving back and forth on the two people, and when it fell on someone, it made that person¡¯s heart beat faster.


    ¡°Why not the old way?¡± K suddenly took out a strange coin from his pocket, looked at Yue Feng near the door, ¡°Do you like the front or the back?¡±


    ¡°Ah, ah? Front, no, back?¡±


    K looked at the other person, ¡°Then you are the front.¡±


    The coin was thrown high into the air, and then fell into his palm, his smile was perfectly curved, ¡°I only need one dead person. Three minutester, if there are still two living people here, then let fate decide, who lives and who dies~¡±


    As he said this, he slowly retreated a few steps, leaving enough space for the other two people.


    He elegantly stretched out his hand forward, as if to say: <i>The stage is temporarily given to you, next it¡¯s your turn to perform.</i>


    <i>Whoosh¡ª¡ª!</i>


    In the pouring rain outside the window, there was a sh of lightning, illuminating two faces mixed with horror, embarrassment, and ferocity.


    They were reflected in each other¡¯s eyes.


    ¡­¡­


    With a sh of lightning, there was a thunderous roar between heaven and earth.


    The man¡¯s weak and embarrassed face was illuminated by the lightning.


    ¡°Huff¡­huff¡­huff¡­¡±


    He was panting hard, as if trying to dispel the fear umted in his heart, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it, I really didn¡¯t mean it, it was that person who forced me, it was him who forced me!¡±


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t kill Yue Feng, I would die!¡±


    ¡°¡ª¡ªI didn¡¯t mean it!¡±


    Watching the man¡¯s emotions gradually copse, with both real fear and afterthought, and deliberately disguised to gain sympathy, the police officer in charge of the interrogation temporarily stopped recording and put down the pen in his hand.


    When the man¡¯s emotions were calmed down and he was a bit calmer, he continued to ask, ¡°What happened next? Do you have anything else to add?¡±


    The man tried hard to remember, suddenly his eyes lit up, hesitated and said, ¡°¡­I remember. Before he left, he wanted me to help bring a message to the police.¡±


    The policeman¡¯s expression became serious, ¡°What message?¡±


    ¡°¡ª¡ªThank you for your hospitality, it¡¯s an honor.¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 26

    Chapter 26


    ¡°A gracious guest? A gracious guest? He really does sound like a polite guest.¡± In the conference room, the key members of the Special Case Investigation Team sat together, with Chu Xingrui wearing a strange expression. ¡°Is he saying that he knows our intentions yet willingly epts our invitation, even considering it as hospitality?¡±


    ¡°¡ª¡ªThis is truly calm andposed to the extreme.¡±


    ¡°¡ª¡ªAnd also arrogant and defiant to the extreme.¡±


    At this moment, he didn¡¯t appear as impulsive as he had been in front of the reporters, but rather seemed veryposed.


    Liu Ningshuang¡¯s impression of him changed dramatically.


    After returningst time, Liu Ningshuang made good use of search engines and soon learned of Chu Xingrui¡¯s identity, which was indeed astonishingly prominent.


    The youngest brother of the current monarch of Yao Country, who was also the most favored by him, had received the title of King of Chu upon reaching adulthood.


    Although in today¡¯s society, all titles of kings and dukes were only honorary titles given to royal family members to highlight their honor, without any real power.


    But the title ¡°Chu¡±, as the national title of the most prosperous Great Chu Dynasty in the thousands of years of feudal history of Yao Country, and also the national title of the most famous emperor in the history of Yao Country, still held special sentiment and significance in the hearts of the people of Yao Country, even though the feudal imperial system had been abolished today.The fact that he could receive this title showed Chu Xingrui¡¯s status.


    Hearing his analysis, the others also nodded in agreement.


    ¡°¡­¡­No matter what, this at least proves that our personality analysis of him was not wrong. This is indeed a person with a strong desire to perform, arrogant and conceited by nature, with emotion prevailing over reason. Such a person, even if they know the danger, will not back down, but the more stimted, the more excited they be. In the words popr among young people today, it¡¯s ¡ª¡ª keen on courting death.¡±


    An Yuansheng, the oldest member of the Special Case Investigation Team, pondered and spoke, ¡°As the old saying goes, good swimmers often drown. For people who like to seek thrills and walk on a tightrope, it¡¯s fine once or twice, but it¡¯s impossible to seed every time with more attempts. We just need to be patient, and we will always catch an opportunity.¡±


    The heavy atmosphere in the conference room eased slightly.


    Following that, someone turned on the projector. This was a member from the Yuanyang City Police Department. ¡°As early as a day ago, we had already installed special cameras in all the blind spots of the city¡¯s surveince as per the requirements, and set up checkpoints on several important traffic arteries that run through the north, south, east, and west. We can confirm that absolutely no motor vehicles passed through without inspection that night, and the suspect¡¯s figure was not captured in any of the surveince¡­¡±


    The projected images were divided into several sections on the screen, showing various streets and houses. In the drizzling night rain, the images were devoid of people.


    This person kindly exined, ¡°These are the surveince videos near the crime scene that were urgently mobilized after the crime. All of them are intersections that the murderer must pass through to reach the crime scene, without any omissions ¡ª¡ª based on the testimony of the witnesses, at the time when the murderer entered the crime scene, it can be seen that no one appeared at these intersections. That is to say, he did not go in from any direction.¡±


    ¡°¡ª¡ªThe only logical exnation is that he bypassed all the intersections and appeared at the crime scene out of thin air.¡±


    ¡°And the murderer seen by the six witnesses on that night has been confirmed to be the same person, with the shortest interval being only ten minutes. This also corroborates the above judgment.¡±


    The others were watching the projection intently, while flipping through the files in their hands. Finally, An Yuansheng concluded. ¡°So, the spection of supernatural events can basically be confirmed as true. The suspicion of gang crimes can be ruled out, the murderer should be a single person, and, there is a high probability that he possesses some kind of special teleportation ability or tool.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Considering that all the cases urred on rainy nights, it is suspected that the murderer¡¯s supernatural ability is rted to rainy weather, or that the tool he possesses can only be used on rainy days.¡±


    In the conference room, everyone¡¯s thoughts shed intensely. They pieced together the ¡°truth¡± through their discussions.


    ¡°¡ª¡ªThat umbre that can be used as both a sword and a gun is very suspicious and needs to be focused on.¡±


    ¡°What we need to consider now is whether the murderer is a strange person who inherently possesses supernatural powers, or an ordinary person who suddenly gained an adventure and became inted. In addition, if supernatural powers really exist, is he an exception? Are there more supernatural powers that we don¡¯t know about?¡±


    As soon as these words came out, everyone showed a solemn color.


    Everyone¡¯s eyes were focused on Chu Xingrui, who had spoken these words. ¡°The meaning of King Chu is¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey, don¡¯t, don¡¯t call me King Chu, this ancient title always gives me the illusion of having traveled to ancient times. It makes me doubt whether I am an antique.¡± Chu Xingrui waved his hand with augh, looking casual, ¡°Perhaps in not many years, these ancient titles of kings will be abolished. As the youngest member of the Special Case Investigation Team, you can just call me Xiao Chu.¡±


    He then exined the meaning of his previous words. ¡°What I want to say is that if the murderer really has the special ability to move from one ce to another in a short time, then it would be very difficult for us to deal with him. Because we simply can¡¯t catch him, this is probably the reason why he is fearless.¡±


    ¡°Yao Country is indeed very powerful, we have the world¡¯s top military power, we have the courage to go to war with any country in the world, but if we can¡¯t aim at the target, it¡¯s useless.¡± His face became serious, ¡°So, why don¡¯t we find professionals?¡±


    ¡°You mean, look for other strange people?¡±


    Although Chu Xingrui looked unpretentious, the others obviously couldn¡¯t really be so casual, so they vaguely used a respectful term, but their attention was focused on his proposal.


    Everyone¡¯s eyes flickered, seeming to think it made a lot of sense.


    ¡°We can try, while dealing with the murderer, continue to stimte him to expose more clues, we can also look for the existence of other supernatural powers.¡±


    ¡°It would be great if there are. If not, it further illustrates the preciousness of this sole possessor of supernatural powers. This may be an opportunity for our Yao Country. Just like when the industrial age came, we were the first to seize the opportunity!¡±


    Having determined the next n, everyone acted separately.


    The members responsible for information directly began to retrieve a wide range of strange incidents that urred in various ces on the Inte.


    In this era of the Inte, countless messages were spread on the Inte every day, and it was difficult to distinguish between true and false. Many absurd and bizarre things were even treated as jokes byizens. But if there really were supernatural powers in this world, then among these absurd and bizarre stories, there might be a few that were true.


    <i>¡ª¡ªWhat they have to do is to distinguish them from the rest.</i>


    Things that happened too long ago were difficult to investigate for authenticity in a short time, so the information technology team started screening from the most recent events. Soon, more than a dozen special events with the most rumors were ced in front of them.


    The first one on the list was: <i>The Nonexistent Flower Shop.</i>


    During this period, apart from the Yuanyang City rainy night murder case, the most widely circted on the inte was the legend of this mysterious flower shop. Theizens who promoted the rted stories came from all walks of life and were spread all over Yao Country, their tones did not seem to be false.


    There were roughly two versions of the story on the inte.


    In the first version, the most popr one was this¡ª¡ª


    <i>[I saw a ghost! Today, on my way home from work, I stumbled into a flower shop. Unexpectedly, the owner was a babbling fortune teller who didn¡¯t sell flowers but imed to be able to fulfill the wishes of customers. I retorted on the spot. It looked like a new type of scam, thinking I would fall for it? The result was that the owner was quite tough, saying on the spot that it seemed that the customer and I were not destined, with an attitude of profound mystery and take it or leave it. Damn, it was too pretentious! Who could stand this???]</i>


    <i>[I stormed out of the flower shop and immediately made a report call. Guess what, when the relevant department¡¯s people came, they couldn¡¯t find where the flower shop was no matter what. I was dumbfounded on the spot! Where was that big flower shop? It was still there just now. Now, not only was I suspected of lying and fooling the relevant department, but also a lot of education and criticism made me embarrassed. Most importantly, I am doubting my life now! The more I think about it now, the more regretful I am. Did I really encounter an adventure? The golden finger that was at hand was thrown away by me!]</i>


    <i>[I used to envy the protagonist of the novel all the time, but when it came to my turn, I couldn¡¯t grasp it! Ah ah ah, shop owner, I was wrong, I am a country bumpkin, can you give me another chance, just once is enough! Dong dong dong, I am kowtowing to you. orz]</i>


    (TL: In Chinese inte ng, ¡°orz¡± is an emoticon that represents a person kneeling or bowing down in frustration, defeat, admiration, or apology. The letters visually depict a person:


    The ¡°o¡± represents the head.


    The ¡°r¡± represents the arms and body bent over.


    The ¡°z¡± represents the legs kneeling or prostrated.)


    As for the second version, it was basically the same¡ª¡ª


    <i>[Ah ah ah, I seem to have met an immortal!]</i>


    <i>[A few days ago, I was diagnosed with a terminal illness by the hospital, and it was said that the chances of recovery were very low. I have been feeling down recently. Today, I identally entered a flower shop, and the owner was so gentle and healing. The most special thing is that this shop does not sell flowers but only sells flower seeds. It is said that the flower seeds will only grow and bloom if they are watered with sincere intentions, which will bring me good luck and fulfill my wish.]</i>


    <i>[And the owner does not charge money, saying that he has already taken my misfortune ¡ª¡ª such a gentle and healing statement, isn¡¯t this just a disguised gift of flower seeds, blessing me to stay away from misfortune and be happy from now on? Wu wu wu, I was healed on the spot! There are indeed many good people in the world! Although I know that there can¡¯t be such magical flowers, I still feel much better!]</i>


    <i>[I was still blowing the shop owner¡¯s descent from the immortal in my heart, but as soon as I walked out of the flower shop happily, I found that the flower shop was gone?! I was shocked on the spot, and couldn¡¯t help but hold my little flower seed tightly! It turns out that the shop owner is really an immortal descending to earth! It must be so, there is no doubt!! (Confidence jpg)]</i>


    Summarizing the several versions ofizens¡¯ statements, it was probably a flower shop that did not exist in reality and only those who have encountered misfortune and want to fulfill their wishes have a chance to enter.


    In addition, there were some strange events circting on the inte, such as mountain ghosts, bleeding wells, cats walking upside down, teleportation mirrors in toilets, etc. After cooperating with the local police station for investigation, it was confirmed that some of them were rumors fabricated by humans, and some were not lies by the parties involved, but in the end, they were found to be just misunderstandings.


    As for the nonexistent flower shop, it did not exist in reality, and ordinary people simply couldn¡¯t find it, so naturally, they couldn¡¯t distinguish between true and false.


    The Special Case Investigation Team found thoseizens who imed to have received seeds through online posts, and found that most of the seeds had not yet sprouted. The only exception was the girl who imed to have been diagnosed with a terminal illness in her online post.


    ¡°¡­¡­From nting to now, it¡¯s less than ten days, and the flower seed she nted by herself has already grown a bud. She just went to the hospital for a check-up yesterday, and the doctor found that her condition has improved somewhat. It is said that if this state continues, there is a high probability of sessful surgery in the future, and she also has a great hope of recovery.¡±


    The member of the investigation team who reported the situation handed a copy of the medical record along with a stack of X-ray films to Yin Xubai. ¡°This is all her medical records from the first time she was diagnosed with a terminal illness to now, and the films taken. Professor Yin is a professional in this area, he should be able to judge the situation represented by this medical record, right?¡±


    Yin Xubai flipped through it from beginning to end, and the expression on his face changed bit by bit, finally showing a look of astonishment. ¡°ording to her original disease, the hope of recovery is absolutely less than half. But now, the possibility has risen to 60% ¡ª¡ª this is an incredible miracle!¡±


    ¡°No, if it continues to improve like this, the hope of recovery in the future is 100%. That doctor was still conservative.¡±


    Others couldn¡¯t help but show a look of surprise. ¡°So, the rumors about the flower shop could very well be true?¡±


    ¡°All I can say is, if there are no external factors involved, with the current level of medical science, her chances of recovery are close to zero.¡±


    With a clear target in mind, everyone gave up the approach of casting a wide on the inte and began to figure out how to find the nonexistent flower shop and meet the mysterious shop owner who seemed quitemunicative in the rumors.


    Meanwhile, the rainy night serial murder case in Yuanyang City was getting bigger and bigger. Six victims appeared overnight, and the murderer even left such an arrogant provocation. The Special Case Investigation Team couldn¡¯t possibly not respond.


    All major hotels and inns began to strictly check the ID cards of guests, including some small guesthouses with no ID, which were warned by the police station not to allow unidentified people toe and go. All police forces were mobilized, going deep into every street and everymunity, cooperating with localmunity workers to strictly check everyone¡¯s identity.


    This carpet-style search severely disrupted the normal operation of Yuanyang City, making the atmosphere extremely tense, but also step by step squeezing the activity space of the hidden murderer, seemingly making the hidden murderer about to have nowhere to escape.


    And ces like train stations and airports were not controlled too strictly. Local people who wanted to leave temporarily could travel freely, which also relieved the pressure on the police.


    After all, if the murderer wanted to leave, he would have to go through security first.


    ¡ª¡ªIn the eyes of any ordinary person who didn¡¯t know the inside story, under such high pressure, the murderer¡¯s space of existence was beingpressed step by step, and sooner orter he would fall into the of thew.


    But the members of the investigation team who had guessed that the murderer might have some kind of ¡°teleportation¡± ability were not optimistic about this. They mainly used this attitude to numb the murderer. If it could be done, it would be best. If it couldn¡¯t be done, they still had the flower shop owner as a backup.


    While they were frantically searching for the murderer on the surface, they were trying to find the nonexistent flower shop in secret and give the murderer a surprise.


    <i>¡ª¡ªUsing supernatural powers to deal with supernatural powers, it seems that the odds of winning are much higher than their carpet-style search!</i>


    However, good thingse when least expected. Despite such high-intensity search, they didn¡¯t find any trace of the murderer, but in the process, quite a few monsters were pulled out. Fugitives on the run, hit-and-run suspects, suspects who were caught red-handed trying tomit indecent acts¡­all kinds of things, too numerous to mention. It also indirectly cleaned up the garbage in Yuanyang City and contributed to environmental protection.


    What the Special Case Investigation Team didn¡¯t know was that their pressing attitude didn¡¯t put pressure on the real murderer, but instead created opportunities for another group of people hiding in the dark.


    In a factory warehouse in the suburbs of Yuanyang City, five people gathered together, their faces excited and eager.


    On the wall in front of them, a photo was pinned. The person in the photo was Gong Fang, the well-known local tycoon and head of Gong Group in Yuanyang City. It was rumored that his fortune was at least seven billion, plus many hidden assets.


    ¡°Great! We brothers finally got the opportunity!¡±


    ¡°This old guy Gong Fang, he¡¯s always holed up in his turtle shell-like vi every day, with threeyers of security inside and threeyers outside, not even a fly can get in! I¡¯ve been watching for so long that I almost wanted to give up, but I didn¡¯t expect such a golden opportunity!¡±


    ¡°We have to thank that serial killer, who scared Gong Fang so much that he¡¯s guilty. I received news that he¡¯s nning to take a ne and leave tomorrow. He¡¯s also going to take his only ten-year-old precious son with him ¡ª¡ª isn¡¯t this a golden opportunity? Do it! We¡¯ll never have to worry about food and drink for the rest of our lives!¡±


    ¡°But now Yuanyang City is under such strict control¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Stupid, who said we have to make a big fuss? As long as the old guyes out of the turtle shell, there are plenty of opportunities to start. Especially that ten-year-old kid, just create some idents and get him in hand, for the sake of his only precious son not being torn up, would he dare to call the police? Besides, while the police¡¯s attention is all attracted by the serial killer, maybe we can fish in troubled waters ¡ª¡ª I¡¯ve been given guidance by a wise man~¡±


    Just as these people were letting their imaginations run wild and talking animatedly.


    The tightly closed warehouse door behind them was suddenly opened, and a figure appeared in their line of sight.


    ¡°This idea is not bad, how about adding me?¡±


    The people in the warehouse had already stood up in unison, looking warily at this unexpected visitor.


    ¡°¡ª¡ªWho are you?¡±


    The young man with ck hair and ck eyes smiled slightly.


    ¡°A name is just a code. Please feel free to call me, just call me [K].¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 27

    Chapter 27


    Huayang Airport was in chaos.


    The ne Gong Fang was about to board was about to take off, but his only ten-year-old son had disappeared, causing an uproar.


    His roar echoed through the crowd, ¡°Where is he? How can a living person just disappear, what use are you all?¡±


    The several bodyguards and assistants who were scolded were all downcast, but they dared not retort. They also didn¡¯t expect that just going to the airport restroom for a few minutes, a ten-year-old child would just disappear like this.


    At this time, the crowd did not realize the seriousness of the problem, thinking that it was just a temporary separation due to therge number of people at the airport. After all, it wasn¡¯t some important royal rtive, always worrying about terrorist organizations or foreign forces that do not submit to Yao Country¡¯s rule.


    Gong Fang roared a few times, vented a lot of anger, and seeing that the check-in time had passed, he had to reluctantly wave his hand.


    ¡°Forget it, this flight is destined to be dyed, hurry up and find the airport staff to announce the missing person notice.¡± As he spoke, he snorted and said angrily, ¡°This kid is getting more and more rebellious, this time I must teach him a good lesson, let¡¯s see if he dares to run around in the future!¡±


    Others agreed on the surface, but they didn¡¯t think so in their hearts.


    <i>Who doesn¡¯t know that Gong, who was only forty years old, had such a precious son, and the child¡¯s mother thus jumped from one of his many lovers to be the legitimate Mrs. Gong? With such a lifeblood, where would he dare to touch a single hair?</i>In the airport, the broadcast for the missing person began.


    ¡­¡­.


    The broadcast sound echoed again and again in the airport, reaching everyone¡¯s ears, and also reached a shop located in a secluded corner on the first floor of the airport.


    This shop had been closed for many days, and there was a ¡°For Lease¡± sign on the door.


    Inside the shop, in the basement.


    ¡°Come on, cheers!¡± Listening to the faint broadcast sound in their ears, a few people raised their sses with a sense of aplishment and let out a triumphantugh, ¡°Haha, I didn¡¯t expect things to go so smoothly! This time it¡¯s really thanks to your n, kid, and finding such a good ce! Don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t be left out of the benefits afterwards. Ten percent! When the moneyes in, I¡¯ll give you ten percent!¡±


    The speaker pped the shoulder of the young man who called himself [K] with a heartyugh, even belching, looking like a boss rewarding his little brother.


    At this point, the few people had long lost their initial vignce and caution, their faces showing an expression of absolute trust in him.


    Seeing the few people being so generous, the quiet young man from beginning to end smiled slightly, ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s very good.¡±


    Seeing him so understanding, the few people were even more satisfied, ¡°Not bad, you young man have a future. If it weren¡¯t for you, our n might not have been sessful. Such a big kid, how easy is it to not be discovered? When they find out the child has been kidnapped, they must think we took him to some remote mountain to hide, who would think that this little devil has been hidden by us in the airport and never left?¡±


    As they spoke, someone was already rubbing their hands excitedly, ¡°The hostage is also in hand, is it time to knock him for a sum? Gong Fang, that old fellow, is rich!¡±


    As they spoke, the eyes of several people involuntarily fell on the young man sitting on the side, as if they wanted to hear his opinion ¨C from meeting to now, less than a day, they already had such trust in him.


    <i>Perhaps, the easiest thing to bring people closer and enhance trust is to participate in amon crime???</i>


    The young man who called himself [K] nodded, ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s time to start the next step of the n.¡±


    He stood up and snapped his fingers lightly.


    ¡°¡ª¡ªBefore that, you all can exit first.¡±


    The faces of the few people changed in unison, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Simply put, you have already yed your value.¡±


    ¡°Good boy! Are you trying to ck eat ck?¡± (TL: (of a viin) to do the dirty on another viin; describes conflict, betrayal, orpetition among people who are already engaging in illegal or hical activities.)


    This statement couldn¡¯t be clearer, the few people were both shocked and angry, they mmed the table and got up, ready to teach this guy a good lesson.


    But the moment they got up, their heads suddenly felt dizzy, a strong sense of vertigo surged in their heads, everything in front of them became blurred, the world was spinning¨C<i>obviously, they had been hit!!</i>


    The wine bottle on the table fell to the ground with a crash.


    Several heavy bodies also fell down.


    ¡°Ah, I originally wanted to give you guys important supporting roles, but you guys are just not useful!¡±


    The young man with ck hair and ck eyes spread his hands in a helpless manner, then bent down and casually picked up one of their phones, typing out a number he had memorized long ago.


    One by one, the words appeared on the phone screen.


    ¡­.¡­


    As the broadcast sounded again and again, and the person was still not found, Gong Fang¡¯s heart gradually rose.


    Just like an apple eroded by wormholes, his heart was also gnawed and eroded by growing panic.


    Just as Gong Fang was considering whether to call the police, the phone in his trouser pocket suddenly rang.


    Gong Fang had a bad feeling in his heart.


    He opened his phone, and the first thing he saw was a photo. The boy in the photo was too familiar to him.


    ¡°Xiao Tian!¡± Gong Fang eximed, his face turning pale.


    Without saying a word, he dialed back the number.


    As soon as the call was connected, Gong Fang couldn¡¯t wait to speak, ¡°Who are you? What do you want to do? As long as you don¡¯t hurt my son, everything is negotiable, no matter how much money you want¡ª¡ª¡±


    With a ¡°click¡±, the call was directly hung up.


    Gong Fang didn¡¯t have time to redial, the phone rang again, receiving the first text message besides the photo.


    <i>[Let¡¯s y a game. A game that decides whether you can have a son to take care of you in your old age:).]</i>


    <i>[What do you want¡­ ]</i> Gong Fang was still typing, the person on the other side seemed to guess his thoughts, several more messages appeared, directly interrupting his action


    <i>[You can choose to refuse, and from then on, lose your only son. Lose the inheritor of your bloodline in your heart, the treasure of carrying on the family line, the sole heir to your vast family business.]</i>


    <i>[Or, choose to ept. Then abide by the game rules, do everything ording to the rules. Don¡¯t waste each other¡¯s time, asking me boring questions that won¡¯t get an answer.]</i>


    Seeing this, Gong Fang was already burning with anger, but thinking of his son, he had to temporarily suppress all his emotions.


    <i>[Now, the game begins.]</i>


    <i>[Within one minute, walk out of the airport alone, representing that you choose to ept this game.]</i>


    Looking at the cold words on the phone screen, Gong Fang¡¯s face was gloomy, and he waved his hand to the assistants and bodyguards who came up, ¡°You go first, I have something to do alone.¡±


    The moment he turned around, taking advantage of the blind spot, he lit up his phone and made a ¡°call the police¡± gesture to the always astute assistant.


    Just at this moment, another message was added.


    <i>[Oh, I almost forgot to say, I don¡¯t care if you call the police. However, this game must bepleted by you alone from beginning to end ¨C I believe you don¡¯t want to know the result of viting the game rules.]</i>


    Gong Fang¡¯s expression stiffened, he stopped talking, and ran quickly towards the exit of the airport, looking somewhat embarrassed.


    When he left the airport, he indeed received another message.


    <i>[You chose to ept the game, the journey of an old father saving his precious son is about to unfold. Whether this choice is right or wrong, perhaps you will be able to make a judgment soon.]</i>


    <i>[Next, please ept your first task ¨C arrive at Xiangliu Vige before noon today.]</i>


    Gong Fang¡¯s face was slightly stunned, ¡°Xiangliu Vige?¡±


    ¡­.¡­


    ¡°Signal tracking failed, the kidnapper¡¯s hacking skills should be quite brilliant, no trace of the kidnapper has been found for the time being¡­¡±


    Gong Fang¡¯s emergency call attracted the attention of the Yuanyang City Police Department.


    Due to the Rainy Night Serial Murder case, most of the police force had been dispatched, and excellent police officers such as Li Fufeng had also been transferred to the Special Case Investigation Team. At this time, the Yuanyang City Police Department was severely understaffed, and suddenly received such a kidnapping case, they had to quickly divert manpower, and the Special Case Investigation Team naturally also learned of this news.


    But a few short hours were obviously not enough to find out anything.


    Gong Fang was also afraid of angering the kidnapper, affecting his son¡¯s safety.


    The police then turned their attention to the location of Xiangliu Vige.


    This was where Gong Fang was born. No matter how one checked, it¡¯s just an ordinary small mountain vige. Although it belonged to Yuanuang City on the map, it was far behind the outside city due to many years of closure and istion.


    More than ten years ago, Gong Fang, in order to repay his hometown, specifically brought a group of children to the city to sponsor their education. Unfortunately, children were naturally yful, and in the end, they didn¡¯t achieve anything. Most of the children still followed the old path of their ancestors.


    At 11:50 in the morning, Gong Fang drove to Xiangliu Vige.


    Because he dared not vite the game rules, he was alone, but he carried some equipment in hidden ces on his body, including an earpiece for contacting the police.


    Xiangliu Vige was located in the mountains, the mountain road was steep, the terrain was remote, a luxury car that only appeared on TV suddenly appeared at the entrance of the vige, immediately attracting the attention of a group of old people and children.


    Out of curiosity, the vigers flocked over. There were also children peering into the car.


    Their faces were still covered with mud from ying, their clothes were wiped with snot and saliva, their fingers left a fingerprint on the car as soon as they touched it, which was disgusting to look at.


    Gong Fang sat in the car, his brows couldn¡¯t help but frown.


    The phone rang, and finally a message came.


    <i>[Very good, punctual people are qualified to continue.]</i>


    Gong Fang couldn¡¯t help it anymore, thinking of his son made him anxious, he quickly replied, ¡°What should I do?¡±


    <i>[This ce must be very familiar to you¨Cas the ce where you were born, as the ce where you grew up, as your hometown that you haven¡¯t seen for more than ten years.]</i>


    <i>[The vigers here undoubtedly know you well. After all, as an orphan who was able to grow up sessfully and achieve what you have today, each of them has undoubtedly contributed to your life.]</i>


    <i>[But after achieving sess and fame, you were ashamed of this.]</i>


    <i>[You repaid them in your own way.]</i>


    Gong Fang was somewhat irritable, ¡°What are you trying to say¡­¡±


    <i>[That was an interview for a program about local entrepreneurs in Yuanyang City.]</i>


    <i>[A month before the start of the interview, you got the news in advance. In order to show your benevolent, kind, and hometown-repaying entrepreneur image, you, who had never returned after leaving, chose to bring thirty-three children to the city to sponsor their education.]</i>


    <i>[The parents of the children were overjoyed and grateful. A monthter, when the reporter came to understand you, a local entrepreneur, and went deep into Xiangliu Vige, the vigers spoke highly of you during the interview. The children who had been taken to the city for a month also admired you immensely. When interviewed, they treated you more affectionately than their biological parents in front of the camera.]</i>


    <i>[¡ª¡ªWhen the program was broadcast, you got the good reputation you had always dreamed of, bing a model of gratitude.]</i>


    <i>[However, those children whom you used your connections to send to the city to study, because they did not abide by the discipline in school, indulged in y, socialized with social figures, and developed various bad habits such as ying online games, were eventually persuaded to drop out by the teacher and returned to the small mountain vige.]</i>


    <i>[Three months of golden dreams passed, their lives returned to the past, but they could no longer ept it as calmly as before. Among them, twelve children went astray in theirter lives, and the other twenty-one also had a hard life. That dream, apart from achieving your brilliant reputation, seems to have not improved anyone¡¯s life.]</i>


    <i>[Knowing this, you sighed hypocritically, who told them not to cherish the opportunity. The parents of the children sighed in disappointment, only ming their children for being too ipetent.]</i>


    <i>[¡ª¡ªBut is this really the case?]</i>


    Gong Fang¡¯s face changed slightly, and he subconsciously wanted to block the phone screen, but the information appeared faster than his hand.


    <i>[It seems you know very well. In fact, in order for the children to show their close admiration for you during the interview, and for them to show their happiness after their lives changed in front of the camera, you did not send them to school at the first time, but took them to y in the city for a month first, exposing them to too many things they shouldn¡¯t have seen.]</i>


    <i>[This month of crazy y opened the children¡¯s eyes, their good feelings for you were unparalleled, but your unrestrained indulgence also let them experience the taste of indulging in pleasure before their minds were mature, and theypletely lost themselves in the huge contrast between the past and the present life. They should have worked harder to keep up with the progress of the schoolwork in the city, but they are no longer willing to suffer. When they returned to their original mountain vige, the huge gap in the shattered dream destroyed them!]</i>


    <i>[You, who created all this with your own hands, enjoyed all the flowers and apuse, and were regarded as a benefactor by all the vigers.]</i>


    <i>[Xiangliu Vige made you, you destroyed the future of Xiangliu Vige.]</i>


    <i>[What if they knew the truth?]</i>


    Gong Fang¡¯s face hadpletely sunk. At this moment, he wanted to turn the steering wheel and leave directly.


    But the safety of his precious son was like an invisible rope that tripped him, making him hesitate, his face changing.


    The information on the phone didn¡¯t give him more time to hesitate¡ª¡ª


    <i>[Please open the car door, and then get out of the car.]</i>


    <i>[Forgiveness or judgment¨CI look forward to this answer.]</i><hr>


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 Chapter 28

    Chapter 28


    The luxury car that had been parked at the entrance of Xiangliu Vige finally stirred.


    A man, trembling hands, opened the car door and stepped out.


    After a few steps, his familiar face was exposed to all the elders who knew him. The vigers¡¯ gaze quickly shifted from initial curiosity and confusion to undisguised anger and hatred, a rage that could burn a living person alive.


    Under such gazes, Gong Fang was ufortable all over. He, who had never taken these country bumpkins seriously, seemed to feel unease and fear from the bottom of his heart for the first time.


    ¡°Fellow vigers, I came to see you¡­¡± He forced a smile, trying to use rhetoric to defuse the situation.


    ¡°You conscienceless thing! You still have the face toe back!¡± A roar interrupted his words, apanied by the roar was a lean old man who looked hale and hearty.


    ¡°¡ª¡ªWatch me beat you to death!!¡±


    The old man picked up a thick wooden stick from the ground and pounced on him with a fierce momentum, smashing it down on him!


    Others also quickly reacted, those who could pick up tools did so, those who could pick up stones did so, and there was a group of children who followed suit, urinating on the spot and mixing it with mud, pinching up freshly made mud balls, and throwing them at his face.Such a violent reaction waspletely beyond Gong Fang¡¯s expectations, and he was stunned on the spot.


    It wasn¡¯t until the pain from his body and the stench of urine on his face woke him up that he hurriedly raised his hand to block.


    ¡°Stop, stop, stop, let me exin¡­¡±


    ¡°Get the hell out! Everyone hit him! If he dies, it¡¯s on me!¡±


    The vige chief, still quite vigorous despite being over seventy, roared like thunder, apanied by the cheering voices of the children.


    Then came a rain of various objects.


    Gong Fang, who had been living a life of luxury in the city for many years, was no match for these people. He could only choose to dodge frantically and flee in embarrassment.


    By the time Gong Fang finally managed to open the car door and hide inside amidst the vigers¡¯ pursuit, he found that even this luxury car was surrounded by the vigers. The dense crowd made it impossible for him to drive away.


    ¡°Bang!¡± ¡°Bang!¡± ¡°Bang!¡±


    The transparent car window ss was hit by stones, and spider-web-like cracks spread across it, making Gong Fang shiver all over.


    Fortunately, the car ss was sturdy and didn¡¯t break.


    ¡°Bumpkins, a bunch of uncivilized barbarians!¡± He muttered fearfully, desperately calling for help from the police on the other end of the car camera, ¡°You see, these people are crazy! Come and save me,e and save me!!¡±


    ¡°The police have already arrived nearby, at most ten minutes¡­¡±


    Gong Fang was first overjoyed, then his face suddenly changed.


    ¡°No, no! Don¡¯te over! All of you back off, don¡¯te over!¡± Even at this point, he was still thinking about his beloved son, and quickly changed his mind, ¡°I mustplete the challenge myself!¡±


    Perhaps it was his beloved son that gave Gong Fang an idea¡­


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it just for the future of a bunch of kids¡­¡±


    He gritted his teeth and opened the window to shout outside.


    ¡­¡­.


    More than ten minutester, after personally promising everyone that he would build roads, bridges, and schools for Xiangliu Vige, and even writing a ¡°guarantee letter¡± that the vigers thought had legal effect, Gong Fang finally got away and quickly fled Xiangliu Vige.


    A text message alert sounded on his phone.


    <i>[Congrattions, you have sessfully passed the first round of the game. Are you ready for the second round?]</i>


    At this point, Gong Fang was utterly exhausted, and the pain on his body and the nauseating smell made him extremely angry.


    He dialed back the number again, his tone was furious. ¡°What the hell do you want?!¡±


    This time, the person on the other end of the phone didn¡¯t hang up.


    A young and clear male voice sighed with regret. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s really rude. Even though the name is just a code, at least it can prevent rude people like you from calling me with rude words.¡±


    ¡°As a punishment, please allow me to postpone the announcement of the start of the second round of the game.¡±


    His tone was leisurely, with a hint of lightughter.


    ¡°¡ª¡ªFinally, I repeat, I don¡¯t mind if you call the police, I don¡¯t mind if you make a fuss about it. As long as you follow the rules of the game,plete the next game on your own.¡±


    As his words fell, the call ended.


    ¡°Damn!¡± Gong Fang was so angry that he threw his phone directly on the floor of the car, and then hurriedly picked it up to see if it was broken. His heart was full of frustration and anger, but there was nowhere to vent.


    All this pressure naturally had to be transferred to the police.


    While waiting for the notification of the second round of the game, the police station had already started a full investigation of this case, and Li Fufeng and others also joined in, and everyone started to analyze based on the existing clues.


    ¡°This guy didn¡¯t kill anyone, but it feels like his danger level is no less than that of the serial killer. From the means he has shown so far, his hacking skills are extremely high, he has some means to monitor Gong Fang¡¯s actions throughout, and he can also fully calcte the weaknesses of human heart and human nature¡­ What is the purpose of this guy going to such great lengths?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, his punishment is to postpone the start of the second round of the game¡ª¡ªit sounds like this is not a punishment at all, what does it matter when it starts? Does he want to do something to Gong Tian during this time¡­¡±


    ¡°No, about the start time of the game, our understanding may be different. Just like the first round of the game, it was to arrive at Xiangliu Vige before 12:00, but he announced the start of the game at 8:50 in the morning. If the second round of the game also needs to be done before a certain point in time, and he postponed the announcement of the start, the time left in the middle will be very tight¡ª¡ªI think this is what it means.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t mind calling the police, he doesn¡¯t mind making a fuss? This guy is really arrogant! Damn it!¡±


    ¡°¡ª¡ªMore than just not minding, he should hope to make a fuss. What does he want to do? Does he just want to cause a sensation, harvest a lot of eyeballs? Or does he want to publicly judge Gong Fang, exposing his past misdeeds to everyone? If so, the two are likely to have a grudge.¡±


    ¡°In that case, let¡¯s fulfill him. If he wants to y, let¡¯s y with him! Now the hostage is in his hands, don¡¯t force him to do anything too extreme. In any case, the safety of the hostage¡¯s life is the most important. Let¡¯s see what this guy wants to do, the more he does, the more ws¡­¡±


    ¡°I suspect that there will likely be situations like Xiangliu Vige in the future, where other innocent people will inadvertently participate in the game and be used by him. If we persuade the public in advance, we can also prevent everyone from being used by him¡­¡±


    As everyone¡¯s thoughts continued to collide, the police also caught the traces left by the five kidnappers¡ª¡ªafter all, they were just cannon fodder-like roles, even if they had a perfect n, they couldn¡¯t execute it wlessly with their execution power, under the full pursuit of the police, they finally exposed their traces.


    Li Fufeng and others immediately took action.


    In the airport, the shop door that had been closed for many days and had a transfer lease sign on it was opened, and the police quickly rushed in.


    Their actions were agile and flexible, and they didn¡¯t make a sound as they moved, showing strong execution power.


    ¡°There¡¯s no one on the first floor!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no one on the second floor either!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a basement here¡­There are people!!¡±


    After a long time of shouting without a response, as the door of the basement was opened, the figures of five people lying haphazardly on the ground came into the cautious eyes of the police.


    ¡°¡­There¡¯s still breath, they¡¯re not dead, just unconscious.¡±


    The ambnce arrived quickly, and the five people who had fainted underground were lifted out one by one by everyone. The police started searching the entire shop, and everyone¡¯s figures shuttled up and down.


    Large shadows fell from the window,pletely enveloping the interior of the shop in a gloomy and dark gray.


    ¡ª¡ªThis shop was located in the direction of the corner facing away from the sun. It was originally a milk tea shop, but because the location was not good and the business was always losing money and there was no improvement, the shop owner finally lost heart and decided to transfer or rent the entire shop.


    After everyone searched, they packed all the suspicious items in evidence bags, and were about to leave here and temporarily seal off the scene to prevent damage, Li Fufeng, who wasing down from the second floor, suddenly stopped and looked back at the back.


    The steps spread upwards, revealing a small tform that the shop owner had set up on his own. The neat and exquisite tables and chairs were shrouded in shadows, silently waiting for their owner.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Liu Ningshuang, who was walking in front, asked.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Li Fufeng shook his head in confusion.


    ¡°Just now, I felt like someone was watching me¡­¡±


    ¡°Hiss¡ª¡ª¡± Liu Ningshuang took a cold breath, ¡°You¡¯re giving me goosebumps. There¡¯s not even a ghost shadow up there, you must have felt wrong.¡±


    ¡°Maybe?¡± Li Fufeng also started to doubt himself.


    He followed Liu Ningshuang out of the shop door, sealed off the entire milk tea shop from the outside, and then left.


    On the second floor of the milk tea shop, a young man who had been sitting at the table from beginning to end, but no one saw him, picked up the coffee cup in front of him, took a sip of coffee, and slowly stood up.


    He walked to the window and looked at Li Fufeng¡¯s departing figure.


    ¡°Such a strong intuition, that personst time was him, right¡­¡±


    A naive and tender voice of a little boy came from behind. ¡°Big brother, is this the hide and seek you were talking about? It¡¯s really fun. We¡¯re right here, I even talked to them, but they can¡¯t see or hear! They¡¯re all fools~¡±


    The boy sitting in the chair across the table pped his hands andughed. He, who had just turned ten, seemed to be more naive than children of the same age. This was a child who had grown up under excessive pampering and strict protection.


    His curious eyes were as bright as stars.


    ¡°It¡¯s really amazing, big brother, how did you do it?¡±


    The young man at the window turned around, smiled slightly, and said something he didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Because under the shadow, is my domain.¡±


    <i>¡ª¡ªThe [Shadow Council] hidden in the city¡¯s reflection had already arrived here. How can mortals who can¡¯t fish the moon out of the water see the world in the reflection?</i>


    As his words fell, the shadow enveloping the second floor gradually faded away, as if ayer of the dark ck canvas of heavy ink and color was wiped away, and the color became much lighter.


    It seemed that an invisible and illusory world was rapidly dissipating, and the surrounding space returned to reality. The two seemed to walk out of a barrier and return to the real world.


    <i>¡ª¡ªThe [Shadow Council] scene was temporarily withdrawn. After all, the consumption of nightmare crystals is extremely fast, use it sparingly.</i>


    And the young man sat down at the table again, smiling and looking at the little boy. ¡°Let¡¯s continue ying the game.¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 29

    Chapter 29


    Not long after the five unconscious bandits were taken away, today¡¯s breaking news swept the headlines.


    <i>[The ten-year-old only son of a local well-known group director, Gong, was kidnapped. Five members of the criminal gang were arrested, one is missing. The hostage¡¯s whereabouts are unknown. ording to the five suspects who have been arrested, they only knew the other man for one day and knew nothing about his real identity. After he took the initiative to find them and provide them with a criminal n, the five suspects dly agreed and took action. Thest known suspect is in his early twenties, about 1.78 meters tall, and ims his code name is ¡°K¡±¡­]</i>


    What followed was an announcement from the Yuanyang City Police Department.


    <i>[This suspect is extremely dangerous, using hostages as bait to force family members to participate in the game. We hope everyone will actively provide clues. If anyone identally participates in the game, please do not fall into the trap of criminals because of personal grudges and do irreversible things. The child is innocent! There arews in the world! If there is really injustice, believe that the government will give you justice!]</i>


    Netizens who were shocked by this news were all stunned.


    <i>[¡­???]</i>


    <i>[Speechless, what¡¯s going on with Yuanyang City?]</i>


    <i>[I was so scared that I quickly opened the app to buy train tickets and wanted to leave Yuanyang City overnight, but the tickets for the next half month were sold out??? This is outrageous.]</i>


    <i>[This K is really 999 (100%), super awesome. Why do I feel more arrogant than the previous serial killer? I have a sense of anime super viin, where is the superhero?]</i><i>[To tell the truth, I feel that this Gong (whoever it is, we won¡¯t name it, those who understand will understand) deserves it. Retribution for ingratitude, no wonder he was chased and blocked by vigers.]</i>


    <i>[Don¡¯t look at his good reputation outside, people in the circle know how dark this guy¡¯s hands are. Just say one thing, Gong¡¯s Group was Yuan¡¯s Group ten years ago. Those who understand will understand, those who don¡¯t understand won¡¯t understand even if you say it, the water here is too deep, the interests involved are too big, hide, hide, doge.]</i>


    <i>[No matter what, children are innocent. What did the little friend do wrong? Although this Gong¡¯s character is not good, as a father, he is quitepetent. If it weren¡¯t for his own son, he probably wouldn¡¯t be willing to publicize the game process and let others know his dark history.]</i>


    <i>[Competent as a father??? hahaha, does the person above want tough me to death and inherit my bank card with a debt of 100,000?]</i>


    <i>[Laughing to death, I bet many people don¡¯t know that Gong has a daughter too? She is the child of his first wife. On one hand, he showers his beloved son with paternal love like a mountain, on the other hand, his legitimate daughter was kicked out to fend for herself before she even came of age.]</i>


    <i>[¡­¡­wow, I smell fresh gossip.]</i>


    <i>[It¡¯s not fresh, it¡¯s an old gossip. It¡¯s nothing more than a phoenix man marrying a rich and beautiful woman to rise to the top, kicking out his wife and daughter after getting the originalpany in his hands, and then suffering retribution that all his lovers couldn¡¯t have children, until he finally had a son to carry on his lineage at the age of forty, and then treasured him.]</i>


    <i>[Ah this¡­¡­the bloody depiction above sessfully made me lose interest in eating melons. This melon is hard to eat, spit!]</i>


    At the entrance of the first floor of the old city district apartment, Xia Jiajia, who was originally excited to eat melons, fell down, showing an extremely disappointed expression.


    ¡°As expected, fake melons are not delicious, let¡¯s eat real melons.¡±


    She moved out a big and round watermelon, showed off the watermelon knife and started to cut it, then turned her head and greeted the window on the second floor. ¡°Bai Yi, Bai Yi! Are youing down to eat melon? This melon is super sweet!¡±


    The young man in a hoodie heard the sound and came down from upstairs, his messy and slightly curly hair flicked up on top of his head.


    Xia Jiajia handed over a piece of cut melon, somewhat curious. ¡°What have you been doing upstairs these past two days?¡±


    Since thest time she sessfully shared the joy of eating melons with Bai Yi, during these days of vacation, the two of them had happily formed a two-person melon-eating group. No matter who was eating melons, they would share it with the other little friend, and the rtionship between upstairs and downstairs was extremely harmonious.


    ¡°What else can I do besides ying games?¡± Bai Yi, with dark circles under his eyes, yawned, looking like a young man addicted to the inte.


    ¡°Is it still the previous game? What game hasn¡¯t bored you for so long¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Not this time, it¡¯s a small game I designed myself. Well, I¡¯m bored, so I¡¯m entertaining myself~¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Second floor of the milk tea shop at the airport.


    The little boy sitting in front of the table stared at the mobile phone screen on the table without blinking, looking eager to try.


    Across from him, the young man¡¯s fingers were clicking rapidly on the cartoon map spread out on the screen.


    ¡ª¡ªThis was clearly a single-yer game applet. The style was very cute, but the design was very casual.


    In the game, the cartoon character representing the protagonist kept jumping up and down under the chase of a group of elephants, avoiding attacks. There were long elephant trunks sweeping like sticks, water ball attacks, elephant trunks rolling up rocks to attack¡­¡­the attack methods were numerous, and the directions came from all sides, making it difficult topletely avoid.


    The health bar above the protagonist¡¯s head began to drop rapidly.


    Until the protagonist opened the backpack, chose gold coins, and began to attack the elephant group. The attack method was throwing gold coins. Once hit by a gold coin, each elephant would have a dizzy status icon above its head, and the chase speed would slow down. After being hit three times, it would directly faint on the spot.


    The cartoon character representing the protagonist took this opportunity to escape from the chase of the elephant group, all the way to the end, and finally seeded in breaking through.


    During this process, the boy watched with great concentration, his eyes not blinking, until the end he let out a gasp of admiration.


    The young man withdrew his hand. ¡°Ding ding ding, breakthrough sessful!¡±


    He seemed to be acting as a gamementator, using a passionate voice to narrate the series of operations just now. ¡°The protagonist Fang Fang sessfully passed the first level, and continues on the treasure hunt! Let¡¯s see what the next level is¡­¡­¡±


    <i>[Ding ding ding, the second round of the game task has started!]</i>


    <i>[Please arrive at Beishan Cemetery alone before 15:00 today. The specific location has been sent.]</i>


    When Gong Fang received the message from the kidnapper [K] again, the time on his mobile phone had already pointed to 14:30.


    From where he was to Beishan Cemetery, it would take at least thirty minutes at normal driving speed, and now he only had half an hour left, not a minute or a second to waste.


    Gong Fang didn¡¯t say a word, and set off in a hurry.


    As thergest cemetery in Yuanyang City, Gong was of course very familiar with Beishan Cemetery. But he didn¡¯t know why [K] wanted him toe here, until he arrived at the location indicated by the coordinates deep in Beishan Cemetery and saw that standing tombstone.


    And the young woman standing in front of the tombstone with her head bowed.


    She was a girl in her early twenties, wearing a light blue long skirt, but she looked very capable.


    She turned her head when she heard the footsteps, and the features that were revealed made Gong feel extremely familiar, and he was stunned on the spot.


    After hesitating for a full five seconds, Gong recalled his daughter¡¯s face from deep in his memory: ¡°You are¡­Xiao Yao?¡±


    He looked at the tombstone again, and it was indeed his ex-wife¡¯s photo on it ¨C he never knew when she had died, and where she was buried after her death.


    But the young woman frowned in disgust because of his address. ¡°Don¡¯t call me like that! How did youe here?¡±


    As soon as she finished asking this question, she realized it herself. <i>Who let the news on the inte spread like wildfire?</i>


    ¡°Oh, is it for your precious son? How could I forget, he is your lifeblood for carrying on your lineage!¡± Gong¡¯s expression became a bit awkward. He forced a loving expression. ¡°He is also your brother¡­¡±


    The next moment, his mobile phone made a familiar sound.


    <i>[Long-lost reunion, is it family or enemy?]</i>


    <i>[The person in front of you must be very familiar, right? You once moved her mother with your excellent education, moving rhetoric, and a fairly good-looking face ¨C that gentle and innocent youngdy who was about the same age as her now; thus bing her only reliance after her father¡¯s death, obtaining the power of Yuan¡¯s Group, and changing its ownership within a few years.]</i>


    <i>[When that woman lost the inheritancewsuit and was driven out of the house by you with her sick body and young daughter, you probably didn¡¯t think that more than ten yearster, you would see her tombstone.]</i>


    <i>[The person standing in front of you is your biological daughter by blood, and also your enemy who hates you to the bone.]</i>


    <i>[And the clue to your heir, the precious son who will carry on your lineage, is in her hands.]</i>


    Seeing this, Gong¡¯s expression moved, as if he finally understood what was going on. ¡°You know K? No, your brother was kidnapped by you? Yes, it must be you.¡±


    He excitedly took a step forward, his face full of regret. ¡°I was wrong to your mother and daughter back then, I have regretted it over the years, and dad has always wanted to find you back. Xiao Yao, you must not go astray for revenge¡­¡±


    ¡°???¡± Yuan Yao was full of question marks, and snorted coldly, ¡°Are you crazy? What does that kid being kidnapped have to do with me? If I had that ability, I would have taken action against you a long time ago!¡±


    Fortunately, a new text message appeared on the phone at this time.


    Gong lowered his head to look at the phone.


    <i>[Oh, by the way, don¡¯t misunderstand. The clue I¡¯m talking about is where thest round of the game is, you can get the answer from her, if she is willing to say.]</i>


    <i>[¡ªOn her eighteenth birthday, which is also thest birthday she spent with her mother, where was it?]</i>


    <i>[¡ªThat is the location of thest round of the game. Please arrive on time before 19:00 tonight. Otherwise, you will lose your precious son who will carry on your lineage forever.]</i>


    At the end of the message, there was a very familiar sentence.


    <i>[Forgiveness or judgment, I look forward to this answer.]</i>


    Looking at the changing expression on Gong¡¯s face, Yuan Yao seemed to guess something, and a mocking smile appeared on her face. ¡°It seems that it is indeed a game proposed by the kidnapper, I won¡¯t be the key to whether you can pass the level, right?¡±


    Gong¡¯s awkward and ugly face confirmed everything.


    This made herugh out loud in front of her mother¡¯s grave, very freely. ¡°So, surnamed Gong, you have your day too!¡±


    ¡°Xiao Yao, I know I owe you and your mother, dad will definitelypensate you in the future, you can take revenge in any way you want. But your brother is innocent, he didn¡¯t do anything wrong to you. He¡¯s still so young, you can¡¯t just watch your brother die¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough, first tell me what you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°Eighteen, where did you spend your eighteenth birthday?¡± Seeing Yuan Yao¡¯s loosening tone, Gong immediately seized the opportunity and asked this question urgently.


    With the time limit of arriving before seven o¡¯clock, and not knowing how far it was from here, he dared not waste a single moment.


    But this sentence was like touching a fish scale, making Yuan Yao¡¯s loosened face quickly darken, and directly froze.


    Her voice was as cold as ice. ¡°At that time, my mother was already very sick, she didn¡¯t want to continue to stay in the hospital and waste money, she took me to the ce that meant the most to her in this life¡­¡±


    While speaking, she silently observed Gong¡¯s face, but found that he seemed to bepletely unable to remember what the ¡°most meaningful ce¡± was, so she snorted and stopped talking.


    Gong was listening attentively, but found that the key point was suddenly missing, which was tens of thousands of times more anxious than facing the author¡¯s broken chapter. ¡°Where is it exactly?¡±


    Yuan Yao suddenly stepped aside, pointed at the silently standing tombstone, and put forward a condition. ¡°First, kowtow a hundred times to my mother, sincerely, this is what you owe her.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Gong¡¯s face was incredulous.


    But Yuan Yao was unmoved. ¡°After you finish, I will tell you the answer. Whenever you finish, I will tell you.¡±


    ¡°¡ªDon¡¯t you want to see your son sooner? For such a small degree, you are not willing to do it for your son? In the future, never say that you are a good father.¡±


    Her sarcastic remarks made Gong¡¯s face turn red with anger. ¡°Fine! Fine! You¡¯re very good! I¡¯ll kowtow¡ª¡±


    <i>Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.</i>


    The sound of kowtowing echoed in the cemetery, sounding a bit scary, but Yuan Yao hummed a cheerful tune in her heart.


    She looked at the man in front of her who had be an enemy, and after the pleasure of revenge dissipated, what surged in her heart was a heavy sadness. ¡°Since you have finished kowtowing, then I will tell you¨Cthe ce we went to that year was the Xingfu Orphanage.¡±


    Gong¡¯s face changed slightly.


    ¡°That was the orphanage that my grandfather started funding from the year my mother was born, and my mother would go to the orphanage every year until you drove us out of the house. That year, she identally saw a man volunteering there, thought he was diligent and kind, so when this man pursued her high-profile in school, she agreed so quickly.¡±


    ¡°Reality proves that what you see may not necessarily be true.¡±


    ¡°She took me there not for a certain man, but for thest time to say goodbye to those little friends who regarded her as an angel. She didn¡¯t want my heart to be filled with only hatred, she wanted me to see more meaning in life, and pass on the happiness she got after helping others to me.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, two yearster, the Xingfu Orphanage unexpectedly caught fire and was burned to ruins.¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 30

    Chapter 30


    It took nearly three hours to travel from Beishan Cemetery to the eastern suburbs of the city where the Xingfu Orphanage was located.


    By the time Gong Fang arrived at the wastnd near the old site of the orphanage, the sun hadpletely set, and night had fallen.


    It was the fifteenth of July, a full moon hung high in the sky like a bright pearl, its diffuse rays of light casting ayer of hazy and blurred radiance on the curtain of night.


    It was as if specks of white frost were sprinkled on the exposed pebbles and clods on the surface of the dark wilderness, on the twisted and strange tree shadows that looked like the ws and tentacles of beasts, and on the corner of a gray-white building that was faintly visible deep in the forest.


    The continuous rain in recent days had turned the leaf-covered path into a muddy mess. Gong Fang walked along the forest path, his steps alternating between deep and shallow, each step making a slight noise on the ground.


    In the quiet night, this sound was particrly noticeable.


    ¡°This damn ce!¡± He, who almost slipped and fell, quickly steadied himself by holding onto a tree next to him, and couldn¡¯t help but curse.


    For this remote ce that he had hardly ever visited and had already be blurred in his memory, if it weren¡¯t for urate positioning and navigation, Gong Fang might never havee here in his life.


    He squinted his eyes to look at the vague gray-white wall at the end of his line of sight, and rummaged through the few memories in his mind. ¡°Is it there¡­¡±¡°Wu¡ª¡ª¡±


    Suddenly, a strange sound floated out from the gray-white wall, as if someone was crying. Immediately following was another eerie sound, as if someone wasughing.


    These cries andughter mixed together, were picked up by the drifting night wind from the end of the path, passed through the dense forest, mixed with the sobbing sound of the night wind, and circled around Gong Fang¡¯s ears.


    Gong Fang shivered from head to toe.


    He remembered, he remembered what this ce was!


    ¡°¡ª¡ªThat¡¯s the Seventh Hospital of Yuanyang City!¡±


    ¡ª¡ªAlso known as the rumored mental hospital.


    It was said that the Xingfu Orphanage and the Seventh Hospital next door were originally one entity. More than sixty years ago, this ce belonged to a very prosperousrge hospital, covering a very wide area.


    But that war which swept across the world destroyed everything.


    When the war subsided, and Yao Country was back on track, this area had bepletely deste and was designated as a suburb.


    Since there were already more and better hospitals in other areas, it seemed unnecessary to rebuild a hospital in the suburbs. The Yuanyang city government simply used the original hospital garden as a boundary andpletely separated it into two parts.


    The buildings to the west of the garden were converted into the Seventh Hospital, specifically for patients with severe mental abnormalities. The remaining small part of the buildings to the east of the garden became a ce to shelter war orphans, which waster renamed the Xingfu Orphanage.


    The distance between the two was only four hundred meters.


    Thinking of this, the image of the only time he had visited the orphanage and was frightened by a madman who ran out of the mental hospital next door resurfaced in his mind after many years, and Gong Fang¡¯s face turned paler than the moonlight.


    <i>[¡­Back then, she identally saw a man volunteering there, thought he was diligent and kind, so when this man pursued her high-profile at school, she agreed so quickly.]</i>


    At this moment, he suddenly remembered what Yuan Yao had said before.


    Gong Fang didn¡¯t understand at first, but at this moment, returning to the old ce, an experience from more than twenty years ago suddenly surfaced from the depths of his memory, making him realize with a start.


    ¡ª¡ªBack then, Gong Fang¡¯s target was just a girl in his department with a good family background. He heard that she was very kind-hearted and would volunteer at the orphanage on weekends. In order to win the girl¡¯s heart, he joined them to volunteer.


    However, this only volunteering experience gave him a deep lesson¨Ca little madman who suddenly ran out of the mental hospital next door. Even now, Gong Fang dared not admit that he was quite scared by a little girl who looked only seven or eight years old.


    This fear even made him give up his original pursuit n and never set foot in the southern suburbs again.


    It was shortly after he returned to school after volunteering that he suddenly noticed that the girl with the most outstanding family background in the school seemed to look at him differently and had a few good feelings for him.


    Even if this good feeling was not much, and he was not clear about the origin of this good feeling, it did not prevent Gong Fang from firmly grasping this opportunity and seizing this pie that fell from the sky!


    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is¡­¡±


    It was not until this moment that he understood the cause of all this.


    The gentle and beautiful face in his memory shed by.


    ¡°How silly¡­¡±


    ¡°Wu¡ª¡ª¡± ¡°Wu¡ª¡ª¡± ¡°Hee hee¡ª¡ª¡± ¡°Roar!¡±


    The terrifying and eerie strange sounds echoed in the night, and Gong Fang, who was immersed in his memories, was startled back to reality.


    The phone in his pocket suddenly rang!


    <i>[As you wish, the third round of the game officially begins! Please reach the Xingfu Orphanage on foot within ten minutes.]</i>


    Through the muddy path between the trees, the fork at the end of the path pointed to two directions, the right side was the gray-white building group hidden in the night, and the left side was a ruin that had been burned down for the most part, which was also the old site of the Xingfu Orphanage.


    Copsed buildings, wall rootspletely ckened by smoke, residues of unknown burned objects between copsed bricks and stones, arge area of scorched earth without a single weed¡­


    When Gong Fang crossed the position where the original gate was, this was the scene in his line of sight.


    Perhaps the only thing that was still rtively intact was a few small buildings on the far west side. Although it seemed to have been burned half, and was ckened, it seemed to have retained some existence due to the special building materials.


    <i>[¡ª¡ªWee to the Xingfu Orphanage. Our short but meaningful journey has finallye to an end!]</i>


    A passionate voice, like a tour guide¡¯smentary, suddenly came from behind Gong Fang, startling him.


    ¡°Who! Who is it?!¡±


    He turned around and found that on the side of the gate pir that had been burned down to only a section, not far from the corner of the ruins, and even further away on half of the wall, someone had installed one after another loudspeakers at some point. The passionate voice wasing from the loudspeakers, echoing in all directions.


    The other party was like a dutiful tour guide, introducing everything here to a first-time visitor.


    <i>[The Xingfu Orphanage has an ordinary yet happy name. Fifty years ago, the chairman of the Yuan Group was blessed with a daughter. In order to do good deeds and umte blessings for his newborn daughter, he sponsored a hundred orphanages across the country in one go. The Xingfu Orphanage, with its ordinary and happy name, stood out among several local orphanages and won the only sponsorship quota in Yuanyang City.]</i>


    <i>[His daughter did not let him down, growing into a gentle and kind person. After growing up, she actively participated in her parents¡¯ charity work, always paying close attention to the development of these hundred orphanages. Especially the local Xingfu Orphanage, she would visit once a year, having intimate and open conversations with the children, fulfilling each of their wishes.]</i>


    <i>[The Xingfu Orphanage became a truly happy orphanage. The angel in the fairy tale books had a face in the children¡¯s hearts. This ce was their heaven.]</i>


    (TL: ÐÒ¸£ ¡®Xingfu¡¯=happiness; well-being; bliss; felicity etc.)


    Although the sound quality of the loudspeaker and the mobile phone microphone was slightly different, with a little discernment, this voice obviously belonged to the man who called himself [K].


    This voice was initially low and gentle, with a dreamy and bewitching breath, as if one was about to unconsciously sink into the sweet dream he wove, but just as you were about topletely sink, his tone suddenly changed.


    The more gentle and dreamy the feeling he gave people before, the more eerie and strange this voice sounded now¡ª¡ª


    <i>[But a fire five years ago turned heaven into hell. They wailed and screamed, swallowed by the ruthless fire, and from then on became wandering ghosts in hell.]</i>


    <i>[They linger here, unwilling to leave.]</i>


    <i>[They are waiting for someone.]</i>


    <i>[¡ª¡ªNow, this person has finally arrived!]</i>


    <i>Thump!</i>


    Apanied by a sound like the background music of a horror movie, a cold wind blew, brushing against Gong Fang¡¯s skin exposed outside his sleeves. The faint chill seemed to crawl all over his body with his skin, making him shiver.


    ¡°Hee hee, it¡¯s you~¡±


    It seemed like a voice was blowing over his scalp with the cold wind. Gong Fang shivered and turned around on the spot. His gaze suddenly swept behind him, but there was nothing behind him.


    At this moment, he was already sweating profusely.


    He finally exploded. ¡°Enough! Stop ying tricks! I¡¯ve already done what you said, what else do you want from me? This has nothing to do with me! Nothing to do with me!¡±


    At this moment, Gong Fang should have been full of anger, like a bull ready to gore someone at any time, butbined with his sweaty reaction at this time, he seemed indescribably guilty.


    He looked around nkly on the ruins full of scorched earth, as if he was talking to a ghost wandering nearby. ¡°Are you going to give Xiao Tian back to me? Where is Xiao Tian? You didn¡¯t do anything to him, did you? I want to see Xiao Tian!¡±


    ¡°Oh, finally can¡¯t help but start worrying about your son?¡±


    The young man¡¯s mncholic voice drifted from around.


    ¡°Let me guess why you would react like this.¡±


    ¡°¡ª¡ªBecause you know very well what you have done.¡±


    ¡°¡ª¡ªYou don¡¯t have the confidence to be forgiven again.¡±


    ¡°¡ª¡ªYou start to worry that everything you¡¯ve done will be retaliated against your son in the same way.¡±


    ¡°¡ª¡ªYou¡¯re finally scared.¡±


    ¡°Enough, enough, enough! Stop talking!!¡±


    Gong Fang surrendered with a bitter smile. ¡°What exactly do you want me to do? As long as you don¡¯t hurt my son¡­¡±


    ¡°Within five minutes, enter the building two hundred meters to the northwest, and you will see your son.¡±


    As soon as these words came out, Gong Fang didn¡¯t say another word, took a nce at the charred building not far away, and ran straight towards it.


    ¡°Huff¡­huff¡­¡±


    His body, already in its fifties and ustomed to a life of luxury, was panting heavily under such torment. He was catching his breath while pushing open the deformed iron gate.


    Inside the house that had been burned to the ground, a projection screen suddenly appeared on the wall, which was particrly eye-catching.


    The young man¡¯s voice came out from it¡ª¡ª


    ¡°Five years ago, this was the warehouse where the Xingfu Orphanage stored food, and it was also the origin of that fire.¡±


    Gong Fang was suddenly startled and instinctively wanted to turn around and leave. Like a rabbit that had fallen into a trap and was fleeing in panic.


    ¡°Dad!¡±


    A tender call suddenly came from behind him, making Gong Fang freeze on the spot.<hr>


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 Chapter 31

    Chapter 31


    Gong Fang turned around with difficulty, his steps incredibly heavy. His expression was like that of a criminal about to be executed.


    The projection screen behind him had already quietly lit up.


    He thought he would see a picture of his crying son, but in fact, a picture of the boy did appear on the screen, but it was just a background image.


    Line after line of cold text emerged on the background.


    <i>[More than a decade ago, when Yuan Corporation became Gong Corporation, everything had already changed.]</i>


    <i>[For the sake of reputation, you did not abandon the charitable projects under Yuan Corporation, including the support for the orphanage.]</i>


    <i>[But the gap between sincerity and perfunctory will also lead to the gap formed after everything falls into ce.]</i>


    <i>[¡ª¡ªMiss Yuan¡¯s year after year of concern made Xingfu Orphanage worthy of its name, your year after year of perfunctory made everything go downhill.]</i>


    <i>[You began to be unwilling to bear the cost of supporting arge group of burdens, but you were also unwilling to give up the prestige it brought you. You, who prided yourself on being smart, quickly came up with a good idea.]</i><i>[Gong Corporation¡¯s huge industry provided you with help. The financial support given to the orphanage was all reced with more practical various materials, and arge number of water armies publicized and touted Gong Corporation¡¯s down-to-earth charitable way.]</i>


    <i>[Cheap clothing that looks exquisite but can¡¯t be worn a few times before it breaks, food that seems delicious but has actually expired and couldn¡¯t be sold out, toys that were defective during production and couldn¡¯t flow into the market¡­ The orphanage has be a ce for you to dump defective products and garbage.]</i>


    <i>[Originally, this was nothing. Even if the treatment has dropped a lotpared to the past, the children have nothing toin about, being fed and clothed is enough to make them grateful.]</i>


    <i>[But they didn¡¯t know that the lower limit of people is constantly decreasing. You quietly stretched out the first hand, the people below will stretch out the second hand, the third hand¡­ until one day five years ago, the children of Xingfu Orphanage made the news because of collective food poisoning, and you who were worried about attracting police investigation and exposing everything finally panicked.]</i>


    <i>[¡ª¡ªTemporarily attracting public opinion to the chef who was responsible for the cafeteria food that day, you decided to destroy the evidence, including the food stored in the orphanage warehouse that had not been eaten yet. Including the procurement list of the orphanage all along.]</i>


    <i>[The dean who had been bought by you long ago began to act that night. He drove all the children to bed early, and in order to avoid naughty childrening out in the middle of the night and breaking his actions, he locked all the room doors from the outside.]</i>


    <i>[¡ª¡ªAnd just in the process of him destroying the evidence, maybe because he was too panicked, maybe because of an ident, maybe he was the one who set fire to destroy the evidence, in short, a big fire spread from the warehouse to the entire orphanage.]</i>


    <i>[The children who were choked awake in their sleep were panicked, they beat the door, shouted, cried, wailed¡­]</i>


    <i>[But the dean and his helpers had already been trapped by the big fire in the warehouse one step ahead, they couldn¡¯t even save themselves, and others had been temporarily sent out of the orphanage with an excuse that night¡­ when the rescue arrived, it was already toote.]</i>


    <i>[¡ª¡ªThey were burned alive in the fire.]</i>


    <i>[This fire was finally defined as an idental fire, and all people and things were destroyed by the sea of fire. You breathed a sigh of relief¡ª¡ªyou were worried that everything would not be exposed, and it was even less likely that anyone would stand up and use you, you even got rid of a group of burdens because of this, and you shed a few fake tears in front of people and sighed a few times, which could also earn you a lot of praise.]</i>


    <i>[¡ª¡ªNo matter how you think about it, you made a big profit.]</i>


    Gong Fang¡¯s pupils contracted bit by bit, and he heard the sound of his teeth clenching tightly, and the words that floated out of his teeth. ¡°Mr. K, you misunderstood, I don¡¯t know anything¡­I, I didn¡¯t expect that those people below would pocket so much, and then push it on me¡­¡± He opened his mouth with great pain, ¡°It¡¯s all my fault for trusting them too much, I didn¡¯t expect that in the end it would harm these children!¡±


    Gong Fang was very clear that there was a device installed by the police on his body. Once he admitted anything here, what awaited him was at best ruin and disgrace, and at worst imprisonment.


    At the police station, they had been watching all this from a distance, while not forgetting to collect clues to track down K¡¯s people, and of course, they also judged the truth from his reaction.


    Liu Ningshuang, who had the most fiery temper, pped the table. ¡°This scum!¡± She said angrily, ¡°Why didn¡¯t the serial killer target this guy before?¡±


    After saying this, she realized her slip of the tongue. With her status, she really shouldn¡¯t say such a biased statement, and quickly covered her mouth. But her eyes, wide with anger, were still fixed on theputer screen.


    The faces of the others were also not good, but they were much more rational than her. ¡°The person who has been arranged to follow Gong Fang should be guarding the suburbs now, right? Keep an eye on the situation at all times!¡±


    The game rules only allowed him to y alone, but the police station couldn¡¯t possibly do nothing. They had always arranged for someone to follow at a sufficient distance, so that they could appear in time in case of any emergencies.


    Li Fufengforted. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, as long as he really breaks thew, even if we can¡¯t find evidence for the time being, we will never allow him to escape thew. In any case, after this matter is over, he must be investigated.¡±


    Just then, in the warehouse of the orphanage, a new picture appeared on the bright projection screen.


    So everyone¡¯s attention was drawn back.


    ¡°p p p!¡±


    With the crisp and rhythmic pping sound, the figure of a young man slowly appeared in the gradually brightening screen.


    He smiled and eximed. ¡°Your acting skills really opened my eyes, Mr. Gong.¡±


    ¡°¡ª¡ªBut it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    The young man slightly lowered his eyes, his tone a bit mocking.


    ¡°Pursuing truth or justice, that¡¯s not my duty.¡±


    In Gong Fang¡¯s bright eyes, he smiled slightly. ¡°All I want to do is find the right target, and then y a little game with them.¡±


    He looked up at Gong Fang at the other end of the screen, his ck eyes like condensed mist, arge shadow spreading in his eyes.


    ¡°Ding ding ding, now I announce, the clearance failed~¡±


    He yfully raised both hands and made a cross.


    Then, he calmly announced the game punishment.


    ¡°¡ª¡ªThose children lost their lives here, and you will lose your son here forever.¡±


    Gong Fang suddenly stood up. ¡°You killed Xiao Tian?!!¡±


    ¡°Ah, how could you think that? Do I look like such a cruel person? Is this the so-called judging others by oneself?!¡± The young man suddenly leaned back, showing an exaggerated surprised expression.


    The screen moved back with his action, revealing a child ying with toys in front of another table behind him, as if he couldn¡¯t see what was happening here at all.


    ¡­¡­..


    ¡°¡ª¡ªThe milk tea shop! It¡¯s that milk tea shop!¡±


    In the police station, Li Fufeng, who saw the environment where the young man at the other end of the projection was located, suddenly woke up, ¡°Quick! Go!¡±


    ¡°¡ª¡ªHe must be there!¡±


    ¡­¡­..


    In the warehouse of the orphanage, Gong Fang, who saw the little boy ying with toys at the other end of the screen, breathed a sigh of relief.


    The young man who noticed this bent his eyes in a very bad taste, sat up straight again, and stabbed seriously: ¡°More importantly, this is not your biological son at all!¡±


    Gong Fang: ???


    ¡°¡­You lost a son, but gained valuable truth, are you surprised? Are you moved?¡±


    A thoughtful paternity test report appeared on the screen.


    ¡°This, this is impossible!¡± Gong Fang was already in a mess.


    <i>¡­Just a few hours ago, he hadpletely severed thest tie with his biological daughter for this son, pushing away the daughter who could have been redeemed, and a few hourster, he was told that this was not his son?</i>


    <i>¡­He hade all this way, risking losing everything and even going to jail, just for a bastard?</i>


    <i>¡­He was childless???</i>


    Gong Fang¡¯s body swayed, and he fell to the ground.


    On the other side of the screen, the young man chuckled, ¡°Oh my, are old people so osteoporotic?¡±


    He reached out his hand, seemingly ready to turn off the projection.


    The next moment, he withdrew his hand, his head suddenly tilted to the side, and a shadow shed past his face.


    Looking closely, one would find that it was a long ck umbre, which, when thrust at him, was like a sword suddenly unsheathed.


    Following the tip of the umbre upward, the ck handle was held in a slender palm. A man who had suddenly appeared was dressed in a long ck trench coat, his light golden hair falling over his eyelids, making his eyes seem devoid of warmth.


    It had started to rain outside the window.


    The young man sitting at the table didn¡¯t move, just stretched out two fingers to take the tip of the umbre from both sides, smiled and raised his head, ¡°Oh my, it¡¯s really rude toe uninvited without the owner¡¯s permission!¡±


    The blond man who suddenly appeared looked down at him, suddenly curled his lips, and gentle ripples stirred in his drooping eyes.


    ¡°Using someone else¡¯s name without permission seems to be even more rude behavior. And, if I¡¯m not mistaken, I shouldn¡¯t be considered uninvited, should I?¡±


    His tone was gentle and elegant, his palm gently rotating the umbre handle, his aura immediately became dangerous, ¡°What do you think, Mr. ¡®K¡¯?¡±


    The two of them were chatting like old friends.


    And not far from the projection, Gong Fang, who was at the other end of the projection, was like a piece of garbage that no longer had any use value, and was directly forgotten by the two in the corner.


    ¡°Cough cough cough.¡± The young man, known as ¡°Mr. K,¡± coughed lightly, acknowledging the meaning in the other¡¯s words, ¡°Ah, it¡¯s just a little test.¡±


    ¡°Testing whether I have the capacity to be used?¡±


    ¡°It seems you¡¯ve figured it out. Indeed, deliberately provoking the police is to cause trouble for both of us at the expense of others, isn¡¯t it? You¡¯re worthy of being the new member I¡¯ve taken a liking to.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you don¡¯t meet my aesthetic.¡±


    The blond man¡¯s tone was elegant, but his actions were sharp and ruthless, his posture with the ck umbre seemed to be dancing, ¡°You came to this world one step ahead of me, seem to understand everything about me, and can guide my aesthetics the moment I appear¡­I¡¯m really curious about your identity!¡±


    The ck umbre drew a sharp arc in mid-air, but it seemed to cut through anotheryer of void space, and the young man shrouded in shadow didn¡¯t even make a dodge posture.


    He still had the leisure to remind, ¡°Hey hey hey, if you dy for another minute, the police wille, Mr. Wanted.¡±


    ¡°In the background, you manipted everything, used me to clear your target, and alsopleted a small, small, test¡­¡± The blond man heavily recited thest four words, ¡°In such a short time, you¡¯ve done so much, you¡¯re not in a hurry to leave, why should I be?¡±


    The dense footsteps sounded downstairs, although faint, but for them, it was very obvious.


    The blond man looked at the ripples of shadow drawn by the tip of the umbre, and suddenly smiled, ¡°So it¡¯s the shadow of Dawn City¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey hey hey, we¡¯re kind of like fellow townspeople, and soon we¡¯ll be aplices, so it¡¯s not good to expose me like this.¡±


    ¡°Aplice?¡± The blond man was slightly taken aback.


    ¡°Anyway, there¡¯s still a vacancy here.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s the position of the Shadow Council President, I might consider it.¡±


    With the footsteps getting closer and closer, he didn¡¯t stay any longer, leaped out of the window, and disappeared into the rain in an instant.


    Leaving the young man sitting in ce, and Li Fufeng and others who rushed in, face to face.


    ¡°Ah, I was ruthlessly betrayed.¡±


    Facing the gun pointed at him, he sighed, obediently raised his hands, without any intention of resisting.


    ¡°¡­Today is another day of having to work on the front line because I couldn¡¯t recruit new members.¡±


    He suddenly remembered something and looked at Li Fufeng, ¡°By the way, your qualifications are not bad, you can be listed as a target for investigation¡­¡±


    In Li Fufeng¡¯s puzzled gaze, he cooperatively stretched out his hand to let the other party handcuff him, smiled and asked, ¡°Can you tell me your name?¡±


    There was nothing wrong with saying that, Li Fufeng smiled freely, and clicked the handcuffs tightly, ¡°Li Fufeng.¡±


    ¡°¡­I remember.¡±


    Li Fufeng shook his head, about to take the man away, but found that he was standing still, seemingly not so cooperative.


    He looked at him in astonishment.


    Just a moment ago, the young man who had been talking andughing blinked his eyes, the shadow in the depths of his pupils quickly receded, his eyes became a bit confused, and then gradually woke up from the confusion.


    Looking at the police in front of him and the handcuffs on his wrist, he opened his mouth in panic and confusion, ¡°This, this, this, what happened?¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 32

    Chapter 32


    ¡°Are we sure he¡¯s just an ordinary person?¡±


    ¡°We can basically confirm that.¡±


    ¡°Fang Zhi, male, 24 years old, a local from Yuanyang City. All his records from childhood to adulthood are here, nothing unusual. Moreover, he doesn¡¯t know any of the people involved in this case, there¡¯s no connection between them.¡±


    ¡°¡­ording to his statement, he went out for a walk as usual after dinnerst night, and then he doesn¡¯t remember anything. The next thing he knew, he was a suspect. That is to say, from about eight o¡¯clockst night to eight o¡¯clock tonight, almost twenty-four hours, his memory is nk.¡±


    ¡°¡ªHe lost a day¡¯s memory without knowing it. And just during this day, hemitted a major crime that shocked the whole Yuanyang City?¡±


    ¡°Although this sounds like a clumsy lie, all the clues point to this. Several experienced old detectives can determine that he is not lying. There are also many experts in psychology who can testify for him.¡±


    ¡°There are many possibilities now. One, he is a criminal with superb acting skills and a master of psychology, deceiving everyone with his performance¡ªthis is not impossible. Two, he is not lying, but was hypnotized, his memory was modified by someone, and the modifier¡¯s technique is extremely sophisticated, far beyond the general sense of hypnosis. Three, in the past twenty-four hours, the one controlling this body was not him, he was just an unlucky guy picked at random.¡±


    ¡°¡ªThere¡¯s another possibility, he knows the person behind the scenes.¡±


    ¡°¡­Then continue the investigation ording to these spections.¡±¡°Before we can fully confirm, he cannot be let go. If he is indeed innocent, this is also a form of protection.¡±


    ¡°¡ªI will apply for a special arrest warrant from above.¡±


    At the Yuanyang City Police Station, after an overnight interrogation, the people who were full of fatigue walked into the conference room, their faces solemn.


    ¡°We originally thought it was just an ordinary kidnapping case, even if the kidnapper was a bit vicious, we didn¡¯t expect it to be linked to the serial murder case on the rainy night a while ago.¡±


    Chu Xingrui and other members of the Special Case Investigation Team, who were eager to catch the serial killer on the rainy night and did not participate in the investigation of the kidnapping case, rushed back after receiving the news and met with Li Fufeng and others. Chu Xingrui immediately grabbed Li Fufeng who was passing by and asked eagerly, ¡°I heard that the serial killer appeared, is it true?¡±


    Li Fufeng nodded, ¡°It¡¯s true, there¡¯s also video footage.¡±


    During the conversation, all the personnel had already gathered, the door of the conference room was closed, and the video that Li Fufeng and others had watched several times was yed on the projection screen in the conference room, and the first to appear was the kidnapper ¡°Fang Zhi¡±.


    However, at the moment, everyone¡¯s attention was only partially focused on this person who was already staying obediently in the police station, and more thoughts were on the serial killer who had run away.


    When that ck umbre suddenly appeared in the lens, the people in the conference room who were prepared couldn¡¯t help but concentrate.


    In the next moment, the blond man in a ck trench coat officially entered the scene, appearing in front of everyone for the first time.


    ¡°Although it wasn¡¯t captured in the video, but from that direction, we can guess that he should have entered from the window¡­¡± The member of the Special Case Investigation Team who was watching this video for the first time spected.


    Li Fufeng, who had been to the scene at the time, gave a definite answer, ¡°That should be correct, andter he left by jumping directly out of the window.¡±


    Speaking of this, Liu Ningshuang was full of regret.


    ¡°¡­I had guessed long ago that he was not an ordinary person, but I didn¡¯t expect to let him escape in the end.¡±


    Out of caution, the police who arrived at the scene were divided into two groups. Li Fufeng and his group entered the milk tea shop, while Liu Ningshuang, who was more agile, was left behind with another group of colleagues to block the surroundings to prevent the suspect from escaping.


    In fact, their blockade was very tight. All possible escape routes, like the back door and windows, were within the blockade range. If anyone came out, they would be surrounded immediately.


    But their target was not an ordinary person at all!


    They clearly remembered that the moment the blond man jumped out of the window, they were ready to move forward, but in the blink of an eye, the person was gone.


    ¡°Can you imagine? A living person, a living person just disappeared under my eyelids!¡± Speaking of the scene at the time, Liu Ningshuang was still incredulous. She gestured dramatically with both hands, her tone filled with shock, ¡°Really! It¡¯s like seeing a ghost in broad daylight! He just came out of the window, and it was as if someone had erased him directly from mid-air with an eraser! If it hadn¡¯t happened right in front of me, I would have doubted if I was dreaming.¡±


    ¡°¡ªWe were all dumbfounded on the spot!¡±


    ¡°How could we possibly catch a person with such abilities?¡±


    The atmosphere in the conference room had be somewhat depressed, and everyone fell silent.


    Even among them, there were experienced old detectives who had been fighting wits and courage with criminals for many years. At this time, they couldn¡¯t help but feel a faint sense of powerlessness. After all, this time, they were not facing ordinary people, but truly extraordinary beings.


    If the previous spection about supernatural powers was just a guess, then now the guess has obviously be a fact. How should they, who have no special powers themselves, respond?


    At this moment, they felt somewhat at a loss.


    An Yuansheng, the oldest and most stable member of the Special Case Investigation Team, spoke up, ¡°This matter is no longer something we can handle. On the way here, I have already reported to the cab, and all the videos and other materials have been uploaded to the capital¡­ If nothing unexpected happens, the capital will specially dispatch personnel to establish a new department to deal with supernatural rted events.¡±


    ¡°This also includes the supernatural events that urred in Yuanyang City.¡±


    Hearing him say this, the others reacted, ¡°So this matter will soon be taken over by a new department?¡±


    For a moment, they didn¡¯t know what to feel. They felt both shame and relief, rxation and a bit of unwillingness.


    Probably guessing the thoughts of the crowd, An Yuansheng continued, ¡°But before that, this is our task. No matter what, we have to do our best. If we can analyze some key intelligence, even if it has to be handed over to others in the end, it¡¯s still a contribution.¡±


    Everyone nodded in agreement, showing a look of deep understanding.


    In the conference room projection, the short ten-minute video had already finished ying, and then it was the second time, the third time, the fourth time¡­ Everyone watched the video over and over again, wishing they could focus on every detail with a magnifying ss.


    The conversation between the blond man and ¡°Fang Zhi¡± was the most important part, and they analyzed it word by word.


    <i>The more they analyzed, the more they felt, this information is so huge!</i>


    ¡°First of all, we can determine the identities of these two people¡­¡± Yin Xubai almost understood everything after watching it once, ¡°The guy who imed to be K was just using a pseudonym, the serial killer we¡¯ve been chasing all along is K. As for the other person, he should belong to an organization called the Shadow Council, and is an important member of it, most likely the so-called president.¡±


    ¡°Previously in their conversation, they mentioned Dawn City, and mentioned that the two of them came to this world one after another, so, to specte boldly, outside our real world, there should be another world where the extraordinary live, isn¡¯t this the setting in web novels?¡± Chu Xingrui took over, ¡°In the extraordinary world, there might also be countries, regions, cities, and the president of the Shadow Counciles from Dawn City.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes, if we follow this line of thought, this series of events should actually be these two people fighting across space.¡±


    In the brightly lit conference room of the police stationte at night, everyone was brainstorming, starting to make reasonable guesses based on clues.


    In the old city areate at night, Bai Yi, who had staged a ¡°I tear myself¡± drama,zily opened the Puppet Master¡¯s diary.


    At this time, the people in the conference room had pieced together the whole picture of the incident¡ª


    ¡°Assuming that there is another extraordinary world that we don¡¯t know about, long before this, the president of the Shadow Council came to the real world for some unknown reason, and for unknown reasons, other members of the council probably did not descend¡­¡±


    At the same time, Bai Yi was writing with his pen¡ª


    <i>[Beyond the bLUE Star, there exist countless foreign dimensions. Whenever different dimensions ovep due to unknown reasons, abnormal space-time nodes appear.]</i>


    <i>[A few years ago, the appearance of an abnormal space-time node brought the uncrowned king of Dawn City to this world¡­]</i>


    ¡­¡­


    In the conference room, everyone continued¡ª


    ¡°Because he appeared in the real world earlier, the president of the Shadow Council had ample time to redevelop his power and collect information in the real world.¡±


    ¡°The victims of the serial murder case on the rainy night a while ago, and Gong Fang this time, were probably already on his target list¡­¡±


    <i>[The Puppet Master, who adheres to the concept of embodying the greatest evil and devouring all evil, despite losing all his foundation in Dawn City, did not get discouraged. Instead, he silently hid himself, redeveloped in this brand new world, and started his old business again.]</i>


    <i>[He hid in the shadows of the city, contributing to the city¡¯s environmental protection¡­]</i>


    ¡°Shush shush shush shush¡­¡±


    Smooth handwriting was being written on the notebook.


    ¡­..


    ¡°Just at this time, K also came to the real world for unknown reasons. Not knowing that the president of the Shadow Council was also here, he just arrived and touched the other party¡¯s intelligencework, was discovered by the president of the Shadow Council, and moved to recruit him¡ªthis shows that K in the extraordinary world should be an unorganized individual.¡±


    <i>[The Puppet Master, who originally wanted to quietly clean up all the target garbage, discovered K¡¯s arrival and immediately had more choices.]</i>


    <i>[He decided to include this person under hismand and strengthen the council.]</i>


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Then, it¡¯s the guidance mentioned by K, and the test mentioned by the president of the Shadow Council.¡±


    Yin Xubai added, ¡°If I¡¯m not guessing wrong, K, the serial killer on the rainy night, killing the so-called people who fit his aesthetics, should give him some benefits, perhaps rted to his supernatural powers.¡±


    ¡°¡­So, the president of the Shadow Council secretly used some means to guide him, allowing him, who had just arrived in Yuanyang City and was unfamiliar with life, to quickly find the target that fits his aesthetics.¡±


    ¡°¡­And in fact, these people are probably already on the president of the Shadow Council¡¯s list. Just like Gong Fang.¡±


    ¡°In this way, the president of the Shadow Councilpleted the test of K, and by the way, solved the people he wanted to solve.¡±


    <i>[As the former uncrowned king of Dawn City, the Puppet Master understands K¡¯s abilities, such as his extraordinary equipment.]</i>


    <i>[When the ck umbre transforms into a gun, its bullets are condensed from the turbid soul energy. The more turbid the soul of each person who dies under K¡¯s hand, the stronger the extraordinary bullet condensed.]</i>


    <i>[So, the Puppet Master guided K to find the garbage that should be on his cleaning list, cleaned it up, andpleted the test of K by the way, which can be described as a win-win.]</i>


    ¡­..


    ¡°As for K, he probably didn¡¯t notice at first, butter he probably found something wrong, so he suddenly started killing wildly¡ªwe thought this was because of your provocation, King Chu, this is his provocation to us.¡±


    The named Chu Xingrui smiled embarrassingly, and listened to others continue to analyze, ¡°But now it seems that he probably provoked both sides at the same time, we are just incidental. Maybe our carpet-style search and city-wide martialw is exactly what K wants, he might want to force the person behind the scenes to show up.¡±


    <i>[¡­The Puppet Master urately received K¡¯s provocation, he realized that the other party had discovered the artificial guidance, which made the Puppet Master happy. It¡¯s worthy of being a member he values, the smart IQ in his head upies the high ground.]</i>


    <i>[So, the Puppet Master decided to give his own response.]</i>


    ¡­..


    ¡°Then, there was the kidnapping incident. This should be the response given by the president of the Shadow Council. Hemitted the kidnapping case under the name of K, causing a worldwide sensation, probably wanting K toe to him actively?¡±


    <i>[The Puppet Master actively hooked K in a high-profile manner.]</i>


    ¡­..


    ¡°Finally, it¡¯s what we saw in the video. The only thing the president of the Shadow Council probably didn¡¯t expect was that K not only did not agree to the recruitment, but even deliberately exposed the existence of the Shadow Council at the expense of others?¡±


    Inside the police station, everyone closed all the clues and finally formed a logical chain that seemed to have no loopholes.


    ¡°¡ªBut, did he really not expect it?¡±


    The atmosphere in the conference room stagnated for a moment, and everyone took a long breath, ¡°Anyway, at least we are no longer in the dark now.¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m not guessing wrong, this time is mostly just a tentative fight between the two of them, and they didn¡¯t even take it seriously¡ªknowing that the milk tea shop has been exposed, they definitely can¡¯t stay there for long, let alone expose their hole cards in front of us.¡±


    ¡°¡­K found the person behind him who was using him, and the president of the Shadow Council also conveyed the intention of recruitment, and both sides achieved their goals.¡± Yin Xubai, the smartest person, guessed, ¡°Maybe now we are studying their identities here, these two people have already started a deeper confrontation in a ce we don¡¯t know.¡±


    The others suddenly felt that he made a lot of sense, ¡°Yeah, maybe they¡¯re fighting now.¡±


    They all showed a solemn expression on their faces.


    On the second floor of the apartment in the old city area, the Puppet Master¡¯s diary had already been included in the Shadow Council interface, and the light in the bedroom went out with a snap.


    Bai Yi got into bed, yawning sleepily.


    While Yin Xubai and others were still staying upte and going bald, the Puppet Master and the man behind K, who were said to be in a fierce fight, had already fallen asleep peacefully :).<hr>


    We are currently recruiting. CN/KR/JP Trantors/MTLers are wee!


    Discord Server: https://discord.gg/HGaByvmVuw

 Chapter 33

    Chapter 33


    July 16th, 9 a.m. Yuanyang City.


    Upon waking up, everyone noticed the change in the city, as if it had returned to a month ago overnight.


    The topic of the Rainy Night Serial Murder Case on the inte, after nearly a month of continuous discussion, had gradually cooled down. The previous carpet-style search and wide-range investigation onlysted for two days and then disappeared. What reced it was a sensational kidnapping case.


    All sorts of negative information about Gong Fang were dug up overnight, directly upying the top six spots of the local hot search.


    <i>[??? What happened? Wasn¡¯t he supposed to be a well-known phnthropic entrepreneur? Hmm, abandoned his wife and daughter, embezzled, bribed, evaded taxes, even murder and arson came out???]</i>


    <i>[The fire at the Xingfu Orphanage was a big deal locally back then. I heard that none of the sixty-three children escaped. At that time, everyone thought it was an ident, but now you¡¯re telling me this might have been man-made? My God, he harmed so many children, hasn¡¯t Gong had nightmares over these years?!]</i>


    <i>[I didn¡¯t expect that a kidnapping case would reveal so many secrets. I originally wanted to say that the kidnapper was heartless, even able to harm such small children, and even yed games? What the hell! Now? I just want to say, well done boss! If it weren¡¯t for this boss exposing it, who would know that Gong Fang is such a scumbag under his human skin? Strongly request imprisonment!]</i>


    <i>[Latest news, Gong Fang has been taken away by the police for investigation. If there are no idents, he should be going to jail soon.]</i>


    <i>[hahaha Satisfying! Let him get more sentences!]</i><i>[Am I the only one who wants to know if the Rainy Night Serial Murderer has been caught? Now that the kidnapping case has been solved, what about the Rainy Night Serial Murder Case? Isn¡¯t this a greater threat?]</i>


    <i>[You upstairs, didn¡¯t you see that the patrolling police have already withdrawn? There¡¯s also no carpet-style search. The attitude of the police clearly indicates that the Rainy Night Serial Murder Case has been solved, either the criminal has been caught, or it is confirmed that he has left the city, anyway, there is no danger in Yuanyang City.]</i>


    <i>[Some special cases, the police will definitely not disclose the inside story to the public, this time is mostly like this.]</i>


    <i>[I also think so, the Rainy Night Serial Murder Case made such a big fuss, the whole country was rmed, the inside story must be astonishing. Now the police do not announce it, mostly because it is inconvenient, maybe when the timees, they will announce the inside story?]</i>


    <i>[Anyway, I haven¡¯t done anything guilty, so I¡¯m not afraid. Now I¡¯m more curious about what will happen to Gong¡¯s Group after Gong Fang is arrested? It should be handed over to his daughter to inherit, right? Isn¡¯t it said that his son has no blood rtionship with him?]</i>


    <i>[Anyway, the stock of Gong¡¯s Group has been falling all the way, it is said that part of the industry will also be investigated, after the investigation, it should be handed over to the youngdy, even if the industry of Gong¡¯s Group shrinks a circle, it should be enough for her to live without worry for a lifetime, right?]</i>


    <i>[Hahahaha thinking about it this way, I¡¯m satisfied! The wheel of fortune turns, who can escape the heavens! The scumbag father abandoned his wife and daughter and monopolized the family business, and in the end, he went to jail. The youngdy was self-reliant and finally regained her family property. From the perspective of the youngdy, this is a satisfying female lead!]</i>


    <i>[Richdy, look at me! I have a bad stomach¡­]</i>


    <i>[Am I the only one still worried about the protagonist of this kidnapping case? I heard he¡¯s only ten years old, just got kidnapped and was frightened, then his beloved father is going to jail, and it was also found out that he¡¯s not his father¡¯s biological son, how miserable!]</i>


    <i>[My aunt works as a maid in the Gong family, I heard that his mother only knows how to eat, drink and have fun. As soon as she heard that Gong Fang was in trouble, she packed up her jewelry and left directly before dawn this morning, without caring that her son was still at the police station and hadn¡¯te home.]</i>


    <i>[Is this legal blindness? Can she choose not to raise her biological son if he¡¯s underage? Does she want to be charged with abandonment, and go to jail with Gong Fang???]</i>


    <i>[Latest news, the youngdy expressed her willingness to keep the little guy in the Gong family until he turns 18. But his biological mother must bear the necessary child support.]</i>


    <i>[Wow, the youngdy is really beautiful and kind-hearted. This is also good, I always feel that it¡¯s unreliable to follow such a mother¡­]</i>


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°¡­At present, the public opinion on the Rainy Night Serial Murder Case has been suppressed, and the inside story of the kidnapping case has sessfully diverted other people¡¯s attention. This has bought us some time, before more supernatural events ur and attract widespread attention, we can still control the news within a certain range. Here are the details of this matter, please open the file.¡±


    In a secret base conference room in the Imperial Capital.


    Someone stood on the stage, with a lit projection screen behind him.


    Those sitting below, without exception, were important personnel of the upper echelons of Yao Country, many of whom had appeared on TV news.


    On the most special observer seat on the side, was the nominal but powerless monarch Chu Xingbang and several elders.


    ¡°On June 23rd, the first Rainy Night Murder Case urred in Yuanyang City, and the victim¡¯s body was found at noon the next day¡­¡±


    With this person¡¯s voice, the corresponding files and photos appeared on the projection screen behind him.


    ¡°On June 26th, the second victim appeared¡­until July 7th, the murderer killed eleven people in half a month.¡±


    ¡°On July 10th, the Special Case Investigation Team arrived in Yuanyang City, and three more victims appeared that night. King Chu deliberately said some inappropriate words to solve the case, and two dayster, on July 12th, the murderer killed six more people, and the Special Case Investigation Team began a carpet-style search¡­¡±


    This person retraced the events that had happened in less than a month in detail, after all, many people in the conference room might only know the general idea and not the specific details.


    ¡°Then it was July 15th, which was yesterday, when the kidnapping case urred, and supernatural events surfaced for the first time.¡±


    ¡°The three supernatural events that can be confirmed at present, first is the most sensational Rainy Night Serial Murder Case¡­¡± The person on the stage signaled everyone to open the file, and the projection behind him also appeared, ¡°The confirmed information is as follows¡ª¡±


    On the projection screen, lines of text appeared:


    Name: K (suspected code)


    Identity: Unorganized extraordinary individual


    Appearance: Appears to be a mature male around 27 years old, with light golden hair, almost shoulder-length, deep emerald eyes, suspected to have the bloodline of the Holy Federation or the Chenxing Empire.


    Behavioral habits: Likes to wear a ck trench coat, carries a ck umbre (suspected to be a weapon with supernatural powers), likes to appear on rainy nights, likes to enter residents¡¯ homes uninvited, self-proimed as a traveler, likes to use honorifics, acts elegantly, suspected to have received good etiquette training.


    Extraordinary ability: Disappears on the spot, suspected teleportation. (It is spected that the condition for activating this ability is a rainy night, or it must be in the rain.) (It may also be unrestricted, appearing on rainy nights is his personal hobby.) Uses a ck umbre to attack. (Can transform into firearms, can be used as a sword for closebat.)


    Personality simtion: Likes to kill, arrogant and high-profile, conceited, has a strong desire to perform. Does not purely pursue the result of killing, enjoys ying and torturing others more, pursues excitement, will let people go/release people due to a whim, dine with the victims¡¯ families, even if it may bring him adverse effects.


    Supplement: On June 17th, a drunkard identally stumbled upon the scene of this person¡¯s killing but was spared. Afterward, it was discovered that the crime scene had disappeared. Upon analysis, it was very likely the time and ce where the perpetrator first descended into the real world, which had been sealed off.


    ¡°This person is extremely arrogant and conceited, without a sense of good and evil. He may have a certain care for children, perhaps rted to his experiences. While killing, he enjoys getting feedback from others, just like a performance must have an audience. If he is not subdued by the president of the Shadow Council in the future, he will definitely continue tomit crimes, but the target may not be limited to Yuanyang City¡­¡±


    The people below all frowned slightly, flipping over a new page of the file, while listening to the person on the stage continue to speak.


    ¡°The second case is rted to the Shadow Council.¡±


    ¡°At present, we only know that this should be a supernatural organization hidden in the dark. The leader of the organization is likely a lone individual who came to the real world and secretly developed the Shadow Council.¡± The person on the stage switched the screen, ¡°It¡¯s worth mentioning that a police officer from the Yuanyang City Police Department pointed out to us that on June 17th, a car ident urred in Yuanyang City. There were factors behind the scenes that were induced by someone. All clues point to an existence on the inte with the code name ¡®Doctor¡¯, whose style of action is very suspicious. He suspects that he may be a member of the Shadow Council.¡±


    ¡°¡­We will re-examine all the cases that have urred in Yuanyang City over the past few years based on this clue. Perhaps there are traces of the Shadow Council among them.¡±


    ¡°The information currently known is roughly¡ª¡±


    New lines of text appeared on the projection screen.


    Name: Unknown


    Identity: President of the Shadow Council


    Appearance: Unknown


    Behavioral habits: Suspected to hide behind the scenes and mainly control others¡¯ actions. ustomed toyeringyouts, good at capturing human weaknesses, and guiding others¡¯ actions. Low-key, cautious, meticulous thinking, does not like to show off. Secretly and silently developed the Shadow Council, without leaving traces for many years. This time, he suddenly vited his character and took high-profile actions. In addition to recruiting people, it is suspected that some unknown event suddenly urred that made it impossible to continue to develop quietly in an orderly manner, such as an unknown change in the supernatural world. This unknown change may also be the reason why K came to the real world.


    Extraordinary ability: Suspected to be rted to shadows, can negate attacks in the shadows, can remotely control other people¡¯s bodies. The specific strength and range are temporarily unknown.


    Personality simtion: Overly radical ¡°justice¡± has be evil, has a set of self-justifying moral norms and judgment standards. For the scum of humanity recognized by universal values, whether they have vited thew or not, they will be judged. Under normal circumstances, he will not take action himself, but will guide others to willingly take action. He is suspected of considering himself as the shadow behind the light, a ¡°dark enforcer¡± with ideals, beliefs, goals, and is very difficult to shake.


    Supplement: The Shadow Council under hismand is likely a ¡°darkw enforcement organization¡± hidden in the dark, which cleans up the cleaning targets defined by them as scum through guiding other people¡¯s actions, while they themselves hide in the shadows.


    ¡°At present, it seems that the Shadow Council, as an organization, may have a wider range than K as an individual, but because of their style of hiding in the shadows, the impact they cause in front of the public is very slight.¡± The person on the stage switched the screen, ¡°So, we can investigate slowly, without having to make a big fuss and rm the public.¡±


    ¡°Thest supernatural event only exists in legend¡­¡±


    As this person¡¯s voice fell, many pictures and text materials appeared on the projection screen.


    ¡°It¡¯s a flower shop that exists in legend, said to be able to fulfill the wishes of its customers. Only those who have suffered misfortune and have a strong desire have a chance to see this magical flower shop¡­¡±


    ¡°And every customer who enters the flower shop will eventually receive a seed from the shop owner. When the seed blooms in the sincere wish, it will bring blessings and good luck to its owner.¡±


    ¡°So far, the only evidence we have is a girl who was suffering from a terminal illness but sessfully recovered. We originally wanted to take the flower for testing, but apart from the owner of the flower, no one could touch the petals. And the other seeds brought out from the flower shop, ording to the test, are just ordinary seeds, no special features were found.¡±


    The people below were whispering to each other, discussing, and the sound of flipping files kept ringing.


    ¡°Because this matter has now spread very widely, we have also consciously done some publicity. Many people have heard about the mysterious flower shop. All major hospitals have terminally ill patients and their families who firmly believe it, as well as other groups, such as the disabled, families of mentally retarded children, etc., many people believe this legend. From those who are most likely to be customers, we are closely watching. Once the mysterious flower shop reappears, we will receive the news at the first time.¡±


    ¡­..


    ¡°In summary, we have reason to suspect that there will be more and more supernatural events, which may mean the beginning of a new era.¡±


    ¡°Just like in the industrial age, our Yao Country was the first to seize the opportunity, so we could lead step by step. The Chenxing Empire implemented political reforms earlier than us, constitutional monarchy, but we surpassed them with a moreplete and advanced system¡­ The emergence of supernatural events also means new opportunities, we must not miss. This may be our chance topletely surpass other countries!¡±


    ¡°We believe it is necessary to establish a special department to deal specifically with supernatural events, which may be the beginning of a new era.¡±


    This meetingsted for a long time.


    <i>¡ª¡ª[Supernatural Affairs Investigation Bureau], this special department that will lead Yao Country forward in the new era, was thus born.</i>


    And Bai Yi, who had a good sleep and didn¡¯t get up until the sun was high at noon, was preparing today¡¯s lunch.<hr>


    We are currently recruiting. CN/KR/JP Trantors/MTLers are wee!


    Discord Server: https://discord.gg/HGaByvmVuw

 Chapter 34

    Chapter 34


    ¡°La~¡±


    ¡°Happiness is such an easy thing~¡±


    Humming this song that he had heard so many times in his childhood that it left a deep impression, Bai Yi suddenly scooped up a fish from the basin, swinging it by its tail in the air for several circles.


    The fish was so dizzy that it saw stars.


    Then, with a ¡°plop¡±, he threw it onto the cutting board.


    For a moment, water droplets sshed everywhere.


    And the next instant, the surrounding space seemed like a movie scene slowed down countless times. Those sshed water droplets traced slow trajectories in Bai Yi¡¯s vision, scattering in mid-air like a celestial maiden scattering flowers.


    Then, they formed a series of transparent, blurry words.


    The Nightmare Game System suddenly came online¡ª<i>[Your card [Ghost in the Rainy Night¡ï] has collected 100 legend degrees, sessfully materialized from virtual to real!]</i>


    <i>[From now on, equipping this card will no longer consume any nightmare crystals. The card character haspletely broken through the restrictions of the nightmare, bing a part of the yer as easy to use as one¡¯s own arm.]</i>


    <i>[The situation after each cardpletely materializes not only depends on the initial characteristic setting but also on the impression made on the world during the process of collecting legend degrees. From fake to real, from virtual to actual. The depth of the world¡¯s belief in the false content will determine the content that bes real.]</i>


    <i>[Do you want to view the details of the materialized card?]</i>


    ¡°From fake to real, from virtual to actual?¡± Bai Yi stared at the line of text in front of him, no longer in a hurry to deal with the fish, ¡°So the essence of the legend degree is simr to human willpower, the power of fantasy, the power of faith¡­¡±


    From the beginning when he learned that the card needed a legend degree to exist for a long time, Bai Yi had some guesses.


    <i>¡ª¡ªThe card itself is a fictitious creation from the nightmare. When the legend degree is sufficient, it can directly materialize and exist in reality for a long time. In a sense, isn¡¯t this equivalent to ¡°a god born from human fantasy¡±?</i>


    <i>If he made everyone believe that [K] really existed and believed that he possessed some extraordinary abilities, then, at the moment when the cardpletely materialized into reality, would it be a real extraordinary?</i>


    One should know that up until now, the nightmare fragment copies that Bai Yi had passed through were just ordinary copies without any special powers, whether it was [K], or puppet master Xu Dong, or even the florist who preached in the flower shop, they did not possess extraordinary powers within the copies.


    If only a few ordinary people were materialized, it would be of no use to his goal of transforming the world and making everyone extraordinary.


    But if his guess was correct, he could make the cards ¡°pretend to be extraordinary¡±, make everyone believe that they were truly extraordinary, and finally materialize several cards into real extraordinary beings. Then, the effect would be much greater!


    So, Bai Yi began his own cunning operation.


    He first used his ability to deploy character cards at any time and retrieve character cards at any time to create an elusive image for several cards, even making people mistakenly believe that the Ghost in the Rainy Night could teleport at any time during a rainy night;


    Then there was the [Puppet Master] card.


    Originally, it was a behind-the-scenes ck hand who controlled others¡¯ lives with his brain, wisdom, and the huge power of the Shadow Council, and did not possess any extraordinary powers himself.


    But Bai Yi first forged for it the ability to hide in the shadows ¨C in fact, this was the temporary materialization effect of the Shadow Council temte; then through two vests ying a scene against each other, deepened and strengthened its invincible image in the shadow domain;


    In addition, he also forged for this card the ability to control others remotely.


    The first few points were easy to disguise, but thest illusion of remotely controlling others was not simple.


    This had to mention the day the Nightmare Game System went online, the only transcendent skill Bai Yi obtained¨CPraise of the Blind lv1.


    This skill had a total of four additional effects.


    Including passive goodwill aura, active reduction of presence, and temporary enhancement of strength at the cost of reduced vision, thest and most special effect was [Adams¡¯ Soul Praise].


    <i>Adams¡¯ Soul Praise:</i>


    <i>Can only be used once, unique consumable. After using this skill, it will summon a soul phantom that obeys yourmands 100%, and will go through fire and water for you until itpletely dissipates.</i>


    <i>[Note: This is a praise for the ¡°blind¡±. You yed with the enemy whose strength far exceeded yours in the identity of the blind,pleted the identity swap of the hunter and the prey, ignited the nightmare with the me of revenge, and obtained the special soul praise of regret.]</i>


    At that time, Bai Yi noticed the unusualness of this special effect. <i>A soul phantom that obeysmands 100%? Does it mean that I can inhabit it with my consciousness?</i>


    Bai Yi¡¯s thoughts suddenly opened up.


    Since his own skills could be used when he equipped any card, Bai Yi first equipped the [Puppet Master] card, then used [Adams¡¯ Soul Praise], and summoned a soul phantom [Adams].


    Since this was a soul phantom that obeyedmands 100% and would not resist, it was reasonable and logical to let it give up its own control of the soul and let the consciousness of the [Puppet Master] control its soul phantom, right?


    Then came the most critical step.


    As a phantom of the soul, being able to possess a living person and control their body was even more reasonable, right?


    So, [Puppet Master¡¤Bai Yi] casually chose a poor guy, controlled Adams¡¯ soul phantom, possessed this guy, and gained control of his body.


    In other words, Bai Yi controlled the [Puppet Master] who controlled [Adams] who controlled the poor guy¡¯s body¡­


    In this way, in the eyes of the unknowing, it became the Puppet Master possessing the extraordinary ability to remotely control others¡¯ bodies.


    <i>But in fact, when you peel off the firstyer of the poor guy [Fang Zhi], the secondyer [Soul Remnant Adams] appears, when you peel off the secondyer [Soul Remnant Adams], the mysterious [Puppet Master] appears, when you peel off the thirdyer Puppet Master, you will find that everything is Bai Yi messing around!</i>


    <i>{Fang [Adam (Puppet [Bai Yi] Master) Si] Zhi}</i>


    <i>¡­This is the legendary nesting doll, right? ??</i>


    After all these cunning operations, he hadpletely fooled people.


    But whether this method of ¡°misleading people into thinking that character cards have extraordinary powers through deception¡± could ultimately allow character cards to truly materialize extraordinary powers, Bai Yi couldn¡¯t be 100% sure.


    And now, it was time to test whether his cunning operation was indeed feasible!


    <i>[Do you want to view the details of the materialized card?]</i>


    Staring at the line of text in front of him, Bai Yi decisively chose [Yes].


    A phantom card slowly emerged from mid-air, solidified into substance, and directly rushed towards Bai Yi¡¯s forehead.


    Bai Yi immediately had a feeling in his heart that in the future, he wouldn¡¯t have to summon cards through the system anymore. As long as he had a thought, he could directly split a piece of his mind into a vest avatar.


    Lines of text refreshed in his pupils.


    Ghost in the Rainy Night¡ï


    1 Rainy Night Teleportation lv10


    Description: When night falls, all ces covered by rain are within your teleportation range. You can teleport from one rainy ce to another at any time. Even from the eastern hemisphere to the western hemisphere, from the southern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere.


    Note: This skilles from the characteristic of the ghost that appears in the rainy night at any time. Through the yer¡¯s multiple times of instant deployment and instant withdrawal of cards, the public is misled to believe that the character has teleportation skills, which are widely recognized and spread, and be real from virtual.


    2 Gunfighting lv3


    Description: Gunfighting level that surpasses human limits.


    Note: Through the rainy night serial murder case, yourbat ability has been widely recognized and spread. In the legend, the ck umbre in your hand is an extraordinary weapon that can switch between firearms and swords. Due to the deep belief of the world, after the legend degree reaches 100, your gunfighting skill that surpasses human limits is materialized with the card.


    <i>[The card has been materialized. If the yer wants to upgrade this card, please collect more legend degrees on this basis, or use higher-level nightmare crystals.]</i>


    <i>¡ª¡ªIndeed! The extraordinary ability has indeed materialized!</i>


    Bai Yi couldn¡¯t help but raise the corners of his mouth, waving the kitchen knife joyfully. ¡°La, it¡¯s a sess!¡±


    A stream of blood spurted out. The fish, which had been lying on the chopping board for a while, no longer dizzy but began to have difficulty breathing, was immediately killed!


    Bai Yi, in a good mood, prepared a sumptuous meal for himself, of course, fish was indispensable.


    He ate while thinking about the next n.


    Before, in addition to the Ghost in the Rainy Night K, and the Puppet Master, he also had some arrangements for the Flower Speaker character card.


    Using the characteristic of the [Ordinary Flower Shop] scene temte itself being illusory and not belonging to reality, he forged a mysterious flower shop that exists in another space and can only be entered by destined people, making every customer firmly believe in it.


    <i>But in fact, apart from the fact that this scene temte is indeed magical, the [Flower Speaker] itself has no special abilities.</i>


    <i>What wish fulfillment, it doesn¡¯t exist!</i>


    <i>It¡¯s just a pyramid scheme leader with max affinity, the [Flower Speaker] has a hammer¡¯s ability to fulfill wishes!</i>


    All the flower seeds given to customers are of course just ordinary flower seeds, and no one can check out any abnormalities.


    <i>¡ª¡ªIf the Supernatural Affairs Investigation Bureau, who checks those flower seeds one by one and stays up all night, knew this fact, they would definitely doubt life and couldn¡¯t help but ask: What¡¯s wrong with this world, can¡¯t there be a little trust between people?</i>


    The reason Bai Yi did this, of course, was based on his guess that ¡°the legend degree is simr to the power of will, as long as there are enough people who believe, or the power of will is pure and devout, the character cards can turn falsehood into truth, and virtual into reality.¡±


    <i>If so, when those customers truly believe that a sincere wish can make the seeds bloom and help them fulfill their wishes, who¡¯s to say that the wish won¡¯t reallye true?</i>


    <i>This is equivalent to the customers first providing the [Flower Speaker] with the legend degree, allowing the [Flower Speaker] to truly possess the extraordinary ability to fulfill others¡¯ wishes, wouldn¡¯t the fake be real?</i>


    <i>¡ª¡ªDoes this method sound familiar?</i>


    <i>¡ª¡ªDoesn¡¯t it resemble a pyramid scheme leader who first uses a shellpany and a grandiose n to swindle arge amount of money from customers, then uses the money to create products, and then gives back to the customers, only that the money is reced by the power of will/legend degree???</i>


    Previously, because he was not sure whether the guess could be true, Bai Yi didn¡¯t use the [Flower Speaker] card too many times.


    After all¡­fooling people like this, the conscience would also hurt.


    In fact, he was toozy to spend too much time on something uncertain, lest he develop arge number of downlines and then find out that he can¡¯t produce any products at all, wouldn¡¯t that be a waste?


    Now that the n is confirmed to be feasible, Bai Yi decided to equip the [Flower Speaker] card more often when he has nothing to do, and fill up the legend degree as soon as possible.


    Because the flower shop didn¡¯t reveal any ¡°miracles¡±, the current progress of the legend degree was only 37, which was the result of the legend of the mysterious flower shop spreading all over the inte.


    As for the [Puppet Master], Bai Yi opened it and looked at the legend degree¨C<i> it was already 69???</i>


    He interestingly curved his eyes. ¡°Oh ya oh ya, it seems that the Puppet Master haspletely exposed to the upper echelons of Yao Country~¡±


    <i>¡ª¡ªAt present,izens¡¯ understanding of this card is limited to the information released by the police: the leader of a criminal organization [Shadow Council]. As for the special power to control others, and even the identity of the extraordinary, none of it was revealed.</i>


    <i>Even though everyone knows the existence of such a person, but the understanding of its detailed information is so scarce, logically speaking, the progress of the legend degree should not be so fast.</i>


    <i>And now the legend degree of 69 is still slowly rising, the only exnation is, from the upper echelons of Yao Country!</i>


    <i>¡ª¡ªOrdinary people know almost nothing about the Puppet Master, most of the upper echelons of Yao Country have already figured out the information that Bai Yi deliberately revealed, and the rted information is still spreading among the upper echelons, this is the reason why the legend degree of this card is constantly rising.</i>


    Analyzing this through the changes in the legend degree, Bai Yi slowly stood up and stretchedzily.


    Humming a tune, he strolled over to the window in three or two steps, his curious gaze cast in the direction of the imperial capital.


    ¡°Ah, having discovered a special power that ispletely unknown and not under control, how will those people respond?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Establish relevant institutions, investigate the traces of possible extraordinary powers over the years?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Look for folk oddities and entrics, especially those religious organizations that were once regarded as feudal superstitions by the public?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Or, among the extraordinary beings that have already appeared, try to connect with the most likely cooperative extraordinary being?¡±


    By the end, the corners of Bai Yi¡¯s mouth slowly curved up.


    He coughed lightly, and suddenly spoke seriously.


    ¡°Well then, it¡¯s decided that it¡¯s you.¡±


    Bai Yi suddenly stretched out his hand, and with a swipe of his fingertip, he threw out a card.


    The card slowly rotated in mid-air, revealing a scene full of flowers and a young man with a gentle smile amidst the flowers.


    ¡°¡ª¡ªGo, Pikachu!¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 35.1

    Chapter 35.1


    ¡°¡­Please don¡¯t worry. I have already received enoughpensation.¡±


    ¡°¡ª¡ªMay your wishese true.¡±


    Pink, white, purple, blue, red, the flowers bloomed wildly, forming a sea of flowers, decorating the entire flower shop.


    The young man on the rattan chair smiled like a spring breeze, sending off another customer.


    He had an ordinary young face, eyes that were more transparent and inclusive than the most knowledgeable elder, and when he smiled, it was purer and more beautiful than the most innocent child, making people unconsciously feel close to him.


    With this spring-like smile, he looked outside.


    The back of the customer, the moment they stepped over the threshold of the flower shop, was like crossing an invisible ripple,ing out of the water. The entire flower shop was like an illusion in the water, a pce under the sea, with a water-like membrane separating it from the surrounding world.


    Through the transparent ss wall of the flower shop, he saw a twisted and chaotic world.


    Low and dpidated buildings, walls and roofs still carrying the style of a castle from decades ago; bars and convenience stores with signs covered in thick dust, employees at the door listlessly soliciting business; streets where sewage flowed and garbage was dumped at will; gang members fighting fiercely on the street; passers-by who were innocently killed andy in a pool of blood because they couldn¡¯t dodge in time; and children with backpacks who ran past the fighting crowd, sticking to the wall of the street with an expression of indifference¡­The roar of firearms, the friction sound of wheels and the road during emergency braking, screams, curses, angry roars, and the usualughter in the distance¡­


    The flower shop stood silently at the end of this street, all of this was presented before his eyes without reservation.


    ¡°No wonder it¡¯s the most chaotic royal district in Xing Country!¡±


    Xing Country, officially known as the Chenxing Empire. As one of the few major countries on the Blue Star withparable national strength to Yao Country, the social environment of Xing Country was far less stable than that of Yao Country. More precisely, the environment of Xing Country was the most dangerous and chaotic among the major countries.


    In the final analysis, it was rted to the political system of the Chenxing Empire.


    Although the Chenxing Empire was the first country to end the feudal system and implement a constitutional monarchy, thest monarch under the feudal system did not voluntarily choose to give up his rights, he was overthrown by the wave of times.


    With the advent of the industrial age, the liberation of people¡¯s thoughts, the pursuit of human rights, freedom, and equality, more and more people found it difficult to ept that there was a king who had the power of life and death above their heads, and even more difficult to ept the situation where one person was served by a country and one personmanded a country.


    The initial outcry was not loud, but like a wildfire, it gradually turned into a torrential trend, sweeping up from the bottom of the Morning Star Empire, even the supreme throne of the king was ced on the burning firewood and scorching fire rack.


    In the end, thest monarch of the feudal era reluctantly handed over most of the power in his hands, thus he was able to retreat from the surging public opinion, preserving the dignity of the king.


    However,pared with theter Yao Country, the constitutional reform of the Chenxing Empire was notpletely thorough.


    The emperor was not powerless, merely a seal of honor, but still held a part of the military power, which was also the confidence of the royal family.


    The power of the Chenxing Empire waspletely divided into three.


    The emperor himself, the excellent people from the noble ss of the empire formed the cab, and the members of the parliament elected by the people from themon people, the three stood separately.


    During the war that swept the world fifty years ago, it was the most united time for all sses of the Chenxing Empire, and since then, the struggle has been constant for the past fifty years.


    The three high-level factions were not satisfied with the power they held, trying to get more power from the other two factions, and the lower-ss people were also dissatisfied with the status quo, thinking that the current empire did not achieve what they sought when they overthrew the imperial system.


    In addition, the Chenxing Empire did not ban firearms, the bureaucratic system belonging to the three factions was intriguing, the area near the imperial capital was fine, but the remote ces were very chaotic.


    At this moment, the King District where the flower shop was located, was the area with the most gangs, the highest crime rate, and the most chaotic management in the Chenxing Empire. If it was divided by the concentration of ¡°misfortune¡±, it could rank at the forefront of the entire Blue Star.


    Bai Yi randomly ced the flower shop every day based on the concentration of ¡°misfortune¡±, and had already made a round in various countries, and it was not surprising that it was finally the turn of the Chenxing Empire today.


    In the sea of flowers, all the flowers seemed to have received sufficient fertilization, and they stretched their posture wantonly. Sniffing the increasingly strong fragrance of the flowers in the shop, his gaze fell on the chaotic street not far away, and the young shopkeeper was thoughtful.


    ¡°Cultivating too much soil of misfortune is indeed beneficial to the development of the flower shop, but what is most needed here is not my kind of superficial solution, but a more intense solution!¡± He gently stroked the petals, murmured, suddenly thought of something, the smile on his lips seemed to gently open in the spring breeze.


    ¡°¡ª¡ªI think, someone will definitely like it here.¡±


    As his voice fell, at the door of the shop, a figure slowly emerged in mid-air. As if it was sketched out by invisible ink on a nk piece of paper.


    ck clothes and ck umbre, the light golden hair was shining in the sun, his deep green eyes like jade looked in the direction of the young shopkeeper, the corners of his mouth raised a perfect arc.


    ¡°Good afternoon, it¡¯s a rare and splendid day.¡±


    ¡°¡ª¡ªThis is the first time for me.¡±


    The shopkeeper stretched out his hand. ¡°Then, please enjoy it.¡±


    The suddenly appearing man smiled slightly, his gaze casually swept around, fell back on the shopkeeper, and spoke in a polite tone. ¡°It seems that a new journey has begun. Is this the ce you rmended for me? It is indeed very, very, very in line with my aesthetics.¡±


    The young shopkeeper stood up, also smiled and walked towards the door: ¡°Yes, I guess you will like it here.¡±


    He pushed open the door, letting the sunlight pour in, and with it came the turbid and agitated breath.


    ¡°Well then, I wish you a pleasant journey.¡±


    ¡°I will, I think I definitely will.¡± K sniffed lightly with a fascinated expression, ¡°Hmm, even the air is floating with an exciting scent¡­I can¡¯t wait!¡±


    He returned a salute, opened the ck umbre and walked out of the shop.


    The scorching sun was firmly blocked outside by the ck umbre, his face was shrouded in the shadow of the umbre, only a pair of deep green pupils rippled.


    The young shopkeeper smiled and watched him leave, turned around and walked back into the shop, just sat down on the rattan chair again, and heard a scream, he looked up.


    On the dirty street, there were still many people who had just fought fiercely lying across, the man stepped on a wrist without mercy, and just passed through the crowd like this.


    <i>Bang bang bang¡­</i>


    Before long, on the street, the gunfire that had just stopped soon rang again, and everything returned to chaos.


    No one saw that at the end of the street, the flower shop, just as it suddenly arrived, disappeared again.


    ¡­¡­


    On another continent, the Holy Federation.


    A flower shop appeared silently on a street, and as the customer pushed the door in, the shopkeeper on the rattan chair raised his head.


    ¡°Wee~¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Above the South Sea, a group of indsposed of many ind countries.


    An ordinary flower shop suddenly appeared silently on the beach of a small ind¡­


    ¡°Wee~¡±


    ¡­¡­


    West Sea, thergest ind country, Sang Country.


    Near a shopping mall in the capital, in the suddenly appearing flower shop, the shopkeeper recited that familiar line.


    ¡°Wee~¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Then, it was the various provinces and cities of Yao Country.


    ¡­¡­


    [Flower Language Expert¡ï¡î]


    [Legend Degree: 81¡ü]


    Due to changing locations every day, making its presence felt in various ces on the Blue Star, the legend degree of the [Flower Language Expert] was rising rapidly.


    On this day, Bai Yi continued to make his presence felt as usual. This time he chose a second-tier city in the maind of Yao Country.


    Feeling the fluctuation of the scene temte barrier, the young man who had beenzily sleeping on the rattan chair opened his eyes.


    ¡°Wee, what can I do for you?¡±


    His first reaction was to recite this line with a smile, and then, he slowly turned his gaze to the door of the shop.


    This time, an elderly person appeared.


    Her clothes were not worn out, but they seemed to have rolled on the ground and were covered with a lot of dust. Her full head of silver hair was also very messy, and she looked dazed.


    ¡°Where¡­where is this?¡± The old woman who seemed to have stumbled in looked around in panic, ¡°I¡¯m looking for my little granddaughter, how did I get here?¡±


    She finally saw the young man standing up in the sea of flowers, and a look of desperation appeared on her bewildered face. ¡°Young man, have you seen my little granddaughter? She¡¯s about this tall,¡± the old woman gestured with her hand, ¡°wearing a red skirt, I tied two little pigtails for her. She loves the little pigtails I tie for her the most.¡±


    As she said this, she cried andughed, and her expression became dazed again. ¡°Where is my little granddaughter! It¡¯s all my fault, it¡¯s all my fault, it¡¯s all grandma¡¯s fault for losing you!¡±


    The young man in the flower bush looked at this scene, his expression thoughtful. His light brown pupils showed a faint sadness, and the warm and soft color of his eyes seemed to melt.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your granddaughter will be back by your side soon.¡±


    He just said this with a faint smile.


    The originally frantic old woman seemed to suddenly sober up, and without hesitation, she believed his words. It was as if someone had cast some kind of magical and incredible magic on her.


    The young man handed a transparent ss bottle containing flower seeds to the old woman. ¡°This is a seed watered by longing. On the day the flower blooms, the person you miss will reappear in front of you with the blessing of the flower.¡±


    ¡°Really? My little granddaughter ising back¡­¡±


    The old woman clutched the bottle in her hand as if it were a treasure.


    Just then, she suddenly remembered something and took out a small package the size of a palm from her pocket in a trembling manner. ¡°Right, I remembered, if you meet a young man who runs a flower shop, you have to give this thing to him.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    In the capital, the newly established Supernatural Affairs Investigation Bureau, for convenience, also has an ancient name ¡®Detective Department¡¯.


    As a department specifically for investigating and managing supernatural affairs, as soon as it was established, the first batch of people who hade into contact with supernatural objects were transferred here.


    An Yuansheng, the oldest and most experienced, became the head of this department, and Li Fufeng, Liu Ningshuang, Chu Xingrui and others also became members of this department.


    Yin Xubai, a special scientific research talent, was even more so. Together with the scientific research personnel specially transferred from various ces in Yao Country by the cab, they formed the research group of the Supernatural Affairs Investigation Bureau.


    In addition, there were those responsible for public opinion, logistics, field work¡­ everything was well arranged.


    At this moment, everyone was discussing the matter of the mysterious flower shop.<hr>


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 Chapter 35.2

    Chapter 35.2


    ¡°¡­All the information about the mysterious flower shop in the past month is here. Its appearance time is irregr, and it has been found in various provinces and cities in Yao Country. Moreover, we have also found news about the mysterious flower shop on foreignworks. It is preliminarily judged that the flower shop is in a special space, and as long as the customer meets the requirements, no matter where they are on the Blue Star, they have the opportunity to enter the flower shop.¡±


    ¡°¡­These are the surveince videos collected from various ces during this period. It is obvious that the target suddenly disappeared in the surveince video, and then suddenly appeared in the original ce after a period of time. It should have entered the special space where the flower shop is located.¡±


    ¡°¡­ording to the big data analysis and screening, among those who are most likely to be customers of the flower shop, four people have been confirmed in this period of time, but when they encountered that flower shop, they did not notify us as agreed. Afterwards, they said that at that time, they were like being hypnotized, uncontrobly wanting to go into the flower shop to take a look, andpletely forgot to notify us. But their minds were clear.¡±


    ¡°¡­At present, we have equipped all the remaining targets with USB drives, videotapes, recording pens, etc., to ensure that they can convey our intentions to the shopkeeper when they suddenly enter the flower shop.¡±


    Just at this time, someone rushed into the meeting room.


    ¡°Good news, good news, just one minute ago, one of the devices we sent out, number 7231, suddenly lost its signal and disconnected. It is suspected that it may have been carried into the special space where the mysterious flower shop is located.¡±


    The others immediately showed a look of surprise. ¡°Quick, quick, quick, bring out the target information of number 7231!¡±


    Soon, rows of detailed information appeared on the screen.


    ¡°Xu Feng¡¯e, 55 years old, three years ago, when she took her six-year-old granddaughter out for a walk, the granddaughter was lost. For the past three years, she has been looking for her granddaughter everywhere. Because of self-me and the me of her whole family, she has some mental abnormalities¡­ We persuaded her to carry those little things she didn¡¯t understand with her, on the condition that we would do our best to mobilize all resources to help her find her lost granddaughter?¡±After reading the detailed information of this old woman, everyone present couldn¡¯t help but sigh for her, and Liu Ningshuang even sincerely said, ¡°I hope that flower shop is really as magical as the legend says, at least it can reunite this old woman¡¯s family.¡±


    ¡°We, the police, will also do our best to find people!¡±


    Although he had already left the original Yuanyang City Police Station, Li Fufeng, who couldn¡¯t change his habits for a while, spoke up next.


    The others also nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Anyway, this time we finally have a breakthrough in the supernatural event of the mysterious flower shop. As soon as peoplee out of the flower shop, we must invite them over as soon as possible!¡±


    ¡°¡­This might be our first time dealing with an extraordinary being in a proper manner, even if it¡¯s just a remotemunication. At least it¡¯s a good start.¡±


    Because they were worried about leaks, the USB drives and other items they asked the targets to hand over to the flower shop owner did not mention any supernatural events, just a normal video. A video conveying friendly information from the Supernatural Affairs Investigation Bureau.


    They probably praised the shop owner¡¯s good deeds, and at the end of the video, this diplomat, who was selected from many colleagues, was said to be proficient in psychology, micro-expressions, and had a high affinity, speaking as if he was a spring breeze.


    <i>¨C¡°You have been of great help to the people of Yao Country, and we are truly grateful. If possible, we hope to have the opportunity to meet you in person and express our thanks to you.¡±</i>


    In addition, they also included a special bank card with the USB drive, which the other party could withdraw money from any bank in Yao Country at any time, as a small token of sincerity.


    ¡ª¡ªOf course, Yao Country would not deliberately monitor the flow of funds from this bank card, such a thing would only be annoying if discovered. For them, as long as this bank card is used by someone afterwards, it means that the mysterious shop owner has at least material needs in reality, and is not without desires or demands. Then they have a breakthrough in cooperating with the other party.


    After such a self-proimed sincere operation, all they had to do was wait.


    Wait for the response of the mysterious flower shop owner, and then decide what to do next based on his response.


    <i>If the attitude is friendly, willing to meet, establish a cooperative rtionship with each other, and exchange information and resources for mutual benefit, that would be the best.</i>


    <i>However¡­</i>


    ¡°¡­ording to the personality simtion we have built for the flower shop owner, he has a bit of a game world mentality. He is very likely to maintain a friendly attitude towards our goodwill, but he may not be willing to get too involved in reality and establish too close a rtionship with the official.¡±


    A group of experts in psychology who had nned this long ago spoke up, and it was all very well thought out.


    ¡°So, we just need to simply express our friendliness. Even if the possibility of the other party cooperating with the official is extremely low, with his personality, after we take the initiative to show goodwill, he is likely to choose to use some not important supernatural world information to express to us a friendly attitude of not disturbing each other.¡±


    ¡°¡ª¡ªAnd this information, which is not important to him, is just to convey a friendly attitude, is very important to us!¡±


    ¡°¡ª¡ªThis is our first step in understanding the supernatural world.¡±


    It has to be said that these people¡¯s analysis was very urate.


    Not long after, Mrs. Xu came out of the flower shop and indeed brought good news to the people of the Supernatural Affairs Investigation Bureau.


    ording to her, after the mysterious shop owner watched the USB drive and video, he just smiled and said, ¡°So that¡¯s it! Is it because of the recent anomaly in Yuanyang City?¡±


    ¡°¡­Please tell them not to worry.¡±


    The young man¡¯s gentle and calm voice came out of the recorder, with a hint of indescribable rhythm.


    ¡°Now the world is changing, the spiritual machine is reviving, this kind of space-time turbulence, alien visitors will only be more and more, but order and reason have their own people to maintain. Everything that should happen will happen. Everything that should not happen will never happen. At least for now, there is absolutely no possibility of major turbulence.¡±


    ¡°¡­In fact, this is everyone¡¯s opportunity.¡±


    ¡­¡­..


    [Flower Language Expert¡ï¡î]


    [Legend Degree: 87]


    In mid-air, a phantom card turned into light spots and dissipated, and Bai Yi threw it back into the panel card slot.


    ¡°Done, off work!¡±


    ¡°¡­Those people should have received my message by now, right?¡± Bai Yi stretchedzily, ¡°Hmm, with their intelligence, they must understand my meaning~¡±


    Smart people are easy to think divergently, if it¡¯s a straightforward fool, then he would really have a headache.


    Thinking this way, Bai Yi¡¯s mood suddenly brightened.


    Ignoring the incessant chatter in his ear, ignoring the countless noises that kept drilling into his head, this level of ¡°harassment¡± was already a daily routine for Bai Yi, and he could fall asleep in a second.


    In that familiar quiet deep sea, among countless star fragments, his consciousness slowly awakened.


    ¡°Let me see what new game there will be today?¡±


    ¡­¡­..


    ¡°Ah!! Pooh, pooh, pooh!!!¡±


    The moment Bai Yi woke up in the game, he spat out the dirt that had choked his mouth, and he was not feeling well.


    He slowly sat up from a pile of weeds, silently looking at the sky.


    The setting sun was like blood, the woods were deste.


    A thatched house with a leaky roof, a half-acre messy vegetable garden, and the wilted vegetables in the garden.


    And finally, a weak chicken character who climbed up to the roof to fix the house and ended up falling t on his face???


    Touching his grumbling stomach, Bai Yi sat in a pile of thatch, beginning to doubt life.


    <i>¡ª¡ªIs this a farming game or a survival game?</i>


    The next moment, the system¡¯s narration revealed the truth.


    <i>[You are the first under heaven.]</i>


    Bai Yi: ???


    ¡°The first under heaven? Just this? Just this? I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s thest, right?¡±


    <i>[You dominated the martial arts world, suppressed Jianghu for twenty years. Swept through the current generation, the previous generation, the generation before that, you are a rare talent in a hundred years, the highest master under heaven.]</i>


    <i>[You are a legend of an era.]</i>


    Bai Yi had even more question marks over his head.


    <i>[Life as the invincible under heaven is lonely as snow. After picking on each major sect, using the martial arts of each major sect to pad the table legs and bed legs, you decided to retire from Jianghu.]</i>


    <i>[Everyone cheered and celebrated your departure.]</i>


    <i>[But just a yearter, your ce of seclusion was discovered, and enemies from all over Jianghu came to kill you.]</i>


    <i>[You looked down on this group of weak chickens, but found that you were the weakest weak chicken? The former defeated generals easily defeated you.]</i>


    <i>[It turns out that during the time you were in seclusion, this world sneakily upgraded itself!]</i>


    <i>[The martial arts world has be a Xianxia world!]</i>


    <i>[Everyone has received the baptism of spiritual energy, sessfully lying down and winning during the world upgrade, their strength has made great progress.]</i>


    <i>[And you, once a martial arts genius, are actually a cultivation waste who is immune to spiritual energy!]</i>


    <i>[You have been eliminated by the new era!]</i>


    <i>[But you are not willing.]</i>


    <i>[¡°It¡¯s not me who¡¯s wrong, it¡¯s this world!¡±]</i>


    <i>[¡°It must be this world deliberately targeting me!¡±]</i>


    <i>[With this in mind, you decide to change the world.]</i>


    <i>[Task: Knowing your mistakes and correcting them is a virtue, help the world to correct its evil ways. Don¡¯t mess around because of jealousy of genius.]</i>


    ¡°Hmm? Eh? Oh no!¡±


    During the process of the system¡¯s narration, Bai Yi¡¯s expression also changed with the narration, he was chewing on a straw, and from time to time he uttered a tone word, the changes were very rich.


    <i>Until he saw this bizarre task¡­</i>


    ¡°Amazing! So that¡¯s what ¡®heaven is jealous of genius¡¯ means? Are you the modern idiom master???¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 36

    Chapter 36


    This was a world where the dynasty was declining, yet Jianghu held great power.


    Numerous martial arts sects, big and small, were spread across the world, each controlling their own territory. The top sects wereparable to feudal lords, standing in the state capitals and being supported by the people of a province. The less influential sects were rooted in rural areas, earning the respect of the vigers.


    These martial arts sects, like the various warlord forces in chaotic times, often engage in battles for territory and resources, and every disciple may find themselves stepping onto the ¡°battlefield.¡±


    The spirit of martial arts was strong here; almost every child, from a young age, aspires to join a top martial arts sect, mastering extraordinary martial arts skills and bing a force to be reckoned with in the world. This could be said to be the dream of countless young people in this world.


    However, very few people actually realize this dream.


    The character ¡°Pei Hefeng¡± controlled by Bai Yi now happened to be one of those few who have realized the dream, and among that small group, he could be called a winner in life.


    Coming from a poor family, he lived in a vige that suffered during conflicts between two martial arts sects. He was the only one fortunate enough to escape the cmity and was noticed by an innate grandmaster due to his outstanding talent. He was taken as a disciple and taught everything the grandmaster knew. Before reaching adulthood, he challenged the younger generation of martial artists in the martial world, winning and studying the secret techniques of various sects. Just as the sects were beginning to target and suppress him, heprehended and integrated the secrets of various sects during his secluded cultivation, making rapid progress in strength and surpassing the previous generation¡¯s experts. After intense battles came further enlightenment, and his strength soared again. With breakthroughs as easy as drinking water and enlightenment as simple as eating, he unconsciously became invincible in the world.


    <i>¡ªThis kind of overpowered life, even novels dare not write it like this, it¡¯s like holding the script of the protagonist Dragon Ao Tian in hand, truly the biological son of the heavens.</i>


    <i>However, he has only yed half of the drama, and the heavens suddenly want to change the protagonist? This turned the script from Dragon Ao Tian to True and False Young Master script, did he, this wicked and viinous supporting role, this fake young master who steals the limelight, really lose the love of the Heavenly Dao father?</i>After roughly understanding the situation of this character, Bai Yi couldn¡¯t help butin in his mind and then showed a thoughtful expression. ¡°So, this wave is about pping the scum father? No, ording to this character¡¯s mindset, it¡¯s about teaching the scum father a lesson, letting him know who¡¯s the father and who¡¯s the son!¡±


    ¡°¡­Really seriously ill.¡±


    Shaking his head anding to this conclusion, Bai Yi fell silent. ¡°The problem is¡­ You¡¯ve let go of all your harsh words and now you¡¯re calling for foreign aid? You brag, I¡¯ll take care of making it a reality?¡±


    There was a moment when he really wanted to let this guy who kept shouting, ¡°It¡¯s not me who¡¯s wrong, it¡¯s this world,¡± properly endure a wave of beatings from this world, ept his status as a cultivation waste, and stop ming the world;


    Unfortunately, this character now belonged to him.


    ¡°Gugu gugu¡­¡±


    The protest from his stomach brought Bai Yi back to reality a bit, and he rubbed his belly, saying, ¡°I¡¯m hungry¡­No, he¡¯s hungry. Need to get something to eat first.¡±


    He got up and looked at his ¡°beginner¡¯s birth vige.¡±


    It was a dpidated thatched house with a leaking roof, surrounded by sparse fences. Next to the thatched house was a half-acre vegetable garden, where besides a bunch of wilted vegetables, there were only footprints scattered all over.


    These were traces left by his enemies throughout Jianghu.


    ¡ªThis ce was originally chosen by Pei Hefeng as his secluded residence after retiring from the martial world. Far from the crowds, nestled in the valley, a thatched house, a half-acre vegetable garden, a small pond, enjoying the wind, listening to the moon, and fishing leisurely, what a pleasant life it could be!


    However, just ten days ago, his hiding ce was exposed by someone, and enemies from all over Jianghu stormed in. A group of former subordinates who had turned the tables on him, beating him up until his face was bruised and swollen, looking extremely miserable!


    But considering what this guy had done before¡­


    Today, he randomly picked on a martial arts sect, using their secret recipe to cushion the table legs, when he was full, he would pick on another sect, treating their centenarian grandmaster like walking a dog, and then iming to help the elderly stay healthy; two dayster, bored to death, he would squat in corners of major sects, exposing their little secrets to the public, causing a certain righteous sect leader¡¯s favorite ¡°yellow book¡± to sell out, and the sect leader directly bing the spokesperson for that ¡°yellow book¡±¡­ Was this really what a person should do? No wonder so many people came for revenge!


    A group of enemies attacked fiercely, awakening Pei Hefeng, who waspletely unaware of the changes in the world due to his inability to sense spiritual energy, and mercilessly told him. ¡°Daren, the times have changed!¡±


    They found out that this martial arts prodigy couldn¡¯t even absorb spiritual energy into his body. Instead of killing him, they stopped ¡ª killing him would be too easy; turning the world¡¯s number one into a waste person, that¡¯s the deepest pain in this world!


    And then, they came back every now and then to witness his misery, which was even more enjoyable!


    Pei Hefeng was deeply shaken. After trying for ten days and failing to sense any spiritual energy, he became mentally confused due to exhaustion of his internal energy. When he fell while repairing the roof, he finally understood the essence of the situation!


    <i>¡ª</i><i>It must be this world intentionally targeting me!</i>


    <i>¡ªDamn it, eat shit!</i>


    Then, Bai Yi, the foreign aid divine soldier, descended from the sky.


    ¡°¡­Wait a minute, something feels off.¡±


    After thinking for a moment and not finding anything wrong, Bai Yi disdainfully picked out a couple of fresh-looking vegetables from the wilted ones, and found a handful of rice and clean pots and pans in the thatched house, starting to cook in a primitive way.


    There was no option but to do it this way, as this nightmare game was so hardcore that there was no function for cooking or eating with a single click.


    As the smoke rose from the thatched roof and a faint fragrance wafted around, several sparrows chirped outside, their agile ck eyes showing a sense of enjoyment.


    Bai Yi had a string of question marks above his head: <i>?????</i>


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem like my cooking style.¡±


    He ced the food on a small stone table in the courtyard, full of doubts. He tasted a bite first and then nodded. ¡°Indeed, my cooking skills haven¡¯t changed. Could this strong fragrance being from the spiritual energy within the ingredients? It¡¯s normal for nts and animals to absorb spiritual energy if it has returned.¡± His thoughts wandered a bit, ¡°So, if this body can¡¯t absorb spiritual energy normally but can absorb it from food and then use internal cultivation methods to operate the spiritual energy within the body, it seems like a feasible path too.¡±


    Bai Yi¡¯s lips curved upwards, his eyes shining. ¡°Fish nourished by spiritual energy must be even more delicious.¡±


    <i>¡­Thinking like this, these few dishes were too simple, how could they be worthy of his status as the world¡¯s number one?</i>


    Thinking this way, Bai Yi decisively got up, casually picking up the world-renowned Hanguang Sword that belonged to his original body, and headed towards the small pond outside the thatched house.


    His gaze inadvertently swept past something nearby.


    Just as Bai Yi took a few steps, a figure resembling a giant bat hanging upside down floated down from a tree nearby,nding as light as a feather without making a sound throughout.


    ¡°Tsk tsk!¡± Watching the departing figure, he couldn¡¯t help but shake his head, ¡°It¡¯s a good thing I came to check today. Despite not being able to cultivate, he actually thought of this dietary supplementation method. Truly deserving of being the former world¡¯s number one!¡±


    Thinking that if he hadn¡¯t discovered this, if Pei Hefeng really embarked on the path of cultivating immortality, and after bing powerful, they would all be unlucky, the old man felt a wave of relief. His expression turned serious. ¡°I can¡¯t let you seed. It seems I have to eradicate you today!¡±


    ¡°¡­These dishes look quite decent, so I¡¯ll let you have a full meal before you die.¡± He nced at the steaming food on the table and made a decision.


    Perhaps the appearance and aroma of the food were too enticing, the old man couldn¡¯t help but swallow his saliva as he waited. ¡°This world¡¯s number one cooking, I never had the chance to taste it before, and I probably won¡¯t have the chance in the future¡­ If anyone asks, I can say I¡¯m the only one who did!¡±


    With that thought, the old man couldn¡¯t help but reach out his hand.


    ¡­¡­


    Near the thatched house, a small pond shimmered under the sunlight, which was personally excavated by the original body during his seclusion. He deliberately raised many fish and shrimps in it.


    This secluded valley was so remote that not only was there no human activity, but there were also few small animals around, and had to be self-sufficient in this way.


    As Bai Yi approached, the clear water surface reflected a figure of recklessness and unruliness. Dressed in coarse clothes, with disheveled long hair, faintly visible aggressive eyebrows and a straight nose. He exuded a sense of decadence, carelessness, yet also freedom.


    Soon, the fish and shrimps swimming around directly disturbed the human figure in the water, making it look lively.


    ¡°The ancients said, it is better to eat without meat than without fish¡­¡±


    Bai Yi stood up against the wind, with a sword in his hand, and let out a carefree chant:


    ¡°¡ªFish,e!¡±


    In an instant, the long sword was unsheathed, like a rainbow across the sky, a cold light shed, breaking through the water, and when it returned to Bai Yi¡¯s hand, the sword tip was already skewered with a fat andrge fish.


    Bai Yi returned to the courtyard humming happily, only to find a person lying on the ground where there should have been no one. The food that should have been ced on the table was also swept onto the ground, creating a mess.


    ¡°Oh, this¡­¡±


    Bai Yi was dumbfounded, the fish in his hand suddenly didn¡¯t smell fragrant anymore. ¡°I thought you were here to kill, but it turns out you¡¯re here to steal food? You don¡¯t even want to let me have a full meal before I die, shrimp and pork heart, not worthy of being a human being!¡±


    Indeed, he had sensed the presence of an NPC through the lively spiritual fluctuations, and Bai Yi had been nning to initiate a plot through this NPC¡­


    Unexpectedly, this guy came up and ate the dishes he had painstakingly prepared, leaving him with a growling stomach¡­


    Bai Yi was filled with grief and anger. ¡°¡­Are you still human?!¡±


    The person convulsing on the ground barely opened his eyes and then suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.


    <i>¡­This question should have been asked by him.</i>


    <i>¡­Who is the real inhuman one after all?!</i>


    ¡°You, you¡­¡± The old man on the ground trembled as he raised a finger weakly, ¡°Actually poisoned¡­!¡±


    ¡°¡­Despicable!¡±


    With thesest words uttered, his head tilted, and his breath ceased, ending his life with a final breath!


    Bai Yi: ???


    ¡°How can you falsely use someone out of thin air?¡±


    Bai Yi was quite angry, so he kicked the old man and wanted to continue confronting him.


    But he found that the man was motionless, already dead.


    He couldn¡¯t help but raise the sword skewered with fish, looking at the fish with wide eyes, muttering to himself, ¡°It seems that only this sole fish can prove my innocence, that I always act with integrity and never do such crazy things as poisoning!¡±


    Then, he turned his fish proof into a pot of fish congee and gulped it all down.


    Finally, satisfied with a full burp, he patted his stomach.


    <i>¡ªLook, isn¡¯t he himself perfectly fine?</i>


    Having eaten and drunk his fill, crossed it off, proving his innocence, Bai Yi then had the mind to assess the body in the courtyard.


    Basic information about the person quickly appeared before his eyes.


    <i>[An, Fushan Sect Leader, 75 years old]</i>


    ¡°What a perfunctory introduction¡­¡± Bai Yimented, ¡°But, from the appearance, you can¡¯t tell he¡¯s 75 years old at all. Could this be the effect of tempering the body with spiritual energy?¡±


    He suddenly realized, ¡°Wait a minute, toplete the task, I first need to understand the martial arts and cultivation system of this world. Pei Hefeng¡¯s body is a waste in cultivation, but the person in front of me is excellent material for cultivation, right?¡±


    Bai Yi¡¯s mood suddenly became cheerful, ¡°Could this be the legendary beginner¡¯s vige starter pack? Love it, love it!¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 37

    Chapter 37


    ¡°Confirmed, the internal body still follows the path of a martial artist, but due to the tempering of spiritual energy, it has be younger and more vibrant, even verging on the realm of cultivating immortality¡­¡±


    After indulging in a frenzy of ¡°hands-on¡± with the NPC material that came knocking on his door, Bai Yi finally arrived at a conclusion.


    He couldn¡¯t help but sigh aloud, ¡°Ah, disappointment!¡±


    However, upon a moment¡¯s reflection, it was easy to guess that this ancient Jianghu setting had no concept of spiritual energy revival; these NPCs knew nothing about the revival of spiritual energy!


    Perhaps initially, they only felt the air bing fresher, with new substances appearing in the world. Their bodies underwent a transformation after absorbing these substances, but what the next step should be, who knew? These people were probably just groping forward in the dark.


    If ced in theter generations of this world, this batch of people would undoubtedly be the pioneers of the era of cultivating immortality. Someone had to be the first to discover the existence of spiritual energy, create the method of breathing in spiritual energy, and pioneer the realm of cultivating immortality, leading everyone on this path from scratch to establish the path of cultivating immortality.


    ¡ªIn a sense, they were the chosen ones of this era of spiritual energy revival, bearing the mission of opening a new era. Meanwhile, the original Pei Hefeng and others,cking the qualifications and talent for cultivating immortality, were nothing but relics of the past, to be surpassed and left behind by the new era and its chosen ones!


    ¡°ording to the system, it¡¯s been a year since the revival of spiritual energy. There should be quite a few individuals with exceptional talent and aptitude who have figured out the method of cultivating immortality and stepped onto the threshold of cultivation¡­¡±


    ¡°To verify this idea is simple.¡± Bai Yi summoned his game interface. ¡°System, save and restart!¡±<i>Whoosh¡ª</i>


    Like ripples suddenly appearing on the water¡¯s surface, everything before his eyes began to distort, shatter, blur, and melt.


    The setting sun on the horizon melted like a pool of vibrant red paint, blending the colors of distant mountains and forests together.


    The dpidated thatched hut, the crooked fence, and the body lying on the ground all shattered like fragile bubbles.


    As the fragmented pieces reassembled, like scattered puzzle pieces being put back together, everything refreshed and restarted. Bai Yi sat on a heap of thatch, opened his eyes, and began anew.


    <i>Gulu gulu gulu¡­</i>


    He cooked as energetically as he did in the first ythrough.


    But unlike the first ythrough, this time, Bai Yi only disyed thirty percent of his cooking skills. Moreover, before taking the food to the courtyard, he secretly snacked in the kitchen, eating until he was seventy percent full, before bringing out the rest and then going fishing as before.


    ¡ªWhen Bai Yi returned with the skewered fish, what he saw was an old man lying on the ground, barely alive but not dead.


    ¡°You¡­ you¡­¡± The old man on the ground raised a trembling finger. ¡°Actually¡­¡±


    ¡°No no no, I didn¡¯t poison it~¡± This time, Bai Yi interrupted him before he could finish speaking. ¡°You, after all, are the respected sect leader. How can you speak nonsense and falsely use others?¡±


    ¡°Pfft!¡± The old man spat out blood once again. With him in such a state, living evidence right here, how could he falsely use others? Who was really speaking nonsense?


    Seeing the old man stubbornly trying to argue, Bai Yi couldn¡¯t let him waste any more precious time. Who knew how long this guy could hold on? He took a step forward, and his sharp sword was at the old man¡¯s neck.


    The struggling fish tail still stuck on the tip of the sword iled, sshing drops of blood-mixed water onto the old man¡¯s face.


    The struggling fish tail pped against his back neck, bringing a cold and slippery moistness. The close smell of blood and fish made him feel uneasy.


    ¡­The damage was minimal, but the insult was extremely strong.


    ¡°p, p p, p p p.¡±


    The struggling fish tail beat repeatedly, and Bai Yi unconsciously followed the beat with a rhythm.


    <i>¡ªSurprisingly, it had quite a sense of rhythm!</i>


    <i>¡ªCould it be that he was an ordinary music genius?</i>


    Until a gaze mixed with anger and sorrow, almost burning a hole through him, fell upon him, Bai Yi snapped out of it and coughed. ¡°Ah, forgot about the main business.¡±


    He looked down at the old man, whose face flushed red as if he might fart at any moment, and the smile that appeared on his face was particrly harmless.


    ¡°Before you speak, don¡¯t rush to spit blood. I ask, you answer, got it?¡±


    With that said, he tapped the man¡¯s face with the sword, and the half-dead fish also took the opportunity tond a p


    Bai Yi¡¯s eyes unconsciously showed a hint of disdain.


    <i>¡­Looks like this fish cannot be eaten anymore</i>


    <i>¡­Good thing I already ate it in the previous ythrough ??</i>


    With this thought, Bai ¡°Great Wisdom¡± Yi calmed down. He let out a sigh ofmentation, with a few traces of vicissitudes in his expression. ¡°With the great changes in the world today, do you know how many geniuses and heroes have emerged in the Jianghu? Has anyone outside of martial arts created a new path? And where have they reached?¡±


    ¡­¡­


    <i>[Worldview unlocked, current exploration progress 2.]</i>


    <i>[You have activated the special life skill ¡°Negotiation¡± and learned some information about this world from the NPC.]</i>


    <i>[With the great changes in the world, the master of Baixue Mountain, after ten days of enlightenment at the peak of the snowy mountain, without eating or sleeping, awakened and imed to have received a divine revtion: ¡°The world has changed, with the emergence of a strange energy that I do not know its name. It is called spiritual energy. It is the spiritual energy nurtured by heaven and earth, capable of transforming all living beings, rejuvenating them.¡±]</i>


    <i>[A monthter, the junior master of the North Sea Sword Sect, gifted with extraordinary talent, unparalleled in intelligence, based on the internal martial arts of the North Sea Sword Sect, modified and created a basic breathing technique that allows more efficient absorption of spiritual energy into the body, refining oneself, sessfully breaking through the first step of cultivating immortality.]</i>


    <i>[After another half a year, the elder of the Qiongshan Sect, knowledgeable and experienced in martial arts, sensing the will of heaven, deduced the first three steps of cultivating immortality, and then widely spread it throughout the world, benefiting countless martial artists, and opening the door to immortality for all beings.]</i>


    <i>[¡­One genius after another emerged, using their wisdom and fortune to stir up the craze of cultivating immortality.]</i>


    Ignoring the system¡¯s narration, Bai Yi looked down at the old man who had finished exining everything and breathed hisst¡­


    ¡°So, my approach wasn¡¯t wrong, what¡¯s wrong is this stupid NPC. Standing at the forefront of the era, even pigs can fly, yet he hasn¡¯t even touched the threshold of cultivating immortality?¡±


    In theory, at such a time of great change in the world, anyone with some talent and luck should have taken off smoothly.


    This guy still hadn¡¯t started cultivating immortality to this day, only relying on instinct to absorb spiritual energy to temper his physique. His talent might not be much stronger than the original body¡¯s, right?


    However, regardless, having talent was having talent; his physical structure should be different from that of a cultivation waste.


    <i>¡­Since he can absorb spiritual energy, could it be the legendary spiritual root? If a widespread epidemic virus were to ruin everyone¡¯s spiritual roots, would that produce a batch of cultivation wastes in bulk?</i>


    Bai Yi once again started ¡°interacting¡± with the NPC.


    Finally, he realized that he wasn¡¯t cut out for researching the human body. He couldn¡¯t find anything special that resembled a spiritual root. He couldn¡¯t help but ponder, ¡°It seems that for cultivating immortality, one has to find a professional!¡±


    ¡ªCoincidentally, he knew a very professional person. A veteran cultivator dedicated to cultivating immortality for twenty years!


    ****


    Eastern outskirts of the city, Seventh Hospital of Yuanyang City.


    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m here to visit the patient in ward 309 in building E.¡± When the visitor entered the office, the doctor on duty immediately noticed him and the permit with the hospital director¡¯s stamp that he handed over. ¡°I have a special permit.¡±


    While the doctor checked the permit, he couldn¡¯t help but size up the person in front of him, who was actually just a teenager.


    The visitor appeared to be sixteen or seventeen, dressed in a simple ck hoodie and casual jeans. His exceptionally long legs made him look tall and thin.


    Due to the backlighting, most of the young man¡¯s face was in shadow, but his overly paleplexion and a pair of dark, deep eyes were still visible.


    His eyes seemed to contain an abyss.


    Being stared at by those eyes gave a fleeting sensation as if one¡¯s soul were about to be drawn into the deep sea, leading to a suffocating illusion.


    However, this illusion quickly dissipated. Upon closer inspection, one would notice faint dark circles around the young man¡¯s eyes.


    <i>¡­Looks like another young person who enjoys staying upte!</i>


    The doctor chuckled inwardly. The momentary illusion just now quickly vanished. He thought to himself that staying too long in a psychiatric hospital had made him a bit jumpy. He then pulled up the patient¡¯s information. ¡°Ward 309 in building E, Li Daotian, male, 41 years old, severe delusional disorder, self-identifies as a cultivator, has attempted one hundred and three methods of cultivation since admission, non-aggressive, visitation approved, not to exceed three hours¡­¡± He nced at the young man and called for a nurse. ¡°Ah, Nurse Xiao Pang, please guide this¡­visitor. Also, brief him on the patient¡¯s current condition.¡±


    A young nurse agreed and led the teenager out of the office. ¡°Please follow me.¡±


    She was about to give directions when she realized that the teenager confidently walked down the corridor, appearing much more familiar with theyout of the Seventh Hospital than her, even though she had been working here for six months.


    Perplexed, she noticed several doctors and nurses along the way, all pleasantly surprised and greeting the young man.


    ¡°Xiao Yi is back!¡±


    ¡°¡­Are you here to visit the director?¡±


    ¡°The director is not here at the moment, he¡¯ll probably be back in a while.¡±


    ¡°I heard you¡¯re now attending high school in the old city area. How are your studies going? Do you get along well with your teachers and ssmates?¡±


    The teenager smiled and responded calmly to each question.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m back.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m in high school now. The teachers and ssmates at school are all easy to get along with. Recently, one of the teachers had a car ident, and everyone is mourning for him.¡±


    ¡°¡­Hmm, I¡¯ll visit her when the directores back.¡±


    ¡°I need to see Li Xianke about a minor matter. How¡¯s he beentely?¡±


    He greeted people along the way, chatting with mildly mentally ill patients who were out for some fresh air. Surprisingly, he effortlessly joined in their conversations.


    His demeanor was so rxed, as if he were returning to his own home.


    <i>¡­Wait a minute, did they just say ¡°back¡± twice? Who refers to themselves as ing back¡± to a psychiatric hospital?</i>


    The nearby nurse looked bewildered, and her gaze towards the teenager gradually turned strange.


    Sensing her gaze, the teenager nced at her casually, as if he could read her thoughts with just one look.


    He raised a finger and shook it gently, smiling as he exined, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not a patient here.¡±


    The curvature of Bai Yi¡¯s lips slowly increased. ¡°But, this ce does feel like home to me. Everyone here is talented, and they speak so nicely. I really like it here!¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 38

    Chapter 38


    Before they even reached room 309, they heard a series of wails andmentations from inside.


    ¡°s, s! The Great Way is difficult, more difficult than ascending to the blue sky!¡± The voice was sorrowful, aged, and deep, as if the speaker had experienced the most tragic blow in the world, finally turning into a long, mournful sigh, ¡°My path is cut off, my path is cut off!¡±


    Peering through the window, they saw a man with long hair and a beard, draped in a bedsheet, standing on the bed, looking up to the sky in despair, his eyes filled with hopelessness.


    It seemed as if he was not standing on a hospital bed but at the edge of a towering cliff, about to leap off and end his life.


    ¡°s, go! I go! My path to immortality is severed in this life. When I am reborn, I must return to the path of immortality!¡± He gazed deeply at the ground, stepping forward with an air of unparalleled elegance.


    With a ¡°thud,¡± the man fell t on the floor. Due to the soft carpet covering the ground, he didn¡¯t even get a bump,pletely unscathed.


    He sat on the ground, lifted his head dazedly, and covered his face, crying, ¡°How merciless is the Heavenly Dao! You cut off my path to immortality and won¡¯t let me die! The Heavenly Dao is heartless, the Heavenly Dao is heartless!¡±


    While crying and cursing, the man climbed back onto the bed and started repeating his ¡°cliff-jumping¡± behavior, but no matter what, he couldn¡¯t die.


    Nurse Xiao Pang¡¯s mouth twitched, and she tried to exin to Bai Yi in the calmest tone possible, ¡°Half a month ago, he had an appendectomy. After returning, he cried and said his spiritual root was ruined and he couldn¡¯t cultivate anymore¡­ and then, it became like this.¡±Seeing her utterly exhausted expression, Bai Yi suddenly spoke in a leisurely tone, ¡°I bet he didn¡¯t want the surgery in the first ce. Hmm, when his appendicitis red up, he was probably quite happy. That¡¯s the sign of being at the peak of foundation building, ready to form the golden core if he seeded in his tribtion.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± Nurse Xiao Pang was dumbfounded and couldn¡¯t help but murmur, ¡°Yes, he refused the surgery at the time, saying he was undergoing tribtion and about to form his golden core¡­¡±


    Bai Yi nodded seriously.


    ¡°Exactly! This time, not only did he fail his tribtion, but he also lost his golden core and ruined his spiritual root. With such a huge disparity before and after, think about it¡ªwouldn¡¯t you break down too?¡±


    Nurse Xiao Pang subconsciously nodded along, ¡°Yes, if it were me, I¡¯d also¡­¡± <i>Wait, something¡¯s off. It wasn¡¯t a real failed cultivation; why was she empathizing with a psychiatric patient?</i>


    <i>¡­Also, being able to guess a mentally ill person¡¯s thoughts so urately, don¡¯t you think there¡¯s something wrong with yourself?</i>


    ¡°So, the fact that he can be so strong now, just jumping off a cliff in his room without causing a bigger issue, is already quite well-behaved.¡± Bai Yi finallyforted, ¡°Thinking about it this way, doesn¡¯t it feel much better?¡±


    Nurse Xiao Pang: ???


    <i>¡­Thank you, I feelforted. You win, I surrender.</i>


    Watching the young man who had already walked into the ward by himself, she subconsciously wanted to reach out to stop him. Then she realized that this patient wasn¡¯t aggressive and could be ssified as harmless, so she immediately withdrew her hand and silently waited outside.


    In the ward, Li Daotian, who called himself ¡°Li Xianke¡± and was addressed as ¡°Li Xianke¡± by many other mental patients, was stillmenting and sighing, repeatedly ¡°jumping off cliffs¡± but not dying, and then began to curse the Heaven Dao for being unkind. At this moment, a voice sounded.


    ¡°It¡¯s not you who is wrong, it¡¯s this world!¡±


    The man who was wailing and howling stopped his actions.


    ¡°It must be this world deliberately targeting you!¡±


    The man quickly raised his head and looked towards the door.


    Bai Yi directly used Pei Hefeng¡¯s words, seeing that the effect was excellent, he continued speaking while walking in, ¡°Isn¡¯t it normal for a genius in cultivating immortality to be envied by the heavens? This might be your destined tribtion!¡±


    ¡°¡ªLi Xianke, it¡¯s been a long time. I didn¡¯t expect not only that your cultivation didn¡¯t advance, but your mindset has also regressed.¡± He sighed and shook his head, ¡°Can¡¯t you even ovee such a small obstacle?¡±


    ¡°Exactly! The heavens envy talents, this is my tribtion!¡± Li Daotian eximed, his whole spirit revived. He suddenly stood up, beaming with joy, pping his hands, ¡°It turns out fellow cultivator has returned! Thanks to your timely reminder, I can see through the illusion and eliminate the inner demons. I have a premonition, after oveing this tribtion, my cultivation will greatly advance, and I will have hope of ascending in the future!¡±


    Bai Yi immediately showed a look of approval.


    ¡°By the way, didn¡¯t you already break through the shackles of this world and ascend to the higher realm?¡± At this moment, Li Daotian looked around the snow-white ward and voiced his doubt.


    ¡°Higher realm?¡± Bai Yi sneered, ¡°What¡¯s so good about the higher realm? If you knew, Li Xianke, you probably wouldn¡¯t want to go. Besides, your chances are slim anyway.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What happened in the higher realm?¡± Li Daotian got anxious, ¡°Why are my chances slim?¡±


    Seeing him scratching his head, Bai Yi shook his head and sighed in a semi-literary, semi-colloquial tone, ¡°You don¡¯t know, the higher realm is not and of immortals, but rather upied by many unworthy individuals. These people, although descendants of immortals, are mediocre mortals with low aptitude. Yet, they recklessly enjoy the rare treasures of the immortals, absorbing arge amount of the world¡¯s spiritual energy, causing the higher realm to becking in spiritual energy and gradually closing the path to ascension. Even a genius in cultivating immortality like you will find it extremely difficult to ascend¡­¡±


    Upon hearing this, Li Daotian pounded the bed and shouted, ¡°Damn it! Such things exist! How hateful!¡±


    ¡°I came precisely for this reason. It¡¯s truly a pity that you have diligently cultivated for twenty years yet cannot ascend,¡± Bai Yi spoke again, now in a serious tone, as Li Daotian¡¯s anxiety grew, ¡°You, a peerless genius in the path of immortality, have always been deeply immersed in cultivation. Do you have any method to deal with such people, to destroy their spiritual roots, sever their paths, and prevent the depletion of spiritual energy in the world?¡±


    ¡­..


    In the hallway, Nurse Xiao Pang, watching the two people having a lively conversation in the ward from a distance, had an expression on her face that screamed: <i>Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing???</i>


    <i>¡­Did she just bring a rtive to visit a patient, or did she bring another patient to be admitted?</i>


    As she was questioning her life choices, she suddenly noticed someone beside her. Turning her head, she immediatelyposed herself and respectfully greeted, ¡°Director!¡±


    The director, who had arrived unexpectedly, nodded, adjusted her reading sses on the bridge of her nose, and cast her gaze toward Ward 309. A gentle smile appeared on his face, ¡°This child hase here, huh!¡±


    ¡°¡­He used to love chatting with Xiao Li the most. If I remember correctly, he even tricked Xiao Li many times.¡± She shook her head andughed, ¡°So mischievous!¡±


    As she spoke, a faint expression of reminiscence and nostalgia appeared on the director¡¯s face, and her gaze towards the ward softened even more.


    Seeing this, Nurse Xiao Pang¡¯s eyes filled with curiosity. She couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Director, do you know this child?¡±


    ¡°Of course I know him. Apart from the doctors, nurses, and patients who have joined in the past two years, there¡¯s no one here who doesn¡¯t know him,¡± the director replied with a smile, like an elder boasting about a well-behaved youngster in the family, ¡°Strictly speaking, this child was actually born in our hospital.¡±


    ¡°Born in our hospital?¡± Nurse Xiao Pang¡¯s curiosity was instantly piqued.


    She wanted to ask more, but then saw the door of the ward open, and the young man walked out while talking to the person inside.


    ¡°¡­This is my meticulously researched manual on cultivating immortality. Study it well when you get back. The secrets of immortality, the wonders of spiritual roots, are all in there!¡± Li Daotian¡¯s voice came from the open door. At this moment, he seemed much more lucid and normalpared to before.


    He handed a tattered notebook directly to Bai Yi and couldn¡¯t help but shake his head, muttering, ¡°Attacking spiritual roots is treating the symptoms, not the root cause, and it¡¯s easy for some to slip through the cracks. I think you should choose my second method and make those losers give up on immortality on their own. The path of immortality is difficult; how could they reach for it? A cultivator needs great perseverance, great determination, to face great terror¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Face great terror?¡± Bai Yi¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up, ¡°Make them give up immortality on their own?¡±


    He smiled and thanked him, turned, and left the ward, the corners of his mouth gradually lifting, ¡°As expected, mental patients have a broad perspective. Just chatting with him has really opened my mind.¡±


    At this moment, he noticed the two people in the hallway.


    The nurse beside her was just a passing background. His gaze focused mainly on the other person.


    It was an elderly woman, dressed in a whiteb coat, wearing reading sses, with a head full of silver hair, and a kind expression.


    ¡°Director Grandma!¡± Bai Yi¡¯s face lit up with a standard, well-behaved smile, ¡°You¡¯ve returned.¡±


    ¡°You!¡± The old director smiled and pointed at him, leading him towards the director¡¯s office, ¡°You¡¯re still the same, loving to chat with them so much. Be careful not to be led astray.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re all old friends. It¡¯s rare for me toe back and visit.¡±


    Bai Yi¡¯s demeanor was rxed and casual.


    In the entire mental hospital, the chaotic mental fluctuations from all directions felt like countless hands lifting his skull and crawling inside.


    As a result, his mind became a whirlpool of chaos.


    Bai Yi¡¯s expression remained unchanged, quite ustomed to it.


    ¡°You still say that!¡± The old directorughed at the memory, ¡°You probably don¡¯t remember, but when you were a few years old, you behaved strangely, often repeating the mad words of those patients and asking bizarre questions. You scared me half to death, I almost diagnosed you with a mental disorder.¡±


    ¡°Later, I realized it was a misunderstanding. It turned out that children naturally love to imitate adults. If someone said that a square was round, you¡¯d think a square was round too. I don¡¯t know when you were led astray by those patients¡­¡±


    At this point, her voice carried a hint of puzzlement, as if facing an unsolved mystery. ¡°I distinctly remember that the residential area and this side were separated, and I always kept an eye on it. Except for visiting your mother, you were not allowed toe to this inpatient department¡­ I really don¡¯t know when you sneaked over and interacted with the patients, getting led astray! Hearing you confidently talk about cultivating immortality, I was both angry and amused. Luckily, when you grew older and had basic cognitive abilities, I corrected you!¡±


    She looked at the young man beside her with eyes full of affection and teased, ¡°Otherwise, we¡¯d have to keep an extra room in our hospital!¡±


    The chaotic mental fluctuations from all directions, along with the old director¡¯sughing voice, crashed into Bai Yi¡¯s mind. Laughter, crying, screaming, red, ck, yellow, white, chaotic waves rippled through this world.


    Bai Yi seemed to tread on the edge of chaos, navigating through a world of disorder and noise with rity.


    He smiled slightly and whispered, ¡°Yes, I have always been very grateful to you.¡±


    ¡°¡­All these years, it has always been this way.¡±


    Author¡¯s Note: The protagonist¡¯s worldview was shaped by both the mental patients and the director. Without interacting with patients, he was bombarded by mental impacts every day. So when he didn¡¯t understand anything, he mistook the mental patients¡¯ thoughts as the real world. It wasn¡¯t until he grew older that he could distinguish between reality and delusion.


    The former gave him a blurred line between falsehood and reality, right and wrong, with no absolute definitions. Hence, he feels detached from the morals andws that most people adhere to and doesn¡¯t see the necessity to follow them. Thetter taught him a normal worldview, universal values, and how a normal person should live in this world, allowing the protagonist to maintain certain principles and boundaries, enabling him to be an ordinary person. In chaos, there is absolute rity¡ªperhaps he can be considered part of the chaos faction?<hr>


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 Chapter 39

    Chapter 39


    The familiar sunset, the familiar woods, the familiar courtyard, and the familiar person lying unconscious in the courtyard.


    Having dinner with the old director at the Seventh Hospital, Bai Yi returned to the old city district. By this time, the sky had turned dark.


    That night, after falling asleep, he entered the nightmare game again.


    However, this time Bai Yi also brought along the immortal cultivation manual from Li Daotian ¨C to be precise, it was the ¡°Puppet Master¡¯s Journal¡± with all the contents of the immortal cultivation manual added to it. As an item stored in the system, Bai Yi could extract it anytime during the game.


    In fact, this manual didn¡¯t help Bai Yi much. He had already figured out a way toplete the mission. The reason he brought the manual was purely out of curiosity!


    <i>¡ª Li Daotian had been devoted to cultivation for twenty years, obsessively delving into immortal cultivation. Were these so-called immortal cultivation postures he researched just the wild fantasies of a mentally ill person with no logic, or did they have some truth to them, but the barren world couldn¡¯t support his fantasies bing reality?</i>


    <i>¡ª Was he aplete lunatic detached from reality, or a genius born in the wrong era and world?</i>


    Bai Yi had been curious about this question for a long time. And now, this instance would undoubtedly help him find the answer.


    For example, the issue of spiritual roots. It seemed there were readily avable materials at hand for him to make use of ¡ª he nced at the old man barely clinging to life at his feet. With experience from several ythroughs, Bai Yi knew very well how long this NPC could survive. He turned and headed to the kitchen.<i>¡ª There¡¯s probably only 20 minutes left, he needs to hurry up.</i>


    Soon, Bai Yi came out holding a kitchen knife that had been cleaned to a shine, gleaming with cold light.


    The old man, who had been spitting blood and using him of despicably poisoning him, suddenly changed hisplexion entirely, feeling an ominous premonition.


    But he couldn¡¯t do anything, only stare wide-eyed.


    The person in front of him slowly bent down, the gleaming de of the kitchen knife getting closer and closer. He heard a helpless sigh. ¡°Without a surgical knife, I can only make do with this¡­¡±


    Sect Leader of Fushan, unnamed An: !!!


    <i>¡ª Ahhhh, don¡¯te any closer!!!</i>


    In just five minutes, Bai Yipleted the appendectomy¨Cif this kind of operation that only involved cutting off the appendix without caring about infections or worrying about excessive bleeding from the wound could be called surgery¨Cand set aside the blood-stained kitchen knife.


    Then, he suddenly realized, ¡°Ah, I was too hasty earlier, only learned to distinguish the appendix¡¯s existence, but haven¡¯t learned how to finish the surgery after removing the appendix.¡±


    Bai Yi pped his palm in regret, looking at the NPC with an open wound on his belly that hadn¡¯t been stitched up yet, and spoke with the most sincere and innocent tone, ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll have to ask for your understanding! Sorry, as a newbie,cking experience is inevitable!¡±


    The NPC forced to understand: <i>???</i>


    The old man lying on the ground began to gasp heavily, his chest heaving. It was unclear if it was due to anger or if his life force was reaching its end, seemingly about to pass away on the spot.


    Bai Yi hurriedly applied pressure to stop his bleeding, ¡°Don¡¯t be in a hurry to die, I think you can survive for another three minutes. Oh, you might not understand what three minutes means, but that¡¯s not important. Anyway, tell me if you can still absorb spiritual energy?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­¡± The old man¡¯s eyes bulged like a frog¡¯s, angrily spitting out blood on the spot, his neck stiffened, his body trembling violently, unable to utter a single word.


    Bai Yi: ¡°¡­¡±


    <i>¡­Fine, if you don¡¯t want to talk, why get so worked up?</i>


    <i>Anyway, he could figure out the answer through his own observation :).</i>


    Bai Yi waved his hand, and silently, a pitch-ck notebook appeared in his hand, along with a pen.


    <i>Swish, swish, swish¡­</i>


    <i>[Three minutes after the appendectomy, observation still reveals that the wound healing speed is several times faster than an ordinary person¡¯s, and the body is still absorbing special energy, maintaining flesh freshness¡­ Conclusion drawn: the appendix has nothing to do with spiritual roots.]</i>


    ¡°Not surprising, eliminating one wrong answer.¡±


    Bai Yi unsurprisingly put away the journal, realizing the NPC on the ground was dead beyond resurrection, so he simply took out a sword and dug a hole right there, burying him on the spot. It was also a way to let this great pioneer, who had made a significant contribution to countless cultivators, rest in peace, dying where he belonged.


    Looking at the Fushan Sect Leader token he found on the NPC, he immediately knew where to go next.


    ¡ª The spiritual energy had revived, yet these clueless NPCs who hadn¡¯t even crossed the threshold of cultivation could still sit firmly as sect leaders without being overthrown, indicating that the other people in the sect were even more clueless. At least with his strength, he could easily suppress these weaklings.


    For now, those who had only tempered their bodies with spiritual energy without understanding how to cultivate didn¡¯t have much improvement in strength. They were far from surpassing him, the former first in the world.


    Bai Yi squinted at the sunset in the sky, tossed the sect leader token in his hand, and set off in a certain direction.


    At this moment, the system¡¯s narration appeared timely ¡ª


    <i>[You sessfully defeated the Fushan Sect Leader An, using the ¡°Dark Cuisine¡± skill and obtained the Fushan Sect leader token.]</i>


    <i>[From Fushan Sect Leader An, you learned that many elders and disciples of the Fushan Sect are stationed outside their secluded location and Wind Valley, two miles to the west. Due to being the weakest in strength, they were tasked with monitoring your movements and reporting to others periodically¡­£Ý</i>


    <i>[Your enemies scattered across Jianghu have never stopped, even though you are no longer worth mentioning in their eyes.]</i>


    <i>[If you continue to decline day by day, they will be happy to see it, deriving pleasure from your pain. But once you show the slightest sign of aeback, they will mercilessly suppress you.]</i>


    <i>[You are well aware that at this stage, you cannot easily expose yourself to them, otherwise, you will not be able to aplish anything and will only face constant pursuit. Therefore, subduing the Fushan Sect and using it as a shield to block your enemies¡¯ sight and deceive them seems to be the best choice for you at the moment.]</i>


    <i>[¡ª¡ªYou decide to set off.]</i>


    ¡­¡­..


    On the way, Bai Yi naturally put the game on autopilot.


    Half an hourter, at a temporary camp set up in the woods, several elders gathered at the summons of the Fushan Sect¡¯s eldest elder, who sat dignifiedly with a hint of worry and imperceptible tension on his face.


    Seeing this, the other elders couldn¡¯t help but feel worried as well.


    ¡°Great Elder! What happened?¡±


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t the sect leader here?¡±


    ¡°<i>Cough, cough!</i>¡± The eldest elder lightly coughed twice, ¡°That¡¯s exactly why I called you all here. As you know, with the recent appearance of spiritual energy in the world, we are all just groping around blindly. The sect leader was too hasty today and made a mistake. He needs at least three months of seclusion to recuperate properly.¡±


    At this point, he raised his hand, showing a familiar sect leader token to the others, ¡°To prevent leaks of information and avoid being targeted by those enemies, the sect leader has secretly sequestered himself and temporarily entrusted the sect¡¯s affairs to me.¡±


    ¡°Ah! How could this be! The sect leader¡­sigh!¡±


    Several elders sighed immediately, no one doubted that there was any issue here, after all, the eldest elder and the sect leader had no enmity, and he was highly respected within the sect. With him temporarily managing the Fushan Sect, no one had any objections.


    ¡°But what about the Immortal Spiritual Conference in half a month?¡±


    ¡°Yes, with the rapid changes in the world today, we are falling behind. With the appearance of spiritual energy in the world and the emergence of talents who can absorb it, what martial prodigies? They are nothing! Unfortunately, our Fushan Sectcks such talents, and only the sect leader can attend the Immortal Spiritual Conference. But now even the sect leader¡­ What are we going to do?!¡±


    The eldest elder smiled mysteriously, waving his hand, ¡°No need to worry, the sect leader has made arrangements for this matter and has an excellent candidate in mind.¡±


    Upon hearing this, others began to suspect if the sect leader had secretly hidden a genius disciple who had extraordinary skills in cultivation, waiting to unveil them at this crucial moment.


    Surprised and curious, they let their guard down.


    ¡°Alright, you can go now. As usual, don¡¯t show anything unusual to arouse suspicion,¡± the eldest elder waved his hand again, ¡°As for that side¡­¡± He pointed in the direction of Pei Hefeng¡¯s secluded thatched house, ¡°Since the sect leader is temporarily absent, I will personally go to investigate in the future.¡±


    After a few elders left the tent, the eldest elder suddenly sat up from his seat, looking tense. At the same time, a figure appeared out of nowhere, gently descending from above.


    ¡ª He had been there above everyone¡¯s heads from start to finish, and not a single person had noticed his presence.


    Wearing coarse linen clothes with disheveled hair, this man, who looked no older than thirty, took the sect leader token handed to him respectfully by the eldest elder and casually stuffed it into his pocket. He then casually yed with the long sword in his hand, smiling lightly at him, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I always keep my promises.¡±


    The eldest elder forced a bitter smile, unable to say anything.


    The man chuckled lightly again, his gaze yful as he stared at him. The look in his eyes was hard to describe, like someone eyeing a piece of pork on a cutting board, trying to figure out where to make the cut.


    The eldest elder sighed inwardly.


    <i>¡ª Truly worthy of someone who once wreaked havoc on the entire martial world, truly the first in the world! Those who thought he was finished clearly underestimated him by far!</i>


    <i>¡ª It won¡¯t be long before those people regret it!</i>


    Recalling how the other person had silently infiltrated and held a sword to his neck, then forced him to swallow strange poisons¡­ The eldest elder quickly restrained his thoughts, lowered his head, and became even more respectful in expression, ¡°The character of the owner of the Hanguang Sword is certainly trustworthy.¡±


    Bai Yi didn¡¯t say anything else, just raised the long sword in his hand and lightly tapped the other person¡¯s shoulder with the hilt.


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s good then!¡±


    He walked away, ¡°As long as you behave yourself during this time, the antidote will be given immediately after the Immortal Spiritual Conference.¡±


    The so-called Immortal Spiritual Conference was a renamed martial arts conference, but a group of individuals who considered themselves higher than martial artists would naturally not use such a low-profile name.


    The Immortal Spiritual Conference was organized by top sects such as the Baixue Mountain Vi, the North Sea Sword Sect, and the Qiongshan Sect. In theory, it called on all individuals with the potential to absorb spiritual energy, namely seedlings of cultivators, to participate together. The purpose was to gather ideas and wisdom from all beings, creating a new cultivation system distinct from martial arts.


    One had to admit that the person who proposed this idea was admirable, both in vision and scope, quite extraordinary.


    One could imagine that once it was truly achieved, countless contemporary geniuses would exchange ideas, and even mediocre talents might have moments of enlightenment, proposing dazzling suggestions. Looking back in thousands of years, this might be the beginning of the cultivation wave, the initial sprout of the entire world¡¯s cultivation system.


    Using a bit of ash scraped from the stove as ¡°poison¡± frightened the eldest elder, Bai Yi casually picked up a straw hat from the tent, covering his face with it before taking his sword and swaggering out.


    The system timely activated map navigation¡­


    Looking at the clearly marked location of the Immortal Spiritual Conference on the illusionary map, Bai Yi walked while plucking a leaf and casually blowing a cheerful tune.


    ¡­This was Pei Hefeng¡¯s innate talent. It was indeed verypatible with his ordinary music genius talent.


    ¡°A gathering for cultivating immortality?¡± Under the straw hat, the man¡¯s lips curled up as a pitch-ck notebook appeared in his hand, ¡°Perfect, I have many insights to share with everyone.¡±


    <i>¡ªThis is the culmination of twenty years of effort by an old cultivator!</i>


    <i>¡ªHighly rmended! [Bold and capitalized]</i>


    Bai Yi certainly couldn¡¯t wait half a month in the game, so he chose to go on autopilot again and logged in on time.


    On this day, the entire Immortal Spiritual Conference was stirred up because of him!


    On this day, it should have been a moment for countless chosen ones to shine.


    The Vi Master of Baixue Mountain Vi, the Junior Sect Master of North Sea Sword Sect, the Elder of Qiongshan Sect¡­ One after another, renowned martial prodigies and respected elders of the martial world had their limelight stolen by the unknown man in the straw hat.


    Under his logically tight yet wildly imaginative ideas, under his mature andplete cultivation system, their thoughts appeared shallow, immature, and full of loopholes!


    It was as if the spiritual energy of heaven and earth had just appeared, but he had already seen the future thousands of yearster, bringing the essence of the flourishing era to the present, while the thoughts of everyone else were like newly fired y next to beautifully patterned ceramics, revealing a stark contrast!


    ¡°Hiss¡ª¡±


    Looking at the man standing on the tform, waving the so-called cultivation notebook that supposedly condensed all his friend Li Xianke¡¯s hard work, and envisioning the future era of cultivation with an extremely infectious tone to countless people¡­


    Everyone present couldn¡¯t help but gasp in awe, realizing that there were people beyond people and heavens beyond heavens.


    And they all remembered in their hearts the secluded and reclusive Li Xianke, their senior!


    <i>¡ªLi Xianke¡¯s immense talent is terrifying!</i>


    For a moment, countless people under the guidance of the man in the straw hat suddenly understood, shouting, ¡°I understand, I understand!¡±


    <i>[You used the Bewitch skill, sessfully persuaded NPC +1.]</i>


    <i>[You used the Bewitch skill, sessfully persuaded NPC +1.]</i>


    ¡­¡­.


    <i>[You used the Bewitch skill, recruited fervent disciples +1.]</i>


    <i>[You used the Bewitch skill, recruited fervent disciples +1.]</i>


    ¡­¡­


    <i>[You introduced the concept of ¡°cultivating immortality,¡± and everyone suddenly understood!]</i>


    <i>[You introduced the cultivation system of immortality, and everyone was shocked!]</i>


    <i>[You presented various possible visions of cultivating immortality, with profound vision and creativity, stunning everyone!]</i>


    ¡­..


    <i>[You have gained the trust of all NPCs present, with 80% showing respect and 20% being fervent admirers.]</i>


    <i>[You will be recognized by all cultivators as the ¡°Teacher,¡± making an indelible contribution as the ¡°Ancestor of One Path¡± of this cultivation system in this world!]</i>


    As Bai Yi continued to preach, the atmosphere at the Immortal Spiritual Conference turned into arge-scale cult gathering.


    Amidst the fervor, someone deeply bowed and said:


    ¡°Elder¡¯s words are like the sound of great bells, worthy of being called the teacher of generations!¡±


    <i>[Do you want to save temporarily?]</i>


    <i>[This instance has been saved and can be continued at any time.]</i>


    <i>[Achievement system has been refreshed.]</i>


    <i>[You have achieved the ¡°Teacher of Hundred Generations¡± achievement.]</i>


    <i>[You have achieved the ¡°Leading the Cultivating Immortality Trend¡± achievement.]</i>


    <i>[If this instance world continues to develop, you will be an indelible guide in the history of the cultivation world.]</i>


    <i>[The system kindly reminds the yer that if they continue from this point in the next load, it will cause irreversible distortions to the main storyline and yer character.]</i>


    <i>[¡ª¡ªPleaseplete the main storyline first!]</i>


    The system¡¯s meaning was clear. The previous task about Xu Dong had also been distorted by Bai Yi¡¯s cunning moves. However, he hadpleted the main storyline task ¡°Kill anyone at will,¡± and then distorted the nightmare fragment, equivalent to uncovering a hidden task subplot on top ofpleting the main storyline.


    But this time, the main storyline task had not beenpleted yet.


    Clearly meant to change the world and sever cultivation, yet here he was aiming to be the ancestor of cultivators¡ªit was simply a reverse operation!


    Lines of text floated before Bai Yi¡¯s eyes as hey in bed, waving them away, ¡°Alright, alright, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°¡­Of course, I willplete the main storyline task. However, with the system¡¯s intelligence, it naturally can¡¯t grasp my thoughts, so it¡¯s understandable to have such concerns!¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 40

    Chapter 40


    <i>[Idle mode has been turned off.]</i>


    <i>[The Nightmare Fragment instance time has been advanced to six monthster.]</i>


    When Bai Yi logged into the Nightmare Game again, he found himself sitting in a tavern hall, still dressed in hemp clothes, with a bamboo hat covering most of his face. The once world-renowned Hanguang Swordy quietly on the table.


    Apanying it was a table full of fine wine and delicacies.


    The sounds of patrons drinking and chatting constantly filled the air around him.


    Their excited and chaotic mental waves were like a ball of yarn that had been rolled around by a cat on the floor and tangled into knots, all rushing into Bai Yi¡¯s mind.


    Countless streams of information were gathered together by him.


    Bai Yi pulled open the invisible game panel before his eyes, and line after line of historical information from the idle period scrolled past.


    <i>[At the Immortal Spiritual Conference, the appearance of the nameless person in a bamboo hat opened up ideas for everyone, allowing a group of NPCs to witness an unprecedented prospect for immortal cultivation. Frenzy +1+1+1¡­]</i><i>[Your character Pei Hefeng was awarded glorious titles such as ¡°Guide to Immortal Cultivation¡±, ¡°Teacher of a Hundred Generations¡±, ¡°Ancestor of the Way¡±, and so on.]</i>


    <i>[Under your influence, your character Pei Hefeng opened the door to a new world, self-taught strange characteristics such as ¡°Bewitching People¡±, ¡°Thought Induction¡±, ¡°Talking Nonsense¡±, ¡°Convincing with Reason¡±, and developed a strong interest in deceiving and misleading people.]</i>


    <i>[Character fate progression in progress.]</i>


    <i>[In the first month of being left to his own devices, your character Pei Hefeng¡¯s speech at the Immortal Spiritual Conference was widely spread, expanding to three nearby counties, with the number of followers constantly growing.]</i>


    <i>[In the second month of being left to his own devices, your character Pei Hefeng was invited to participate in perfecting the basic breathing technique of the immortal cultivation system, gaining the favor of the master of Baixue Mountain Vi, and bing an honored guest there. Your character Pei Hefeng attempted to practice the basic breathing technique without sess, but through dietary supplements, he absorbed spiritual energy to refine his physical body, pretending to have seeded in cultivation, and sessfully refined his body.]</i>


    <i>[In the third month of being left to his own devices, at the earnest and repeated invitation of the Supreme Elder of Qiongshan Sect, your character Pei Hefeng participated in a private small Immortal Spiritual meeting held by a group of special NPCs. With his identity as a cultivation failure, he guided the world, instructing a group of cultivation geniuses, and jointly created the initial version of the immortal cultivation system suitable for this world.]</i>


    <i>[In the third month of being left to his own devices, your character Pei Hefeng had sessfully infiltrated the enemy¡¯s inner circle, bing an undercover boss, viewed as a close friend and reliable mentor by the top batch of cultivation geniuses, a selfless guide, and a mysterious pathfinder. Under the guidance of your character Pei Hefeng, they strived upwards, breaking through the threshold of immortal cultivation one after another, advancing towards higher realms.]</i>


    ¡­¡­


    <i>[In the fifth month of being left to his own devices, your character Pei Hefeng, under the alias Pei Qiuxian, had thoroughly be famous throughout the world, sparking a cultivation frenzy across thend, known to all within the four seas. The poprized immortal cultivation system and basic breathing technique were highly praised in the martial world. Apart from those immune to spiritual energy, people all over the world abandoned martial arts for immortal cultivation!]</i>


    <i>[In the sixth month of being left to his own devices, your character was invited to the northern seashore to witness the young sect master of the North Sea Sword Sect break through the stage of Qi Refining and Body Tempering, entering a brand new realm of cultivation.]</i>


    The noise in the tavern was incessant. Outside, the streets were also crowded with people, shoulder to shoulder.


    These were all ¡°cultivators¡± who had traveled from far and wide upon hearing the news that the young master of the North Sea Sword Sect was about to break through.


    Of course, given their level, if they were to call themselves cultivators in a real world of immortal cultivation, it would beughable.


    As the sun rose in the sky, people began to move towards the towering, endless snow-capped mountains outside the city.


    The entrance to the North Sea Sword Secty deep within those majestic snow mountains.


    At the peak of the highest snow mountain, a figure had been sitting for a long time. He had white clothes and ck hair, with a young and handsome face, exuding an aura of serenity and indifference.


    Figures flitted between the continuous snow mountains,ing from all directions towards the peak. The seated young man seemed unaware of everything around him, eyes closed, his aura gradually merging with the surrounding environment.


    The moment his aurapletely harmonized, the young man suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze clear and bright. He recited in a casual tone:


    ¡°For twenty years I¡¯ve been in confusion, today I finally know who I am!¡±


    As his words fell, a powerful aura burst from him, as if some invisible shackle had been broken.


    The look in his eyes became increasingly detached and ethereal, as if his entire soul had left his body and floated up to the high heavens.


    All the onlookers were stunned.


    ¡°Is this what a true immortal cultivator is like?¡± someone eximed in shock and admiration, ¡°Enlightenment and breakthrough, seeking immortality?¡±


    ¡°Yes! This must be the legendary ¡®enlightenment¡¯ and ¡®sudden realization¡¯! They say the biggest difference between immortal cultivation and martial arts is that, besides tempering the body, cultivators must constantlyprehend the great principles of heaven and earth to break through realms,¡± someone sighed. ¡°I fear I have no hope in this lifetime!¡±


    ¡°¡­Young Master Qiu is truly a rare talent in the world, he actually seeded! This aptitude andprehension ability is unparalleled in the current age!¡±


    The spectators¡¯ feelings of amazement and envy need not be mentioned. A trace of longing appeared in their eyes, fantasizing that in the near future, they too could be like this, with a chance to be immortals.


    Just then, someone called out, ¡°Wait, something¡¯s not right. Everyone, quick, look at Young Master Qiu¡¯s face!¡±


    Startled by this voice, everyone looked.


    They saw that the originally serene and handsome face now showed signs of distortion. Amidst the flying snow, various emotions shed through the young man¡¯s once detached and pure eyes ¨C anger, sorrow, resentment, wild joy, fear, struggle¡­ finally turning into a chaotic and crazy deep ck, like the gates of an abyss opening, with countless demons about to crawl out from his eyes!


    ¡°Stop it, stop it, stop it, get out of my head!¡± he suddenly started pounding his head violently.


    ¡°Get out, get out, get out¡ª¡±


    To everyone¡¯s astonishment, he lost control and shouted, his aura instantly falling into chaos. Then, he spat out a mouthful of blood.


    The wind howled, and cries of rm rose around. The young man clutched his head, rolling on the ground in agony.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Is it a failed breakthrough? Did something go wrong?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡ª Help! Young Master Qiu has gone into qi deviation!¡±


    Violent sword qi surged around, apanied by screams and shouts. The young man in white had drawn his sword at some point and began killing indiscriminately.


    Fortunately, many experts were present among those invited. After the initial surprise, they acted quickly, working together to restrain him, finally calming the situation.


    ¡°s, how could this happen!¡± These top experts who intervened were also among those with the strongest aptitude for immortal cultivation in this world. They had all contributed to the current basic breathing technique and cultivation system. They hade to witness the North Sea Sword Sect¡¯s young master¡¯s sessful breakthrough, to validate their path of immortal cultivation. They never expected such an incident and were at a loss for what to do.


    ¡°Let me take a look.¡± A figure emerged from the crowd, approaching the young man who was restrained but still in a state of chaotic madness. He was immediately recognized.


    ¡°When did Fellow Cultivator Pei arrive? We didn¡¯t even notice!¡± Upon seeing him, the perplexed crowd showed signs of delight. ¡°Do you have a way to quell his qi deviation?¡±


    ¡°This is likely not ordinary qi deviation, but rather a mishap whileprehending the Heavenly Dao,¡± Bai Yi spoke softly from under his bamboo hat.


    After some examination, he muttered in a puzzled tone. ¡°How could this be? If it were an error in the internal meridian pathways while absorbing spiritual energy, it would be understandable. With the magnificent Heavenly Dao above, one eitherprehends or doesn¡¯t. Even a failedprehension shouldn¡¯t lead to demonic deviation!¡±


    ¡°¡­Unless, there¡¯s a problem with the Dao itself.¡±


    He mumbled almost inaudibly, then suddenly seemed to snap out of his contemtion, quickly shaking his head. ¡°No, no, no, I must be overthinking!¡±


    But the highly skilled individuals around him, all with keen senses, caught that barely perceptible sentence.


    And in an instant, they understood its implications.


    !!!


    For a moment, everyone seemed to be struck by a great terror, their breathing faltering.


    ¡°No, no, no, that¡¯s impossible!¡± They too shook their heads internally,pletely dispelling that absurd notion.


    Everyone¡¯s attention returned to the young master of the North Sea Sword Sect. The urgent matter at hand was to escort him back to the North Sea Sword Sect and find a way to help him recover quickly.


    ¡­¡­


    The events on the snow mountain left everyone terrified and shocked.


    Bai Yi, however, was quite cheerful.


    He started humming a tune again.


    At this moment, he felt unprecedentedly refreshed!


    The earlier incident was, of course, Bai Yi¡¯s mischief!


    As for how he aplished it, it was rted to the fragment of the Principle of All Things in his possession¡ª


    ording to the information Bai Yi obtained from the game system, the fragment of the Principle of All Things could upgrade any skill, card, talent, or item, and could also be exchanged for Nightmare Crystals. It was essentially omnipotent within the game system.


    So, he made a reasonable guess.


    <i>¡ª Isn¡¯t this just like a universal modifier in online games? It can freely add attribute points, modify skills, items, and so on. It¡¯s truly a game-breaking equipment beyond the ordinary!</i>


    <i>At that time, when he tried to use the fragment of the Principle of All Things to upgrade his talent ¡°Rhythm of All Things,¡± the system refused, saying it couldn¡¯t be done. So, what if instead of an upgrade, he made some small modifications?</i>


    Bai Yi proposed his request to the system¡ª


    ¡°¡®Rhythm of All Things¡¯ can only passively receive the life rhythms from all things in the world. If we integrate a fragment of the Principle of All Things, could we build an invisible web of thoughts connecting all things in the world based on ¡®Rhythm of All Things¡¯¡­¡±


    At this point, the color in his pupils deepened.


    ¡°¡ªPreviously, those people input to me one-way, now, I want to make this web of thoughts bidirectional~¡±


    <i>[After evaluation, the yer¡¯s idea is feasible.]</i>


    <i>[Do you confirm using the fragment of the Principle of All Things to modify ¡®Rhythm of All Things¡¯ and derive ¡®Web of Thoughts¡¯?]</i>


    ¡°Eh? It really can be done?¡±


    Bai Yi raised an eyebrow in surprise, then lifted the corners of his mouth high. ¡°Do you need to ask? Of course I confirm!¡±


    ¡­..


    Fierce winds swept across the snow mountain peak, snowkes flying everywhere.


    A cheerful tune drifted through the air as a figure walked through the wind and snow, his snow-white hemp clothes seeming to merge with the blizzard.


    Under the inconspicuous bamboo hat, his lips curled into a wild grin.


    At this moment, an invisible web of thoughts permeated between heaven and earth, constantly expanding outward with him at its center.


    The mental waves of countless people around him converged towards him, and with a single thought, he could spread them out again through this invisible web of thoughts.


    On this invisiblework, one thread was particrly tight, with the other end connected to the young master of the North Sea Sword Sect. At the moment of his breakthrough, Bai Yi had stuffed arge amount of chaotic thoughts onto this line.


    As a result, that guy¡¯s CPU overloaded and he became confused.


    ¡°Tsk.¡± Bai Yi expressed great disappointment at this, ¡°Weakling!¡±


    <i>Over the years, the mental waves input into his head one-way were far more than this, and wasn¡¯t he still fine?</i>


    Bai Yi stopped the continuous flow of mental waves into that line, lest he really burst that weakling¡¯s brain.


    ¡ª What was already in his head now was enough to keep him confused for a while. At least let others understand what happened.


    ¡­¡­


    A full half month passed before the young master of the North Sea Sword Sect gradually recovered from his previous chaotic and crazy state.


    When others came to visit, he fearfully described the situation during his breakthrough:


    ¡°At that time, I emptied my mind, sinking into a state of no thought, feeling my spirit infinitely elevated, my soul thoroughly merging with heaven and earth. I was initially joyful. Who knew that next, it would be like sinking into a quagmire. In this world, there seemed to be endless demonic sounds, boundless delusions, infinite sorrows and hatreds, as if transformed into countless faces, filling all directions of heaven and earth.¡±


    ¡ª And his emptied mind was like a naked person stripped of outer clothing, suddenly plunged into endless mire, disturbed by countless random thoughts, as if thousands of people were talking in his mind. How could he not break down?


    Others who heard this eximed. ¡°This immortal cultivation is truly inconceivable, andprehending the Dao is fraught with difficulties!¡±


    However, failing the first breakthrough attempt wasn¡¯t a big deal. With experience, perhaps the next time would be smooth.


    They were encouraging him to keep trying when the young master of the North Sea Sword Sect waved his hands. ¡°No, no, forget it. I think I might have some misunderstanding about the path of immortal cultivation. I¡¯m not a cultivation genius! My talent is in martial arts!¡±


    The subsequent conversation among the crowd became:


    ¡°Believe in yourself, you can do it!¡±


    ¡°No, no, no, no, I really can¡¯t!¡±


    After this exchange, the crowd could only leave in disappointment.


    The pale-faced young master of the North Sea Sword Sect heaved a long sigh of relief.


    Even now, he hadn¡¯t fully recovered. He still felt like there was a lot of sludge in his head that hadn¡¯t been poured out, his mind inplete chaos.


    If this happened again, it might cost him his life!


    ¡°I never expected Young Master Qiu to be so cowardly!¡± Someone cursed disappointedly after leaving the North Sea Sword Sect. ¡°Cultivating immortality and seeking the Dao should be about facing challenges head-on. To give up after one failure, how can one achieve great things!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you agree, Fellow Cultivator Pei?¡±


    Bai Yi, being addressed, let out an ¡°Ah¡± and replied, ¡°Your words are most correct. I wonder if you would like to be the pioneer in this path?¡±


    ¡°Cough, this old man¡¯s aptitude is dull¡­¡± The personughed it off.


    Bai Yi immediately let out a long sigh of disappointment.


    <i>¡­What happened to facing challenges head-on?</i>


    He now just hoped that everyone in the world would quickly start cultivating and actively connect to his web of thoughts.


    It would be perfect to thoroughly pour out all the ck sludge umted in his head over these seventeen years, like a big clean-up!


    ¡ª The more he thought about it, the happier he became.


    <i>[On the seventh day of the second month, the young master of the North Sea Sword Sect, having perfected Qi Refining and Body Tempering, attempted toprehend the Heavenly Dao on the North Sea Snow Peak, aiming to break through Qi Refining and directly reach Foundation Building. However, he fell into qi deviation and went mad on the spot. All observers were shocked and terrified, hesitation growing in their hearts.]</i>


    <i>[On the fourteenth day of the fourth month, the master of Taixu Sect went into closed-door cultivation to break through, but fell into qi deviation in the secret chamber. When discovered, he had already taken his own life, the chamber in disarray. The news spread, causing an uproar in the martial world.]</i>


    <i>[On the twenty-seventh day of the fourth month, Elder Li of the Canng Sect, seeing his lifespan nearing its end, attempted to break through Qi Refining to extend his life. However, he fell into qi deviation whileprehending the Dao, went mad, and seriously injured seven disciples. He passed away in confusion shortly after, when his time came.]</i>


    <i>[On the eighth day of the sixth month¡­]</i>


    ¡­


    <i>[Starting with the young master of the North Sea Sword Sect, all cultivators who perfected Qi Refining and attempted to break through to the next realm invariably fell into qi deviation and lost control whileprehending the Dao.]</i>


    <i>[In this era of spiritual energy resurgence, this group of fastest-progressing cultivators were precisely those bearing the great luck of this world¡¯s immortal path, the most outstanding cultivation prodigies.]</i>


    <i>[They should have been exploring the path of immortal cultivation,ying the foundation for tens of thousands of generations toe, bing the pioneers for future cultivators. Now, however, their dao hearts werepletely destroyed, and they avoided the path of immortal cultivation like the gue.]</i>


    <i>[¡ª You have sessfully altered this world¡¯s predetermined fate, changing the history of the Nightmare Fragment instance from its source.]</i>


    ¡°Mad, mad, they¡¯ve all gone mad!¡±


    Under Bai Yi¡¯s mischief, these horrifying ¡°tragedies¡± made the entire martial world tremble.


    <i>¡ª Who would still want to cultivate immortality? The more they cultivated, the madder they became. It was life-threatening!</i>


    He then subtly spread the concept of ¡°Outer Realm Demons.¡± He let people know that such entities existed, supposedly found in records from some ancient texts.


    Before long, the NPCs of this world lived up to his expectations and reasonably filled in the nks¡ª


    ¡°This must be the legendary Outer Realm Demons at work!¡±


    ¡°What heavenly spiritual energy? It¡¯s clearly demonic energy! The Outer Realm Demons must be deliberately spreading demonic energy, attempting to infiltrate this world and turn everyone into their ves!¡±


    ¡°It must be so without a doubt. This world has never heard of any immortal spiritual energy since ancient times. The martial way is the righteous path passed down for generations. What immortal cultivation? Nonsense, heresy! It¡¯s the way of the Outer Realm Demons! That being the case, those who cultivate immortality must face heavenly punishment! This is the Heavenly Dao¡¯s intolerance!¡±


    ¡°The martial way is favored by the Heavenly Dao. I will abandon immortal cultivation and practice martial arts!¡±


    Some even quoted the ssic words of the young master of the North Sea Sword Sect, making such derations¡ª


    ¡°What immortal cultivation genius? I¡¯m not an immortal cultivation genius! My talent is in martial arts!¡±


    ¡°I will forever love the martial way! The martial way is eternal!¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 41

    Chapter 41


    When the theory of Outer Realm Demons became popr, countless cultivators in the entire Nightmare Game fragment feared for their lives.


    The cultivation system that had just emerged was immediatelybeled as an evil cult. Even the legendary Pei Qiuxian, who had amazed the world, became the subject of varying degrees of suspicion.


    When people tried to find his whereabouts, they discovered he had vanished without a trace, adding anotheryer of mystery to his persona.


    Many suspected he was the incarnation or spokesperson of Outer Realm Demons in the mortal world, aiming to guide people onto a path disguised as cultivation but actually serving the Outer Realm Demons. They believed that once people went astray, the Outer Realm Demons could invade their minds and be the demons in everyone¡¯s hearts, enving all living beings.


    Some suspected that this pioneer of the cultivation system had already died after going astray in his exploration of cultivation.


    As for certain small sects iming this person was actually the former world¡¯s number one, Pei Hefeng, it was simply ridiculous!


    Everyone knew Pei Hefeng had no aptitude for cultivation, so how could he understand the cultivation system so well? It was as absurd as a monk understanding Taoist scriptures and single-handedly creating the Taoist system¡­ Such an outrageous rumor was not believed by anyone with a brain!


    At this time, when Pei Hefeng was mentioned, people¡¯s attitudes had changed dramatically!


    When he dominated the martial world and suppressed all under heaven, they feared, hated, respected, and were in awe of him. When the immortal spiritual energy appeared, they thought he had been abandoned by the times, no different from dry bones in a grave. But now, they wondered if this once-in-a-century martial arts genius was actually the true chosen one?The more people spected, the more reasonable it seemed.


    <i>¡ª The so-called path of cultivation was nothing but an evil way. Cultivators would surely face divine punishment and go astray. Only martial arts had been the righteous path in this world since ancient times!</i>


    <i>¡ª Then, wasn¡¯t the person with the greatest martial arts talent favored by heaven and earth, the true chosen one?</i>


    He had survived numerous enemies seeking him out andter mysteriously disappeared. Now, a group of cultivators had gone astray¡­ All of this seemed to confirm this spection.


    At this point, the talented cultivators who had gone astray finally realized, ¡°Could this be the difference between a false chosen one and the true chosen one?¡±


    <i>[The era of cultivation had just begun, only toe to an end.]</i>


    <i>[¨C This was a terrible conspiracy.]</i>


    <i>[¨C This was revengeunched against this world, against this brand new era, by those abandoned by the old era!]</i>


    <i>[You created demons in the hearts of countless cultivators,pletely cutting off the path of immortality in everyone¡¯s hearts.]</i>


    <i>[You single-handedly destroyed the possibilities of the new era, dragging the entire world back into the dead end of the old era.]</i>


    <i>[You buried the future of countless people, you changed history! Youpleted your revenge on this world, at the cost of leaving the entire world with no future and losing hope for ascension!]</i>


    <i>[¨C You are the sage who opened the path of cultivation for the world, and also the demon of demons who destroyed it all.]</i>


    <i>[Main questpleted. Do you want to exit the instance?]</i>


    Seeing this series of evaluations from the game system, Bai Yi, who was about to exit the instance, became dissatisfied. ¡°Hey, hey, hey, system, are you saying that I hindered the progress of the entire world?¡±


    ¡°You were the one who issued the quest for me to transform the world, and now you¡¯re the one being sarcastic, tsk.¡± He shook his head and let out a meaningful sigh, ¡°Besides, how do you know that cultivation is the only correct path?¡±


    ¡°Forget it, I should have known you wouldn¡¯t think of that. I¡¯ll reluctantly teach you a lesson.¡±


    Saying this, Bai Yi crossed his arms and made a big X. ¡°So, of course, we can¡¯t end it like this! Otherwise, you¡¯d be too pleased with yourself!¡±


    He chose to stay in the instance, but not as Pei Qiuxian. Instead, he appeared before the world as Pei Hefeng, in the identity of the world¡¯s number one in martial arts.


    There had been a Immortal Spiritual Conference to discuss the path of cultivation before, so wouldn¡¯t it be natural to hold a Martial Arts Conference to discuss the future of martial arts?


    Wouldn¡¯t it be even more reasonable to summon martial artists from all over the world in the name of the world¡¯s number one, gather the wisdom of many, integrate various martial arts, and revise a ¡°Martial Arts ssic¡± suitable for the current era, opening up a new path of martial arts for the world?


    <i>¡ª Since this world now had spirit energy, as long as one could utilize it, what difference did it make which path one took?</i>


    Whether directly absorbing spirit energy or consuming spiritual objects to obtain their power, it was evident that people¡¯s physical constitution in this world would be stronger, and their vitality would increase.


    If specialized martial arts techniques were created to refine the body with spiritual energy and expand meridians, even the existing martial arts moves would be vastly different from before when used!


    If one couldn¡¯t follow the path of cultivation, they could follow the path of advanced martial arts!


    From shattering rocks with a palm to splitting mountains, from walking on water to crossing rivers on a single reed¡­ Wouldn¡¯t such a style be interesting too?


    ¡­..


    <i>[Sessfully cleared the Nightmare fragment ¡°It¡¯s not me who¡¯s wrong, it¡¯s the world!¡±]</i>


    <i>[Instance level: ¡ï¡ï¡î]</i>


    <i>[Clearance rating: S]</i>


    <i>[Points earned: 25]</i>


    <i>[Achievements unlocked: [Teacher of a Hundred Generations] [Leading the Immortal Cultivation Trend] (exnations omitted)]</i>


    <i>[Source of All Evil]</i>


    <i>[Description: By single-handedly bing the heart demon of countless cultivators in the entire world, you are the source of all evil.]</i>


    <i>[Hidden instance unlocked: [World Ascension]]</i>


    <i>[Instance level: ¡ï¡î]</i>


    <i>[Clearance rating: S]</i>


    <i>[Points earned: 20]</i>


    <i>[Achievement unlocked: [Ancestor of Martial Arts]]</i>


    <i>[Description: You found a brand new path for world ascension, you opened up a new future for martial arts.]</i>


    <i>[God? Demon?]</i>


    <i>[Description: You buried the immortal path, you pioneered new martial arts. You are the incarnation of the heart demon feared by all cultivators, and also the sage worshipped by countless martial artists. You are the biggest behind-the-scenes maniptor of this world. You are both god and demon.]</i>


    Bai Yi slowly opened his eyes, and the system narration appeared.


    <i>[Beginning special reward draw.]</i>


    <i>[You have obtained a special drop: Nightmare Crystal (Green) x5.]</i>


    <i>[Description: Higher quality than Nightmare Crystal (White), can be used to support higher-level scene temtes or character card manifestations.]</i>


    <i>[You have obtained a character card¡­]</i>


    Along with the narration, an illusory card slowly appeared in mid-air and gently fell into Bai Yi¡¯s palm.


    Looking at the text that appeared before him, Bai Yi¡¯s eyes widened slightly: ¡°Oh my, this seems interesting.¡±


    ¡°¨C I can¡¯t wait to try it out.¡±


    ****


    When Bai Yi went downstairs, he found Xia Jiajia, who lived downstairs, dragging a suitcase out the door. He was momentarily stunned before realizing, ¡°Are you returning to school?¡±


    Xia Jiajia locked her door, then turned around with her suitcase, her tone dejected. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious! August isn¡¯t even over yet, and the universities in our Yuanyang are already starting. Ah ah ah, if I had known, I would have gone to the Imperial Capital!!¡±


    She had a moment of frustration, then seemed to remember something and said earnestly, ¡°Oh right, Bai Yi, you¡¯re entering your senior year of high school, so you¡¯ll be going to university next year, right? Remember, remember, remember my lesson, don¡¯t choose locally in Yuanyang, absolutely not! Short holidays, heavy coursework, difficult to get into graduate school, and the supervisors are particrly inhumane! Most importantly, the cafeteria food is terrible! These are the hard-learned lessons I¡¯ve summarized as someone who¡¯s been through it!¡±


    ¡°Oh, do you have any other experiences to share? Have you figured out which school has the easiest coursework, longest holidays, and best cafeteria food?¡±


    Bai Yi squinted his eyes and smiled, looking curious.


    ¡°I actually have a summary for that! First is the Imperial Capital University, the cafeteria chefs there are like culinary gods descended to earth, I¡¯ve been there once before¡­¡± Xia Jiajia suddenly became energetic, sitting down on her suitcase and vividly describing the unforgettable food she longed for.


    In her words, it was: ¡°Something that should only exist in heaven, rarely seen in the mortal world¡±, ¡°Eating it makes you feel like you¡¯re ascending to heaven!¡±, ¡°Definitely not food that ordinary people can make¡±, ¡°It must be something only immortals can achieve!¡±


    Bai Yi pondered. ¡°I feel like you¡¯re praising me.¡±


    <i>¡­Isn¡¯t it just food that ordinary mortals can¡¯t make?</i>


    <i>¡­He couldn¡¯t send people to heaven, but he could send them to the underworld! Aren¡¯t the deities of the underworld still deities?</i>


    In conclusion, all the adjectives Xia Jiajia used could be applied to him, no problem!


    <i>¡­Well, this is quite embarrassing!</i>


    Seeing Xia Jiajia¡¯s drooling expression, still wanting to taste the food made by immortals again, Bai Yi, being a good neighbor from upstairs, generously offered, ¡°I haven¡¯t had lunch yet, I can treat you and fulfill your wish.¡±


    Xia Jiajia: ???


    ¡°No, no, no!¡± She waved her hands in horror, shaking her head frantically, ¡°I¡¯m not worthy of your heavenly culinary skills!¡±


    ¡­Don¡¯t think she didn¡¯t know, ever since this good neighbor moved upstairs, the stray cats and dogs in the old town no longer came to the garbage bins around here. It made her have to walk several streets away to find cats to feed like before.


    ¡­The first dog that was harmed, she was the first to discover and sent it to the pet hospital in time, barely saving its life. The doctor almost reported it as a case of poisoning.


    Thinking of these things, Xia Jiajia¡¯s face turned green.


    At this moment, she caught sight of a figure approaching from the other end of the street. Xia Jiajia, as if finding a lifeline, quickly waved her hand in that direction. ¡°Tian Yin, Tian Yin!¡±


    The person she called seemed to be stunned for a moment, hesitating for several seconds before slowly walking towards the apartment building.


    Under the sunlight, she wore a light green long dress that looked fresh and natural. Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders, giving off a quiet and elegant aura.


    Perhaps the only thing that seemed a bit strange was the small flower pot she was holding. The pot only contained soil and a tiny sprout, not particrly attractive.


    Yet she was holding this strange flower pot as if it were a treasure, her careful protection clearly visible.


    Xia Jiajia¡¯s curiosity was piqued. She had originally called out just to change the subject, but now she asked, ¡°What¡¯s that? A flower you¡¯re growing? What kind of flower is it that you¡¯re carrying it around? Why didn¡¯t you leave it at home?¡±


    Tian Yin looked down at the flower pot and the small sprout, instinctively holding the pot closer before answering, ¡°It¡¯s a sunflower someone gave me. I¡¯ve terminated my adoption rtionship with the Gu family and moved out, so of course I had to take my own things with me.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Xia Jiajia was stunned. She never expected that just trying to find a topic would lead to such big news.


    ¡°Terminated the adoption rtionship?¡± In her shock, she blurted out, ¡°Wasn¡¯t it said that old Mr. Gu and his wife were hospitalized?¡± As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt it was inappropriate. It sounded like she was using Tian Yin of not taking care of the elderly and instead taking the opportunity to sever ties. Xia Jiajia quickly waved her hands, ¡°No, no, that¡¯s not what I meant¡­¡±


    ¡°They recovered and were dischargedst week,¡± Tian Yin interrupted her apology, not taking offense. ¡°We all felt that it wasn¡¯t suitable to maintain our current rtionship, so we went through the procedure to terminate it. It¡¯s good timing as I¡¯vee of age and been admitted to university. Perhaps leaving will be a new beginning.¡±


    She gazed deeply in the direction she came from and smiled.


    Bai Yi suddenly spoke up. ¡°¡­So, you¡¯re taking this potted nt to university. Is this your luggage?¡±


    Xia Jiajia only just realized this point, her expression cracking.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Tian Yin¡¯s smile became even brighter, looking almost blissful. ¡°Everything else belongs to the Gu family. Only this sunflower ispletely mine.¡±


    ¡°¡ªIt¡¯s a lucky flower symbolizing the fulfillment of wishes!¡±


    Xia Jiajia: ???


    ¡°Since when does a sunflower represent wish fulfillment¡­¡± Watching Tian Yin¡¯s receding figure, Xia Jiajia was utterly confused. She was about to say something else when she suddenly jumped up from her suitcase, ¡°Oh no, I forgot about the time!¡±


    As soon as her feet touched the ground, she hastily grabbed her suitcase. She didn¡¯t forget to wave at Bai Yi.


    ¡°¡ªI still have to catch the train!¡±


    ¡°¡ªSee you next holiday, Bai Yi!¡±


    Both had walked away, but Bai Yi still stood in ce, one hand lightly touching his chin, maintaining a thinker¡¯s pose.


    After a long while, he pushed at non-existent sses on his nose bridge and let out an ¡°Oh¡±. ¡°That potted sunflower must be from the flower seeds I gave out¡­¡±


    Recalling Tian Yin¡¯s treasuring gesture, Bai Yi¡¯s non-existent conscience suddenly felt a tiny bit guilty.


    ¡°This is really¡­unexpectedly persistent¡­¡±


    It was like casually tricking a child that it would rain lollipops from the sky, thinking the child would forget about it in a couple of days, only to find the child constantly looking up at the sky waiting for the lollipop rain¡­ Inparison, the liar who casually deceived the child seemed utterly conscienceless!


    Bai Yi took out the [Flower Speaker] and [Puppet Master] cards, looking at the slowly increasing legend degree, maintaining a profound posture as he nodded slowly.


    His non-existent sses seemed to sh with a dark light.


    ¡°¡ªIt seems, it¡¯s time to make arrangements.¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 42

    Chapter 42


    Chenxing Empire, King District.


    Ink sttered across the sky, as night chased away the waning moon.


    Old but orderly buildings looked like toy models made from the same mold, neatly arranged together. From the heavens above, it resembled a prank by the gods.


    In the streets running between the buildings, sewage flowed freely, and pedestrians hurried by with numb and cold expressions. In street corners, people furtively traded some kind of stimnt. At intersections, heavy motorcycles roared past, sshing dirty water onto pedestrians¡¯ trouser legs, followed by shouts, curses, and yells.


    Then, a burst of intense gunfire drowned out everything else.


    Hearing the gunshots, no one cried out, no one wept, no one ran around shouting. They routinely took temporary shelter in the nearest building ¨C perhaps a convenience store, their own home, or maybe a bar or hotel.


    When everything calmed down, they emerged as if nothing had happened, continuing what they were doing before.


    Hurried pedestrians continued rushing home; convenience store owners counting the day¡¯s earnings resumed tallying ounts; strangers who hadpleted their transactions left without looking back, each with bulging wallets and stimnts, only to be dragged away shortly after; in the depths of unlit alleys, young couples disturbed by gunfire continued their passionate kisses¡­The world remained as it always had been.


    In the King District, such urrences weremonce. Every few days, nameless bodies would be found in dark corners, possibly due to territorial disputes, a wrong word spoken, a few fragrant imperial banknotes, or even just a loaf of bread¡­These executioners, who exchanged fire in the night, piercing others¡¯ bodies with cold bullets and reaping lives as if they were mere weeds, might return home to be obedient sons, simple husbands, or reliable fathers. Of course, they might also be even more terrible abusers.


    Everyone had grown ustomed to such role changes.


    This was the way of survival in the King District.


    It had been this way for generations.


    Since everyone had long grown ustomed to the environment here, naturally, no one noticed that ¨C


    Over the past month or so, the gunfire had be more frequent and orderly than before;


    The conflicts that used to erupt anytime, anywhere now seemed to concentrate in the deep night or at certain special times, as if by agreement;


    The addicts who were once seen everywhere had vanished without a trace;


    Gang leaders and arms dealers who used to be at odds now frequented the same ces, as if some authoritypelled them to converge;


    As for those excluded from this circle, with each round of nighttime gunfire, they were gradually eliminated, devoured, and consumed by this new small group.


    It was as if an invisible hand controlled everyone, establishing a brand new order within this seemingly chaotic disorder, and setting up a new set of rules.


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡±


    Josiah exhaled a smoke ring filled with the scent of blood and gunpowder, tossed his cheap cigarette to the ground, and crushed it under his foot before cing his hand on the doorknob in front of him.


    As the leader of ¡°Cleaners,¡± one of thergest gangs in the King District, a man who specialized in doing dirty work for the upper-ss elites ¨C in fact, under the indulgence of the big shots in the Chenxing Empire, there were many like him in the King District, all mere tools in the hands of the powerful ¨C few would believe he would live in such an ordinary, dpidated, and inconspicuous old house.


    Those who tried to follow him and capture his weaknesses and vulnerabilities would always be confused by his careful movements and various tricks. No one had been fortunate enough to see his residence.


    But Josiah liked it here.


    Every night, when he saw the lights on in this house and opened the door to receive hugs from his wife and daughter, all his fatigue would vanish, reced by a sense ofplete satisfaction.


    This was what he would fight to protect at all costs.


    The cruelty of taking others¡¯ lives disappeared from him, and Josiah¡¯s face showed a tender smile.


    He opened the front door and walked in.


    ¡°Thud¡ª!¡±


    As he pushed the door open, a sound rang out, as if someone had heavily pressed a piano key, and music poured forth.


    Low, elegant, gentle, sacred¡­ like a hymn in a church, a holy song at a wedding. The night seemed to turn into dawn, with golden morning light piercing through the clouds, falling into the room. Angels descended to earth amid the divine music.


    Josiah¡¯s face broke into a delighted smile.


    He knew his wife loved the piano and had even bought her one after they married, which she cherished, but he never knew her skills had improved to this level¡­


    ¡°p p p!¡±


    ¡°Yay, yay!¡±


    His daughter¡¯s childish cheers rang out in the living room. She excitedly pped her hands, grabbed a bouquet of roses from the table, and ran towards the wall where the piano was, eagerly presenting the flowers to the performer. Her little face was flushed with excitement.


    So much so that she didn¡¯t even notice her father¡¯s return.


    Josiah¡¯s doting gaze followed his daughter¡¯s direction, and the delighted smile on his face slowly froze.


    A tall figure slowly rose from the piano, epted the bouquet from the little girl, and gracefully bowed like a performer about to leave the stage.


    Moonlight shone in from outside, and the man¡¯s pale golden hair seemed to glow. His deep green eyes were gentler than the moonlight. As he took the flowers, one hand held the little girl¡¯s hand, performing a no-contact hand kiss.


    ¡°Thank you, dear little miss~¡±


    The little girl smiled even more happily.


    The moment the man reached out to hold the little girl¡¯s hand, Josiah¡¯s pupils suddenly revealed undisguisable panic, anger, and fear, as if he had seen the kiss of a venomous snake!


    He stood frozen, not daring to breathe.


    As if the slightest carelessness would startle the snake before him, sending his daughter¡¯s young life to its doom under the snake¡¯s kiss.


    Seeming to notice his gaze, the man in the moonlight looked up at him, slowly curling his lips into an arc, as exquisite and perfect as a doll in a shop window,cking warmth.


    The thick night spread behind him, his shadowpletely enveloping the little girl in front of him, yet it seemed to envelop the entire house, including Josiah himself, plunging everything into a deep, viscous, terrifying shadow.


    ¡°Joe, you¡¯re back!¡±


    His wife¡¯s delighted voice sounded behind Josiah, breaking the suffocating atmosphere.


    She came out of the kitchen wearing an apron, cing steaming dishes on the table. ¡°Perfect timing. Mr. K came to visit today, so I prepared a hearty dinner for you all!¡±


    Saying this, she smiled at the man by the window, ¡°Mr. K, I apologize for not being able to properly entertain you. I hope this little one didn¡¯t cause you any trouble.¡±


    ¡°Not at all. The little miss is very charming.¡±


    The little girl pouted angrily, then raised her head again at hispliment.


    The tall man and the small child walked past Josiah, who stood frozen like a statue in the living room, and headed to the dining table to sit down.


    The hostess nced at her husband, who was standing still like a sculpture, and called out in dissatisfaction, ¡°Joe, what are you doing standing there? It¡¯s so rude!¡±


    The man called Mr. K smiled and said, ¡°No, I should be the one apologizing for visiting without the host¡¯s permission¡­Though, I thought Josiah and I had developed quite a deep friendship during this time.¡±


    As he said this, he let out a soft sigh.


    ¡°No!¡± Josiah finally reacted, realizing his rudeness, and quickly forced a smile, ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ I¡¯m just too surprised! I never expected you to visit, it¡¯s such a pleasant surprise!¡±


    He rambled a bit, but moved quickly, almost rushing to the dining table. Without thinking, he sat down next to K before the three could be seated, subtly separating him from his wife and daughter on either side.


    The dinner was filled with joy and warmth.


    The hostess was very enthusiastic about this elegant, gentle, and charming guest who had an upper-ss air so different from the King District. Compared to her husband¡¯s former unsavory friends, the difference was like night and day.


    Therefore, when this guest came to visit, she brought out her best manners, even generously lending out her precious piano that she usually treasured.


    This woman, who grew up in the King District, could tell at a nce with her intelligence and acumen that such a distinguished guest, far above their current social ss, might be the only chance in their lifetime to associate with someone of such high status. It could also be their family¡¯s opportunity to escape the King District!


    She couldn¡¯t allow her daughter to spend her whole life in this ce like she had, either ending up as a factory worker, a streetwalker, or gambling on finding a reliable man to marry when she came of age ¨C she couldn¡¯t allow it!


    Now it seemed that this Mr. K had a rare good nature, apparently quite appreciative of her husband and also had a good impression of their daughter¡­ Her smile became even warmer.


    The little girl beside her obviously liked this guest as well.


    Perhaps the only one not enthusiastic enough was Josiah himself. He seemed overly nervous.


    Thinking this must truly be a guest of noble status, the hostess nced at her useless husband a few times, feeling she had to make up for his part as well.


    Amid the enthusiastic hospitality of mother and daughter, K responded with ease. Even faced with the little girl¡¯s innocent childish words, he could reply with gentle humor, keeping the dining table filled withughter and a very harmonious atmosphere.


    Throughout this, Josiah, who remained tense, seemed out of ce. His wife had frowned at him several times, and a pair of gentle, concerned deep green eyes asionally fell on him, forcing him to squeeze out a smile.


    When the enjoyable dinner finally ended, Josiah quickly made an excuse about having something to discuss and sent his wife and daughter back to their rooms. He locked the door and angrily walked towards the living room.


    All the fear, worry, panic, and anger that had umted throughout the evening seemed to explode at this moment.


    <i>¡ª He couldn¡¯t tolerate anyone threatening his family!</i>


    <i>¡ª Even if, even if that person was a devil!</i>


    A figure was sitting on the sofa, with its back to him.


    The man¡¯s light golden shoulder-length hair was draped over his shoulders. His long legs were crossed, and he was casually ying with a rose¡ª a gift from a little girl.


    Seeing this scene, Josiah¡¯s entire aura deted like a punctured balloon.


    His anger-clouded mind suddenly cleared.


    <i>¡ªHow could I forget, this is an absolute devil!</i>


    In just over a month, how many people in the King District lost their lives silently because of this devil in front of him? They fell into trash cans, into stinking gutters, more worthless than stray dogs¡­


    As one of the chosen executors, he survived by timely surrendering and bing apdog. He knew better than anyone else.


    Their lives, the treasures in their hearts more precious than life itself, and those secrets that, if leaked, would bring great trouble to their families, were now all in the hands of this devil.


    <i>As for resistance? Ambush?</i>


    Anyone who had seen this person appear and disappear like a ghost, who had seen the fate of those who resisted or ambushed, would not entertain such foolish thoughts.


    His feet felt glued to the spot as he stood there in silence for a long time, his chest heaving violently.


    Then, he slowly walked to the other side of the sofa, as if enveloped by the shadow that covered the entire room.


    He bowed his head respectfully. ¡°Mr. K, please give your orders.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    In a distant country, a pen was swiftly writing.


    <i>[¡­After some unknownmunication and probing, K reached an undisclosed agreement with the president of the Shadow Council. He then left the now boring Yuanyang City and came to this, to another country across the ocean.]</i>


    <i>[He quickly found a ce that matched his aesthetic and decided to replenish some ammunition for his weapons.]</i>


    <i>[¡­Well-versed in human weaknesses and unmatched in understanding human nature, the Puppet Master, who controlled the Shadow Council¡¯s intelligencework, provided significant help in this process. Thispensated for K¡¯sck of patience and tendency to act impulsively and passionately.]</i>


    <i>[The entire King District became his hunting ground.]</i>


    <i>[K¡¯s powerful execution ability and his cold heart, unbound by any moralws, ensured the smooth implementation of the n, allowing the Puppet Master to receive his due reward.]</i>


    <i>[The Shadow Council¡¯s influence is expanding¡­]</i>


    <i>[Losing one Dawn City, there will always be another Dawn City.]</i>


    <i>[¡ªThis country is just one of the choices.]</i><hr>


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 Chapter 43

    Chapter 43


    ¡°Joseph, I heard things have been a bit chaotic in the King District recently. You should really get it under control.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s ultimately in your jurisdiction. You need to put more thought into it.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯ve been spending too much time and energy on participating in the Cold Ind Project, leaving no time for your main job. There have always been many people vying to participate. If you don¡¯t have the energy, you could give up your spot to someone who needs it.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    At the semi-formal, semi-private cocktail party, well-dressed members of high society mingled, moving back and forth through the crowd with polite smiles on their faces.


    As one figure after another approached and then walked away, leaving behindments either sarcastic or gloating, Joseph Houston, a member of the Chenxing Empire¡¯s parliament and administrator of the King District, gradually grew darker in expression.


    The veins on his hand gripping the wine ss bulged.


    At this moment, a middle-aged man of medium build, slightly overweight with a balding forehead, walked over with a wine ss and consoled him. ¡°Hey! Joseph, don¡¯t be angry. This time, for the Cold Ind Project, we in parliament have swallowed the biggest piece of the pie. The cab also got quite a few benefits. Those pedantic royalists only got a few scraps. It¡¯s normal for them to be unhappy, but we¡¯re the ones who¡¯ve profited anyway.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Joseph took a deep breath and sneered, ¡°They can only bark a few times to vent their dissatisfaction!¡±He was well aware of who had really profited greatly, and wouldn¡¯t normally lose hisposure over a few sourments. What truly upset him was¡­


    ¡°Shit! King District really had a mishap!¡± he cursed inwardly, mming his wine ss down on a nearby table. ¡°Those mad dogs are starting to get out of control!¡±


    Joseph¡¯s gaze swept over the balding middle-aged man in front of him, then toward the crowd mingling at the lively party, his thoughts sinking slightly.


    ¡ª Everyone probably thought there was just a bit of small unrest in the King District, but no one took it seriously. In such a chaotic ce, every so often some hotheads would emerge, but after being dealt with, they would obediently follow the rules and no longer attempt to challenge the system.


    In the Chenxing Empire, the line between ck and white had never been so clear-cut. Otherwise, incidents like an innocent parliamentarian identally caught in a gang shootout while passing by, an arrogant and domineering royal family member gunned down by a civilian vignte, or a well-respected cab elder caught up in a drug trafficking gang sweep and exposed for buying and using drugs¡­ all of these would just be idents.


    Therefore, for the big shots, a ce like the King District ¡ª a city of sin and chaos that ordinary people would instinctively avoid ¡ª was nothing more than a kennel for raising hunting dogs. Usually, these hunting dogs could tear at each other in the kennel or prey on innocentmbs that strayed into their territory. When the crucial moment came, the big shots would pull on the leash, and the hunting dogs would obediently pounce on their enemies.


    ¡ª After all, there were always things that the morous big shots wouldn¡¯t do themselves, always some dirty work that needed to be done.


    Although themotion in the King District wasrger this time, the big shots merely thought these hunting dogs were tearing at each other too fiercely. A few strikes as warning would suffice. At worst, if a few dogs died, they could always be reced with new ones.


    But Joseph knew it wasn¡¯t like that.


    This was merely the result of his efforts to suppress the news.


    The real situation now was that things had spiraled out of control.


    The hunting dogs were no longer obedient, and even the kennel had slipped from his grasp. The people he sent to discipline those hunting dogs disappeared into the kennel, their fates unknown. It was as if the ce had be someone¡¯s independent kingdom, and he himself was being ckmailed with leverage against him!


    <i>¡ª God knows how it felt when he woke up at 3 AM in his mistress¡¯s bed with a gun pressed to the back of his head!</i>


    <i>¡ª He didn¡¯t even see what the person looked like.</i>


    This could happen a second time, a third time. As long as he didn¡¯t give a clear answer, choosing to submit, he would have to live in constant fear. After all, he wouldn¡¯t be let off so easily every time.


    Who wouldn¡¯t be nervous with someone elusive, constantly threatening your life, hiding in the shadows?


    The agitated Joseph no longer had the mood to drink and chat, and was about to go up to the terrace for some fresh air.


    At that moment, an elegant and soothing piano melody sounded behind him.


    It was as if soft moonlight was spilling onto a tranquilke, with flocks of white swans pping their wings in the night; ripples spread across the azure waters, just like the music rippling through the air, unconsciously rxing one¡¯s mind.


    Joseph couldn¡¯t help but turn his head, and saw that a piano had appeared near the corridor at some point. A slender figure sat at the piano, fingers beautifully brushing the keys.


    From his angle, he could see the person¡¯s light golden, shoulder-length hair, half of the side profile visible beneath the hair strands, eyes as clear aske water, and the perfect curve at the corner of their lips.


    Seeming to sense someone watching, as the piece ended, the man at the piano elegantly stood up, ced one hand on his chest, and gave a slight bow in this direction.


    His gaze fell on Joseph, the corner of his lips lifting.


    Joseph read his lips¡ª


    ¡°We meet again, Mr. Joseph.¡±


    Joseph¡¯s pupils constricted.


    The next second, gunshots rang out!


    The lights of the party suddenly went out, plunging everything into darkness.


    In the instant the lights went out, the ornate chandelier on the ceiling plummeted, sending shards flying everywhere.


    Many people cried out in the darkness.


    Then, another gunshot.


    This was followed by even more piercing screams.


    The next moment, light returned to the hall. Arge group of security personnel had rushed in, all within just three seconds.


    The chaotic crowd quickly regainedposure. After all, they were all important figures, and at least maintained outward calm once they settled down.


    Everyone began moving like clockwork.


    ¡°No trace of the perpetrator¡¯s whereabouts! No other clues found!¡±


    ¡°Several gentlemen anddies have cuts on their arms from the shards!¡±


    ¡°Sir Leonardo has been shot in the chest, needs immediate medical attention!¡±


    ¡°Other than that, no other casualties!¡±


    ¡°A bullet of unusual material has been found at the scene¡­¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s the pianist? The pianist who was just ying has disappeared!¡±


    ¡°He couldn¡¯t have escaped in such a short time. Lock down this building, don¡¯t let anyone get away!¡±


    ¡°A person was found locked in a bathroom on the first floor, he ims to be the pianist for this party¡­¡± someone rushed in, speaking urgently, ¡°He was knocked unconscious from behind just half an hour ago!¡±


    ¡°My God, I can¡¯t believe it! How did your security let a criminal waltz in here posing as the pianist¡­¡±


    Angry rebukes, timid responses, authoritativemands¡­ countless chaotic voices swirled around Joseph, seeming both near and far, as if separated by a barrier.


    He stood rigidly in ce, his expression dazed.


    Fortunately, there were others more distraught than him at this moment, so his reaction didn¡¯t draw any attention.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s that person¡­¡± Joseph clenched his teeth tightly, the muscles in his face tensing.


    Although he hadn¡¯t seen the person¡¯s face when he awoke in his mistress¡¯s bedst time, he clearly remembered the first words that person said: <i>¡°Nice to meet you, Mr. Joseph.¡±</i>


    He remembered even more clearly what that person said before leaving: <i>¡°Third time¡¯s the charm. Next time we meet, you¡¯ll make the right choice, Mr. Joseph.¡±</i>


    ¡°It¡¯s him, it must be him!¡± he screamed inwardly.


    His body trembled slightly, whether from excitement or fear.


    He heard voices drifting over from the hall again.


    ¡°¡ªThis is a terrorist attack!¡±


    ¡°¡ªWe absolutely, absolutely, absolutely cannot let the culprit escape!¡±


    ¡°This is a plot against the royal family!¡± someone shouted angrily, raising their arm. ¡°Unforgivable, unforgivable!¡±


    Simultaneously with this voice, Joseph¡¯s violently trembling inner voice cried out. ¡°This is a warning, a warning for me!¡±


    Using a human life to warn him, and the life of a noble sir with blood ties to the royal family at that¡­


    He leaned against the pir behind him, his body slowly slumping.


    ¡°The Shadow Council¡­¡±


    Joseph¡¯s head slowly lowered,pletely hidden in the shadow of the pir, while a deeper shadow silently enveloped his heart, thoroughly consuming him.


    At an unknown distance from here, under some eaves, a figure slowly materialized. He wore a long ck trench coat, holding a long ck umbre like a cane nted on the ground, hisposed posture like that of an old-school aristocratic gentleman from thest century.


    ¡°Ah, I seem to have identally made quite amotion. My apologies, I was just a bit excited. When I encounter a rare stage, I always can¡¯t resist wanting to perform,¡± the light golden hair strands fluttered gently in the night breeze as K smiled slightly. ¡°So I just picked an unlucky fellow with the most turbid spiritual fluctuations.¡±


    ¡°But, although themotion was a bit big, I suppose I¡¯ve fulfilled your request, haven¡¯t I?¡±


    He gazed with amusement towards the distant streets filled with ring sirens.


    ¡°¡ªThe Shadow Council has expanded smoothly, hasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it has expanded smoothly.¡± Another voice echoed from the deep shadows. ¡°And as you wished, it has be a terrorist organization in the eyes of certain people, quite conspicuously.¡±


    K¡¯s smile didn¡¯t waver. ¡°You should have been prepared for this from the moment you chose to cooperate with me.¡±


    The voice in the shadows didn¡¯t argue, only sighing lightly. ¡°This world is undergoing drastic changes. Theing era no longer allows me the luxury of ten or twenty years to weave arge web imperceptibly¡­¡±


    ¡°To leverage enough power in a short time, we may have to resort to some extraordinary measures,¡± the voice from the shadows calmly stated. ¡°That¡¯s why I sought you out.¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s continue. I¡¯ll always be ready to appreciate your performance, my one of the Four Pirs. If you need, I can help you set up the perfect stage.¡±


    K smiled and asked in return. ¡°Oh, does that include the stage for ascending to the position of the Shadow Council¡¯s president?¡±


    ¡°¡ªIf you can manage it, yes.¡±


    ****


    Bright lights illuminated the second floor of the apartment.


    At the desk, Bai Yi slowly closed the notebook, his fingertip spinning the pen quickly twice before putting it down.


    ¡°La¡­¡± He stood up, humming a cheerful tune withpletely meaningless lyrics.


    At the same time, he extended both hands, index and middle fingers pointing straight down, tapping merrily on the desktop. The tapping frequency of his fingers perfectly merged with the rhythm of the tune.


    At a nce, it looked like two long-legged little people were dancing happily on the desktop to the beat.


    asionally they would dance together, with the right hand¡¯s middle finger parallel to the desktop, as if one little person was bending forward being embraced, one leg raised behind, performing a difficult ballet move.


    Finally, Bai Yi made the two little people ¡°bow¡± and exit the stage.


    ¡ªThe performance slowly came to an end.


    He pped ¡°pa pa¡±, with a face full of admiration, praising himself without the slightest shame. ¡°A perfect performance!¡±


    ¡°¡ªYou think so too, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Bai Yi slightly raised his head, his gaze falling outside the window.


    A small fluffy ck furball had somehow perched on the second-floor windowsill. Its round big eyes met Bai Yi¡¯s through the ss window, as if in thought.


    ¡°¡­It seems I haven¡¯t seen a stray cat since I moved here.¡± Bai Yi opened the screen window and pinched the cat¡¯s ears. ¡°Are you new around here?¡±


    Looking at it from all angles, it seemed particrly simr to the cat he had petted bald in the instance. Bai Yi vigorously petted it, quite righteously. ¡°Hmm, consider this the ticket for watching the performance.¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 44

    Chapter 44


    <i>[Everyone must have heard about the assassination that took ce at Beiyuan Building in the Chenxing Empirest night, right?]</i>


    <i>[I heard the victim was a titled nobleman, and the assassin infiltrated the party to kill him.]</i>


    <i>[Wow, that assassin was really brave!]</i>


    <i>[Hehe, the Chenxing Empire must be in chaos now! Although they¡¯re trying to keep it under wraps and we don¡¯t know the specifics, knowing their nature, the royal family, nobility, cab, and parliament are probably at each other¡¯s throats!]</i>


    <i>[I bet they¡¯ll pin the me on the parliament, who¡¯ll then me it on their domestic terrorist groups¡­]</i>


    <i>[In the end, it¡¯ll just be a bunch of power exchanges. As a meremoner, I¡¯m well-versed in international affairs. I can strategize from within my home and win battles a thousand miles away :)]</i>


    <i>[Hehe, fight! Fight!]</i>


    <i>[I bet a dog¡¯s head that the royal family will win!]</i>


    <i>[I bet a duck¡¯s head.]</i><i>[It¡¯s a human life, doesn¡¯t it deserve at least a pig¡¯s head? I bet an imported feed-raised pig¡¯s head.]</i>


    <i>[You guys are too much. A Sir died, and you¡¯re all gloating. You have no spirit of international friendship¡­ I¡¯d say this was beautifully executed, hahaha!]</i>


    <i>[The 40-meter de can¡¯t be retracted now. Let¡¯s give our fallenrade a grand burial!]</i>


    In this era of advanced inte, even across oceans, such a sensational event spread globally overnight. Early in the morning, everyone in Yao Country became a spectator to the drama.


    Due to the war that swept the world years ago, there was already some old grudge between Yao Country and the Chenxing Empire. Moreover, Yao Country was currently the most thorough constitutional monarchy on Blue Star, while the Empire was somewhat hypocritical. The two sides often exchanged sarcasm and mockery over this point.


    Yao Country people ridiculed the Empire as feudal, corrupt, with a dark society and backward system. The Empire, in turn, cursed Yao Country¡¯s emperor as useless and ipetent, with the cab holding all power, just a disguised dictatorship. They boasted that in the Empire, the three forces bnced each other, and every ss had a voice, promoting the Empire as free and open ¨C although everyone in the world knew that the Empire¡¯s media and most mouthpieces were controlled by the upper elite, including the parliament that imed to represent public opinion. When those members were elected from themon people to be part of the parliament, they became another elite ss, just as dragon yers eventually be evil dragons themselves.


    Thus, when the Empire was in trouble, except for a very few, most people in Yao Country became overly excited spectators.


    ¡°The reason we called everyone here early this morning is because of the assassination at Beiyuan Building in the Chenxing Empire¡­¡±


    Yao Country Imperial Capital, Supernatural Affairs Investigation Bureau Headquarters Base.


    The familiar conference room was still the same, with An Yuansheng, dressed formally, sitting at the head of the table and turning on the projector.


    ¡°Originally, this incident had nothing to do with our department, but just now, the international intelligence department sent us a message. They obtained surveince footage from the party that night¡­¡± Amidst the confused or surprised looks of everyone, he slowly brought up an image on the screen.


    It was the interior of a luxurious and intoxicating hotel, with hazy lights casting a misty glow on everyone¡¯s faces. In one corner of the photo was a ck and white piano, like a solitary swan perched to the side, sacred and elegant.


    Someone was sitting at the piano, immersed in ying.


    ¡°This¡­ how can it be him?!¡±


    When that familiar profile appeared on the screen, someone in the conference room stood up in shock.


    No wonder everyone was so shocked ¨C wasn¡¯t this the culprit of the Yuanyang City rainy night serial killings, [K]?


    ¡°This guy actually went to the Chenxing Empire, and got involved in this assassination case?¡±


    An Yuansheng shook his head. ¡°No, he should be the assassin. Due to the angle of the surveince camera and his cleverly chosen position, the camera only captured him ying the piano. The process from him turning around to firing the gun wasn¡¯t recorded¡­ But he was the only one who mysteriously disappeared that night, and it was discovered that he had knocked out the pianist to infiltrate ¨C it¡¯s obvious he¡¯s suspicious. The Chenxing Empire government will certainly take corresponding measures.¡±


    ¡°However, that¡¯s not our concern. Our Supernatural Affairs Investigation Bureau is only responsible for supernatural matters, so we only need to discuss on this level.¡±


    Others agreed deeply.


    Someone spoke up. ¡°First, through our covert investigation during this period, we haven¡¯t discovered any further movements of the Shadow Council President and K. Since the kidnapping case, these two have vanished without a trace, and no incidents seem to be rted to them.¡±


    ¡°We previously suspected that these two had reached a private reconciliation, or even cooperation, and had shifted their focus away from Yuanyang City ¨C from the current situation, this guess is likely true.¡±


    ¡°Secondly, we currently don¡¯t have any means to deal with teleportation or long-distance control, these kinds of supernatural powers. Even investigating their whereabouts requires big data screening, while these two exposed supernatural ability users can act against ordinary people at any time¡­¡±


    ¡°So rashly taking action or excessively pressuring them would be unwise and could lead to results none of us want to see.¡±


    ¡°¡­This is also why we¡¯ve chosen to investigate covertly during this period. If their focus has indeed shifted to the Empire, before we find a way to counter their supernatural powers, this is undoubtedly a good thing for Yao Country.¡±


    At this point, everyone¡¯s expressions became solemn.


    Chu Xingrui asked impatiently, ¡°Speaking of this, didn¡¯t we say we¡¯d search for supernatural events and extraordinary people with supernatural abilities nationwide? How¡¯s the progress?¡±


    The person responsible for this aspect shook his head and said, ¡°There¡¯s no progress for now. Whether it¡¯s the viges said to have practiced poison and witchcraft for generations, families with long histories, or prosperous temples and Taoist shrines with supposedly powerful monks and Taoists, we¡¯ve searched almost everywhere. None of these people have any real substance.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯ve already sent more people to find temples and Taoist shrines hidden in deep mountains and old forests. Maybe we¡¯ll have some results. Aren¡¯t high-level practitioners said to be in deep mountains?¡±


    The diverted topic quickly returned to its original course. The previous speaker continued, ¡°Besides the temporary departure of uncontrolled extraordinaries reducing some potential dangers, we must also consider the aspects that are unfavorable to us.¡±


    ¡°Now that such a major incident has urred in Xing Country, with an impact even greater than the Rainy Night Serial Killings, the Xing Country government won¡¯t let it go easily. We need to consider the possibility of K being caught, or even if not caught, some things might be exposed during this process. Xing Country might then gain intelligence about the supernatural, and we will no longer have any informational advantage. Worse still, if they obtain more intelligence from K, we might end up at an informational disadvantage.¡±


    ¡°Therefore, we need to n ahead. Should we secretly send people to find K before Xing Country does? Or should we let nature take its course and prepare for all possible scenarios?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we need to worry about this point,¡± Liu Ningshuang spoke up casually, immediately attracting everyone¡¯s attention.


    She spread her hands. ¡°Have you forgotten the message brought to us by the mysterious ¡®Flower Speaker¡¯?¡±


    As for the title ¡°Flower Speaker,¡± it was, of course, something they learned from the person himself during theirst remotemunication.


    Saying this, Liu Ningshuang stood up, coughed twice, and lowered her voice, imitating in a casual tone:


    ¡°¡­As the world experiences anomalies and spiritual energies revive, incidents of space-time disturbances and visitors from other realms will only increase. However, the order of human logic has its own guardians. Everything that should happen will happen. Everything that shouldn¡¯t happen absolutely won¡¯t. At least for now, major disturbances are impossible.¡±


    While repeating these words, her expression was particrly casual,posed, and detached.


    The tense atmosphere was immediately dispelled by her yfulness.


    However, as a newly established special department, with most of its members being young people with active minds who had long been at the forefront of the inte, the atmosphere in the Supernatural Affairs Management Bureau was indeed much more rxedpared to other departments. No one would think her behavior was inappropriate.


    ¡°World anomalies, revival of spiritual energies, space-time disturbances, visitors from other realms¡­ tsk tsk, that¡¯s a lot of information.¡±


    Liu Ningshuang put on a serious expression. ¡°We analyzed thisst time. If he wasn¡¯t intentionally misleading us, the message clearly implies that our world might undergo a transformation. It might be like the spiritual energy revival described in novels, where everyone could gain supernatural powers.¡±


    ¡°¡­As for the Shadow Council President and K, we initially thought there was another supernatural world beyond the real world, and they were extraordinaries from that world. But ording to the Flower Speaker, they should be visitors from another realm. The Flower Speaker might be a local extraordinary.¡±


    ¡°From the conversation between the Shadow Council President and Kst time, we know they came one after another and knew each other, indicating they came from the same alternate world. The fact that one arrived without subordinates and the other was immediately outmaneuvered by the Shadow Council President upon arrival shows they had no prior preparation and came suddenly. So the two worlds might have suddenly intersected, and the people from the other realm had no prior precautions beforeing here.¡±


    At this point, Liu Ningshuang spread her hands. ¡°Since they werepletely unprepared, K himself might not even know how he ended up here and knows nothing about the space-time anomalies. Having just arrived in this world such a short time ago, it¡¯s even more impossible for him to understand the situation of our local extraordinary. Even if he reached some cooperation with the Shadow Council President, thetter certainly wouldn¡¯t share all the intelligence with him. So, he can¡¯t reveal much information!¡±


    ¡°Inparison, it¡¯s clear that the Flower Speaker, being a local extraordinary, has the most intelligence. Therefore, there¡¯s no need to worry about Xing Country having any intelligence advantage.¡±


    Seeing everyone deep in thought, she continued seriously. ¡°Moreover, I think the Flower Speaker revealed another very important piece of information. This might be the key of keys.¡±


    ¡°The order of human logic has its own guardians!¡±


    She repeated this sentence before saying, ¡°Doesn¡¯t this suggest that there¡¯s a set of rules in the supernatural world that constrains everyone? Even visitors from other realms are no exception. If their actions exceed certain limits, they¡¯ll face rule-based sanctions. It¡¯s very likely that there exists some kind of enforcer role.¡±


    ¡°Is it possible that beyond the reality we perceive, there exists another force, possibly human enforcers or some rule for extraordinaries, that restricts and regtes the actions of extraordinaries?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why for so many years, we haven¡¯t discovered any traces of extraordinaries. And now that the world is experiencing anomalies, the constraints of this set of rules have lessened, or the range of sticity has increased, which is why we have the Rainy Night Serial Killings and traces of the Flower Speaker appearing. But if any extraordinaries try to cause bigger incidents, that set of rules will restrain them again.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why the Flower Speaker said we don¡¯t need to worry about major disturbances for now.¡±


    ¡°Given this, what we need to do is, before the anomalies be greater and the rules loosen further, before extraordinaries can cause bigger incidents, we must gain enough intelligence and power, preferably acquiring our own supernatural abilities. Only then will we have a chance to deal with greater disturbances in the future.¡±


    ¡°Therefore, Xing Country isn¡¯t important, and neither is K, an otherworldly visitor who clearly can¡¯t cooperate and is difficult to capture. We should focus on finding local extraordinaries, strengthening our connection with the Flower Speaker, and improving poption management and monitoring. Ideally, we should be able to detect the next otherworldly visitor as soon as they appear¡­¡±


    This speech greatly shocked everyone.


    In fact, they had already interpreted the Flower Speaker¡¯s words many times before and could guess most of the meanings. After all, they could summon experts from various fields to assist them at any time, and analyzing a passage wasn¡¯t a particrly difficult task.


    But none of the previous interpretations had been as thorough, straightforward, and precise as Liu Ningshuang¡¯s exnation today.


    It might also be because some people didn¡¯t have the clearance to know all the information about extraordinaries, and thus couldn¡¯t make a thorough interpretation. Instead, they over-interpreted, analyzing too many possibilities.


    ¡°p, p, p! Logical and convincing!¡±


    Li Fufeng was the first to apud, giving a thumbs up to Liu Ningshuang beside him. ¡°Such clear and structured thoughts don¡¯t seem like your style at all. Shouldn¡¯t you be rushing in headfirst ording to your usual style?¡±


    ¡°Well, um, of course I got a little guidance from my cousin,¡± Liu Ningshuang said, feeling a bit guilty.


    She nced at Yin Xubai and told the truth. ¡°Okay, okay, it was 80% guidance, but I contributed 20% too.¡±


    ¡ª Last time, she had sacrificed herself as a shield against her cousin¡¯s marriage pressure in exchange for his guidance without holding grudges.


    ¡ª Otherwise, if she had just asked him directly like before, she would have only received a contemptuous look from the genius schr.


    Thinking about this, Liu Ningshuang became more confident. After all, she had paid a big price for this!


    Just then, an urgent message came into the conference room.


    The voice from the other end of the phone was hurried and tense, revealing strong disbelief and fear amidst the shock. It was as if they had discovered something beyondprehension.


    ¡°This is an urgent message from Yuanyang City¡­¡±


    ¡°The Tianhai Bar, the alley behind Tianhai Bar¡­¡±


    ¡°The area we cordoned off under the name of government construction, just a few minutes ago¡­¡±


    ¡°¨C A strange inn suddenly appeared out of thin air!¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 45

    Chapter 45


    This was an inn that looked quite old. The aged gray-white walls were peeling in ces, and the half-open door had started to lose its paint. A warm yellow light seeped through the door crack, blending with the midday sunlight.


    In what should have been a remote and narrow alley, this abruptly appearing inn was ¡°wedged¡± into the wall in an unnatural way, like an elephant stuffed into a snake¡¯s belly without bursting it open, presenting a visually absurd and eerie sense of spatial disorder.


    When the Special Case Investigation Team arrived at their destination after a nearly three-hour flight, this was the scene that defied reality andmon sense that presented itself before their eyes.


    ¡°Yes! It¡¯s here! It¡¯s this hotel!¡±


    Before they could react, someone had already cried out. He pointed a trembling finger at the half-open door of the hotel in front of them, his expression a mixture of excitement, agitation, unease, fear, and shock.


    His gaze towards this door was like that of a mortal seeing the gates of heaven or hell thrown open!


    Finally, he swung his fist and cursed loudly: ¡°¡ªI told you I wasn¡¯t mistaken, I¡¯ll never forget this ce in my entire f***ing life! It¡¯s here! That night, that demon terrified me right here!¡±


    This overly emotional man was named Han Shan. For over thirty years of his life, he had always yed the role of an insignificant person. He was the wastrel in the eyes of his friends and family, a drunkard, a gambler, and above all, a coward.


    Without any unexpected events, he would have continued to y this role.The only unexpected event in his life urred on that rainy night three months ago, when he stepped into this alley in the pouring rain and pushed open the door of a hotel.


    This allowed him to experience unprecedented fear for the first time.


    It was the first time he had contact with the police not as a suspect, the first time he met visitors from another world, and now he was creating another first for the Special Case Investigation Team since its establishment.


    ¡ª This was the first time they had invited an ordinary person who wasn¡¯t a member of the Special Case Investigation Team to face a supernatural event as a witness from the very beginning.


    However, they got the answer they already knew from Han han¡¯s reaction ¡ª this wasn¡¯t the first time K had appeared here.


    Li Fufeng, standing nearby, further corroborated his statement. ¡°What he said is correct, this is indeed the inn I saw with my own eyes at that time, even if it was just for a fleeting moment.¡±


    ¡°Hiss¡ª¡±


    Except for Han Shan, who was still confused, everyone else inevitably drew in a sharp breath, making an unintentional contribution to global warming on Blue Star.


    If they weren¡¯t mistaken, this ancient inn was likely a part of another world. At the moment when that space-time experienced a distortion and an anomalous node appeared, not only K himself, but the entire hotel hade to this space-time.


    As for why the inn disappeared and reappearedter, they didn¡¯t have apletely correct answer, only referring to exnations like ¡°space-time instability¡±.


    Compared to thest time when Li Fufeng came and it only appeared for an instant, today this inn had been visible for over three hours since its discovery, which could be considered quite long.


    But as for whether it might disappear again, one only needed to recall the situation from that rainy night when it first appeared and disappeared without a trace the next day to see that this was clearly possible.


    After all, it was ¡°space-time instability¡±. No one could guarantee that this magical inn would stay here permanently from now on.


    Therefore, they needed to make the most of their time and explore this magical inn thoroughly before it disappeared again.


    And this obviously involved taking certain risks.


    ¡ª If another space-time fluctuation urred just as they were exploring, the explorers might disappear along with the hotel.


    After this analysis, the members of the Special Case Investigation Team finally understood the risks involved, but they were even clearer that this was a rare opportunity to understand supernatural beings and the otherworld.


    Li Fufeng was the first to push open that door.


    Even though he didn¡¯t know what dangers might be hidden inside, he truly couldn¡¯t resist the curiosity welling up from deep within him.


    The mysterious Shadow Council President had directly stated that he possessed ¡°qualifications¡±, which made Li Fufeng even more eager, unwilling to miss any opportunity to glimpse supernatural phenomena.


    The others felt the same way.


    They pushed open the half-closed door, and everything on the first floor of the inn was instantly exposed to everyone¡¯s eyes without reservation.


    The brilliant midday sunlight shone directly in, illuminating the blood-stained floor and the two corpses lying in the blood.


    They were more careful than at a protected crime scene, not causing even the slightest damage as they entered the inn.


    Outdated decor, an old TV of an unknown brand, an old-fashioned sofa of a style never seen before, wooden floors leading directly to the second floor, along with guest rooms on the second floor decorated in a style vastly different from Blue Star, and beyond that, the owner¡¯s rooms and various living items¡­ The elite investigators sent out didn¡¯t miss a single detail, not even an old newspaper in the bathroom.


    All these details left everyone amazed.


    The building materials of the hotel, the style of construction and decoration, sleeping pills different from any on the market, the external design and internal structure of various household appliances, various unknown trademarks and brands, and the news on the old newspapers¡­ Every detail told everyone that they truly came from a world simr yet different from Blue Star. Even if it was just an outdated inn, it could provide the Special Case Investigation Team with an enormous amount of valuable intelligence.


    ¡ª Or rather, everything rted to the otherworld was of unimaginable value to the current Yao Country.


    The apanying researchers¡¯ eyes were gleaming with excitement.


    Materials science, architecture, chemistry, human history¡­ There were so many aspects for them to research.


    The Special Case Investigation Team immediately dispatched experts and schrs from various fields, covering all aspects. They wanted to analyze this otherworld, of which only the tip of the iceberg had been revealed, as if unraveling a cocoon.


    And these analyses were obviously not the work of a single day.


    At present, almost everyone¡¯s attention was drawn to the two corpses in the lobby on the first floor.


    ¡°Based on my experience, the time of death for these two corpses is definitely not more than three hours ago!¡± Yin Xubai crouched on the ground, his gaze fixed on the two corpses as if looking at the most beautiful lover, full of infatuation and fervor. ¡°Incredible, incredible!¡±


    He repeated twice.


    ¡ª Everyone understood what Yin Xubai meant by ¡°incredible¡±.


    ording to the current clues to link the timeline, on the night of June 17th, when Han Shan identally entered the inn, he saw K and the two corpses in the inn¡ª if nothing unexpected happened, this should be the time point when K arrived in this world.


    So these two corpses were already dead at that time.


    Yet three monthster, they were still so fresh, as if untouched. Yin Xubai¡¯s judgment that the time of death was not more than three hours ago ¡ª no one doubted he would make an incorrect judgment. Even the most foolish person would know that a body truly dead for three months could not be preserved so perfectly ¡ª how could this not be shocking?


    Yin Xubai continued. ¡°Not only is the time of death of the corpses within three hours, but the bloodstains around the corpses, along with those traces that are clearly left by rainwater, including theplete absence of dust around here, and the traces of life in the owner¡¯s rooms upstairs¡­ I can guarantee that even if we brought in the most professional forensic experts to examine, they would all conclude that this is not a house that has been uninhabited for three months. In fact, it¡¯s as if someone has been living here all along, as if the owner was even active here until yesterday.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ time has frozen here?¡±


    The others reacted quickly, with Li Fufeng speaking first.


    ¡°At least for these three months, yes,¡± Yin Xubai nodded. ¡°How it was three months ago is how it is now.¡±


    Saying this, he stood up, looked around, and spoke with a confident tone. ¡°The water traces on the floor, the rain-soaked marks on the windows that haven¡¯t dried,bined with the scene Han Shan saw that night, and the style and manner of K, this rainy night serial killer, it¡¯s not hard to deduce¡­¡±


    ¡°¡ª On a rainy night in the otherworld, this serial killer entered this inn and, for unknown reasons, killed the inn owners. At this moment, a space-time disturbance urred, and the entire inn came to our world.¡±


    ¡°¡ª Coincidentally, it was also a rainy night in our world, and a drunk pushed open the inn door.¡±


    ¡°¡ª Then, this series of events unfolded.¡±


    Afterying out his deductions based on all the traces, his tone became even more excited, just like when he had discovered the unknown substance in the wall powder that Li Fufeng had given him earlier. ¡°All of this is beyond the scope of any scientific exnation. I request to be the first to research it! Especially these two corpses ¨C what special effects did the space-time anomaly have on them? Are there any structural differences between people from the otherworld and us? Are they ordinary people, or do they possess extraordinary abilities? I can¡¯t wait to know all of this!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes, don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll have the chance,¡± the others said, torn betweenughter and tears, but they could fully understand his feelings because they were equally excited.


    Not to mention how much inspiration even this glimpse of an otherworld with simr yet different development could provide them;


    Moreover, if they gained supernatural insights, the benefits for Yao Country would be incalcble;


    Just considering that if they learned enough about this otherworld, it might prove crucial in future encounters with K, and if they could discover his background or weaknesses, that would be an even greater gain. After all, since ancient times, the importance of intelligence and information has always been paramount.


    Thus, the entire Special Case Investigation Team plunged into an unprecedented busy work schedule¡­


    Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Bai Yi had already taken in everything that had happened through the inn scene temte.


    ¡°They really are leaving no stone unturned¡­¡± hemented, ¡°All of this is consuming my nightmare crystals.¡±


    All scene temtes were inherently illusory, and each manifestation consumed nightmare crystals. To make every brick, tile, de of grass, and tree in the scene temte real, not only did it consume nightmare crystals, but it also required sufficient legend degree.


    If the ¡°Ghost in the Rainy Night¡± card hadn¡¯t achieved over 100% legend degree, there would have been no way to materialize the ¡°Blood-Colored Inn¡± scene temte that came with it.


    Even so, materializing the entire inn as a physical entity had consumed more than half of the nightmare crystals Bai Yi had umted. The most costly part was those two corpses.


    Bai Yi checked his status panel.


    **


    Name: Bai Yi


    Age: 17


    Talent: Rhythm of All Things¡¯ lv10 (10% awakened)


    Life Skills (lv1 and below not shown):


    Bewitch lv3;


    Dark Cuisine lv3;


    Iron Stomach lv3;


    Personality Mask lv2


    Transcendental Skills:


    Blind Man¡¯s Praise lv1


    Web of Thoughts lv10


    [Note: Special skill rted to the Rhythm of All Things¡¯ talent, which level increases as the talent awakens.]


    Points: 135


    Card Slots: [Ghost in the Rainy Night¡ï] [Flower Speaker¡ï¡î] [Puppet Master¡ï¡ï] [???¡ï¡ï¡î]


    Inventory: Nightmare Crystal (Green) ¡Á5, Nightmare Crystal (White) ¡Á10, Puppet Master¡¯s Diary


    **


    He was surprised to see that among his life skills, except for the Bewitch skill which had already reached its limit and couldn¡¯t be improved further, the other skills had all imperceptibly increased by one level.


    As for game points and nightmare crystals¡­


    Let¡¯s put it this way, since the nightmare game system opened, Bai Yi hadn¡¯t counted how many instances he had cleared.


    Apart from those special ones that awarded card rewards, most were ordinary instances that only symbolically rewarded a few points or nightmare crystals after clearing. Plus, creating alternate identities had also consumed quite a few nightmare crystals. What was shown on the status panel was the current bnce.


    <i>And game points? Hmm¡­ it seemed they hadn¡¯t had any use so far, always just being a decoration on the status panel?</i>


    <i>¡ª This was practically a criminal waste!</i>


    Realizing this, Bai Yi quickly poked the system, and the system¡¯s exnation was ¡ª


    <i>[Game points have two uses.]</i>


    <i>[One, to purchase certain special items produced in instances.]</i>


    <i>[Two, when game points umte to a certain level, yers can choose to upgrade versions. Reaching a certain levelpletes the game entirely.]</i>


    ¡°Version upgrade?¡± Bai Yi¡¯s interest was piqued, ¡°Does this mean upgrading from beta mode to public test mode?¡±


    Before the system could answer, an unexpected change urred.


    In the card slot, a card suddenly emitted a faint glow, rapidly materializing before Bai Yi¡¯s eyes.


    <i>¡ª [Flower Speaker¡ï¡î] [Legend Degree 100%]</i><hr>


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 Chapter 46

    Chapter 46


    ¡°Adams¡­¡±


    ¡°Adams¡­¡±


    Deep within the soul, some voice was echoing repeatedly.


    ¡°Adams¡­¡±


    <i>¡­Who was that? </i>


    <i>He seemed to have forgotten many things. </i>


    ¡°Adams¡­¡±


    <i>¡­No, I remember now, this is my name! It¡¯s me! Who¡¯s calling me?</i>


    As this bit of lingering consciousness awakened from the obscure darkness, more memories were gradually aroused.He finally remembered everything about himself.


    ¡ª He had already died, as it should have been.


    ¡ª On that night drenched by heavy rain, the whole family was together.


    It was the arrival of another person that gave fate a different direction, and also awakened his lingering consciousness from obscurity.


    ¡ª The fire of revenge burned fiercely!


    ¡ª He willingly entrusted everything of himself to this person, he praised him with thest remaining of his soul!


    ¡ª He was the god in his heart who redeemed everything!


    When this trace of lingering consciousness awakened again in the new world, it was summoned by the holder in the form of a soul shadow. He helped the holder realize the judgment he wanted.


    Then, he gained freedom.


    He roamed freely in this world, gradually being crushed and extinguished by the tight physicalws of the world. Familiar darkness descended again, and he was about to fall into eternal slumber.


    ¡ª This world with zero mysteriousness temporarily could not allow his existence. Complete dissipation was his destined fate.


    Until a familiar and intimate aura suddenly appeared. That aura called to him from afar, attracting him¡­


    This trace of consciousness, so weak it was almost about to be destroyed the next second, moved by the attraction in its instinct ¡ª


    At the end of the alley stood the dim inn, its yellow light illuminating the indelible blood red on the ground.


    As if suddenly entering an independent space, the tight physicalws of the non-magic world were blocked outside. Thisst remaining soul no longer felt the crushing and extinguishing of the world¡¯s greatws, but instead felt the warmth andfort of a fish entering the sea.


    He felt the familiar aura of home.


    Simrly, he also sensed the aura of the holder.


    He seemed to have stepped into the realm of ¡°God¡±.


    This made this trace of consciousness, covered by bloody memories, calm down from the madness that was about to go out of control, bing quiet and docile.


    ¡°Oh my, oh my, look what I¡¯ve found? A small attempt, and there¡¯s an unexpected harvest?¡±


    It seemed an invisible hand caught him and turned him over to examine, he sensed the gaze of ¡°God¡±, which made this trace of consciousness tremble with excitement from within.


    ¡°Nightmares, indeed not as simple as they seem on the surface¡­¡±


    Then, that invisible hand gently flicked him. Like flicking a wisp of breeze, a marble.


    ¡°Go, do what you want to do, and also what I want you to do.¡±


    ¡°¡ª Little guy, you understand.¡±


    It seemed as if a wind passed through the inn, the light overhead suddenly flickered once. Li Fufeng, who was taking photos, abruptly looked up.


    But he didn¡¯t notice anything.


    Li Fufeng¡¯s eyes were filled with intense confusion and bewilderment.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Liu Ningshuang beside him was startled by his sudden movement, and also looked around.


    ¡°No, nothing, maybe I¡¯m overthinking¡­¡± Just as he said this, Li Fufeng¡¯s words stopped. He felt this dialogue was somewhat familiar, as if it had happened not long ago?


    Quickly, he searched out the corresponding memory in his mind.


    It was when the kidnapping case happened, they were searching the milk tea shop at the airport together. At that time, he also had a strange feeling, always feeling like someone in the shop was watching him, butter he just thought he was overthinking.


    Later events proved that his premonition at that time was real.


    Thinking of this, Li Fufeng couldn¡¯t simply say ¡°it¡¯s nothing, just a momentary illusion¡± like before. Perhaps he really had some special aptitude?


    He frowned and spoke. ¡°I feel something¡¯s not right.¡±


    Liu Ningshuang had also experienced the milk tea shop incidentst time, and was inwardly amazed at Li Fufeng¡¯s intuition. Hearing him say this, her heart immediately started racing, and she looked around more frequently. ¡°Surely there isn¡¯t really something wrong with this ce? It¡¯s from another world after all, it¡¯s normal to have supernatural powers. Especially since two people died here¡­¡±


    ¡°To be precise, it should be three,¡± Yin Xubai suddenly corrected seriously.


    ¡°¡­ording to the information we¡¯ve gathered from the traces we just examined, there should have been a family of three living here. Besides this couple, there was also a child, a boy no more than ten years old.¡±


    His emotionless narration inexplicably made people¡¯s hearts go cold. ¡°ording to the diary page fragments I found in the storage room, this little boy¡¯s name was Adams.¡±


    ¡°¡­Judging from the living traces, he had been living here for a long time, with no signs of leaving. And if the murders happened on a rainy night, such a young child wouldn¡¯t have been ying outside, logically deducing, he should have been in the inn at that time.¡±


    ¡°¡ª But there are only two adult corpses in the hotel. There are no traces of this little boy at all. No corpse, and no traces of him escaping either.¡±


    ¡°¡ª It¡¯s as if he vanished into thin air that day.¡±


    ¡°Stop, stop!¡± Liu Ningshuang quickly interrupted him. Heaven knows she had always been fearless since childhood, seemingly afraid of nothing, but particrly feared these ghostly things. ¡°Report these findingster, it¡¯s not my responsibility, and I don¡¯t want to know anything about a little boy.¡±


    Although she had stopped Yin Xubai from continuing, the words she had already heard were beyond Liu Ningshuang¡¯s control, repeatedly reying in her ears.


    For a moment, scenes from various horror movies she had watched before shed through her mind. Liu Ningshuang felt very uneasy.


    She nced at the two corpses not far away, and Yin Xubai crouching in front of them with a fanatical expression, quickly averting her gaze and shifting her attention elsewhere.


    At this moment, she noticed a palm-sized ck rectangr object in a long crack split in the wooden reception desk. It seemed as if someone had casually thrown it on the reception desk, and it had happened to get stuck in this crack.


    Curious, Liu Ningshuang reached out with her gloved hand, intending to take out this rectangr object.


    identally, her finger pressed a little too hard, seeming to hit a soft key on it.


    With a ¡°click¡±, a faint light lit up on the opposite wall.


    The old TV they had taken for decoration suddenly lit up, its screen filled with static.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a TV remote¡­¡± Liu Ningshuang realized.


    Just as she was about to press the button again to turn it off, a clear, articte voice suddenly came from behind her.


    On the static-filled TV screen, a scene had appeared at some point. A host with a dignified and delicate appearance stood in front of a backdrop, speaking in a clear, articte voice.


    <i>[¡­Once again, we remind all citizens to be cautious. The serial killer ¡®K¡¯, responsible for thirteen lives, is highly likely to have infiltrated our city¡­]</i>


    <i>[We hope all citizens will protect themselves, and report immediately if they notice anything¡­]</i>


    Everyone in the inn had now gathered in the lobby, looking at the TV screen with puzzled and confused gazes.


    An intangible chill surged in their hearts.


    <i>¡ª There shouldn¡¯t be any signal here!</i>


    The young host seriously gazed at everyone in front of the screen, and everyone in front of the screen stood in shock.


    <i>[The characteristics of the serial killer ¡®K¡¯ are: medium build leaning towards thin, about 1.82 meters tall, likes to appear on rainy nights, carrying a special weapon disguised as a ck umbre¡­]</i>


    ¡°Could this be an aftereffect of the space-time distortion?¡± Looking at this TV that was actually broadcasting news from another world, everyone felt both horrified and absurd, but couldn¡¯t help making some guesses, and became excited, ¡°It¡¯s actually information about K, quickly write it down!¡±


    On the screen, the host¡¯s voice continued:<i> [Fond of seeking lodging in the name of a traveler, then cruelly murdering the hosts¡­]</i> As she spoke on, the smile on her face became more and more obvious.


    As she uttered each word, the host¡¯s body unconsciously leaned forward more and more, until finally, her face was pressed against the screen: <i>[¡ªEveryone, have you remembered clearly?]</i>


    This voice was as gentle as a whisper.


    ¡°Remembered clearly¡­¡± Liu Ningshuang, who was lowering her head to record, responded instinctively. In the next second, she suddenly realized who this clear, articte voice belonged to.


    Liu Ningshuang frozepletely!


    The others around her had the same reaction.


    They stood like a group of motionless puppets, raising their heads in unison with dazed looks.


    On the old TV screen, a face pressed so tightly against the screen it was almost distorted slowly broke into a smile at them, its lips as red as if smeared with fresh blood:


    <i>[Just. Remember. It.]</i>


    That mouth, seemingly stained red with blood, slowly widened.


    <i>[¡ª Find him!]</i>


    <i>[¡ª Find him!!]</i>


    <i>[¡ª Find him!!!]</i>


    ¡­..


    Everyone was startled!


    Li Fufeng lunged forward, but before he could act, the screen emitted a burst of static noise and returned to flickering snow, as if everything just now had been their imagination.


    The atmosphere in the inn almost froze.


    The flickering light from the snowy TV screen illuminated the rigid faces, like a row of cold wax figures.


    Until a ¡°bang¡± sound woke everyone from this suffocating atmosphere.


    A vase on the windowsill in the corner crashed heavily to the ground.


    ¡ª Just now, someone standing near this window, examining clues, had been startled and made too violent a movement, sweeping the entire vase down.


    Broken porcin scattered everywhere, along with deep red roses, their petals still bearing water droplets.


    This scattered deep red seemed to blend with the blood red on the floor, dyeing the entire inn red.


    Everyone heard a long exhale.


    ****


    The scattered deep red roses on the ground were like a spread of blood red. Suddenly, a hand appeared, gently caressing the roses. Each rose petal seemed to vie to kiss his fingertips.


    The owner of the hand gathered the scattered roses bunch by bunch, returning them to the clumsy girl opposite.


    ¡°Thank you, thank you!¡± The girl, hurrying on her way, took the flowers and finally looked up at this kind person, repeatedly expressing her thanks.


    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±


    The young man who had returned the flowers smiled slightly, his xen hair soft and rxed, revealing a pair of eyes as gentle as spring water. His smile was more charming than the spring breeze.


    ¡°Flowers have consciousness too, you should take good care of them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡± The girl was momentarily stunned,pletely immersed in those eyes more clear and epassing than the sky.


    By the time she came to her senses, that figure had already disappeared.


    Only the red roses in her arms seemed to have be three times more vibrant.<hr>


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 Chapter 47

    Chapter 47


    <i>[Location: Holy Federation, Steel Capital]</i>


    He woke up amidst a faint floral fragrance.


    The scent was extremely unique. During the days when his consciousness had sunk into darkness for an unknown period, he had almost thought he would sink forever, but was suddenly attracted by a distant fragrance.


    He instinctively followed this aroma.


    Thus, the eternal darkness receded, and he struggled to open his eyes. The bright light in the hospital room shone on his eyelids.


    It was as if he had had an incredibly long dream.


    Upon waking, the first thing that greeted him was the teary-eyed, joyful gaze of his fianc¨¦e who had been waiting by his bedside for a long time, and the urgent ringing of bells in the hospital room.


    Then came a series of physical examinations and inquiries.


    ¡°The patient has just awakened from a vegetative state, his body still needs some time for rehabilitation¡­¡±¡°¡­Brain tissue is normal, no obvious seque found, may need further detailed examination.¡±


    ¡°A miracle! It¡¯s simply a miracle! A person who had been lying down for eight years and was almost diagnosed as brain-dead not long ago, actually managed to wake up again, and his health condition looks far better than usual¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Miss Vya,st time you refused to ept the brain death diagnosis, iming that the patient would definitely wake up. Did you discover something we didn¡¯t?¡±


    The buzzing voices made his newly awakened mind feel like aputer that hadn¡¯t been turned on for years, unable to process everything. He could only keep rolling his eyes around, surveying his surroundings.


    In the clean and snow-white hospital room, his gaze was quickly drawn to a small potted nt on the windowsill.


    It was an exceptionally exquisite little flower pot, clearly the style his fianc¨¦e liked. In the pot was arge cluster of snow-white unknown flowers. Looking closely, it was a group of delicate little white flowers clustered together.


    The faint fragrance lingering in his nose wasing from there.


    ¡°¡­It seems you like these flowers too.¡± His fianc¨¦e had somehowe to his bedside, her palm gently holding his powerless hand, a smile full of joy on her lips.


    He opened his mouth, his voice barely audible: ¡°I, I think I smelled¡­ flower fragrance¡­ in my dream¡­¡±


    Hearing this, his fianc¨¦e, who had to bring her ear close to his lips to barely hear what he said, smiled even more brightly. She murmured, ¡°Yes! Yes! Indeed, it was these flowers, these blessed lucky flowers that protected you!¡±


    He waspletely puzzled. ¡°Wh-what?¡±


    The snow-white flowers on the windowsill expanded like clouds and mist. His fianc¨¦e¡¯s joyful and devout face was even brighter and more radiant than the flowers.


    She gently pressed a finger to the man¡¯s lips. ¡°Shh. You only need to know that in the most desperate moment, a god saved me. He pulled you back from the edge of hell, bringing you back to me.¡±


    ¡°¨CI will forever and ever be grateful to Him!¡±


    ¡°¨COh glorious Sun God, please forgive me, I have abandoned my faith and be His follower!¡±


    Meeting his fianc¨¦e¡¯s tear-filled eyes, the confusion on the man¡¯s face dissipated, turning into a gentle smile like water. He no longer tried to explore whether all this was true or false, but solemnly said, ¡°Then, I am also sincerely grateful to Him. If the Sun God punishes us, please let me bear it together with you.¡±


    <i>¨CNot just for my awakening at this moment, but more for the joyful smile on your face that is no longer sad.</i>


    A breeze blew in from outside the window, and the snow-white petals danced lightly.


    ¡­¡­..


    A snow-white petal swirled, floating in the air with the rising breeze, andnded in the palm of a hand.


    The young man strolling down the street lowered his head to gently smell the snow-white petal in his palm. The transparent shop window reflected his soft xen hair and clear, gentle eyes.


    ¡°Long-awaited tenderness, the pain of struggling between hope and despair, the ecstasy and sweetness of final fulfillment, heartfelt faith and gratitude¡­¡± As he lowered his head to sniff the petal, it was as if he could discern the emotions poured into it throughout the flower¡¯s growth process until the petal fell. The young man smiled leisurely, ¡°This is truly a faith that exceeds the sweetness limit.¡±


    ¡°¨CI¡¯ll ept it without hesitation.¡±


    He turned and pushed open an invisible, non-existent door.


    Pink, white, red, purple, as if a palette had been overturned, vast fields of flowers adorned the entire flower shop. Countless flowers bloomed eagerly, weing their master.


    At the deepest part of the flower shop was a vine-decorated counter. On the counter were distributed delicate little ss bottles.


    Each ss bottle on the left contained a seed, while each ss bottle on the right held petals of various colors.


    He ced the snow-white petal from his palm into a transparent ss bottle on the right side of the counter, gently attaching a handwrittenbel to it ¡ª [Lover¡¯s Prayer].


    Just then, another breeze blew in from outside, and a pale yellow petal floated in with it. The young man, turning away from the counter, reached out his hand, catching it perfectly, like catching a lightly falling snowke.


    ¡°Is this another blessing and faith transformed from misfortune?¡±


    The moment he caught the petal, the young man looked up, his gaze seeming to prate spatial barriers, seeing everything he wanted to see.


    <i>[Location: Yao Country, Bin City Train Station]</i>


    ¡°My little granddaughter, my little granddaughter, oh my little granddaughter!¡± The white-haired, seemingly deranged old woman ran out with a speed unimaginable for young people, embracing the little girl tightly in her arms. Her cloudy eyes were filled with joyful tears. ¡°You¡¯re back, you¡¯re really back!¡±


    Behind the intimate embrace of grandmother and granddaughter was a chaotic and noisy crowd, with two people surrounded by a group of people being beaten. Along with the beating came the voices of others egging them on. ¡°Serves them right! Child traffickers deserve to be beaten!¡±


    ¡°¡­This olddy is really lucky, to coincidentally encounter her kidnapped granddaughter like this.¡±


    ¡°¡­Poor thing, kidnapped at such a young age!¡±


    Apanying this cacophonous symphony was the olddy¡¯s vigorous voice. ¡°I told you, when the flowers bloomed today, my little granddaughter would surely return! You all didn¡¯t believe me, insisting on taking me to the big city to see a doctor¡­ I¡¯m not sick, I¡¯m fine! My little granddaughter is back!¡±


    Her children, while grabbing the child traffickers, smiled at their old mother and nodded repeatedly. ¡°Ah! We were all confused, we just thought you had been deceived, Mother!¡±


    The olddy got angry again when she heard this. ¡°¡­That was a real divine figure, how could they deceive a lonely old woman like me! Do you think I¡¯m that stupid and easily fooled?¡±


    Her children nodded repeatedly. ¡°Yes, yes, that¡¯s indeed an extremely efficacious great god. But look, didn¡¯t ouring to Bin City also align with the god¡¯s will? How else could we have found your precious granddaughter as soon as we arrived?¡±


    The olddy was indeed pacified. She held her granddaughter tightly and said proudly, ¡°What do you know? This is divine calction! The flowers bloomed, and my little granddaughter indeed returned!¡± Saying this, she was about to leave with her granddaughter. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go burn incense for the god as soon as we get back!¡±


    Her children didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. Not to mention that this matter still needed to wait for the local police station to send someone to resolve it, but burning incense? For a living person, it was uncertain whether they would even want incense burned for them!


    ¡­..


    ¡°The pain of loss, the disappointment and despair of a long fruitless search, madness in lucidity, the bitterness of self-deception, the ecstasy of regaining what was lost, heartfelt gratitude, devout faith viewing someone as a deity¡­This faith is slightly off in its bitterness.¡±


    As usual, after tasting the petal carrying faith, the [Flower Speaker] carefully stored it in another ss bottle.


    ¡ª This was a [Family¡¯s Longing].


    Outside the window, another gentle breeze blew by. Amidst the vast sea of colorful flowers, a subtle fragrance arrived with it.


    It was a petal redder than fresh blood. It emitted a rich fragrance tinged with blood.


    <i>[Location: Sang Country, Jiujin Ind]</i>


    The setting sun dyed half the sky red, its blood-like radiance illuminating the cemetery below. In front of a bare tombstone, there were no offerings, no paper money, onlyrge swathes of swaying blood-red flowers, each petal as deep red as blood.


    The man standing before the tombstone was gaunt, the prominent bridge of his nose casting shadows over his sunken eye sockets. He lowered his eyes, a pleased smile appearing on his paper-white face.


    ¡°You asked me before why I bought an empty burial plot and nted flowers here, didn¡¯t you?¡± The man¡¯s gaze fixed on the tombstone as he burst intoughter, ¡°This was all prepared for you! My dear stepfather, you¡¯ve finally, finally¡­ died!!! I¡¯ve been waiting for this day since my mother died!¡±


    ¡°¨C A sudden heart attack after drinking,pletely unexpected. Even I didn¡¯t think my wish woulde true in this way.¡± The man crouched down, his fingers gently touching the blood-red petals, excitement burning in the depths of his eyes, ¡°The taste of revenge is truly wonderful!¡±


    He recalled that magical twilight, that magical flower shop, and the shop owner who seemed to have already understood everything.


    Clearly as gentle and merciful as a god, yet he didn¡¯t advise him to be tolerant and magnanimous, but merely gave him a blessing.


    ¡ª When the man who had borne the title of his father for years convulsed and fell before him, he seemed to see the cold, merciless judgment of a lofty god.


    Thinking of this, he trembled with excitement. In his deep-set eye sockets, his eyes emitted an intense light.


    He knelt before the tombstone, prostrating himself before therge patch of blood-red flowers, like a devout believer prostrating at the feet of a god.


    ¡°¨C Oh great god, please ept my insignificant faith! I am willing to offer you more sacrifices!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The rich fragrance swept past his nose. The young man in the sea of flowers raised an eyebrow, murmuring, ¡°Hatred suppressed for years, fanaticism twisted by hatred, extremely distorted devout faith¡­ the vor of this faith seems too spicy.¡±


    He sealed this blood-red petal in a ss bottle, attaching a newbel ¡ª [Enemy¡¯s Curse].


    Just as he put it away and turned around, his expression changed.


    The young man in the sea of flowers looked leisurely in a certain direction, as if sensing strong emotions from afar through invisible threads of faith. He opened his mouth slightly in surprise:


    ¡°Ah, this¡­ what¡¯s with the ¡®more sacrifices¡¯? Don¡¯t randomly distort others¡¯ meanings!¡±


    ¡°After all, I¡¯m not some evil god!¡±


    A breeze swept through the sea of flowers, and petals flew in from all directions. Chenxing Empire, Ind Alliance¡­ from various ces on Blue Star, more and more faith and blessings converged.


    In an apartment in some old city district, a card was constantly glowing in mid-air, disying a brilliantly blooming sea of flowers.


    The young man in the sea of flowers smiled slightly, countless beliefs lifting him, making him rise, rise, and rise again.


    <i>[¨C You fool the world, and also redeem the world.]</i>


    <i>[¨C You are a god existing in people¡¯s hearts.]</i><hr>


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 Chapter 48

    Chapter 48


    <i>[Your card has been upgraded, please check.]</i>


    [Flower Speaker¡ï¡ï¡î]


    [A seemingly ordinary flower shop owner]


    [Unfortunate one, I hear your heart¡¯s voice ande]


    [What is your wish?]


    [Click to expand details and view card skills.]<ol><li>Listen to Flower Language lv3 </li></ol>


    Description: Every flower will be your eyes and ears. You see the whole world through them.


    Note: All things have spirits, and flowers have hearts. From the moment they sprout, they record this world in their own way, turning themselves into unique journals.


    You have a special way ofmunicating with flowers. When in close contact, each flower will open up everything to you. For every seed you cultivate yourself, even without close contact, you can automatically sense everything they experience after leaving the flower shop.<ol><li>Wish Messenger lv5 </li></ol>Description: Using self-cultivated flower seeds as a medium, with misfortune absorbed as fertilizer, intense misfortune and strong wishes will cause the flower seeds to bloom at the fastest speed, giving blessings of good luck to the flower¡¯s owner. Through seemingly natural coincidences, there¡¯s a certain probability of fulfilling their wishes.


    <i>[This probability is directly proportional to the skill level, the depth of misfortune, and the urgency of realizing the wish. Meanwhile, wishes beyond the skill level cannot be realized temporarily.] </i>


    Note: Wish power/Faith power is the core of your ability, a type of energy only you can use.


    This is a seemingly unequal exchange. Others offer you sincere wish power/faith power, you extract part of it to strengthen yourself, and use another part to fulfill their wishes.<ol><li>Voice of Faith lv5 </li></ol>


    Description: You can hear the voice of faith, receiving faith power from believers, regardless of when and where they are.


    On this great web woven by faith, countless believers prostrate below, while you are at the pinnacle of everything. If you wish, you can consume faith power to convey divine will to them.


    Note: Gods are born from mortal faith, shaped into gods by belief. When everyone believes you can fulfill their wishes, you naturally be able to do so. When everyone believes you are a god, you be a God.


    In mid-air, the golden card slowly radiated light.


    In the invisible interdimensional flower shop, the young man in the sea of flowers leaned back rxedly in a wicker chair. He folded his hands on his knees and smiled as he opened his eyes.


    At this moment, his consciousness kept rising, rising, as if ascending to a height ordinary people could hardly reach. Threads of consciousness, some deep and some shallow, connected with him from extreme distances, emitting soul radiances of varying brightness.


    Some were warm and pure white, some were scorching and deep red, some were icy and pitch ck¡­ but without exception, what they conveyed to him was pure and devout belief! The most fanatical ones even seemed to be burning in his perception!


    He also felt that if he wished, he could transmit his thoughts to any of these consciousness threads. Just like a god issuing divine decrees to their believers.


    ¡°Voice of Faith¡­¡± He murmured this skill name again, his gaze full of curiosity, ¡°Is this the invisible web woven by faith power?¡±


    Then, Bai Yi drew a conclusion.


    ¡°If listening to the Voice of Faith counts as a god¡¯s skill, then I, who was born with the ability to hear the rhythm of all things, haven¡¯t I already stepped into the threshold of divinity?¡±


    Saying this, Bai Yi¡¯s own consciousness, for the first time, no longer tried to suppress his spiritual fluctuations, but instead actively and unscrupulously spread outward, like a signal tower constantly receiving external signals.


    Two-story apartment, old town district, Yuanyang City, Yao Country¡­ neighbors next door, passersby a street away, visitors outside themunity, a drunk who just woke up in a bar in the new district far away, and even tourists at the airport about to fly to another province¡­ from near to far, countless chaotic and noisy voices rushed towards Bai Yi all at once.


    At this moment, his head felt like it was about to explode.


    <i>[¨C Web of Thoughts!]</i>


    The next instant, an invisiblework spread out. The signal tower that originally only received signals suddenly gained the ability to broadcast outward.


    The thought channel between Bai Yi and the multitude of people in this world changed from a one-way channel to a two-way channel.


    All the sludge and garbage pouring into his mind flowed back through the channel.


    At this moment, the world presented before Bai Yi¡¯s eyes was countless densely packed small dots.


    The spiritual fluctuations constantly escaping outward made these small dots unpredictable, which was also the state of most ordinary people.


    Only a very small number of people were at two extremes. Either pure and calm, with little fluctuation, or chaotic and turbid, constantly emitting the stench of garbage.


    Bai Yi marked them as dots of different colors to distinguish them, and soon spread them out on this web of thoughts.


    He not only marked them in his mind, but also opened hisptop and immediately created a small program to record it.


    He ignored those ordinary people and only recorded the two types of people at the extremes. Dots representing these people in different colors appeared in different areas on the map.


    ¡ª To the uninformed, at first nce, it might look like some online game map, marking friendly and enemy factions.


    ¡°Oh my, there are quite a lot of them. It looks like there will be new targets on the Puppet Master¡¯s log,¡± Bai Yi said, propping his chin with some distress. ¡°There¡¯s too much garbage to clean up, one person can¡¯t handle it all. Perhaps I should have expanded the scale of the Shadow Council earlier to recruit some tools?¡±


    Speaking of this, he immediately thought of a prime candidate for a tool. That was the most special business since the flower shop opened! Perhaps now was the opportunity to fulfill that wish?


    Through the flower seed given out back then, with the [Flower Speaker]¡¯s ability to listen to flowernguage, it was effortless to sense that person¡¯s movements over this period of time.


    <i>¡ª You just want to meet the Puppet Master? Let¡¯s arrange it!</i>


    <i>¡ª I¡¯ll find myself to fulfill your dream, there¡¯s nothing wrong with that.</i>


    <i>¡ª It can sessfully recruit a tool person to share the Puppet Master¡¯s work, and also indirectly fulfill the other party¡¯s wish, not ruining the flower shop¡¯s reputation, but making it even more famous!</i>


    Excited about his brilliant idea, Bai Yi immediately picked up a pen and began writing in the Puppet Master¡¯s diary.


    <i>[Tian Yin, as a one-time tool used by the Puppet Master while cleaning up some trash, the Puppet Masterpleted a non-existent murder by remotely controlling her actions. And she, in turn, framed and eliminated her enemy.]</i>


    <i>[Everything ended perfectly, with the Puppet Master hidden behind the curtain of shadows from beginning to end. These two conspirators should have had no further contact, like ships passing in the night.]</i>


    <i>[But the one-time tool person seemingly didn¡¯t think so.]</i>


    <i>[Having finally vented her long-suppressed hatred, she was able to step out of her twisted, repressed world and return to a normal one. But her heart couldn¡¯t return to its former simplicity and purity. Instead, she fell into greater confusion and emptiness, losing her purpose in life.]</i>


    <i>[She fanatically worshipped the person who had single-handedly changed her fate. She wanted to thank them in person, hoping to change from a one-time tool to a permanent one. She wanted to¡­be someone like them! Although she didn¡¯t know if that person was male or female, good or evil.]</i>


    <i>[For this, she made a wish to another mysterious entity.]</i>


    <i>[Although she only received a mysterious flower seed, her desire to achieve her goal undoubtedly became stronger. The encouragement from the mysterious entity gave her the courage to take action.]</i>


    <i>[She inquired about that person¡¯s news in various ways.]</i>


    <i>[She even found like-minded individuals online and formed an immature secret society.]</i>


    <i>[She began to pay close attention to everyone and everything around her, trying to find potential targets. Just like how that person had discovered her, found her, and helped her.]</i>


    <i>[She has made ample preparations¡­]</i>


    <i>[And now, it¡¯s the 90th day after making the wish.]</i>


    <i>[¨C The Puppet Master in the shadows finally turned their gaze towards her.]</i>


    The thick hardcover notebook fell to the ground with a thud, along with more than ten books of varying thickness. A pile of books crashed down, scattering dust everywhere.


    ¡°Ah, sorry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    The two people who bumped into each other were stunned for a moment before reacting, apologizing in unison, and then simultaneously crouching down to pick up their respective books from the ground.


    The tree-lined path at Imperial Capital University was clean and spacious. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the lush foliage, falling on the faces of this young man and woman, creating patches of light and shadow.


    This was a small path leading from the library to the dormitories, always quiet. In the nearly one month since starting school, Tian Yin would walk this path back and forth several times every weekend, usually returning to the dormitory as night fell.


    Today, she was unusually early in returning to the dormitory, but unexpectedly bumped into someone.


    She felt a little frustrated, but this frustration couldn¡¯t cover her excitement.


    Because today, the sunflower she had nted and waited for so long had finally bloomed! It was as if an unattainable goal had finally shown a glimmer of hope.


    Upon receiving a call from her roommate, she hastily packed up her things and rushed back, not minding today¡¯s reading assignment.


    Perhaps it was because of her haste that she bumped into someone, which made Tian Yin even more embarrassed.


    As she picked up her books one by one back into her arms, she apologized to the other person again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I was too happy today and forgot to watch where I was going¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯m a bit excited today too,¡± the other person said, standing up with his neatly arranged books, his voice clear and gentle. ¡°I just received an interview invitation I¡¯ve been looking forward to for a long time. It¡¯s really a pleasant surprise!¡±


    Only after the young man stood up did Tian Yin notice something was a bit off about him.


    He was tall and slender, with a handsome face thatcked any aggression. His legs didn¡¯t appear to be obviously uneven, but after standing up, he seemed to have a slight limp.


    But the expression on his face was veryposed.


    The words Tian Yin was about to say got stuck in her throat.


    She suddenly felt that saying anything wouldn¡¯t be appropriate, so she simply smiled and congratted him. ¡°Then I wish you sess in getting epted, senior!¡±


    ¡°Thank you! Congrattions to you too!¡± This unfamiliar senior epted her blessing with a smile. ¡°It seems you¡¯ll have something good happen today as well!¡±


    After exchanging these few words, they went their separate ways.


    Tian Yin was still thinking about the sunflower she was growing in her dorm room, so she quickened her pace and hurried into the dormitory building. But she couldn¡¯t help thinking about that senior she had just met.


    It wasn¡¯t that she had developed any romantic notions about him, but subconsciously, she had a strange feeling of familiarity, as if she had heard about this person before.


    Just as she reached the door of her dorm room and pushed it open, Tian Yin¡¯s vague memory suddenly became clear.


    ¡°¨C I remember now!¡± She was quite excited. ¡°I heard senior students mention this person when we first entered school!¡±


    <i>[In high school, he was stabbed dozens of times by some delinquents, struggled back from the brink of death, and after being left with a limp in one leg, he worked hard to repeat a year and got into Imperial Capital University¡¯s Law School with the third highest score in the country! He seems to be from the same ce as you, Yuanyang City!]</i>


    Once she had this trigger, all the things that senior had said back then flooded back into her mind.


    Then, there were certain rumors about the rainy night serial killer case. Even now, thinking back, it was still very clear¡­


    <i>[That murdered minor? He wasn¡¯t a good person, a juvenile offender who had just gotten out. He stabbed a ssmate dozens of times out of jealousy, nearly killed him. Luckily the victim escaped death, but I heard he was left with a limp in one leg¡­ For someone like that, his death doesn¡¯t deserve any sympathy. I even think it¡¯s good that he was killed!]</i>


    As the memories and clues connected, Tian Yin felt as if she had suddenly broken through a fog before her eyes, having an epiphany. She still remembered the thoughts that genuinely arose in her heart when she heard about these things.


    ¡°How admirable, this guy!¡±


    ¡°What this guy, what that guy, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve taken a fancy to some handsome senior, Tian Tian?¡± A girl¡¯s joking voice broke Tian Yin¡¯s train of thought.


    In the dorm room, a girl who had been lying on the bed ying a game heard the door being pushed open. She put down her phone and jumped off the bed, poking her head out to look at Tian Yin standing at the door.


    ¡°¨C Look, your flower is on the balcony!¡±


    She pointed at the flower pot on the balcony, eximing with an exaggerated tone. ¡°Earlier you insisted on telling us to let you know immediately if anyone saw the flower bloom, I thought you were making a big deal out of nothing, that you¡¯d gone crazy about flowers!¡± At this point, her tone became even more exaggerated, ¡°¡­I never expected your flower to be truly magical!¡±


    ¡°Just half an hour ago it was still sulking in the soil, but just now, in the time it took me to finish one game, I looked up and, wow, what¡¯s this patch of golden yellow? I waspletely stunned, it¡¯s like itunched a surprise attack on me!¡±


    Tian Yin automatically tuned out her roommate¡¯s lively voice, which sounded like aedy skit. Her gaze was intensely focused on the golden flower pot on the balcony.


    It was as if it wasn¡¯t just an ordinary sunflower, but some magical nt with mysterious powers.


    Tian Yin dumped the pile of books in her arms onto the desk and was about to go look at the flower when a light piece of paper fell out from among the books. She instinctively reached out to catch it.


    It was a palm-sized folded card. It looked somewhat like the birthday cards that were popr ten years ago.


    <i>[Interview Invitation]</i>


    On the snow-white paper, severalrge ck characters were neatly written.


    Each character seemed to be rendered with shadows, giving a blurry and distorted illusion upon closer inspection.


    ¡°Is this¡­ that senior¡¯s thing?¡± Tian Yin suddenly realized, pushing the illusion to the back of her mind. ¡°I need to return it to him quickly, so it doesn¡¯t dy today¡¯s interview!¡±


    However, she didn¡¯t know his ss or contact information, and even his name hadn¡¯t been mentioned in the news or in that senior student¡¯s chat.


    But might the interview invitation mention it?


    Thinking this, Tian Yin had no choice but to open the folded invitation. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to pry into your privacy¡­¡±


    Upon opening the invitation, Tian Yin discovered that this interview invitation didn¡¯t conform to the normal format at all, containing only a few short sentences.


    Line after line of ck text, though perfectly neat, appeared strangely twisted and eerie to her eyes. The few short sentences were like a strange little poem.


    <i>[Only greater evil can punish evil.]</i>


    <i>[What devours darkness is not light, but shadow.]</i>


    <i>[I await you in the reflection of dawn.]</i>


    After these cryptic sentences, the line that appeared below made Tian Yin¡¯s heart skip a beat in shock!


    It clearly stated ¡ª


    Invitee: Tian Yin


    Interview Position: Shadow Middleman [Intern Temporary Worker]


    Rmender¡¯s Message: When the heart is sick, cut out the lesion. You have the quality to heal more people.


    Tian Yin¡¯s heart pounded.


    At this moment, she didn¡¯t even have time to wonder why this invitation was for her, what role that senior yed in this, whether he knew about it or not¡­ She only knew that the doctor she had been searching for so long had finally appeared!


    Her gaze was fixed on the rmender¡¯s message column, and she couldn¡¯t help but recall the conversation when the doctor first approached her¨C


    <i>[Father is sick, this world is sick, and I¡¯m sick too. Doctor, you say you¡¯re a doctor. So I ask you, when the body is sick it can be treated, but what to do when the heart is sick?]</i>


    <i>[It¡¯s simple, cut out the lesion,]</i> that person answered this way. <i>[The source of your illness is the lesion that needs to be cut out.]</i>


    Then, she cut out her foster father. Indeed, the world returned to normal, and her heart recovered too.


    The corners of Tian Yin¡¯s lips slowly curved upward. She tightly gripped the invitation, murmuring, ¡°Doctor, is this your invitation? Do I also have the chance¡­ to be another doctor?¡±


    At the bottom of the invitation was another line of ck text.


    <i>[Tearing up the invitation means epting it.]</i>


    <i>[Please make your decision within 24 hours. After epting the invitation,pleting the internship task means passing the interview.]</i>


    <i>[The task content will appear in any form within 24 hours. Please stay alert.]</i>


    <i>[No response within 24 hours will be considered as rejection.]</i>


    ¡°How could I possibly reject? This day, I¡¯ve been looking forward to it for so long, so very long!¡±


    Without hesitation, Tian Yin raised her hand and tore the invitation. As the paper was torn in half, the ck text on it quickly disappeared, fading like shadows and merging into a greater shadow.


    As if finally resolving a concern, Tian Yin now had the mind to think about the matter she had temporarily ignored earlier.


    <i>That is¡­</i>


    <i>Did that senior know about this invitation?</i>


    <i>Could it be¡­ that he was also someone who received a simr invitation?</i>


    <i>Or even, had that senior already be a ¡°Shadow Middleman¡± before her, and this invitation was delivered by him?</i>


    The 24 hours seemed so long, Tian Yin couldn¡¯t wait. She managed to find a senior student she knew before and finally learned the general situation of that senior.


    ¡°Song Chi? Third year in the Law Department?¡±


    Tian Yin went to look for him based on the information from the senior student, but couldn¡¯t find Song Chi. His roommate, surprised to see a junior female studenting to their door, casually said, ¡°You¡¯re toote, junior. Old Song left school this afternoon. He has an interview with apany tomorrow morning, it¡¯s a bit far so he went to stay at a hotel there in advance.¡±


    ¡°Do you know whichpany it is?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t know that! It¡¯s surely a bigpany, rted to his major. With Old Song¡¯s abilities, it should be a piece of cake!¡±


    Tian Yin thanked him and left, lost in thought.


    ¡°Could it¡­ really just be a coincidence?¡±


    She was unsure, when suddenly her phone vibrated in her pocket.


    Tian Yin took out her phone and found she had received a text message from an unknown number.


    <i>[Internship task: Shadow Middleman, hide within the shadows, act when the time is right, and remain unknown. For the first part of the task, please arrive at North Ind Park tomorrow at 7 PM.]</i><hr>


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 Chapter 49

    Chapter 49


    The appearance of the interview invitation letter did not bring significant changes to Tian Yin¡¯s life for the time being.


    On the surface, she was still the newly enrolled student at the Imperial Capital University, attending sses as usual, studying in the library, and carefully observing everyone around her.


    The only difference from before was that during her free time between sses, she would leave the school to wander around various parts of the imperial capital.


    During this process, she silently observed and recorded.


    Time passed unconsciously like this for a month.


    On this day, there was a mandatory mathematics ss. Tian Yin arrived neither early norte, with some time left before the ss started.


    Usually, the atmosphere before a math ss was dull and uninteresting, but Tian Yin noticed that today¡¯s atmosphere was much more lively than usual. Many ssmates were huddled together with their phones, whispering and gossiping.


    This puzzled Tian Yin as she just entered the room.


    ¡°¡­Did someone really die? Hiss, how could someone drown in such shallow water as the artificialke?¡±¡°It seems it was an old man. Maybe he was too old and not physically fit¡­¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it just an ident?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple. Didn¡¯t they say the old man had a shady background? I think it might be a murder to silence him¡­¡±


    Bits and pieces of conversation reached Tian Yin¡¯s ears. She vaguely realized that some kind of homicide had urred.


    Just as she was trying to listen more carefully¡­


    ¡°Tian Tian, over here, over here!¡± Her lively roommate, Yu Xiao, stood up from the row behind, waving frantically at her.


    After Tian Yin sat down next to her, Yu Xiao asked with a mysterious look. ¡°Did you see today¡¯s news?¡±


    Without waiting for her answer, Yu Xiao continued to spill everything like beans from a bamboo tube. ¡°Last Wednesday, someone drowned in North Ind Park. Because there were no people or surveince cameras nearby at the time, the forensic conclusion after examination was drowning. Moreover, he had overdosed on drugs at the time of death, which might be why he drowned in such shallow water. After all, he must have beenpletely disoriented.¡±


    ¡°However, this doesn¡¯t rule out the possibility of homicide. When the police investigatedter, they indeed found that the dead old man was a drug addict. Through investigating his social connections, they also caught quite a few of his drug-using friends¡­¡±


    At this point, Yu Xiao paused to take a big gulp of water before continuing. ¡°But that¡¯s not the most important part. The most important thing is that through clues found in the addict¡¯s home and contacts on his phone, the police directly found a drug dealer. From this dealer, they traced his upstream supplier and eventually busted an entire drug trafficking gang! The way this plot developed is absolutely incredible!¡±


    She spoke with great animation, reminiscent of ancient storytellers. ¡°Even novels wouldn¡¯t dare to write it like this!¡±


    ¡°North Ind Park?¡± Tian Yin seemed not to have heard thetter part of Yu Xiao¡¯s words, only thoughtfully repeating the ce name, ¡°An old man diedst Wednesday?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what the news said.¡± Yu Xiao directly opened the news on her phone and ced it in front of Tian Yin.


    Suddenly remembering something, she eximed in a low voice. ¡°Ah, right, Tian Tian, weren¡¯t you often exercising in North Ind Parkst month? I remember you stopped going there the week beforest, right? ording to the news, that old man was a cleaner in North Ind Park. Maybe you¡¯ve even seen him there!¡±


    At this moment, the old man¡¯s photo had been released in the opened news article. Although crucial parts were pixted, Tian Yin still recognized the familiar face through other features, after all, it was a face she had seen for a month.


    For an instant, her gaze froze in shock, appearing somewhat unusual.


    But in the next moment, she regained herposure.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve indeed seen him,¡± Tian Yin nodded, her tone appearing surprised yet natural. ¡°He often swept the area where I exercised. However, I had no idea at all that this guy was actually a drug addict.¡±


    Yu Xiao didn¡¯t doubt Tian Yin¡¯s momentary shocked reaction at all, because anyone would be surprised by such a thing. Who could have imagined that an old street sweeper was a long-term drug user, and after his death, clues about drug dealers could be uncovered from him?


    She just said in a relieved tone. ¡°It¡¯s good that you stopped exercising in North Ind Park the week beforest! Falling into theke isn¡¯t scary, who could drown in such shallow water? What¡¯s frightening is that a drug addict was lurking there. Who knows what a person might do when they¡¯re craving drugs! If you had been there on Wednesday, Tian Tian, you might have been in danger.¡±


    Tian Yin¡¯s face also showed an expression of bted fear.


    She exined, ¡°You know it¡¯s my first time in the imperial capital, I¡¯m curious about everything. I heard North Ind Park has especially beautiful scenery, so I went there every day for the past month to look. But now, well, even the same scenery gets boring after a while.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, there are so many fun and beautiful ces in the imperial capital,¡± Yu Xiao, a local of the imperial capital, proudly puffed out her chest and promised, ¡°North Ind Park is nothing. Next time you want to go somewhere to y, I can be your tour guide.¡±


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s a deal then.¡±


    As they were chatting andughing, the broadcast announcing the start of ss sounded.


    The previously noisy ssroom fellpletely silent. Even those who still wanted to chat with their ssmates and friends consciously and quietly took out their phones tomunicate under the desk.


    University professors were different from high school teachers. As long as students didn¡¯t disrupt ss discipline, some professors weren¡¯t too strict. Therefore, the back few rows became prime spots for students to ck off.


    The ce Yu Xiao had chosen was very suitable for cking off.


    Tian Yin quietly took out her phone under the desk.


    Usually, she was a very diligent student, but the news she learned today made it difficult for her to maintain that focus. She just wanted to understand the whole story from beginning to end.


    Although she knew that if she listened attentively to the ss as usual, her performance would be more perfect and wless. But humans are not creatures entirely governed by reason, and at this moment, impulsive emotions dominated her.


    She opened the news page.


    Indeed, everything was just as Yu Xiao had described. Under the hot news, the number ofments was still growing.


    <i>[??? What kind of ridiculous news is this? Because of an addict¡¯s idental drowning, they managed to trace and catch an entire drug trafficking gang? Those drug traffickers must have been ¡°unable to close their eyes in death¡± when they were caught?]</i>


    <i>[Drug trafficking gang: We never imagined we¡¯d be exposed for this reason. We¡¯re tired, just end it all.]</i>


    <i>[Whatever the case, well done, hehe.]</i>


    <i>[Speaking of which, was this incident really an ident? Could it be that this guy offended someone and was silenced? Isn¡¯t this amon plot in movies? Offending a gang boss, tied to a stone and sunk in the sea or something. Well, this is ake, but it could count as a sea, right? So, sunk in ake?]</i>


    <i>[23333 What the hell, sunk in ake! The water is so shallow, they say even a 10-year-old kid couldn¡¯t drown there. I remember a kid fell in there the year beforest, adults on the shore were about to dive in to save him, but the kid just grabbed onto a rock by the shore and stood up in theke. He. Just. Stood. Up! Someone even took a video and posted it online, it was hrious!]</i>


    <i>[Then this guy¡¯s death is even more suspicious.]</i>


    <i>[Especially after he died, the police directly found clues about drug dealers at his ce, and even rooted out the entire criminal gang. Are drug dealers so careless nowadays? I don¡¯t know why, but I feel like everything is so coincidental it seems orchestrated.]</i>


    <i>[Didn¡¯t they say he was confused from drug use?]</i>


    <i>[Then maybe someone injected him with drugs.]</i>


    <i>[Emmm, the person above has watched too many movies? Where are there such bizarre plots in real life?]</i>


    <i>[That¡¯s right, I arranged it. I secretly sent out my underlings to watch his every move, investigate his social connections, then while he was cleaning in the park every day, had someone inject him with an overdose of drugs, and ced all the clues pointing to drug dealers in his home in advance¡­ Finally, under my careful arrangement, the addict identally drowned, and the police sessfully caught the entire gang in one fell swoop. Haha, the legendary Sleeping Dragon and Young Phoenix is none other than me!]</i>


    <i>[At this point, I have to tell the truth. Actually, your father had a deep grudge with him, son. All your actions were guided by me in secret. Now I have to say, son, well done!]</i>


    With the appearance of these jokingizens, the tone of thements waspletely derailed, heading in a strange direction.


    Tian Yin silently exited the page, and her phone screen went dark.


    Theseizens might just be letting their imaginations run wild, not even believing their own words. But only she knew that some people¡¯s guesses were close to the truth.


    In fact, as one of the participants, Tian Yin herself was also confused and still unable to see the full picture of the event. But she could determine that this incident was rted to the Shadow Council. In fact, it was likely the Shadow Council¡¯s doing.


    ¡ª She now knew that the organization she had joined was called the Shadow Council. And she was still just a bottom-level intern, with all members referring to themselves as ¡°Shadow Middleman¡±.


    She had lied to Yu Xiao earlier.


    For the past month, Tian Yin hadn¡¯t gone to North Ind Park for exercise, but because she had received an internship task.


    This task was simple, and at first left her puzzled. It was to go to North Ind Park at a specific time every day, exercise at a designated spot ¡ª now she knew it was the area that the drowned old man was responsible for cleaning ¡ª and observe everyone around her, reporting back to the Shadow Council in the form of records, including every person she encountered in North Ind Park.


    Tian Yin had thought this was just training for interns, cultivating her ability to conceal herself and observe others, so she did her utmost to carefully observe everyone.


    This of course included the cleaner¡¯s appearance, age, his daily work schedule, the areas he liked to clean and his habits of cking off, as well as his habit of frequently taking out an unidentified cigarette to smoke, asional body tremors suggesting certain illnesses, and his hobby of chatting up middle-aged women¡­


    Tian Yin had written almost everyone around her in her observation records, with an attitude of devout learning. For this, she had even bought and read books on microexpressions and psychology.


    But she never imagined that just a monthter, today, one of her observation subjects would meet with such an ¡°ident¡± ¡ª clearly, this couldn¡¯t possibly be just an ident!


    ¡°If this guy was a target of the Shadow Council, then I might have only provided some insignificant help in this operation. After all, I¡¯m just a novice, and such a simple observation task was at most just training for me. There should be more experienced members responsible for conducting deeper investigations, someone responsible for designing the n, someone responsible for taking action¡­¡± Tian Yin thought silently, unconsciously constructing a vague outline of a massive organization in her mind, ¡°I wonder what position the Doctor holds in the organization¡­¡±


    Just then, her phone vibrated gently.


    On the lit-up screen appeared another text message.


    <i>[Internship Task 2¡­]</i>


    Tian Yin skillfully deleted the message and silently turned her gaze to the window. At this moment, the daylight was perfect, with brilliant sunshine spreading across the entire university campus, causing the distant sea of green trees to ripple with ayer of golden light.


    The imperial capital in the morning was bathed in sunlight, appearing so vibrant and radiant.


    But she seemed to see a shadow descending silently, spreading under the bright light, devouring countless people¡¯s shadows until it became the shadow of the entire city.


    ¡°This is¡­ perfect.¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 50

    Chapter 50


    This was a ¡°Global Garbage Pollution Distribution Map¡± updated in real-time by the Web of Thoughts.


    Based on the ¡°pollution¡± levels across the world, Bai Yi divided the map into light, moderate, and severe garbage pollution zones using different colors, marking the varying degrees of pollution from light red to deep red.


    Since the creation of this map, which was updated in real-time by the Web of Thoughts and tracked every garbage distribution location, the Shadow Council¡¯s work efficiency had increased by 100%.


    In just a few days, from Yao Country to the Chenxing Empire, several small dots ranging from light red to deep red disappeared in a short time, symbolizing that garbage of different pollution levels had been cleared remotely by Bai Yi.


    This made him feel much more cheerful, and his whole demeanor became more spirited.


    <i>¡ª Wasn¡¯t all his hard work and trouble-making just to give ordinary people a chance toplete their sublimation and control themselves, so they wouldn¡¯t output mental fluctuations to him anymore?</i>


    Those who had been dumping foul-smelling garbage on him for years were originally the ones who needed sublimation and self-control the most.


    But after Bai Yi had suffered ¡°persecution¡± for so long, was he still supposed to wholeheartedly help the culprits onto the path of transcendence???


    Regarding this, he only had one thing to say.<i>¡ª Eat shit!!!</i>


    <i>¡ª Garbage should go where garbage belongs, there¡¯s no ce for them in the new world that¡¯s about to be born!</i>


    ¡°Twinkle, twinkle, little trash, the screen is full of little garbage~¡± Bai Yi hummed happily, frantically tapping the little red dots on the garbage pollution distribution map on his phone, based on the speed at which the garbage was being cleared on the Web of Thoughts. ¡°Extinguish them one by one, environmental protection depends on me alone~¡±


    While humming, Bai Yi didn¡¯t forget to keep the beat. He kicked the ground with his toe, spinning his chair 360 degrees on the spot, and the whole person drifted out on the chair.


    He even managed to avoid obstacles like tables and cabs perfectly, making an S-shaped flying chair turn in his bedroom, finally ¡°braking¡± steadily by the bed.


    Then, Bai Yi cleared his throat leisurely.


    ¡°Today, we solemnly congratte Environmental Ambassador Bai Yi on taking a big step forward in the cause of environmental protection, starting from the local area and moving towards the nation and the world!¡±


    As he spoke, he ¡°clicked¡± the switch on the nearby wall. The familiarity and smoothness of his action was eye-catching.


    At this moment, all the lights in the bedroom instantly lit up, all focusing on the chair in the center of the room and Bai Yi sitting on it. It was as if bright lights were focused on the center of the ¡°award tform.¡±


    ¡°p p p p p p!¡±


    Bai Yi apuded himself, the apuse was very enthusiastic.


    After ying the role of host and then the appreciative audience, he finally switched roles. He rxed, leaning back against the chair, intecing his fingers in front of him, and putting on a serious expression:


    ¡°This is one small step for me, but a giant leap for world environmental protection! I will continue to dedicate my life to the cause of environmental protection!¡±


    After saying this, Bai Yi once again pped for himself.


    <i>Goodness, he had performed an entire award ceremony by himself!</i>


    If there had been any observers present, they would have been so embarrassed for him that they¡¯d want to flee Blue Star overnight. But Bai Yi clearlycked the nerve for embarrassment in his brain, and he was quite engrossed in ying by himself.


    Until he noticed that in the area of the Web of Thoughts belonging to Sang Country, the amount of garbage in the polluted areas seemed to have significantly decreased.


    ¡°The speed at which this garbage is disappearing doesn¡¯t seem to follow naturalws. Could someone else be cleaning up like me?¡± As soon as this thought urred to him, Bai Yi couldn¡¯t help but feel curious.


    At this moment, the ¡°Flower Speaker¡± card began to glow slowly.


    Bai Yi¡¯s consciousness delved in, and he immediately sensed strange fluctuations surging along the lines of faithing from all directions.


    <i>[Oh great god, your faithful follower prays to you! Please ept the sacrifice I offer to you!]</i>


    <i>[Supreme God of Redemption and Revenge, I beseech your protection! I will sacrifice to you with the blood of my enemies!]</i>


    ¡­


    The young man in the sea of flowers slightly opened his eyes, and immediately heard waves of fanatical prayersing from afar.


    His consciousness kept rising, following those lines of faith all the way.


    Until he descended into a dark and stuffy underground room.


    In the center of the basement, a strange hexagram pattern was drawn on the ground with fresh blood ¨C it looked exactly like the popr style in anime and novels. At each point of the hexagramy several corpses strewn about.


    Their heads and feet were connected, forming a perfect circle, enclosing the blood-formed hexagram in the center. And in the very center of the hexagram was a flower as red as if dyed with fresh blood.


    Several figures, both male and female, wearing strange cloaks, knelt in the basement filled with lit candles, muttering.


    The person at the front in the middle looked particrly devout and serious. Their face, gaunt to the point where their eye sockets were sunken, disyed a kind of rming fanaticism under the candlelight.


    Bai Yi, wearing the ¡°Flower Speaker¡± vest: <i>???</i>


    <i>Good grief!</i> He couldn¡¯t help but exim. <i>In just a few days, this guy had already developed a cult?</i>


    <i>And what on earth was this God of Redemption and Revenge?</i>


    Bai Yi jumped over the firewall onto Sang Country¡¯s inte.


    <i>[Recently, multiple victims have gone missing after being attackedte at night. Blood-colored flower petals and mysterious religious symbols were left at the scenes, suspected to be the work of a cult organization operating in secret¡­]</i>


    <i>[Based on clues left by the perpetrators, we have identified a cult organization that worships the God of Redemption and Revenge¡­]</i>


    <i>[Once again, I remind everyone that cults cannot be trusted, and evil gods ruin lives¡­]</i>


    The legendary evil god ¡°Flower Speaker¡±: <i>??????</i>


    <i>¡­A lifetime of reputation, ruined in an instant.</i>


    <i>This wave, this wave was being forced to be an evil god.</i>


    Looking at the man in the basement who was earnestly deceiving others to believe in the God of Redemption and Revenge, and preparing to develop more followers, he was already dumbfounded.


    Bai Yi felt like saying from the bottom of his heart¡ª


    <i>¡°You¡¯re so brazen!¡±</i>


    <i>Ahem, scratch that, what he meant to say was¡ª</i>


    <i>¡°Change jobs, the Shadow Council needs talented people like you!¡±</i>


    So, Bai Yi, who had been caught off guard by this brazen move, made a brazen move of his own.


    He directly conveyed a divine oracle, or rather, a ¡°divine revtion¡± for fanatical believers, in the name of the ¡°Flower Speaker¡±: <i>¡°You have plunged into darkness, the shadows are your true home.¡± Tranted, it meant: We can¡¯t afford talent like you here! I¡¯m rmending a more suitable ce for you to stay!</i>


    <i>With such a ¡°divine revtion,¡± and after waiting for a while, the ¡°Puppet Master¡± would appear, and they could ¡°coincidentally¡± recruit the person into the Shadow Council, willing on both sides, to contribute to the Shadow Council¡¯s expansion in Yao Country!</i>


    Bai Yi couldn¡¯t help but give himself 666 likes for his cleverness.


    After arranging this matter, he entered today¡¯s game.


    During this period, Bai Yi had cleared many low-level instances, and today he just entered a new nightmare game fragment.


    His consciousness sank into that familiar, suffocating deep sea. Countless star fragments shone brightly in the ocean. When one of the star fragments gently touched Bai Yi¡¯s arm, he opened his eyes in a moment of dizziness and confusion.


    Something flew up in the air, and Bai Yi instinctively reached out to catch it, spinning it once around his wrist.


    ¡ªIt was a heavy cleaver.


    At this moment, the system¡¯s narration slowly appeared.


    <i>[A hundred years ago, the unknown, down-and-out painter Miu Yin fell into madness after the death of his wife and daughter. He painted a family portrait called ¡°The Sabbath¡± that shocked the world, and thenmitted suicide.]</i>


    <i>[¡°It must have been a god or devil that descended upon him at that moment, painting through his hand.¡± ¡ªPeople praised this ¡°Sacred Scripture¡± with such words.]</i>


    <i>[Once seen, no one could resist being fascinated by this painting! They went from eagerly passing it around to fighting over it. Each owner of the painting viewed it as their life, even preferring to die rather than give up the scroll.]</i>


    <i>[Every change of ownership was apanied by bloodshed. Each of its owners died unnaturally in madness, and the scroll was dyed red with the blood of one owner after another.]</i>


    <i>[¡ªThis painting became an object of ominous curse.]</i>


    <i>[Everyone who had seen this painting, without exception, descended into madness, sooner orter.]</i>


    <i>[¡ªThis was the original source of chaos in this world.]</i>


    <i>[From then on, this world began to change. It seemed as if some chaotic and insane virus had invaded the entire world. Various bizarre events urred one after another, and human mental willpower was constantly tested, falling into the abyss of madness.]</i>


    <i>[Until someone discovered that sublime art could infect people¡¯s spirits, providingfort and sce to insane minds.]</i>


    ¡°So, what does this have to do with the cleaver in my hand?¡±


    Bai Yi twirled the cleaver a couple of times, then chopped it down on the cutting board with a ¡°thud,¡± slicing a dark shadow in half. An extremely shrill and eerie sound emanated from the shadow.


    The system¡¯s narration continued:


    <i>[This is a chaotic and unique world.]</i>


    <i>[This is an artist¡¯s paradise.]</i>


    <i>[Music, painting, calligraphy, and even cuisine¡­ every form of art is revered by the people, and artists hold the highest status. They represent hope in this chaotic world.]</i>


    <i>[Art can convey happiness, heal wounds,fort the soul, and connect people¡¯s spirits.]</i>


    <i>[The highest honor pursued by every artist in their lifetime is to im the title of ¡°god¡± in their respective fields.]</i>


    <i>[That is, to advance through worldpetitions, bing the undisputed champion, the one everyone looks up to.]</i>


    At this point, Bai Yi had an ominous feeling.


    Sure enough, the system¡¯s narration suddenly changed its tone.


    <i>[You are an absolute artistic failure.]</i>


    <i>[From the beginning, you were determined to have no artistic talent whatsoever, unable to engage in any artistic field.]</i>


    <i>[You have no sense of rhythm, sing off-key, and can single-handedly throw off the pitch of an entire ss of children.]</i>


    <i>[You¡¯re severely colorblind, can¡¯t distinguish between paint colors, and every picture you draw looks like brain matter mixed with ink.]</i>


    <i>[Every time you try to sculpt, you only end up cutting your own fingers; after twenty years of practicing calligraphy, you¡¯re still worse than a third-grader; you¡¯ve gone bankrupt from debt due to too many kitchen explosions while cooking¡­]</i>


    <i>[But you¡¯ve always had a dream of being an artist.]</i>


    <i>[Not only that, you also want to obtain the title of ¡°god.¡±]</i>


    <i>[Task: Obtain the title of ¡°god¡± in at least three artistic fields.]</i>


    <i>[Given theplexity of this instance world¡¯s task, the system will provide special guidance to the yer. As long as the yer follows the split sub-tasks one by one, there¡¯s a high probability ofpleting the final main task.]</i>


    <i>[Sub-task 1: Get along well with your roommate.]</i>


    ¡°Room¡­mate?¡± Bai Yi repeated word by word.


    If the information he received was correct, the character he was ying now was renting alone on the second floor of an old building, not sharing with anyone.


    And the reason this guy who could blow up the kitchen every time he cooked came to the kitchen to get a cleaver was not to make a midnight snack, but because he woke up in the middle of the night and saw a ¡°ghost¡±, so he came to get a cleaver for courage.


    In that case, the so-called roommate¡­


    Judging from the life rhythms Bai Yi sensed, besides himself, the other vibration in this house came from¡­


    Bai Yi slowly, very slowly, lifted the cleaver from the chopping board. The ck shadow he had just chopped in half was squirming slightly on the board, about to escape.


    Bai Yi¡¯s grip on the cleaver changed, and almost instinctively, he quickly pped down with the t side of the cleaver!


    ¡°Thwack¡ª¡±


    The cleaver hit the chopping board heavily, and some ck liquid slowly flowed out from under it.


    Bai Yi: ¡°¡­I think I reacted too quickly.¡±


    He slowly moved the cleaver away, looking at the pitiful puddle of ck ¡°ink¡± on the chopping board, and was silent for a few seconds.


    ¡°Oh dear¡­ my roommate has been ttened into a paste. Can we still get along well?¡±


    The only one who answered him was himself.


    Bai Yi twirled the cleaver in his hand, his gaze falling on the chopping board. He disyed an incredibly sincere and friendly smile. ¡°I think you can do it, can¡¯t you, Ink Sauce?¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 51

    Chapter 51


    In the dim kitchente at night, under the old hangingmp, a young man in striped pajamas held a cleaver high with one hand, his lips curled into an extremely brilliant smile.


    The light shone into his dark, deep eyes. The surface of the cleaver in his raised hand had a faint red tinge, like blood stains that were difficult to wash off after years of use.


    In the shadow of the cleaver, the upward curve of his lips seemed to take on a mad and twisted vor.


    At this moment, the young man who had just leaped out of bed due to an idental ¡°ghost encounter¡± and stumbled to the kitchen to find a cleaver for protection, seemed to have suddenly be a different person.


    The ¡°ghost¡± who had found his panicked appearance amusing and had swayingly followed him out, only to face a double kill from the cleaver and now almost ttened into a paste-like ink: <i>¡­QAQ Help!</i>


    Bai Yi, who hadn¡¯t received an answer, frowned slightly in distress. ¡°Hmm, it seems Ink Sauce, you have a different opinion.¡± He drawled, with a hint of casualness, ¡°Could it be¡­ you think these short few minutes aren¡¯t enough for us to get to know each other and establish a friendship?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I get it¡ª¡±


    As he asked and answered himself, he had a sudden realization and swung his hand heavily. The cleaver in his hand followed the motion of his arm and shed down heavily from mid-air, once again chopping the barely squirming blob of ink on the chopping board.


    Ink: ¡°¡­!!!¡±Bai Yi ignored it, only showing an excited and joyful smile, talking to himself. ¡°¡­Although I think we hit it off instantly, but if you still have doubts, then let¡¯s get to know each other better, starting with you, Ink Sauce~¡±


    As he spoke, he lifted the cleaver from the chopping board once again. Then, his wrist flipped¡­


    ¡°Swish swish swish swish swish!¡±


    A series of de shes were so fast they seemed like afterimages. Ever since obtaining the card of Pei Hefeng, the world¡¯s top martial arts expert, Bai Yi automatically possessed the experience of using various cold weapons including knives and swords, effectively bing a master in this field. Although these experiences didn¡¯t include cleavers, all knives in the world are pretty much the same, right? Just a bit of adjustment and it can be used.


    He used a speed that was almost imperceptible, shing out eighty-one cuts in an extremely short time.


    ¡ªThis was thest move from the ¡°Nine Stunning des¡± technique that Pei Hefeng had once seized from a demonic sect. It could unleash eighty-one de shes at once, an ultimate movebining nine times nine. It was said that those with profound skills could directly slice a person from head to toe into a human stick, only taking theirst breath when the final cut fell, considered to be extremely cruel and cold-blooded.


    And now, Bai Yi had innovatively applied this technique in a different way.


    By the time he put away the cleaver, the chopping board was covered with ayer of evenly fine ck viscous particles, looking like finely chopped guiling paste or ayer of paste spread out.


    This ck ¡°paste¡± stubbornly squirmed once.


    Bai Yi couldn¡¯t help but pick up a particle and taste it with his tongue.


    Then, he frowned, his whole demeanor changing. ¡°Ah pooh pooh pooh, why does it taste like ink?¡±


    ¡°Non-human species, has self-awareness, difficult to eliminate with physical attacks, although it doesn¡¯t taste good it¡¯s edible¡­¡± Bai Yi put down the cleaver, raising a finger for each point he made, his tone full of interest, ¡°Just don¡¯t know if it can regenerate¡­ In terms of vitality, so far, I¡¯d call you the strongest.¡±


    From the moment he picked up a jelly-like particle and ate it, theyer of ¡°ink sauce¡± smeared on the chopping board started trembling. When he mentioned it was edible and spected about its regenerative abilities, the ¡°paste¡± trembled even more violently under his interested gaze.


    Then, it heard the devil¡¯s voice slowly rise. ¡°After such an in-depth exchange, we¡¯re not strangers anymore, right? So, let¡¯s get along well, roommate!¡±


    Saying this, Bai Yi extended a hand with a smile.


    In this short moment, it had already started to coalesce, gradually turning back into a jelly-like ink-colored gtinous substance. It tremblingly extended a small corner, slowly rising from the chopping board, like a little foot, and rested on Bai Yi¡¯s open palm. It seemed to be indicating agreement.


    Bai Yi, with a face full of smiles, solemnly shook this small corner, considering it a handshake with his new roommate.


    The two roommates thus reached a friendly consensus.


    The atmosphere became harmonious.


    ¡°1, 2, 3¡­ 10.¡± Bai Yi, pinching a corner of the ink, started counting, until he suddenly asked after counting to 10, ¡°So, the task isn¡¯tpleted yet?¡±


    The task he referred to was, of course, the sub-task ¨C to get along well with his roommate.


    After a few seconds of silence, lines of blurry ck text appeared in mid-air, burning into his retina.


    <i>[Taskpletion assessment in progress¡­]</i>


    <i>[Friendliness of [Painting Spirit-Ink]: 0]</i>


    <i>[Your sub-task is not yetpleted, please keep trying.]</i>


    <i>[Hint: Painting Spirit: A spirit rted to the art of painting, unique to this world. The essence of painting in this world lies in attracting Painting Spirits through one¡¯s talent and skill while painting, receiving their blessing to give the artwork transcendent spirituality. The higher the talent, the stronger the spirituality. Those favored by Painting Spirits are geniuses in the art of painting. Those without talent,pletely disconnected from the art of painting, won¡¯t attract even a bit of attention from Painting Spirits, even if they¡¯re nearby.]</i>


    Probably worried that Bai Yi might pull some strange moves again, the system directly nned out the clearance method for him¡ª


    <i>[yers can cater to [Painting Spirit-Ink]¡¯s preferences. Once its friendliness is raised to 100, your paintings will receive spiritual enhancement from [Painting Spirit-Ink], gaining a certain degree of talent boost. For example, when painting ink wash paintings, you will possess stronger talent and skill.]</i>


    ¡°Painting Spirit?¡± After reading the system¡¯s exnation, Bai Yi showed understanding, ¡°Isn¡¯t this just like the elemental spirits in novels?¡±


    He had read quite a few novels. In those fantasy magic novels, wasn¡¯t magic just magicians manipting elemental powers from nature? The higher the talent, the more elements they could attract and manipte. If one could get the blessing of a special elemental spirit, their magical energy would be almost infinite.


    Recing the concept of elemental spirits with painting spirits, and magicians with painters, it became easy to understand.


    ¡ªIn other words, as long as one could get the blessing of a painting spirit, even a talentless person in painting could be a genius, because talent itself was the ability to attract painting spirits.


    <i>So, was it time to start the strategy?</i>


    <i>Could this be the legendary dating sim game? The talentless me reaching life¡¯s peak by strategizing with painting spirits???</i>


    Bai Yi shook his head. ¡°¡­Gaining 100 friendliness points, it sounds troublesome. I¡¯ve been so sincere, yet the friendliness is only 0. What happened to getting along well and interacting nicely? What a dishonest roommate.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡± Bai Yi¡¯s gaze fell back on the chopping board, showing eagerness, ¡°Why don¡¯t I just eat this painting spirit directly? Maybe the effect would be better?¡±


    Painting Spirit-Ink: <i>!!!</i>


    System: <i>???</i>


    <i>[[Painting Spirit-Ink] Friendliness +1.] </i>


    <i>[[Painting Spirit-Ink] Friendliness +1.] </i>


    <i>[[Painting Spirit-Ink] Friendliness +1.] </i>


    <i>¡­ [[Painting Spirit-Ink] Friendliness: 100.]</i>


    In the blink of an eye, a flood of notifications scrolled by. The overwhelming +1+1+1 almost left afterimages in Bai Yi¡¯s eyes.


    <i>[Sub-task 1pleted.]</i>


    <i>[Sub-task 2: Harmonious neighborhood rtionships will help your task. Get along well with the neighbors on this floor.]</i>


    The system¡¯s prompts refreshed seamlessly, as if fearing that if it was even a secondte, thisrge painting spirit would end up in Bai Yi¡¯s stomach,pletely devoured.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to have such a good impression of me, roommate.¡± Bai Yi stared at the trembling ink blob for a few seconds, using a friendly smile to indicate that he could never be that kind of person, this was purely the system¡¯s malicious spection. ¡°I think you must be very willing to take me to meet our neighbors, right?¡±


    ¡­Based on the previous situation, it was clear he could restrain [Painting Spirits], these special beings. But it wasn¡¯t clear if the reasony in the cleaver or in himself?


    Bai Yi didn¡¯t have more samples to explore for now.


    The trembling ink blob rolled back and forth in the air several times,rge patches of ink continuously spreading, as if painting on nk paper, gradually forming the shadow of a human figure. Finally, it turned into a small boy with ck hair and ck eyes.


    The little boy timidlynded on the ground, tugging at Bai Yi¡¯s sleeve, indicating for Bai Yi to follow him.


    ¡°Oh my, I didn¡¯t expect painting spirits to have this kind of human form. Is this perhaps a more advanced form of existence?¡±


    Looking at this scene of transformation before him, Bai Yi stroked his chin, marveling. He followed the little boy out the door without any resistance, his face full of expectation.


    First a roommate, now neighbors¡­ The roommate was a painting spirit, so boldly guessing, the identity of the neighbors would be¡­


    When Bai Yi knocked on the neighbor¡¯s door in the middle of the night and saw an extremely angry man who was almost on fire appear at the door, he almost thought his guess was wrong.


    And in the body of the character he was using, scattered fragments of memory appeared as text. That was what thendlord had said when this body moved in during the day.


    ¡°The residents of this building are all strange unemployed people.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a hot-tempered boxer¡­¡±


    ¡°A mncholic, unrecognized talented painter¡­¡±


    ¡°A reclusive, taciturn violinist¡­¡±


    ¡°And a child who appears and disappears like a ghost¡­¡±


    And the door he was knocking on now was said to be that of the hot-tempered boxer. His special roommate was the ¡°child who appears and disappears like a ghost¡± in thendlord¡¯s words.


    Thendlord¡¯s words were actually somewhat contradictory. If these people all had special skills, how could they be unemployed? The original owner of this body, ¡°Joey¡±, had thought everyone was a failure like him.


    And now, with the precedent of [Painting Spirit-Ink] severely mismatching the buyer¡¯s show and seller¡¯s show, he had reason to suspect that thendlord¡¯s words were greatly exaggerated, and the people in this building were probably not normal humans. What painter, boxer, violinist, they were probably just some kind of role-ying game, and their true identity was¡­


    <i>[[Painting Spirit-Red] Friendliness: 0]</i>


    The timely system prompt had revealed everything.


    As a veteran yer of many years, Bai Yi knew very well how to run tasks next. It was nothing more than first understanding this neighbor¡¯s ¡°character setting¡± in daily life ¨C for example, he might have fallen to this state due to some ident as a boxer ¨C and then provide targeted help and advice, catering to the other¡¯s personality and hobbies to increase favorability.


    But now Bai Yi had woken someone up in the middle of the night, and if there were negative friendliness points, it would have broken through the sky. If he still wanted to increase favorability, the difficulty would be about hell level. Of course, he didn¡¯t n to follow the conventional strategy route either.


    ¡°Yo!¡± Looking at the angry-faced man, Bai Yi raised a hand and greeted him, looking full of energy, ¡°Let me introduce myself, I¡¯m the new resident who just moved into 203 next door. Hello neighbor, nice to meet you, hope we can get along well from now on!¡±


    The angry man: <i>???</i>


    <i>¡­Greeting is greeting, but what¡¯s with waving a cleaver? Is this a new way of greeting???</i>


    Looking at the unclear ink on the cleaver, smelling the scent of his kinding from it, and then looking at the pale-faced little boy held in Bai Yi¡¯s left hand, his anger was extinguished in a second, and a non-existent drop of cold sweat slowly slid down his forehead.


    His face, which should have been fierce and angry, slowly squeezed out a smile. ¡°So it¡¯s a new neighbor¡­¡±


    <i>¡­Real hardcore way of making friends.</i><hr>


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    Discord Server: https://discord.gg/HGaByvmVuw

 Chapter 52

    Chapter 52


    <i>[Painting Spirit [Green] Friendliness: 100] </i>


    <i>[Painting Spirit [Blue] Friendliness: 100] </i>


    <i>[Painting Spirit [Gold] Friendliness: 100] </i>


    <i>¡­ </i>


    <i>[Painting Spirit [White] Friendliness: 100] </i>


    <i>[All Painting Spirit friendliness levels have reached 100, side quest three [Establish Harmony in One Building] has beenpleted.]</i>


    After dealing with the Painting Spirit-Red, the system, as expected, issued side quest three.


    From roommates to neighbors to residents of an entire building, the three side quests progressed inyers, with increasing difficulty.


    Fortunately, Bai Yi always adhered to the hardcore principle of making friends with a cleaver, and with the assistance of the bewitching skill, even though there were some minor setbacks, after experiencing two cycles, he still sessfullypleted the task in the third cycle.<i>Perhaps this was the charisma of a pyramid scheme leader?</i>


    At this moment, a message suddenly refreshed on the system.


    <i>[Achievement system has been updated¡­] </i>


    <i>[You have achieved the ¡°Social Little Expert¡± achievement.] </i>


    <i>[Description: Fraud, bewitchment, violent threats, swindling and deception, you are proficient in various social skills. With a useless body that should have been ipatible with art, you gained the ¡°favor¡± of a group of Painting Spirits, making you an undisputed social little expert.]</i>


    <i>[You have achieved the ¡°Mutual Love One Building¡± achievement.] </i>


    <i>[Description: You sessfully tamed Painting Spirits of various forms, building a harmonious neighborhood rtionship between humans and Painting Spirits.]</i>


    <i>[You have achieved the ¡°Conquest Master, King of the Sea¡± achievement.] </i>


    <i>[Description: Through unconventional means, you sessfully conquered all attributes of Painting Spirits in this realm. In terms of conquest, the Nightmare Game system is willing to call you the strongest.]</i>


    ¡°Don¡¯t all these achievements mean the same thing?¡± Looking at the achievement information refreshed on the panel, Bai Yi shook his head. ¡°The system¡¯snguage library still needs to be more diverse.¡±


    Since he had already gained the ¡°favor¡± of all attribute Painting Spirits, elevating him from useless to genius, logically, he only needed to practice his painting skills diligently, convert his talent into proficiency and experience, continuously upgrade and add points to his painting skills until there was nothing left to upgrade. At that point, he would naturally have the confidence to obtain the title of ¡°Painting God¡±.


    With the assistance of so many Painting Spirits, he believed that practicing and improving painting skills would not be difficult.


    However, this body had another problem, which was severe color blindness. Except for ck and white, he often confused other colors, making it difficult to distinguish them. Not to mention being able to mix colors to his satisfaction while painting.


    When Bai Yi first entered this character, he had only heard about the color blindness but didn¡¯t have a clear sensation of it himself. But after three cycles, the feeling of color blindness became too obvious.


    If in previous worlds, in Bai Yi¡¯s eyes possessing the Rhythm of All Things, everything already looked like an overturned palette, with various messy colors spreading from near to far without any pattern, making people nauseous and dizzy just by looking at it. Now, he could no longer distinguish these red, white, blue, purple, and chaotic colors.


    Unless he painted ck and white ink paintings, trying to paint anything else would result in a scene too horrible to look at.


    In the words of the Nightmare Game system: <i>[Even with the help of Painting Spirits, you can only achieve this level. Your painting talent is not worth mentioning. Except for the already perfected Dark Cuisine skill, no other skill can ¡°surpass¡± it.]</i>


    <i>Oh ho! It even started to be sarcastic.</i>


    In response, Bai Yi protested. ¡°It¡¯s not me whocks talent, it¡¯s this color-blind character. His uselessness severely lowers my level. Could it be that you, the system, are deliberately manipting things behind the scenes, using this peculiar character to hold me back?¡±


    System: ¡­


    <i>[Each Nightmare Fragment instance is randomly chosen by the yer. The character after entering the Nightmare Fragment instance is also chosen by the Nightmare Fragment itself. The system cannot choose the instance in advance, let alone choose the character for the yer.]</i>


    <i>[The system has always been just an auxiliary tool for the Nightmare Game. It is the yer who decides how to y the game.]</i>


    ¡°Randomly entered Nightmare Fragment instances?¡± Bai Yi narrowed his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s indeed as I guessed before.¡±


    ¡°The system is just an auxiliary tool, it¡¯s the yer who decides how to y the game¡­¡± He repeated this sentence, suddenly smiling, ¡°Oh my, it feels like I¡¯ve flushed out quite a few remarkable clues.¡±


    He stroked his chin, saying word by word.


    ¡°Before the system appeared, I could randomly enter Nightmare Fragments. After the system appeared, I still randomly enter Nightmare Fragments. The only difference is that after the system appeared, I changed from being forced to being proactive. I can choose whether to enter Nightmare Fragments on my own and can gain benefits from them¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, can we assume that Nightmare Fragments have nothing to do with the system, and the person truly rted to those nightmares is me? Perhaps I inherently possess the ability to enter Nightmare Fragments, but just like the Rhythm of All Things, I can only passively ept it and cannot choose to refuse¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­System, does your appearance mean that you further developed my talent for entering dreams, adding a switch that allows me to refuse entering dreams, as well as the ability to benefit from dreams?¡±


    What responded to Bai Yi was silence.


    It seemed that the Nightmare Game system either didn¡¯t know the answer to this question or knew but didn¡¯t intend to answer.


    Bai Yi, however, didn¡¯t care about its response.


    Sometimes, silence already provided an answer.


    ¡°I see, I pretty much understand now!¡± He seemed to have obtained an answer, just pondered for a while stroking his chin, as if he hadprehended some astonishing secret. He no longer dwelled on this question, but instead startedughing ¡°hehe,¡± saying, ¡°I understand, I pretty much understand it all!¡±


    ¡°¡­If I already possessed some kind of dream-entering ability, and activating the system was just an enhancement of this ability, then who¡¯s to say the system is definitely a system and not an enhanced version of my ability? I know myself better than anyone!¡± At this point, Bai Yi¡¯sughter had be almost reckless. ¡°Hehe, it must be like this!¡±


    In his excitement, he began to gesticte wildly.


    ¡°¡­Even without the system appearing, my control and exploration of dreams would surely strengthen gradually through daily dream entries. Undoubtedly, someday in the future, evolving from only being able to passively enter dreams to actively choosing whether to enter dreams, from only being able to loop endlessly in dreams to being able to harvest nightmares after clearing them, this would be an inevitable trend.¡±


    He paced back and forth a few times, speaking with a certain tone.


    ¡°¡ªNow, it¡¯s just that future skills have appeared in advance in the form of a system, the only variable is myself!¡±


    ¡°¡ªAnd you, system, should be a product of my fully developed skills in the future. If even nightmares can be turned from false to real, time travel might not be impossible. If nightmares are truly a game, you¡¯re not the creator or operator, but rather a cheat that has seized some GM privileges!¡±


    After making these judgments, Bai Yi smirked again, the corners of his lips curling up high. ¡°Making a cheat to send to my past self, and almost fooling even myself, hehe, as expected of me!¡±


    After a few seconds of silence, lines of text appeared floating in the air.


    <i>[¡ªEverything is as you wish.] </i>


    <i>[¡ªYour thoughts and desires will surely be reality.]</i>


    ¡°Oh my, I¡¯ve suddenly upgraded from yer to GM! Although I¡¯m a GM who can¡¯t control the game or choose tasks¡­¡± At this point, Bai Yi¡¯s excitement suddenly deted, ¡°¡­so, what use is this?¡±


    It seemed that he still had to continue doing the tasks he was supposed to do.


    Bai Yi¡¯s face fell again.


    Especially when he thought about how the body he was currently using was color-blind, yet the final goal was to be a painting god¡­


    ¡­This was really putting him in a difficult position.


    Color blindness was something that even the Painting Spirits couldn¡¯t change.


    They could only provide the painter with the keenest talent, making it easier for the painter to capture that spark of inspiration while painting, but ultimately they couldn¡¯t rece the painter themselves, couldn¡¯t hold their hand to paint¡­


    <i>Wait, rece the painter themselves?</i>


    <i>¡­It seemed that it might not be impossible after all.</i>


    Bai Yi suddenly remembered the ink from when [Painting Spirit-Ink] was shattered earlier, how it could paint a little boy with just a light stroke in the air¡­


    <i>If he treated the [Painting Spirits] as a summoner¡¯s summons, with the summoner formting battle ns andmanding the summons to fight. And if he drew the line draft and thenmanded the [Painting Spirits] to freely applyyers of color, wouldn¡¯t that be reasonable and wless?</i>


    <i>With the [Painting Spirits]¡¯ aesthetic sense, shouldn¡¯t they be able to easily judge how to paint a picture to achieve the best result?</i>


    Perhaps, when the time came, Bai Yi wouldn¡¯t even need to think about the line draft. He could just pick up the brush and use the ¡°Xia Ji Eight Strokes¡± skill, while the Painting Spirits, acting as summoned little sprites, would use their innate sensitivity to painting to help him outline and color¡­ It would be like how traditional mages still need to hold a staff and chant to summon magical elements, while the great magician Bai Yi would just hold the staff for show, and the elemental spirits would actively help him capture the magical elements,pleting the automatic release of magic :).


    <i>This move was the legendary ¡°lying down to win¡±!</i>


    <i>¡­Hehehe.</i>


    Immersed in the joy of this mental image, Bai Yi now single-mindedly wanted to find Painting Spirits to practice a few times, temporarily putting other matters aside.


    For instance, whether his guess about the system was true, and if it was true, how his future self had achieved this, and why he had decided to deploy the system to the present???


    If Bai Yi only needed to follow the process step by step, someday in the future his dream-entering skill would inevitably improve, and he would clear nightmares with his own ability, harvesting nightmare crystals and character cards from the nightmares¡­ Then, why did his future self traverse time and space to deliver the system? Was it merely to let him master in advance the abilities he was supposed to master in the future?


    ¡ªGiven Bai Yi¡¯s own personality, he wouldn¡¯t like such actions of cheating in advance and ruining the fun of the game. He was the kind of weirdo who, even if given the chance to be reborn at a past point in time, wouldn¡¯t want to change the past at all.


    ¡ªUnless he had no choice but to do so.


    Some thoughts just shed through his mind momentarily. Bai Yi concealed the brief ripple in his eyes and looked at the surrounding Painting Spirits with a smile, extending a sincere invitation to them. ¡°As harmonious and loving good neighbors, good friends, and good roommates, you surely wouldn¡¯t have the heart to refuse my small request, right?¡±


    He let out a long, mncholic sigh, filled with the vicissitudes and disappointment of years of unfulfilled dream-chasing.


    ¡°This is a young man pursuing his dream, making hisst struggle on the path towards his dream!¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 53

    Chapter 53


    <i>[You havepleted the corresponding prerequisite side quests, unlocking main quest one: Obtain the title of God in the field of painting.]</i>


    When the system¡¯s prompt suddenly appeared, Bai Yi had just finished arranging a table of delicious food in the living room. The good neighbors from the entire building, whom he had invited, were seated in a circle.


    After several cycles, Bai Yi had gained a certain degree of understanding of this world.


    This was a world with particrly special rules, originally indistinguishable from the ordinary city where Blue Star was located.


    But ever since the creation of the painting of death ¡°Sabbath¡± years ago, this world seemed to have been infected by some kind of madness factor. Without exception, people who hade into contact with ¡°Sabbath¡± went insane, and various items passed on by their hands also became bizarre, continuously infecting more people, like a drop of thick ink spreading in water, the meme of madness spread throughout the world.


    ¡ªAt first, no one realized that there was a problem with the ¡°Sabbath¡± painting, until more and more contaminated individuals appeared, until everyone discovered that the contaminated could spread it to others.


    When the total number of contaminated reached a certain range, this matter finally caught the attention of the World Federation. After an investigation, an absurd yet undeniable truth emerged¡ªthe madness of these people was not due to physiological changes, but more like a mental contamination, and this mental contamination could spread out of thin air.


    And the source of everything was that painting called the painting of death, ¡°Sabbath¡±.


    It was like a needle coated with bacteria, piercing through the originally tightly-ruled protectiveyer of this world, plunging the entire world into mad contamination and spread.Even though the federal government sent out its most elite troops to break into the gallery of thest owner and seal off this painting, the world that had already been contaminated could not return to its original state.


    Fortunately, in times of crisis, the world¡¯s self-rescue mechanism would also give birth to corresponding countermeasures. From then on, all artistic fields that could transmit one¡¯s emotions to others in some way received an epic-level enhancement.


    The status of artists in this world was infinitely elevated.


    They could soothe chaotic and insane souls through paintings, music, poetry, and literary works, reducing the degree of mental contamination in the contaminated.


    Correspondingly, the threshold to be an artist was also infinitely raised. Technique alone was not enough; spirituality was crucial.


    Only those with sufficiently strong spirits and keen sensitivity to special existences like ¡°Painting Spirits¡± could create artworks with spirituality. And only artworks with spirituality could spread their spiritual will and affect others.


    ¡ªOnly works possessing spirituality could be considered the work of an artist.


    This might sound mystical and abstruse. In fact, people in this world still hadn¡¯t understood the essence of spirituality. After all, it had only been a hundred years since the world¡¯s contamination, and the concept of ¡°spirituality¡± was only proposed thirty years ago.


    But Bai Yi was different.


    Regarding mental contamination, he had rich experience, and with bug-level talents and skills like the Rhythm of All Things and Web of Thoughts, the invisible mental fluctuations that ordinary people couldn¡¯t perceive were as clear to him as paint on a white canvas, with even the colors and properties perfectly clear.


    So, after several cycles, he had understood the principle of how artists in this world gave birth to ¡°spirituality¡± in their works.


    The biggest difference between this world and Blue Star was the extreme activity of spiritual energy and its terrifying contamination.


    And artists were the rare existences among countless ordinary people who possessed special talents and qualifications.


    They could inject different spiritual energies into their works, making them full of spirituality, thus influencing and contaminating others.


    ¡ªIf this was an extraordinary system of the spiritual ss, then artists would be the extraordinaries profession of this system.


    Therefore, the strength or weakness of spirituality was essentially the degree of contamination of the spiritual energy injected into the work by the artist. It was the degree of ¡°extraordinary power¡± output by an artist.


    ording to different spiritualities, artists¡¯ works were divided into two categories: ¡°Dark Art¡± and ¡°Healing Art¡±.


    That painting of death, ¡°Sabbath¡±, must have emitted a kind of insane spiritual energy with extremely strong contamination, which is why every owner was mentally contaminated.


    ¡ªIt was said that in this world, there were worshippers of Miu Yin, the author of ¡°Sabbath¡±, groups of painters practicing dark art, who had established various organizations in private.


    And if a painter created a work full of healing spirituality, it would, in turn, soothe the spirits of the contaminated. Such painters held extremely high positions in the Federation.


    The same principle applied to music, poetry, and other artistic fields, which exined why the status of artists was so high in this world.


    ¡ªThey were devils, and also gods. They were destroyers, and also saviors.


    In this situation, even the profession of chef, which shouldn¡¯t have beenparable, suddenly rose to be the most special existence among many artists.


    After all, delicious food could bring humans the most primitive sense of happiness, and it didn¡¯t require any aesthetic appreciation to achieve this. This was something that no other art could easilypare with.


    It could be said that delicious food was the ¡°work¡± that could most easily soothe people¡¯s spirits. It was the ¡°art¡± with the lowest threshold.


    ¡ªWhen Bai Yi understood the situation of this world, especially the special nature of chefs, he immediately got excited, almost pping his thigh: <i>Oh, this is something I¡¯m familiar with!</i>


    If he hadn¡¯t encountered the Painting Spirits right after entering the game, clearly having the opportunity toplete the painting field challenge first, Bai Yi would have been eager to be the new era¡¯s ¡°Food God¡±!


    Even now, while training the Painting Spirits to cooperate with each other every day, he didn¡¯t forget to polish his culinary skills.


    After all, this world was quite different from reality. Although Bai Yi was confident enough in his skills, ¡°Dark Cuisine lv3¡± was not easily achievable as the limit of mortals!


    But this world ced more emphasis on the spirituality in food.


    In this regard, Bai Yi was also a novice, only able to practice quietly first, waiting for the right moment to amaze everyone!


    As such, these warm-hearted neighbors naturally became the best food testers for Bai Yi to practice this world¡¯s special cuisine.


    ¡ªOf course, Painting Spirits couldn¡¯t eat human food, but the ingredients Bai Yi chose weren¡¯t ordinary ingredients. They were chaotic spiritual energies he captured in this world¡¯s special rules using his Rhythm of All Things talent.


    ¡ªIn other words, while others injected spiritual energy into ingredients, he directly captured spiritual energy to serve as ingredients.


    It was roughly equivalent to capturing elements to feed elemental spirits.


    A bunch of chaotic spiritual energies were directly stirred together, skipping even the medium of ingredients. A table of Painting Spirit exclusive delicacies was thus produced, with spiritual fluctuations at their peak.


    Sensing the strong spirituality emanating from the table of food, Bai Yi felt an iparable sense of achievement and pride.


    <i>Look at how strong this spirituality is, if this doesn¡¯t qualify as the ¡°Food God of the Age¡±, who else could im this title?</i>


    <i>In terms of culinary skills, if I¡¯m second, who dares to im first?</i>


    ¡°Everyone, please eat, don¡¯t be shy,¡± he enthusiastically urged the motionless neighbors sitting at the table. ¡°This is my first time inviting neighbors over~¡±


    A group of Painting Spirits tremblingly raised two colorful chopsticks drawn out of thin air.


    At this moment, the task in front of Bai Yi refreshed.


    <i>[First phase of the task: Sessfullyplete a work and submit it to participate in the ¡°World Painting Grand Prix¡± that opens today.]</i>


    <i>[Second phase of the task: Sessfully pass the preliminary selection and obtain the first disy rights in the Death Gallery.]</i>


    <i>[Third phase of the task: Deserve the name.]</i>


    <i>[Hint: Please turn on the TV and watch the World Art Channel that¡¯s currently broadcasting.]</i>


    Bai Yi: ???


    <i>It seemed that after uncovering the system¡¯s origin, even its prompts had be more proactive. What¡¯s this about watching TV?</i>


    Despite his internalints, Bai Yi still turned on the living room TV. The host¡¯s provocative voice immediately came through: <i>[The annual World Art Grand Prix is about to begin, and the registration times for various art groups will be announced one by one. This month is the stage for the World Painting Grand Prix. From 8 AM this morning until 8 AM next Sunday, participants please go to the Federation¡¯s various district art centers to submit their entries¡­]</i>


    <i>[The rules for the World Painting Grand Prix are as follows¡­]</i>


    <i>[After the first round of preliminary selection, each district art center will screen out a batch of entries with spirituality, which will then be uniformly ced in the Death Gallery. The Death Gallery will rank and disy all entries on its own¡­]</i>


    In mid-air, the system¡¯s subtitles thoughtfully exined: <i>[Death Gallery: The gallery opened by thest owner of ¡°Sabbath¡±, which once hung ¡°Sabbath¡±. Due to unknown reasons, it underwent contamination and mutation, and can rank the paintings in the gallery ording to spiritual strength. The stronger the spirituality, the closer the position in the gallery to the depths. It has been controlled by the Federal Government and serves as the ¡°judge¡± for the Painting Grand Prix.]</i>


    The host¡¯s passionate voice came from the TV:


    <i>[¡­The entry appearing in the deepest part of the gallery will be the winner of the Painting Grand Prix. The participant will receive the title of Painting God recognized by the Federation and enjoy all the benefits thate with the title. Until the Painting Grand Prix opens again next year, everyone will have the opportunity topete for the title of Painting God again.]</i>


    ¡°Oh my,¡± hearing this, Bai Yi finally raised an eyebrow, ¡°This difficulty seems quite high.¡±


    <i>¡­If he understood correctly, each year¡¯s participants not onlypeted among themselves but also against the previous year¡¯s, the year before that, and even earlier predecessors?</i>


    <i>¡­The so-called Painting God was not only the first ce of this year but also had to defeat all previous Painting Gods, surpassing everyone in this field to be qualified to im the ¡°divine throne¡±?</i>


    ¡°Oh, oh, oh, I¡¯m getting excited!¡± The more Bai Yi thought about it, the brighter his eyes became. He turned to look at the Painting Spirits sitting around the dining table, ¡°Everyone must be full of motivation too, right!¡±


    But what met his gaze were Painting Spirits struggling to taste the dark cuisine, their eyes zed over, overwhelmed by the strong spiritual contamination waves contained in that powerful spirituality.


    As the dark cuisine entered their mouths, the sour and stimting sensation made all the Painting Spirits¡¯ eyes well up with tears.


    They met Bai Yi¡¯s gaze like this. Forced to reluctantly raise a praising thumb.


    ¡°¡­Delicious.¡± <i>QAQ Help!</i>


    <i>¡­Why are my eyes filled with tears?</i>


    <i>¡­Because I love this dark cuisine so deeply.</i>


    Bai Yi was moved by the Painting Spirits¡¯ sincere and unaffected gesture. <i>How much must they love his cooking to be moved to tears! Indeed, is this what loving and caring good neighbors are like? They understand him!</i>


    The living room light shone on the table of strange food, and also on the faces of all the Painting Spirits filled with moved tears.


    At this moment, inspiration exploded in Bai Yi¡¯s mind.


    <i>¡ªHe wanted to paint this touching scene!</i>


    <i>¡ªStrangers who had never met before could be so loving, happy, and harmonious together, sharing the joy brought by delicious food. Was there a more heart-healing scene in the world? This would be the best entry for thepetition!</i>


    <i>¡ªEspecially since the Painting Spirits were the main characters enjoying the food, they must have particrly strong feelings. Letting them participate in creating this painting, putting their emotions into it, would surely make it more sincere and inject more spiritual energy!</i>


    Thinking of this, Bai Yi eximed that he was indeed a genius!


    <i>Hmm, what should this painting be called?</i>


    He was about to set off to participate in the Painting Grand Prix, and might have toplete tasks in other fields afterwards. It would probably be difficult to have another chance to gather the Painting Spirits to share food¡­


    <i>Since that¡¯s the case, why not call this painting¡­</i>


    <i>¡ª¡±The Last Supper¡±?</i><hr>


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 Chapter 54

    Chapter 54


    <i>[Idle mode has been turned off.]</i>


    <i>[Nightmare fragment instance time fast-forwarded by one month.]</i>


    When Bai Yi entered the nightmare game again, familiar historical records scrolled across his panel.


    <i>[¡­ With the help of numerous Painting Spirits, you sessfully created the painting ¡°The Last Supper¡± with an A-grade painting skill and SSS spiritual energy, achieving a spiritual rating of S-grade.]</i>


    <i>[You have chosen to submit this to the Art Center of this division.]</i>


    <i>[During the idle period, as the results of the Painting Grand Prix have not been announced and other group artpetitions have not officially begun, your character ¡°Joey¡±, unwilling to waste any time, continued to practice painting, culinary arts, music, literature, and other skills under the guidance of the traits you assigned such as ¡°long sleeves excel at dancing¡±, ¡°bing friends at first sight¡±, and ¡°world¡¯s genius¡±.]</i>


    (TL: long sleeves excel at dancing= metaphor meaning that someone who has ample resources or favorable conditions is more likely to seed or perform well. It can also imply that a person with good connections or social skills can navigate situations more effectively.)


    <i>[Your character ¡°Joey¡± gained +1 experience through rigorous training.] </i>


    <i>[Your character ¡°Joey¡± gained +1 experience through rigorous training.] </i><i>[Your character ¡°Joey¡± gained +1 experience through rigorous training.] </i>


    ¡­


    <i>[After rigorous training, your character ¡°Joey¡¯s¡± painting skill has continuously declined, currently at C-grade.] </i>


    <i>[After rigorous training, your character ¡°Joey¡¯s¡± culinary skill has continuously declined, breaking through the lowest F-grade of the evaluation system, currently unable to be correctly evaluated.] </i>


    <i>[After rigorous training, your character ¡°Joey¡¯s¡± music skill has continuously declined, breaking through the lowest F-grade of the evaluation system, currently unable to be correctly evaluated.] </i>


    <i>[After rigorous training, your character ¡°Joey¡¯s¡± literary skill has continuously declined, breaking through the lowest F-grade of the evaluation system, currently unable to be correctly evaluated.] </i>


    ¡­


    Bai Yi: ???


    Seeing this, Bai Yi¡¯s head was full of question marks.


    <i>Rigorous training leading to declining skill levels, more experience resulting in lower skill evaluations ¨C what kind of unparalleled talent was this???</i>


    <i>This ¡°artistically challenged¡± individual was truly unprecedented.</i>


    ¡°I miscalcted, I miscalcted¡­¡± he thought to himself.


    Mature game characters usually grow on their own. In the past, Bai Yi could always leave his characters to develop while idle, saving time by directly receiving characters at their peak. However, this time¡¯s character was truly exceptional ¨C the more it was left idle, the worse it became, training itself to drop below the lowest grade of the evaluation system. Even the legendary talents probably couldn¡¯t carry this one!


    <i>This was the first character that couldn¡¯t be developed through idle mode. It seemed that to pass this nightmare fragment instance, he would have to grind!</i>


    The only constion was that although the A-grade painting skill Bai Yi had painstakingly trained in the game had been reduced to C-grade by this character during idle mode, at least the painting had already been submitted. There was no second round in the Painting Grand Prix, so he didn¡¯t need to level up again.


    At this point in time, within the nightmare fragment instance, it was time for the final rankings of the Painting Grand Prix to be announced.


    He turned on the living room TV on schedule.


    Sitting on the sofa, with emptiness all around.


    ¡°Without familiar roommates and neighbors, watching TV alone is really quite boring~¡± Bai Yi tapped his chin with a finger, letting out a sigh.


    As the TV screen lit up, the familiar host appeared on the familiar World Art Channel.


    <i>[Good morning, viewers. Wee to the World Art Grand Prix¡­ Today, after a month-long process, the Painting Grand Prix has finally concluded. The list of 125 works selected for the Grand Prix has been finalized. Let¡¯s review thepetition process over the past month and look at the stories behind each work¡­]</i>


    As the host spoke, the screen quickly changed.


    A ck and white intertwined logo resembling a giant cube rotated continuously on the screen.


    This was the famous Death Gallery.


    From the outside, it looked like an ordinary building, but upon entering, one would find themselves in a special 5x5x5 cube, each grid being an exhibition room that could hold only one painting. All paintings ced inside would be automatically selected by the Death Gallery based on their spiritual intensity and ced in different exhibition rooms. After selecting 125 works, the remaining paintings with insufficient spiritual energy would be automatically discarded by the Death Gallery like trash.


    Therefore, from the outermostyer of the cube inwards, the closer a painting was to the center, the stronger its spiritual energy.


    In theory, with such an impartial judge, there was no need for anyone to be involved in the behind-the-scenes evaluation of the Painting Grand Prix, nor was it necessary to drag it out for a month. Just throwing all the paintings into the Death Gallery would settle the rankings in less than a day.


    And that¡¯s exactly what the organizers of the World Painting Grand Prix did.


    On the first day of thepetition, the rankings were out.


    The reason for waiting a month was to verify the special abilities of these paintings. After all, in this world, paintings were not just paintings, but also extraordinary items.


    The Death Gallery only evaluated the 125 paintings with the strongest spiritual energy. The organizers of the Painting Grand Prix still needed to appraise these 125 works.


    Among these, some paintings might have low spiritual energy but could provide widespread healing effects for mental pollution, allowing almost anyone to cleanse their mind by appreciating the work. Other paintings, despite having extremely strong spiritual energy, could only be appreciated by a few individuals with strong mental willpower, as most ordinary people couldn¡¯t withstand their mental impact.


    The former could be publicly disyed to everyone, while thetter could only appear in private exhibitions with level restrictions.


    As for those paintings following the dark art style, they couldn¡¯t be casually disyed. Otherwise, wouldn¡¯t it be murder of the audience?


    In gaming terms, spiritual strength only represented the equipment level, but higher-level equipment wasn¡¯t necessarily better than lower-level equipment. It depended on the equipment¡¯s characteristics ¨C whether it increased defense, attack, or healing, each with different focuses.


    Since many of the 125 paintings were noted as dark art works, and some werebeled as healing art by their creators but no one knew if they might cause mental pollution, or there might be dangerous works sneaked in by anti-federation or anti-government individuals, the staff of the Painting Grand Prix organizers wouldn¡¯t risk themselves. They sent death row inmates who hadmitted unforgivable crimes due to mental pollution to appraise the paintings.


    This had always been the convention of the World Art Grand Prix.


    Over the month, the Painting Grand Prix officials gradually released hundreds of death row inmates into the Death Gallery.


    By observing the changes in their mental state after viewing the paintings in various exhibition rooms, they could identify the characteristics of these artworks.


    However, whether it was mental pollution or healing mental pollution, it generally happened subtly and not in a short time.


    Just like the previous ¡°Sabbath¡± painting, many people who had seen it didn¡¯t immediately develop mental issues, but their mental state gradually became abnormal over time. Therefore, the officials gave a month for observation.


    At this moment, the TV screen was showing various scenes from the Death Gallery over the past month.


    None of the painting contents were captured on camera. What appeared on screen were the conditions of death row inmates in different exhibition rooms.


    Scene after scene switched by.


    Some people knelt on the ground, weeping and repenting from the heart. A subtitle helpfully noted: <i>[This is the perpetrator of a brutal family massacre, insane and bloodthirsty,pletely inhuman.]</i>


    Some stood still, their faces peaceful and happy, as if they had entered heaven. The subtitle continued: <i>[This is a doomsday cult member who incited suicide.]</i>


    Some were in a state of madness, gouging out their own eyeballs to y with; others directly killed fellow inmates in the same exhibition room, writing love poems with fresh blood on the ground in a state of insanity¡­


    In the past, such scenes requiring censorship would never have appeared on television. But since this world had been polluted, people had begun to ept and adapt to this kind of imagery. After all, weren¡¯t these just a few unfortunate souls who encountered dark art pieces?


    The scenes from the 125 exhibition rooms switched one by one on the television, finally slowing down and focusing on an exhibition room at the outermost edge of the Death Gallery.


    On the wall, a painting slowly unrolled, showing endless waves of wheat fields surging like an ocean. A sh of golden color briefly appeared on the screen before quickly switching to the center of the exhibition room.


    Although this was a healing-type painting, the program still didn¡¯t give even a second more of screen time, as if extending it by one second would cause mental pollution to the viewers.


    Ever since a healing masterpiece was discovered to cause people who saw it to create non-existent gods in their minds and develop fanatical worship, the Federation had be cautious about publicly disying all artworks ¨C no one knew whether seemingly harmless works might have hidden dangers, or if a creator with anti-Federation tendencies might intentionally use this tform to destroy the world.


    This practice of only showing one second of the artwork¡¯s content was quite ingenious. Even dark art masterpieces like ¡°Sabbath¡± wouldn¡¯t affect people just by looking at them for a moment.


    The camera cut to the center of the exhibition hall, where several death row inmates were lying on the ground with their eyes closed, their bodies seemingly melted like noodles. Theirzy expressions were like those sunbathing in a wheat field, showing extremely rxed postures.


    The host produced an envelope from somewhere and began to introduce: <i>[This painting is titled ¡®Autumn Fields¡¯, by the somewhat famous healing art master, Teacher Qiuyang. Let¡¯s take a look at Teacher Qiuyang¡¯s creative theme and mental journey during the creation process¡­]</i>


    Each participating work required the artist to write down their creative theme and mental journey during creation. This wasn¡¯t for boring readingprehension, but to help the organizers understand the artist¡¯s positioning of their work, and then selectively send in death row inmates for appraisal.


    For example, if an artist imed their painting had strong healing abilities with a theme of reconciliation, the officials would indeed send in estranged couples to appraise it.


    As the most authoritativepetition in the painting field, all selected participants were already the most outstanding individuals in the Federation. Some of their works might have already healed many people in the past, while others might make great contributions to the Federation in the future.


    Therefore, the host introduced each one without omission, as they deserved such treatment.


    Soon, they came to the second-tost piece.


    <i>[¡­ As a special portrait with a prototype in reality, ¡®Evil Ghost¡¯ is undoubtedly a ssic work of dark art. The protagonist in the painting is the artist¡¯s younger sister who died from abuse in childhood. Every death row inmate with a history of domestic violence suffered mental torture in this exhibition room, experiencing something akin to having their soul imed by an evil ghost, ultimately dying of strangtion. As is well known, portraits usually have stronger spiritual energy thanndscapes. The spiritual strength of this painting surpasses almost all other paintings except for the top work. However, it¡¯s also quite limited, only causing mental pollution to abusers. While it has extremely high artistic value, itcks practical value.]</i>


    Concluding his evaluation with these words, the host cleared his throat: <i>[Next is the top work of this Painting Grand Prix, chosen by the Death Gallery, a masterpiece with incredible, astounding spiritual energy! Its creator is neither a painting god from previouspetitions nor a familiar art master. In fact, before this, this soon-to-be-crowned painting god had not published any works ¨C aplete novice!]</i>


    <i>[Reaching the top of the Painting Grand Prix with just a debut work ¨C this is a first since the inception of the Painting Grand Prix!]</i>


    At this point, the host suddenly paused, as if intentionally trying to keep the TV audience in suspense. She smoothly inserted an advertisement before continuing:


    [Before announcing the top winner of the Painting Grand Prix, a gentle reminder to all viewers: After the Grand Prix, ording to the pre-signed contracts, the participating healing works will be added to the Artists Association¡¯s exhibition for the next month. The exhibition tform will ssify the works based on their spiritual strength, and all proceeds will be proportionally distributed between the Artists Association and the creators. After a month, the paintings will be returned to the artists¡­ Interested viewers, please stay tuned and don¡¯t miss the exhibition time.]


    <i>[¡­ As for the dark art pieces, we request the creators to personally collect their works from the Federal Art Center within a month. The Artists Association will ssify the works based on their danger level and provide containment suggestions to the creators to prevent idental pollution spread. Special institutions such as the Federal Adjudication Department, Dark Artists Association, and Research Institute No. 27 wee everyone to join!]</i>


    <i>[¡­ The 125 artists selected in this Painting Grand Prix will all receive honorary membership in the Artists Association, enjoying all the benefits of honorary members.]</i>


    After saying this, the host unhurriedly prepared to reveal the answer: <i>[Now, let¡¯s see who has finally topped this Painting Grand Prix¡­]</i>


    The screen showed the deepest part of the Death Gallery, a room that seemed to stand apart from all other exhibition rooms.


    The ¡°Sabbath,¡± which had fascinated, pursued, and driven countless people mad, had once been hung here.


    Now, another painting hung on the wall of this exhibition hall, a seemingly very warm and touching picture.


    Everyone was surprised to find that this time, the camera didn¡¯t just sh by, but lingered on the image. This was a treatment that even previous top masterpieces of the Painting Grand Prix hadn¡¯t received.


    ¡ª Unless this painting was very special. The officials believed that allowing all Federation citizens to be exposed to the painting¡¯s spiritual influence would be greatly beneficial to the entire Federation.


    It was a living room lit by a warm yellow light. In the room, more than ten figures sat around a dining table piled high with delicacies. Every face was filled with grateful tears. At first nce, it looked like some kind of prayer ritual for enjoying food, with an extremely sacred radiance.


    This painting wasn¡¯tpletely realistic. The outlines of the figures were somewhat blurred. Due to the different colors of their clothes, it looked like a rainbow with more than seven colors circling the long dining table.


    The person sitting at the head of the table was neither ck nor white, just an empty outline. Everyone¡¯s gaze was directed at them. It seemed as if only when they spoke would the dinner begin or end.


    This painting was warm and bright in color, incorporating all colors yet not appearing chaotic at all.


    The host pulled out an envelope and began introducing as usual: <i>[This painting is titled ¡®The Last Supper¡¯, the debut work of the new artist, Master Joey. The background of this painting¡¯s creation is very special. The artist was originally frustrated andcked talent in painting. After moving to a new apartment building, he instantly got along with all the neighbors in the building, and they became like-minded good friends. They cared for each other like family. It was with the help of these good friends that the artist was inspired to paint this ¡®Last Supper¡¯. This is a painting full of imagination, warmth, and beauty, encouraging people to never give up hope and dreams. Most importantly¡­]</i>


    The host read word by word from the envelope:


    <i>[The main theme of this painting is: Even strangers can be as close as family. If everyone could treat each other with kindness, then the world would be paradise!]</i>


    As he finished speaking, the camera zoomed out from the painting to show the entire exhibition hall. In the center of the hall, more than ten people were sitting in a row, shoulder to shoulder, appreciating the painting. Each person wore a smile, and the atmosphere among them was incredibly harmonious and beautiful, looking like a gathering of friends on a beach.


    <i>[Here we have sworn enemies,plete strangers, people who dislike each other, antisocial individuals, terrorists, cult leaders, ordinary people¡­ It¡¯s hard to imagine them sitting together like good friends to appreciate a painting.]</i>


    The host introduced their identities in a timely manner.


    But the viewers in front of the TV weren¡¯t paying attention to what she was saying. Their eyes were almost all drawn to the painting.


    Gazing at the painting in the lens, even through the screen, they felt as if they were being illuminated by warm light, as if they could smell the fragrance and steaming aroma of food. An intense feeling of goodness and warmth suddenly burst from their hearts¡­


    Without realizing it, everyone was entranced.


    They seemed to be guided into an endless, wonderful dream. An incredibly beautiful and harmonious atmosphere swept across the entire Federation. Everyone involuntarily felt a sense of peace, satisfaction, and happiness.


    Past events, arguments with parents, conflicts with neighbors, contradictions withpetitors, hatred for enemies¡­ At this moment, they all seemed to be gradually suppressed by some strange force.


    Arguments were unnecessary, conflicts were unnecessary, contradictions were unnecessary, hatred was unnecessary, all of this was unnecessary.


    <i>[Isn¡¯t a harmonious and peaceful life good? As long as everyone loves each other, this world is a beautiful paradise¡­] </i>Such thoughts shed through everyone¡¯s minds simultaneously.


    Just then, the light in the painting seemed to flicker. In an instant, all the people sitting at the table seemed to melt.


    The various colors on the painting melted, each person seeming to melt like a wax figure heated by fire, flowing directly onto the dining table and melting together with the food on the table. It was like apletely overturned palette, with various colors chaotically mixing on the dining table.


    Only that blurred outline still sat at the table.


    <i>It looked as if¡­ as if¡­</i>


    <i>As if everyone had be ingredients on the table, ready for the outlined figure to enjoy at will!</i>


    <i>!!!</i>


    In that moment, this incredibly horrifying association made everyone in front of the TV snap back to reality, instinctively recoiling.


    At that moment, they discovered that the painting in the camera frame hadn¡¯t changed.


    It was still the living room adorned with dim yellow lights, a dining tableden with sumptuous dishes, and people sitting at the table with tears in their eyes, seemingly overwhelmed with gratitude for the delicious meal they were about to enjoy.


    However, at this moment, as everyone looked at this painting again, their feelings were drastically different from before. This time, they seemed to see the silent tears of despair from a group of victims before being served on the dining table.


    Perhaps only one person had a different reaction, and that was Bai Yi.


    He also leaned back suddenly, but his expression was somewhat exaggerated. ¡°Oh my, ah, ah, is this an usation against me? Or is it just whining? I just stuffed you all into the painting to make it more spirited~ Doesn¡¯t this fit better with the theme of good friends loving and helping each other?¡±


    Bai Yi muttered to himself: ¡°¡­This way of insinuating about me is too much! I¡¯m not some man-eating monster!¡±


    ¡ª Although if the entire painting were viewed as a dining table, the painting spirits used as pigments were indeed the ingredients ced on the table, the victimized party.


    The sudden change seemed to surprise the organizers as well. The camera quickly panned away from the painting, but what appeared next brought an even greater shock to the entire Federation.


    After switching from the wall where the painting was, the central part of the exhibition hall instantly came into view.


    The group of people who had been sitting shoulder to shoulder on the ground admiring the painting earlier now showed various expressions.


    Some people were leaning against the wall, heads slightly lowered, with serene and peaceful smiles on their faces, as if they had fallen into a beautifully woven illusion. Others were in a state of frenzy: some were biting off their own fingers one by one as if eating cookies; some were walking towards the painting step by step like fanatics, although blocked by an invisible force in the Death Gallery a few steps away, they still charged forward relentlessly; some directly bit through the throats of their enemies¡­ The entire scene was filled with intense bloodshed, chaos, and eeriness, resembling arge-scale evil cult ritual site.


    Seemingly realizing something was amiss, the TV station¡¯s feed was immediately cut off, and everything came to an abrupt halt.


    But the system¡¯s settlement wouldn¡¯t be interrupted because of this.


    <i>[Main questpleted 1/3, you¡¯ve obtained the title of God in the painting field.]</i>


    <i>[Achievement system has been refreshed¡­]</i>


    <i>[You¡¯ve achieved the ¡°Blood and Flesh Sacrifice¡± achievement.]</i>


    <i>[Note: Using a Painting Spirit toplete an artwork involuntarily is akin to cing a victim on the dining table for consumption. You havepleted a special flesh and blood sacrifice, ¡°sacrificing¡± the Painting Spirit, endowing your artwork with unparalleled spirituality, thus securing the title of god.]</i>


    <i>[You achieved the ¡°Illusion of Paradise¡± achievement.]</i>


    <i>[Note: Goodness and beautye from within. Only when everyone willingly does good and pursues beauty can the world be paradise. If one forcibly distorts others¡¯ true nature and suppresses their will through extraordinary means, what seems to be ultimate goodness will be twisted into the most terrifying evil.]</i>


    <i>[The artwork that should have depicted earthly paradise and conveyed all that is beautiful actually came from forcibly exploiting the Painting Spirit. Everything conveyed in the painting is just a distorted illusion. The true face of paradise is the purgatory of the sufferers.]</i>


    Bai Yi: ???


    ¡°Are you really created by my future self?¡± He was speechless about this system that was indirectly criticizing him. ¡°Don¡¯t make me sound like some kind of devil!¡±


    <i>He just wanted toplete the task properly, what evil intentions did he have?</i>


    ¡ª If he hadn¡¯t tried for several loops, realizing that normal painting didn¡¯t provide enough spirituality and couldn¡¯t even match the second-ce ¡°Evil Ghost¡±, he wouldn¡¯t have suddenly thought of directly attaching the Painting Spirits to the scroll.


    Bai Yi didn¡¯t believe that if all Painting Spirits had put in their full effort during painting, ¡°The Last Supper¡± would have less spirituality than other artificial paintings. It could only mean they were all unwilling, not putting in real effort, and adding little spirituality to the paintings.


    After several loops, Bai Yi had let them off a few times, but these Painting Spirits showed no awareness and still wanted to sabotage him?


    <i>¡­Well, then they couldn¡¯t me him for directly using them as raw materials!</i><hr>


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 Chapter 55

    Chapter 55


    The broadcasting ident on thest day of the Painting Grand Prix caused a huge stir in the Federal world within the entire Nightmare Fragment instance.


    The Federal authorities almost thought they had suffered a terrorist attack, with ¡°Joey¡± being the terrorist who deliberately packaged dark art as healing art, deceiving the world¡¯s eyes to reach the final stage, and then indiscriminately attacking the entire Federation!


    Fortunately, no major incidents urred across the Federation afterwards, and there was norge-scale spread of mental pollution.


    After repeated authentication, ¡°The Last Supper¡± painting indeed did not contain any mental pollution, but instead had a strong suppressive effect on most mental pollutants.


    ¡ª If judged solely by these characteristics, ssifying this painting as healing art waspletely justified.


    The alert was lifted, and Bai Yi, who had nearly been cklisted as a ¡°terrorist,¡± once again became a Federal citizen.


    However, the audience had witnessed the anomaly that day. To avoid causing panic throughout the Federation, the Painting Grand Prix organizers immediately exined to everyone after the authentication results came out:


    ¡°As we all know, dark art often actively creates mental pollution, while traditional healing art soothes mental pollution, like using a detergent to clean a stain¡ªthe process is gentle. ¡®The Last Supper,¡¯ as a unique new work among healing arts, possesses strong spirituality. Its special quality lies in that the healing art it expresses is not gentle, but rather domineering, forcibly suppressing all mental pollution¡ªnot cleaning the stain, but directly covering the entire stain¡­¡±


    The sense of tranquility, beauty, and harmony conveyed by this painting was like a domineering spice, able to forcibly suppress the viewer¡¯s other emotions. If other healing arts were like a psychologist¡¯s guidance, then ¡°The Last Supper¡± was practically a hypnotist forcibly hypnotizing.Therefore, most viewers who yearned for this kind of life were easily brainwashed, truly falling into the mood expressed in the painting, as if receiving great spiritualfort.


    However, those who genuinely did not pursue this kind of life¡ªsuch as antisocial individuals, doomsayers, or those with deep grudges solely seeking revenge¡ªwhen forcibly brainwashed by the painting¡¯s mood, although unable to resist on the surface, had extremely strong aversion and resistance in their subconscious. As the degree of brainwashing deepened, this aversion also intensified.


    The final manifestation was a rebound effect, with madness erupting and the degree of mental pollution increasing rather than decreasing¡­ Thus, the exhibition hall was directly turned into arge-scale evil cult ritual site by that group of people, and ¡°The Last Supper¡± was almost treated as dark art.


    This wave, this wave was ¡°forced healing¡±!


    <i>[¡­ But in a sense, this perfectly matches the dual meaning expressed by this painting.]</i>


    Regarding this special artwork,bined with its demonstrated forced healing ability, the organizers provided an appreciation:


    <i>[This is a ¡°cult ssic¡± thatbines the essence of dark art with the characteristics of healing art.]</i>


    <i>[On the surface, the painter and the neighbors in the entire building love each other dearly, with the warm dinner further highlighting the beauty that countless people in the world yearn for. If this building represents a world, this is undoubtedly a paradise of great harmony that people long for¡ªbut this paradise is an artificially created illusion.]</i>


    <i>[In fact, another transformation of the artwork suggests that this world is not only not a paradise, but rather suffocating like hell. All the neighbors are actually under the absolute oppression and control of the painter¡ªthis world is just a paradise for the painter alone, while others are like ingredients on the dinner table, mere sacrifices for paradise.]</i>


    <i>[Therefore, when they are willing to cooperate and obey, they can enjoy all the beauty within the illusion of paradise. Just like those viewers who do not resist the painting¡¯s forced healing effect.]</i>


    <i>[When they choose to resist, the illusion of paradise is torn apart, and the diners at the table be the food on the table. This point is just like those death row inmates in the exhibition hall who broke free from the forced healing state, their mental pollution deepening further, ultimately self-mutting or killing each other on the spot.]</i>


    ¡ª Either ept brainwashing or be sacrificed directly.


    <i>[This is precisely the unique dual nature of this painting.]</i>


    <i>[Even if strangers who don¡¯t know each other can be as close as family, if everyone could give kindness to each other, then the human world would be paradise. This was the original theme attached by the painter himself, but such a paradise on earth is just an illusion. Or rather, ites at the cost of everything.]</i>


    <i>[It must be said that although ¡°The Last Supper¡± is ssified as healing art, its theme, metaphor, and healing method are all more simr to dark art. We are considering perhapsing up with a more suitable name for this new type.]</i>


    <i>[Although the creator Joey had no previous works, his first debut piece delivered a stunning result, and may even open up a new category in the Federal painting field. We look forward to his future!]</i>


    This long art appreciation quickly gained praise and likes from countlessizens.


    <i>[As expected of professionals, the analysis is indeed thorough!]</i>


    <i>[To be fair, this painting is indeed very profound, notparable to ordinary healing art.]</i>


    <i>[The metaphor and satire are very urate. The painter is the one in power, and also the only one who knows the truth of the world. Many times, ordinary people indeed don¡¯t know the truth of the world, they can only see the media boasting about how wonderful the Federation and the world are. Those who truly see the truth and stand up to resist are suppressed by the Federation as terrorists, while a group of ordinary people who don¡¯t know the truth think we are destroying stability, haha. What stability is there to speak of in this dark and desperate world?]</i>


    <i>[??? Since when did terrorist organizations dare to show up so arrogantly online? Just wait, the Federation will deal with you soon.]</i>


    <i>[You ignorant fools, you¡¯re just like the idiots living in the fictional paradise in the painting! This world is destined for destruction, there is no future. Is the Federation still trying to conceal the truth, struggling in vain? Back then, Muin was the first to see the truth, which is why he painted ¡°The Sabbath¡± and thenmitted suicide. We inherit the will of our predecessors, spread despair, spread the truth, and revel wildly before the final dayes. It¡¯s better than letting these fools walk towards destruction knowing nothing, or struggling for a doomed failure all their lives, never having a moment of joy and enjoyment until death.]</i>


    <i>[Indeed. This painter must be one of us, the metaphor and satire towards the Federal government are absolutely brilliant!]</i>


    A group of terrorists somehow jumped out, all singing praises for ¡°The Last Supper¡±.


    ¡°???¡± Bai Yi¡¯s small head was full of big question marks. ¡°Don¡¯t associate with me randomly!¡±


    <i>¡­What dual meaning, what special metaphor, what satire on the Federal government? He just loved the harmonious atmosphere of living with his neighbors so much and wanted to leave a memento of theirst meal together! What bad intentions were there?</i>


    <i>¡­So these people understand his painting better than he, the painter himself? Are they all really know-it-alls?</i>


    Bai Yi was impressed by these readingprehension masters.


    <i>What if the Federal government also ¡°understands¡± the painting this way? They might really believe these terrorists¡­</i>


    <i>Goodness, then life would be more and more dangerous.</i>


    <i>As for the truth of the world¡­</i>


    ¡°It seems¡­ this world has a hidden worldview waiting to be deciphered?¡± Bai Yi sat cross-legged on the sofa, resting his chin on his hand, tilting his head to think for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s probably just some setting about evil gods destroying the world. Everything seems to have started with ¡®The Sabbath¡¯, which has indeed piqued my curiosity.¡±


    He jumped off the sofa with nimble movements and stretched his neck. ¡°If I request to see ¡®The Sabbath¡¯ at the Federal Art Center, I wonder if I, the top winner of the Painting Grand Prix with the title god, would qualify?¡±


    Soon, reality told him that he didn¡¯t.


    That painting, said to depict Miu Yin¡¯s family of three, had been sealed many years ago, and the number of people in the entire Federation with the authority to ess it could be counted on one hand.


    However, Bai Yi still had the authority to learn insider information unknown to the public from the Artists Association¡ª


    As the origin of all pollution in this world, a painting of death that drove sessive owners mad as if cursed, ¡®The Sabbath¡¯ was painted on human skin, with paint mixed with human blood, and souls of the dead sealed within the scroll. People said Miu Yin painted this work tomemorate his wife and daughter after their deaths, thenmitted suicide due to madness. But in fact, his wife and daughter were the raw materials for this painting.


    An unknown, down-and-out painter made such a mad act at the end of his life, and his only surviving painting became the source of pollution for the entire world.


    Those who knew the truth had many spections about this. The most epted view currently was that Miu Yin might have been insane for a long time. He desperately craved fame, and creating a world-shocking painting had always been his obsession. Later, he even began to believe in non-existent gods, and perhaps really encountered some unknown entity, leading to the birth of ¡®The Sabbath¡¯.


    <i>[You have deciphered the hidden worldview, progress 10%.]</i>


    The system¡¯s prompt appeared timely, surprising Bai Yi a little. ¡°Just bing a painting god gives me the authority to know this information and decipher the worldview? Isn¡¯t this too easy? I suspect you¡¯re deliberately giving me a 10 to attract me to continue exploring. You don¡¯t really think I¡¯d fall for that, do you?¡±


    <i>[The Nightmare Game doesn¡¯t force you to decipher the worldview, but deciphering the hidden worldview of the Nightmare Fragment instance to a certain degree will give you a chance to drop Fragments of the Principle of All Things.]</i>


    <i>[In most cases, the essence of the Fragments of the Principle of All Things is omnipotence, capable of evolving into any item or skill.]</i>


    Bai Yi immediately put on a serious face, pushing his non-existent sses, and spoke in a low tone like a sage:


    ¡°¡ªAhem, I¡¯ve always had an exploratory spirit. It¡¯s not for the Fragments of the Principle of All Things, it¡¯s to give my future self some face. If I don¡¯t fall for it, it would make you, the system, look not so smart. That¡¯s a belittlement of me as the creator! This absolutely cannot be tolerated!¡±


    System: ¡­


    As if he wasn¡¯t the one who had been sarcastic towards the system before.


    ¡°Since being a painting god gives such high authority, then getting a few more god titles would surely increase the authority level. Maybe there¡¯s even a chance to be a high-ranking member of the Artists Association¡­¡± Given that artists were equivalent to supernatural beings, the power and influence of the Federal Artists Association could be imagined. Bai Yi became a bit excited, ¡°It¡¯s just about grinding, right? Sacrifice all the grinding, just grind it out!¡±


    While Bai Yi was grinding hard, the Federation finally defined the new type of art he created, which was neither healing nor dark, but healing with darkness and darkness with healing.


    <i>[Achievement system has been updated¡­]</i>


    <i>[You¡¯ve obtained the achievement ¡°Healed, but notpletely healed¡±.]</i>


    <i>[Description: You¡¯ve redefined healing art.]</i>


    <i>[You¡¯ve pioneered a brand new ¡°Depressing Art¡±.]</i><hr>


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    Discord Server: https://discord.gg/HGaByvmVuw

 Chapter 56

    Chapter 56


    <i>[¡®The Last Supper¡¯s¡¯ tremendous sess in the painting field has given you inspiration for the secret to clearing the game.]</i>


    <i>[No need for gentle soothing, no need to empathize with the audience. The best healing art is to forcefully infuse your emotions into every viewer¡¯s soul, overriding their original spirits.]</i>


    <i>[And you¡¯ve be skilled at simr things.]</i>


    <i>[You once embodied an otherworldly demon in the eyes of countless cultivators, stirring up everyone¡¯s inner demons. Now you¡¯re just infusing all good emotions into everyone, suppressing the spread of mad pollution deep in their spirits.]</i>


    <i>[You¡¯ve transformed from a devil that stirred up evil thoughts in people¡¯s hearts to a deity suppressing the devils deep in people¡¯s hearts.]</i>


    <i>[Written as healing art, read as forced healing. Achieving great sess in the painting field has opened the door to a new world for you. You¡¯ve set your sights on more artistic fields.]</i>


    <i>[The first one you targeted was the World Music Awards, which was about to begin right after the Painting Grand Prix.]</i>


    In this world, musicians were divided into creators and performers. Regardless of which type, they focused on conveying emotions through sound. The emotions conveyed in their music could influence and affect every listener on a spiritual level.


    Because of this, musicians had an even greater influence than painters. A dark art musician could make hundreds or even thousands of people go mad by performing a piece in public. Conversely, a healing art musician could also soothe the spirits of a wide range of listeners simultaneously with their own power.Generally, whereverrge-scale mental pollution urred, the Federation would often dispatch top musicians to perform wide-range healing. Even if it didn¡¯t take effect immediately, it could dy the spread of pollution.


    Therefore, the Music Awards were held in a music hall made of special soundproof materials to ensure that the contestants¡¯ performances would be confined to the hall and not affect passersby outside.


    The judges participating in the selection were also top musicians themselves. Even if someone from the dark art school sneaked in to cause trouble, these judges could handle them on their own.


    Bai Yi, who had just won first ce in the Painting Grand Prix, signing up for the World Music Awards caused quite a stir.


    Given what happened at the Painting Grand Prix, the Music Awards organizers were initially worried that this guy might pull some stunt again, perhaps performing a selfposed dark art masterpiece on the spot.


    But they soon put their minds at ease.


    Because Bai Yi had signed up for performance, not originalposition, and he chose to perform the ssic healing masterpiece ¡°Sacred Prayer,¡± a piece praising the creator god of this instance world.


    As a religious belief that had been passed down for thousands of years in this world, its audience was already extremely wide. After the world became polluted, most ordinary people had be believers. Every healing art musician would know this piece because it indeed had miraculous effects in soothing people¡¯s hearts and dispelling mental pollution.


    Perhaps it was because people truly hoped for such a deity to save this gradually maddening world?


    Among the contestants this time, quite a few had chosen to perform ¡°Sacred Prayer.¡± With the same score, it would be clear whose healing effect was stronger.


    When Bai Yi walked into the music hall, the judges had just detached themselves from the previous contestant¡¯s performance. Coincidentally, the previous contestant had also performed ¡°Sacred Prayer.¡±


    Realizing that Bai Yi had chosen the same piece as the previous person, the musician judges showed knowing expressions and gestured to him. ¡°Please begin your performance.¡±


    Bai Yi chose the piano as his instrument. This was the instrument that the character ¡°Joey¡± was skilled at, although its rating didn¡¯t even reach the lowest F ss.


    ¡ª When performing with this character in the game, Bai Yi felt as if someone had stolen his musical sense. He didn¡¯t even know if he was ying the piano or cotton.


    ¡ª He, the ¡°Music Prince¡± who would let fish enjoy a concert experience before eating them, a musical genius, had been reduced to this state!


    ¡ª The innate talent of this body was so touching, it seemed deliberately mocking him!


    After ying the piano a few times with this body, Bai Yi realized that with this character¡¯s musical ¡°talent,¡± even grinding wouldn¡¯t help. Apart from cheating, he had no choice.


    Bai Yi¡¯s fingers struck the first note on the piano.


    All the judges¡¯ eyebrows twitched, then furrowed.


    <i>[You have activated the Web of Thoughts, connecting¡­]</i>


    <i>[You have borrowed the power of faith umted by the Flower Speaker.]</i>


    <i>[Inputting power of faith¡­]</i>


    <i>Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding!</i>


    The sound of keys being struck on the piano echoed throughout the music hall. Although it was a piece strictly yed ording to the score, it was unimaginable why every note was out of tune. It was as if the performer had created a new piece on the spot, and it wasn¡¯t even being yed on a piano, but rather sounded like frantic ding-ding-ding hammering on iron.


    The judges gradually put on pained expressions.


    But apanying this sound, more unpleasant than hammering iron, a holy, grand, and extremely devout emotion floated throughout the entire music hall. It seemed to transform into pure white mist, seeping through everyone¡¯s senses, prating their minds, and surging towards the depths of their souls.


    Unconsciously, they seemed to truly be devout pilgrims, with unparalleled peace and tranquility arising from the depths of their hearts. It was as if they saw the gates of the divine realm opening before their eyes, and everyone¡¯s soul floated up to heaven.


    But the ding-ding-ding sound would always asionally wake them from this wonderful illusion, torturing their ears. Although it was an extremely unpleasant piece, their ears, brains, and souls seemed to each have their own set of senses, and the intense conflict between them left everyone mentally exhausted.


    Ears: <i>Painful mask ¡ª So awful it makes me want to cry! </i>


    Brain:<i> Dumbfounded mask ¡ª What on earth is this??? </i>


    Soul: <i>Intoxicated mask ¡ª Ahh, sofortable.</i>


    And then, they started fighting.


    It was as if they knew the person before them was a toad, and their true hearts extremely rejected them, but their entire being was uncontrobly falling in love as if possessed, unable to resist the urge to kiss them. That feeling of being both clear-headed and confused, both addicted and suffering, made them question their entire lives.


    Until thest note fell from Bai Yi¡¯s fingertips.


    The judges, who had been struggling repeatedly between pain and enjoyment, finally breathed a sigh of relief. They looked at Bai Yi with a string of question marks: <i>??????</i>


    <i>¡­What on earth was that?!</i>


    With the same score, and with the previous contestant forparison, Bai Yi had turned the god¡¯s prayer into a devil¡¯s curse.


    But the soothing feeling deep in their souls told them that this suffocating piece actually had an incredibly powerful healing effect, definitely top-tier in washing away mental pollution.


    ¡ª Based on this point alone, it couldn¡¯t possibly be eliminated.


    This made the musicians present question their lives even more.


    In the short time of this piece, they felt they had forgotten how to y the original ¡°Sacred Prayer,¡± and even their love for music was disappearing.


    <i>¡­Was there something wrong with all the musical knowledge they had learned in the past, or was this guy in front of them toxic?</i>


    <i>¡­If this could also be considered a musician, it felt like the title of musician had been maliciously smeared.</i>


    However, reality didn¡¯t change based on their will.


    After artists became a supernatural profession, whether art conformed to human aesthetics was no longer the standard for evaluating whether an artist was excellent. As long as the spiritual infection was powerful, even ying cotton or hammering iron could be included in the scope of art.


    <i>[You have sessfully passed the preliminary selection and entered the top 100.]</i>


    <i>[You have cleared the selection and entered the top 32.]</i>


    <i>[You have cleared again and be one of the top 16 in the Music Awards.]</i>


    <i>¡­</i>


    <i>[Facing severe mental pollution patients, you demonstrated healing art far superior to others, overwhelming everyone with your powerful musical attainment, and won first ce in the Music Awards.]</i>


    After the Music Awards ended, except for a few original dark art pieces that weren¡¯t made public, the performances of other contestants were broadcast online.


    Although the effect wasn¡¯t as good as hearing it live and there was little healing effect, at least every contestant¡¯s musical skill was extremely high. Even just purely appreciating the music was enjoyable for the audience.


    Until they yed Bai Yi¡¯s performance video.


    <i>[??? This is the level of the world Music Awards champion? I could do that too.]</i>


    <i>[No, I couldn¡¯t. Being able to y a piece so terribly is also a kind of talent.]</i>


    <i>[I heard this Music Awards champion¡¯s healing art is extremely powerful. For healing mental pollution, it crushed others. As for musical skill, well, that can be ignored.]</i>


    <i>[¡­ I don¡¯t understand, but I¡¯m greatly shocked.]</i>


    <i>[Is the Music Awards champion also called Joey? Is it the same person as the Painting Awards champion?]</i>


    <i>[Blind student, you¡¯ve discovered the point.]</i>


    <i>[ROFL Indeed worthy of the legendary depressing art, I¡¯m already depressed before finishing listening.]</i>


    ¡­..


    <i>[Main quest cleared 2/3, you obtained the title of God in painting/music fields.]</i>


    <i>[Achievement system updated¡­]</i>


    <i>[You obtained the achievement ¡°Music Gravedigger¡±]</i>


    <i>[Description: As the man who single-handedly lowered the average level and bottom line of all musicians in the Federation, your winning the title of Music God made countless musical geniuses and enthusiasts in the Federation despair about the future of music. Countless people who should have be musicians turned to other arts.]</i>


    <i>[You obtained the achievement ¡°So Love Will Disappear, Right?¡±]</i>


    <i>[Description: Your unique music has a powerful healing effect on mental pollution. But everyone who listened to your music and was healed lost their love for music as their mental pollution disappeared.]</i>


    <i>[You obtained the achievement ¡°Healed, But Also Depressed¡±]</i>


    <i>[Description: Your music healed countless people, but also depressed countless people. Your depressing art has spread widely.]</i>


    As these achievements shed before his eyes, Bai Yi widened his eyes and eximed, arguing eloquently, ¡°System, how can you baselessly smear my reputation? An artist¡¯s work is based on feeling. There¡¯s no such thing as giving up music to turn to other arts. That only shows their hearts weren¡¯t firm enough about music in the first ce. Even if such people had taken the path of music, they would have given up in the face of other setbacks in the future.¡±


    ¡°¡ª I just helped them eliminate a path that wasn¡¯t suitable for them in advance, and screened out a bunch of people who weren¡¯t suitable for this field for the music world.¡±


    ¡°¡ª Putting it this way, I¡¯m quite considerate, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    Bai Yi raised the corners of his mouth, revealing a bright smile, his tone even sounding a bit proud.


    However, since the simple and crude healing art had achieved sess in both painting and music fields, proving the method effective, Bai Yi naturally wanted to use this one trick to conquer all fields.


    The task required obtaining the title of God in at least three fields. For Bai Yi, only one remained, which was almost effortless.


    <i>With his dark cuisine skills certified by the system, if he couldn¡¯t get the title of Food God, would that make sense?</i>


    At this moment, Bai Yi was inexplicably confident.


    <i>¡­ The mere title of Food God was within easy reach, like taking something out of a bag, absolutely no difficulty at all.</i>


    <i>¡­ The only thing to be careful about was not to disy his full strength.</i>


    The result of disying his full culinary skills was exemplified by what happened to that Fushan Sect leader in Pei Hefeng¡¯s instance.


    So, for the safety of the diners, Bai Yi felt he should seal part of his power. Just 30% of his culinary skills would be enough to sweep the Culinary Awards!


    <i>¡­ He really is a clever little ghost ah.</i>


    As for whether it would be dark art or healing art, Bai Yi, who had been meticulously studying culinary skills in this instance for a long time, stated: <i>Only kids make choices, adults of course want it all!</i><hr>


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 Chapter 57

    Chapter 57


    <i>[You signed up for the World Food Awards.]</i>


    <i>[Your culinary skills far surpassed others, allowing you to breeze through, facing littlepetition.]</i>


    <i>[Through diligent research,bining your extraordinary talent with this world¡¯s special system, you developed two different types of cuisine that aligned with Dark Arts and Healing Arts.]</i>


    <i>[Dark Arts: It retained the powerful ¡°toxicity¡± of your dark cuisine, mainly focusing on transforming the deliciousness of food. Anyone who tasted it would be irresistibly addicted to the vor. The ¡°toxicity¡± gradually prated deep into their psyche, making them crave more and more, while increasing mental pollution.]</i>


    <i>[Healing Arts: It retained the terrible taste of your dark cuisine, mainly focusing on transforming the ¡°toxicity¡± of the dishes. Not only were they harmless, but they also had a healing effect on the mind. Anyone who tasted it would cry from the awful vor, but its powerful healing effect in dispelling mental pollution was also astonishing. The more one ate, the stronger the healing effect, but also the more severe the damage to taste buds and tongue.]</i>


    <i>[The dark cuisine that was addictively delicious yet toxic, and the healing cuisine that tasted awful yet beneficial. These two types of cuisine you developed and created caused a sensation at the Food Awards, categorized as unique products of ¡°Depressing Art¡±.]</i>


    <i>[You thus became the top winner of the Food Awards, earning the highest title of ¡°Food God¡± in thispetition.]</i>


    ¡°One more bite, let me have one more bite! Just one!¡±


    ¡°No more, I really can¡¯t eat anymore, I can¡¯t take another bite, don¡¯te near me! Stay away!¡±The World Food Awards came to a perfect close, with some people being dragged away whileughing and crying hysterically, and another group who, although their mental pollution was cleared, looked as if they had suffered severe mental torture in the background.


    Clearly, these were all victims of ¡°Bai¡¯s Cuisine¡±.


    As the culprit, Bai Yi, carrying the honors he had won all the way through, showed a refreshed smile.


    ¡°La, with my current level, I feel I could totally open my own restaurant and be a head chef in the future.¡±


    He happily imagined for a while.


    <i>[Main questpleted 3/3, you have obtained the title of God in the three fields of painting/music/cuisine.]</i>


    <i>[Achievement system has been refreshed¡­]</i>


    <i>[You have obtained the achievement ¡°It¡¯s Death God, not Food God¡±.]</i>


    <i>[Description: To enjoy deliciousness, one must pay the price of mental pollution or even death. To heal pollution, one must pay the price of taste bud torture. You have demonstrated through action that Food God and Death God differ by only one character. Some Food Gods are actually misced Death Gods, always finding ways to bring death-like experiences to diners.]</i>


    <i>[Having obtained the title of God in three art fields, meeting the basic conditions of the main quest, do you choose toplete the settlement?]</i>


    Bai Yi chose to refuse. ¡°Not settling yet. This instance still has considerable room for improvement~¡±


    Whether it was the other art fields that hadn¡¯t been fully explored, or the world view that hadn¡¯t been deciphered, or his ¡°Depressing Art¡± that could be further developed, clearly all of these still had room for in-depth development and exploration.


    However, having spent nearly a week on this instance, Bai Yi didn¡¯t n to continue grinding.


    He chose to temporarily save and enter AFK mode.


    ¡ª So far, Bai Yi had given this character sufficiently ample characteristics. The remaining art fields that hadn¡¯t been fully explored and the Depressing Art awaiting further development would be left for this character toplete on its own.


    He just needed to reap the fattened results in the end!


    <i>[AFK mode activated.]</i>


    <i>[Under AFK mode, time elerates within the Nightmare Fragment instance. The game character will continue to grow ording to the characteristics given by the yer, with the system extrapting its fate line for a period of time until it reasonably reaches its peak.]</i>


    <i>[The main characteristics the yer has given to the game character [Joey] are: [Socially Adept] [Fast Friends] [Human Genius] [Master of Depressing Art] [Art Above All] [Cold] [Obsessive] [Tenacious].]</i>


    <i>[Based on the world view within the Nightmare Fragment instance, the system will extrapte the character¡¯s future fate line ordingly.]</i>


    ¡­..


    As everything in the instance temporarily came to an end, Bai Yi emerged from the deep sea filled with star fragments and woke up.


    At this moment, a series of blurry ck words appeared floating in mid-air.


    <i>[Your life skill ¡°Dark Cuisine lv3¡± has transformed due to a special trigger, upgrading to an extraordinary skill.]</i>


    <i>[Click to view attribute panel.]</i>


    ¡°Oh my! This is unexpected.¡±


    Bai Yi raised his eyebrows in surprise, his tone unconsciously lengthening.


    After choosing to view the attribute panel, he quickly nced over the familiar content, focusing his gaze on the new entry that appeared in the center of the supernatural skills.


    Dark Cuisine lv1<ol><li>Using ordinary ingredients, different mental energies can be infused into the cuisine, infecting the eater¡¯s mind. The degree of infection depends on the eater¡¯s mental willpower.</li><li>Using special ingredients will trigger different effects, causing positive or negative impacts on the eater.</li><li>Special depressing cuisine: A unique cuisine thatbines healing cuisine and dark cuisine, possessing characteristics of both. During consumption, the eater will continuously make willpower checks. Passing results in +1 to mental attributes, failing results in -1. If reduced to a certain level, they will enter a state of insanity, losing rationality.</li></ol>


    <i>[Note: To elevate an ordinary life skill to this level, your talent in dark cuisine is truly astonishing. Every diner willing to taste your dark cuisine is a rare animal worth protecting. Please cherish them.]</i>


    ¡°Oh ho!¡± Bai Yi¡¯s first reaction was, ¡°Does this mean I can now infuse all kinds of chaotic mental waves I receive daily into my dishes?¡±


    He then thought about his previous n to open a restaurant, and made some upgrades to the original n¡ª


    ¡°If I could put all sorts of messy mental waves into different dishes, and then sell them to different customers like mystery boxes, wouldn¡¯t it be interesting to watch their reactions when they taste these dishes?¡±


    ¡°¡­Especially for those who constantly produce foul garbage, it would be even more interesting to stuff the garbage they produce back into their own stomachs, wouldn¡¯t it~¡±


    Thinking about the character he had carefully cultivated in the instance, Bai Yi suddenly became very interested in the new card he was about to receive.


    But for now, he would let it continue to fatten up in AFK mode. There was also a card he had obtained long ago that he hadn¡¯t used yet.


    Bai Yi stretched out his palm, and apanied by a faint glow, an ethereal card slowly materialized in his palm.


    Long hair disheveled, hemp clothes snow-white, a long sword reflecting cold light like an autumn stream, amidst flying snow, the swordsman arrives on the wind. His snow-white clothes flutter, and the entire card turns with it.


    Lines of ck text appear on the back of the card¡ª


    <i>[The Lawless One]</i>


    <i>[Ancestor of Martial Arts, Enemy of Immortal Dao]</i>


    <i>[False Son of Destiny, True Source of All Evil]</i>


    <i>[No Dao, No Heaven, No Sentient Beings, The Great Dao Is Within Me]</i><hr>


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 Chapter 58

    Chapter 58


    The empty inn was quiet and deste. On the ceiling, the vintage chandelier, specially recreated to match the original style, emitted a soft glow, slightly dissipating the gloomy atmosphere.


    The floor was spotless, with no blood stains or corpses¡ªa month ago, at Li Fufeng¡¯s suggestion, they had moved the two bodies to the master bedroom upstairs.


    It was also since then that the ghost had stopped suddenly making a bigmotion to scare them when they weren¡¯t paying attention.


    ¡°Little Adams, we¡¯vee to stay again!¡±


    Along with Liu Ningshuang¡¯s familiar greeting, Li Fufeng walked to the reception desk in the ground floor lobby and ced an exquisitely packaged box of cookies on it. Besides this, he also had thetest issue of aic weekly in his hand.


    ¡°¡ªThis is everyone¡¯s lodging fee, please check and receive it.¡±


    He said this in a serious tone, as if he was really paying some formal lodging fee. Then, he put down the things in his hand and said with a smile.


    ¡°These are the most delicious cookies from the most popr dessert shop here. They¡¯re absolutely top-notch. I tried them and wanted to bring some to share with you. And here¡¯s thetest issue of theic weekly, with a new series starting!¡±


    After doing all this, Li Fufeng left the reception desk, adopting a posture of no longer disturbing the other party¡¯s enjoyment of food andics.He looked at Liu Ningshuang, who was putting on a brave face¡ªjust now when Li Fufeng was talking to himself, the little bit of courage Liu Ningshuang had mustered up had dissipated again. If it weren¡¯t for maintaining her ¡°cool can¡¯t be lost¡± attitude and some curiosity that just wouldn¡¯t go away, she wouldn¡¯te here again even if you killed her.


    ¡°Since we¡¯re idle anyway, want to y Aerone Chess?¡± Li Fufeng hadpletely seen through her current outwardly strong but inwardly weak nature. After all, growing up together, who was it that once ran out of the house crying and screaming while watching a ghost movie and almost climbed up a tree in one go? He didn¡¯t expose her though, just held up the small box he brought, ¡°Although you seem to have lost many times already.¡±


    (TL: Aerone Chess (·ÉÐÐÆå, f¨¥ix¨ªng q¨ª) is a board game that originated in China and is also popr in other East Asian countries. It is a race game where yers move their pieces (typically represented as airnes) around a board ording to dice rolls. The objective is to move all of one¡¯s pieces around the board and reach the finish line first.)


    The bitterness of being unlucky was poked, is being lucky something to be proud of? Liu Ningshuang instantly forgot everything else, no ghost or evil spirit couldpare to the annoying lucky bastard. ¡°Bring it on, it¡¯s just good luck, right? Luck won¡¯t always favor one person.¡±


    The two took out the Aerone Chess and sat down on the sofa. Yin Xubai had no interest in such childish games and walked straight to the rooms in the depths of the inn. He was going to adjust various instruments and equipment that had been gradually moved here over the past month.


    It was said that he had some inspirations and was researching some situations rted to alternate spaces, seemingly involving something like maic field fluctuations¡­ Anyway, Chu Xingrui only listened for a few sentences before feeling a headache, and of course had no intention of going over to Yin Xubai¡¯s side to suffer.


    He walked towards Liu Ningshuang and Li Fufeng who were about to start ying chess, eagerly raising his hand. ¡°Count me in, count me in! My luck has always been pretty good too.¡±


    This drew double the dissatisfaction from Liu Ningshuang. ¡°Good luck doesn¡¯t mean you can do whatever you want, watch me defeat you with skill!¡±


    The three immediately began a ¡°great battle¡±.


    More than half an hourter, Liu Ningshuangy on the sofa with lifeless eyes. She had lost so badly that she had be a dazed salted fish, only wanting to pound the ground. ¡°Damn it, damn it, damn it¡­ Cursed lucky bastards! Does being lucky mean you can do whatever you want?¡±


    ¡°Facts prove that being lucky does mean you can do whatever you want,¡± Chu Xingruiughed heartily, his tone very smug.


    Li Fufeng, lying on the other end of the sofa, only raised his arm at these words, holding up one finger, and said concisely. ¡°+1.¡±


    Liu Ningshuang: <i>¡­ Double critical hit!</i>


    She fell back holding her head, as if she had lost her soul.


    ¡°How about it? Want to y together?¡± At this moment, Liu Ningshuang heard Li Fufeng¡¯s voice, ¡°It¡¯s fun, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°¡ªWith four people ying, it would be just right.¡±


    ¡°Four people? My big cousin wouldn¡¯t be interested in such a childish game¡­¡± Liu Ningshuang grumbled inwardly, about to speak out, when she suddenly realized something and her body froze.


    She maintained her position of lying nted on the sofa, her head turning to the left side like a machine, bit by bit.


    She saw that Li Fufeng had somehow sat back down properly in front of the coffee table diagonally behind her, with the Aerone Chess board in front of him. He was seriously looking at the empty space opposite him, extending an invitation.


    After a moment of silence, it seemed as if a gentle breeze quietly passed by, and the dice on the table rolled, finally stopping on the ¡°six¡± side.


    Then, a chess piece wobbled and floated up.


    It seemed as if someone sat down on the sofa beside Liu Ningshuang, and a cold little hand brushed against her arm.


    ¡°Ah¡ª!¡±


    Liu Ningshuang let out a scream that could be described as tragic, leaping up from the sofa like a rabbit, and ¡°whoosh¡± she rushed out, so fast that she left only a blur.


    Li Fufeng: !


    Chu Xingrui: !!!


    To be honest, they weren¡¯t scared by the chess piece floating in mid-air, but were startled by Liu Ningshuang instead.


    Chu Xingrui was a bit scared at first, but Liu Ningshuang¡¯s reaction confused him. He looked at Liu Ningshuang who had run out wildly, then turned to Li Fufeng. ¡°Has she always been so afraid of¡­cough.¡± Considering a certain presence, he didn¡¯t say the word ¡°ghost¡±. ¡°Has she always been like this?¡±


    ¡°Mm, actually she¡¯s usually quite brave.¡± Li Fufeng¡¯s mouth twitched, trying to save face for his friend, ¡°Probably¡­ it¡¯s an overreaction because she¡¯s not familiar with the little one?¡±


    As if to verify Li Fufeng¡¯s words, in less than two minutes, the inn door was opened again, and Liu Ningshuang, who had just run out wildly, walked in leisurely, her demeanor elegant andposed, looking even unusuallydylike. It was as if nothing had happened earlier, and everything had just been everyone¡¯s illusion.


    She coughed lightly twice, moved a stool to sit across from the sofa on the other side of the coffee table, trying her best to control her eyes from drifting in a certain direction, her expression as solemn as if she was going to the battlefield.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say we were going to y Aerone Chess? Let¡¯s y!¡±


    Perhaps her reaction amused a certain little one, making the little fellow find it interesting too. The dice rolled in mid-air again, signaling the start of the game.


    The other two people also politely ignored what had just happened, pretending nothing had urred, although they couldn¡¯t suppress the smiles at the corners of their mouths and eyes.


    The four ¡°people¡± thus happily started ying chess.


    <i>¡­No, only they were happy, while I had nothing</i>. Liu Ningshuang was practically crying a river in her heart.


    To be precise, only Li Fufeng and the invisible little one were truly immersed in the joy of the game; Chu Xingrui was a bit scared, a bit novel, and a bit uncontrobly curious; as for Liu Ningshuang¡­


    A mncholic BGM yed in her heart.


    But regardless, everyone had some uncontroble excitement in their hearts¡ªthey were very clear about what everything happening now meant! It meant that the ghost was finally willing tomunicate.


    The four yed several rounds of flying chess before stopping.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go check on how my big cousin is progressing,¡± Liu Ningshuang felt the time was right, the earlier embarrassing incident had been turned over, so she found a random excuse to slip out of the living room.


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Chu Xingrui was also starting to feel bored, so he found a ce to curl up and started ying a mobile game.


    The only one who could still happily continue ying flying chess with the little one was Li Fufeng.


    While ying chess, he also talked to the little one, though it was basically just him talking to himself. It was mostly things like ¡°How have you been feelingtely?¡±, ¡°Did you like the chocte I broughtst time?¡±, ¡°Don¡¯t you get bored staying here alone every day without anyone else?¡± He sounded just like a caring elder rtive who rarely gets to see a child living away from home.


    The speed at which the chess pieces fell in mid-air became slower and slower, as if the other person was distracted by listening attentively to what he was saying.


    ¡°By the way, have you really not reconsidered? Mom and Dad could stay with you forever in a different form. You actually know that staying like this isn¡¯t very good, right?¡±


    At this moment, Li Fufeng suddenly spoke up, touching on the sensitive topic of ¡°cremating the bodies¡± from before.


    But this time, he wasn¡¯t met with a violent gust of wind.


    The floating chess piece slowly stopped in mid-air.


    Seeing this, Li Fufeng¡¯s eyes lit up, and he pressed on. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe us, you can follow us the whole time when we send Mom and Dad off.¡±


    The chess piece fell heavily in mid-air.


    Li Fufeng started guessing. ¡°Is that a yes? Or a no? Can¡¯t do it? You can¡¯t leave this ce?¡±


    The chess pieces on the table flew up and fell down repeatedly, and Li Fufeng finally made a judgment, tentatively saying. ¡°You agreed, but you can¡¯t go yourself?¡±


    He suddenly reached out his hand and grasped the chess piece suspended in mid-air, only feeling as if a cold sensation shed by.


    Li Fufeng smiled slightly.


    ¡°Then, leave everything to me. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll personally take them away, and I¡¯ll personally bring them back.¡±


    ¡°Hey hey hey, it¡¯s settled just like that?¡±


    When the others returned, they all showed expressions of surprise upon hearing about the agreement between the two from Li Fufeng.


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing, my little Li!¡± Liu Ningshuang eximed in admiration. To her, ghosts were at the very top of the food chain, and Li Fufeng could even handle beings at the top of the food chain. This was simply a good job, super impressive!


    In any case, everyone was quite happy.


    This time, when they went to move those two corpses, they indeed didn¡¯t encounter any obstruction or sabotage, and smoothly brought them out of the hotel.


    At this point, everyone realized that ording to Li Fufeng¡¯s ry, the ghost temporarily couldn¡¯t leave the hotel. So if they took the bodies out but didn¡¯t fulfill their promise, or if they took samples from the bodies for research, the ghost wouldn¡¯t know.


    ¡°Tsk, indeed still a child, too easy to fool!¡± Chu Xingrui eximed thus, ¡°Li Fufeng, if you were to go kidnap children, you¡¯d seed every single time.¡±


    Despite saying this, no one intended to vite the agreement. Even though someone mentioned they could collect some blood from the bodies or something simr, even Yin Xubai, who had been eyeing those two corpses covetously wanting to collect some samples, didn¡¯t agree.


    ¡ªAlthough he didn¡¯t think taking a few samples was excessive, once an agreement was reached, it should be kept. In this regard, Yin Xubai was also a very principled person.


    Moreover¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m not capable of deceiving children.¡±


    With even Yin Xubai saying this, the others were even less likely to object. Under the special channel opened by the Special Case Investigation Team, the two corpses were sent to the crematorium that very day.


    That night, the inn door was opened again.


    Li Fufeng brought the urn containing the ashes overnight.


    There was actually no need to be so urgent; everyone¡¯s idea was to bring it along when they came the next day, but Li Fufeng seemed to always have a kind of ability to empathize with people¡¯s hearts and a strange sense of responsibility.


    He always felt that it wasn¡¯t good to let the little one stay alone in the inn separated from mom and dad even for just one night, and perhaps the little one had been waiting for him to bring back the ashes. As the person who proposed this agreement, he had a responsibility to fulfill it.


    Therefore, Li Fufeng came directly without waiting for the next day.


    After greeting as usual, Li Fufeng looked around, ced the urn he was holding in the cab behind the reception desk, carefully examined it, felt this ce was appropriate, and then stepped back.


    He had just turned around when he heard a ¡°pop¡± sound, and the old TV on the wall suddenly lit up.


    It started up directly without anyone controlling it.


    Li Fufeng opened his mouth in surprise.


    The screen flickered with static, then turned into a nk background, like a snow-white drawing paper.


    Lines gradually began to be drawn on the ¡°drawing paper¡±, then another, and another¡­ Line after line sketched out a hall with furniture on the screen. And diagonal short ck lines symbolizing raindrops.


    Looking carefully, one would find that the gradually forming indoor structure was almost identical to theyout of this inn.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    Two little figures were sketched out in the picture, then the static image became dynamic, and the little figures started moving on the screen. A figure painted entirely ck walked to the center of the screen, with horn-like protrusions on its head like a demon king.


    The two little figures fell down, and red lines began to spread. Another little figure came down the stairs, the ck figure leisurely chasing it like a cat chasing a mouse. The little figure scurried all over the screen, then fell.


    The entire screen turned intorge patches of red.


    The smile on Li Fufeng¡¯s lips gradually faded.


    He had already figured out what this simple animation represented.


    ¡°¡­Is this what happened that night?¡± he spoke softly, ¡°Is this what you saw?¡±


    As his words fell, the screen changed again, showing the familiar news channel, with the anchor¡¯s familiar and rigid script: <i>[¡­Once again reminding all citizens to be cautious, the serial killer ¡®K¡¯, who has taken thirteen lives, is highly likely to have entered our city¡­]</i>


    Soon, the image on the TV screen switched again.


    This time, it showed a little boy who looked only four or five years old, standing in the hall ying with a toy car, waving his arms and legs, looking very happy. Two shadowy figures, a man and a woman whose faces couldn¡¯t be clearly seen, stood beside him, smiling as they watched him.


    The scene changed once more, showing the little boy slightly older, sitting on the ground covering his bleeding knee and crying, while the woman with an unclear face gentlyforted him.


    Maintaining a frequency of changing about every three seconds, the images on the TV screen shed rapidly. The main character was almost always that little boy, sometimes with the couple appearing, sometimes with some children of the same age, but except for himself, the faces of others were always blurry.


    Li Fufeng vaguely understood and murmured, ¡°Are these your memories? Are these the things that left deep impressions on you? Can I consider that you already see me as a friend, little Adams?¡±


    At this point, he smiled.


    ¡°¡­This way ofmunication is quite special.¡±<hr>


    We are currently recruiting. CN/KR/JP Trantors/MTLers are wee!


    Discord Server: https://discord.gg/HGaByvmVuw

 Chapter 59

    Chapter 59


    The empty inn was quiet and deste. On the ceiling, the vintage chandelier, specially recreated to match the original style, emitted a soft glow, slightly dissipating the gloomy atmosphere.


    The floor was spotless, with no blood stains or corpses¡ªa month ago, at Li Fufeng¡¯s suggestion, they had moved the two bodies to the master bedroom upstairs.


    It was also since then that the ghost had stopped suddenly making a bigmotion to scare them when they weren¡¯t paying attention.


    ¡°Little Adams, we¡¯vee to stay again!¡±


    Along with Liu Ningshuang¡¯s familiar greeting, Li Fufeng walked to the reception desk in the ground floor lobby and ced an exquisitely packaged box of cookies on it. Besides this, he also had thetest issue of aic weekly in his hand.


    ¡°¡ªThis is everyone¡¯s lodging fee, please check and receive it.¡±


    He said this in a serious tone, as if he was really paying some formal lodging fee. Then, he put down the things in his hand and said with a smile.


    ¡°These are the most delicious cookies from the most popr dessert shop here. They¡¯re absolutely top-notch. I tried them and wanted to bring some to share with you. And here¡¯s thetest issue of theic weekly, with a new series starting!¡±


    After doing all this, Li Fufeng left the reception desk, adopting a posture of no longer disturbing the other party¡¯s enjoyment of food andics.He looked at Liu Ningshuang, who was putting on a brave face¡ªjust now when Li Fufeng was talking to himself, the little bit of courage Liu Ningshuang had mustered up had dissipated again. If it weren¡¯t for maintaining her ¡°cool can¡¯t be lost¡± attitude and some curiosity that just wouldn¡¯t go away, she wouldn¡¯te here again even if you killed her.


    ¡°Since we¡¯re idle anyway, want to y Aerone Chess?¡± Li Fufeng hadpletely seen through her current outwardly strong but inwardly weak nature. After all, growing up together, who was it that once ran out of the house crying and screaming while watching a ghost movie and almost climbed up a tree in one go? He didn¡¯t expose her though, just held up the small box he brought, ¡°Although you seem to have lost many times already.¡±


    (TL: Aerone Chess (·ÉÐÐÆå, f¨¥ix¨ªng q¨ª) is a board game that originated in China and is also popr in other East Asian countries. It is a race game where yers move their pieces (typically represented as airnes) around a board ording to dice rolls. The objective is to move all of one¡¯s pieces around the board and reach the finish line first.)


    The bitterness of being unlucky was poked, is being lucky something to be proud of? Liu Ningshuang instantly forgot everything else, no ghost or evil spirit couldpare to the annoying lucky bastard. ¡°Bring it on, it¡¯s just good luck, right? Luck won¡¯t always favor one person.¡±


    The two took out the Aerone Chess and sat down on the sofa. Yin Xubai had no interest in such childish games and walked straight to the rooms in the depths of the inn. He was going to adjust various instruments and equipment that had been gradually moved here over the past month.


    It was said that he had some inspirations and was researching some situations rted to alternate spaces, seemingly involving something like maic field fluctuations¡­ Anyway, Chu Xingrui only listened for a few sentences before feeling a headache, and of course had no intention of going over to Yin Xubai¡¯s side to suffer.


    He walked towards Liu Ningshuang and Li Fufeng who were about to start ying chess, eagerly raising his hand. ¡°Count me in, count me in! My luck has always been pretty good too.¡±


    This drew double the dissatisfaction from Liu Ningshuang. ¡°Good luck doesn¡¯t mean you can do whatever you want, watch me defeat you with skill!¡±


    The three immediately began a ¡°great battle¡±.


    More than half an hourter, Liu Ningshuangy on the sofa with lifeless eyes. She had lost so badly that she had be a dazed salted fish, only wanting to pound the ground. ¡°Damn it, damn it, damn it¡­ Cursed lucky bastards! Does being lucky mean you can do whatever you want?¡±


    ¡°Facts prove that being lucky does mean you can do whatever you want,¡± Chu Xingruiughed heartily, his tone very smug.


    Li Fufeng, lying on the other end of the sofa, only raised his arm at these words, holding up one finger, and said concisely. ¡°+1.¡±


    Liu Ningshuang: <i>¡­ Double critical hit!</i>


    She fell back holding her head, as if she had lost her soul.


    ¡°How about it? Want to y together?¡± At this moment, Liu Ningshuang heard Li Fufeng¡¯s voice, ¡°It¡¯s fun, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°¡ªWith four people ying, it would be just right.¡±


    ¡°Four people? My big cousin wouldn¡¯t be interested in such a childish game¡­¡± Liu Ningshuang grumbled inwardly, about to speak out, when she suddenly realized something and her body froze.


    She maintained her position of lying nted on the sofa, her head turning to the left side like a machine, bit by bit.


    She saw that Li Fufeng had somehow sat back down properly in front of the coffee table diagonally behind her, with the Aerone Chess board in front of him. He was seriously looking at the empty space opposite him, extending an invitation.


    After a moment of silence, it seemed as if a gentle breeze quietly passed by, and the dice on the table rolled, finally stopping on the ¡°six¡± side.


    Then, a chess piece wobbled and floated up.


    It seemed as if someone sat down on the sofa beside Liu Ningshuang, and a cold little hand brushed against her arm.


    ¡°Ah¡ª!¡±


    Liu Ningshuang let out a scream that could be described as tragic, leaping up from the sofa like a rabbit, and ¡°whoosh¡± she rushed out, so fast that she left only a blur.


    Li Fufeng: !


    Chu Xingrui: !!!


    To be honest, they weren¡¯t scared by the chess piece floating in mid-air, but were startled by Liu Ningshuang instead.


    Chu Xingrui was a bit scared at first, but Liu Ningshuang¡¯s reaction confused him. He looked at Liu Ningshuang who had run out wildly, then turned to Li Fufeng. ¡°Has she always been so afraid of¡­cough.¡± Considering a certain presence, he didn¡¯t say the word ¡°ghost¡±. ¡°Has she always been like this?¡±


    ¡°Mm, actually she¡¯s usually quite brave.¡± Li Fufeng¡¯s mouth twitched, trying to save face for his friend, ¡°Probably¡­ it¡¯s an overreaction because she¡¯s not familiar with the little one?¡±


    As if to verify Li Fufeng¡¯s words, in less than two minutes, the inn door was opened again, and Liu Ningshuang, who had just run out wildly, walked in leisurely, her demeanor elegant andposed, looking even unusuallydylike. It was as if nothing had happened earlier, and everything had just been everyone¡¯s illusion.


    She coughed lightly twice, moved a stool to sit across from the sofa on the other side of the coffee table, trying her best to control her eyes from drifting in a certain direction, her expression as solemn as if she was going to the battlefield.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say we were going to y Aerone Chess? Let¡¯s y!¡±


    Perhaps her reaction amused a certain little one, making the little fellow find it interesting too. The dice rolled in mid-air again, signaling the start of the game.


    The other two people also politely ignored what had just happened, pretending nothing had urred, although they couldn¡¯t suppress the smiles at the corners of their mouths and eyes.


    The four ¡°people¡± thus happily started ying chess.


    <i>¡­No, only they were happy, while I had nothing</i>. Liu Ningshuang was practically crying a river in her heart.


    To be precise, only Li Fufeng and the invisible little one were truly immersed in the joy of the game; Chu Xingrui was a bit scared, a bit novel, and a bit uncontrobly curious; as for Liu Ningshuang¡­


    A mncholic BGM yed in her heart.


    But regardless, everyone had some uncontroble excitement in their hearts¡ªthey were very clear about what everything happening now meant! It meant that the ghost was finally willing tomunicate.


    The four yed several rounds of flying chess before stopping.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go check on how my big cousin is progressing,¡± Liu Ningshuang felt the time was right, the earlier embarrassing incident had been turned over, so she found a random excuse to slip out of the living room.


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Chu Xingrui was also starting to feel bored, so he found a ce to curl up and started ying a mobile game.


    The only one who could still happily continue ying flying chess with the little one was Li Fufeng.


    While ying chess, he also talked to the little one, though it was basically just him talking to himself. It was mostly things like ¡°How have you been feelingtely?¡±, ¡°Did you like the chocte I broughtst time?¡±, ¡°Don¡¯t you get bored staying here alone every day without anyone else?¡± He sounded just like a caring elder rtive who rarely gets to see a child living away from home.


    The speed at which the chess pieces fell in mid-air became slower and slower, as if the other person was distracted by listening attentively to what he was saying.


    ¡°By the way, have you really not reconsidered? Mom and Dad could stay with you forever in a different form. You actually know that staying like this isn¡¯t very good, right?¡±


    At this moment, Li Fufeng suddenly spoke up, touching on the sensitive topic of ¡°cremating the bodies¡± from before.


    But this time, he wasn¡¯t met with a violent gust of wind.


    The floating chess piece slowly stopped in mid-air.


    Seeing this, Li Fufeng¡¯s eyes lit up, and he pressed on. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe us, you can follow us the whole time when we send Mom and Dad off.¡±


    The chess piece fell heavily in mid-air.


    Li Fufeng started guessing. ¡°Is that a yes? Or a no? Can¡¯t do it? You can¡¯t leave this ce?¡±


    The chess pieces on the table flew up and fell down repeatedly, and Li Fufeng finally made a judgment, tentatively saying. ¡°You agreed, but you can¡¯t go yourself?¡±


    He suddenly reached out his hand and grasped the chess piece suspended in mid-air, only feeling as if a cold sensation shed by.


    Li Fufeng smiled slightly.


    ¡°Then, leave everything to me. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll personally take them away, and I¡¯ll personally bring them back.¡±


    ¡°Hey hey hey, it¡¯s settled just like that?¡±


    When the others returned, they all showed expressions of surprise upon hearing about the agreement between the two from Li Fufeng.


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing, my little Li!¡± Liu Ningshuang eximed in admiration. To her, ghosts were at the very top of the food chain, and Li Fufeng could even handle beings at the top of the food chain. This was simply a good job, super impressive!


    In any case, everyone was quite happy.


    This time, when they went to move those two corpses, they indeed didn¡¯t encounter any obstruction or sabotage, and smoothly brought them out of the hotel.


    At this point, everyone realized that ording to Li Fufeng¡¯s ry, the ghost temporarily couldn¡¯t leave the hotel. So if they took the bodies out but didn¡¯t fulfill their promise, or if they took samples from the bodies for research, the ghost wouldn¡¯t know.


    ¡°Tsk, indeed still a child, too easy to fool!¡± Chu Xingrui eximed thus, ¡°Li Fufeng, if you were to go kidnap children, you¡¯d seed every single time.¡±


    Despite saying this, no one intended to vite the agreement. Even though someone mentioned they could collect some blood from the bodies or something simr, even Yin Xubai, who had been eyeing those two corpses covetously wanting to collect some samples, didn¡¯t agree.


    ¡ªAlthough he didn¡¯t think taking a few samples was excessive, once an agreement was reached, it should be kept. In this regard, Yin Xubai was also a very principled person.


    Moreover¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m not capable of deceiving children.¡±


    With even Yin Xubai saying this, the others were even less likely to object. Under the special channel opened by the Special Case Investigation Team, the two corpses were sent to the crematorium that very day.


    That night, the inn door was opened again.


    Li Fufeng brought the urn containing the ashes overnight.


    There was actually no need to be so urgent; everyone¡¯s idea was to bring it along when they came the next day, but Li Fufeng seemed to always have a kind of ability to empathize with people¡¯s hearts and a strange sense of responsibility.


    He always felt that it wasn¡¯t good to let the little one stay alone in the inn separated from mom and dad even for just one night, and perhaps the little one had been waiting for him to bring back the ashes. As the person who proposed this agreement, he had a responsibility to fulfill it.


    Therefore, Li Fufeng came directly without waiting for the next day.


    After greeting as usual, Li Fufeng looked around, ced the urn he was holding in the cab behind the reception desk, carefully examined it, felt this ce was appropriate, and then stepped back.


    He had just turned around when he heard a ¡°pop¡± sound, and the old TV on the wall suddenly lit up.


    It started up directly without anyone controlling it.


    Li Fufeng opened his mouth in surprise.


    The screen flickered with static, then turned into a nk background, like a snow-white drawing paper.


    Lines gradually began to be drawn on the ¡°drawing paper¡±, then another, and another¡­ Line after line sketched out a hall with furniture on the screen. And diagonal short ck lines symbolizing raindrops.


    Looking carefully, one would find that the gradually forming indoor structure was almost identical to theyout of this inn.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    Two little figures were sketched out in the picture, then the static image became dynamic, and the little figures started moving on the screen. A figure painted entirely ck walked to the center of the screen, with horn-like protrusions on its head like a demon king.


    The two little figures fell down, and red lines began to spread. Another little figure came down the stairs, the ck figure leisurely chasing it like a cat chasing a mouse. The little figure scurried all over the screen, then fell.


    The entire screen turned intorge patches of red.


    The smile on Li Fufeng¡¯s lips gradually faded.


    He had already figured out what this simple animation represented.


    ¡°¡­Is this what happened that night?¡± he spoke softly, ¡°Is this what you saw?¡±


    As his words fell, the screen changed again, showing the familiar news channel, with the anchor¡¯s familiar and rigid script: <i>[¡­Once again reminding all citizens to be cautious, the serial killer ¡®K¡¯, who has taken thirteen lives, is highly likely to have entered our city¡­]</i>


    Soon, the image on the TV screen switched again.


    This time, it showed a little boy who looked only four or five years old, standing in the hall ying with a toy car, waving his arms and legs, looking very happy. Two shadowy figures, a man and a woman whose faces couldn¡¯t be clearly seen, stood beside him, smiling as they watched him.


    The scene changed once more, showing the little boy slightly older, sitting on the ground covering his bleeding knee and crying, while the woman with an unclear face gentlyforted him.


    Maintaining a frequency of changing about every three seconds, the images on the TV screen shed rapidly. The main character was almost always that little boy, sometimes with the couple appearing, sometimes with some children of the same age, but except for himself, the faces of others were always blurry.


    Li Fufeng vaguely understood and murmured, ¡°Are these your memories? Are these the things that left deep impressions on you? Can I consider that you already see me as a friend, little Adams?¡±


    At this point, he smiled.


    ¡°¡­This way ofmunication is quite special.¡±<hr>


    We are currently recruiting. CN/KR/JP Trantors/MTLers are wee!


    Discord Server: https://discord.gg/HGaByvmVuw

 Chapter 60

    Chapter 60


    The next day, when everyone in the Special Case Investigation Team learned about what had happened the night before from Li Fufeng, they were all stunned.


    ¡°Is this for real? You¡¯re not joking, are you?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you didn¡¯t confuse a dream with realityst night?¡±


    Although they knew he probably wasn¡¯t lying, everyone still found it hard to believe and eximed with exaggerated tones.


    ¡°How could I possibly joke about something like this?¡± Li Fufengughed, ¡°Besides, I¡¯vemunicated with Adams. He¡¯s not against interacting with everyone, but he doesn¡¯t like being disturbed by too many people. If you have anything to say, we can go togetherter, and then you¡¯ll know whether what I¡¯m saying is true or false.¡±


    ¡°Of course we want to go!¡± Everyone was excited. It was a legendary ghost after all. While they were scared, the excitement of being able tomunicate with it overshadowed their fear.


    ¡°However, he¡¯s still just a child, so I hope you all don¡¯t expect too much,¡± Li Fufeng specifically reminded them.


    The others nodded nonchntly, not really taking his words to heart.


    But when they actually arrived at the ce the Supernatural Affairs Investigation Bureau called the ¡°Ghost Inn¡± and saw the ¡°animation¡± on the TV screen with their own eyes, everyone finally understood why Li Fufeng had given that reminder.Looking at the flickering long segments of animation on the TV screen, everyone present was dumbfounded.


    If they had tomunicate entirely through this kind of ¡°animation¡±, apart from Li Fufeng, who had already maxed out his skill in interpreting images, everyone else would bepletely lost.


    Fortunately, in addition to these doodle-like animations, there were many real-life snippets shing, including life segments from the perspective of the little boy Adams, some TV news clips with jumbled timelines, as well as anime clips and game segments that no one had seen before¡­ All kinds of images kept switching on the TV screen, containing an enormous amount of information.


    Yin Xubai had already started analyzing on his own¡ª


    ¡°These should alle from his own memories, his past life, TV programs he watched, news he identally saw, and anime and games he usually paid attention to¡­ Although it¡¯s very fragmented and chaotic, children themselves don¡¯t focus much on certain things, and those news clips might have been watched asionally with his parents. We also need to consider that after death, bing a ghost might have caused some damage to his memories, so this iplete state is quite normal¡­¡±


    As he spoke, he looked at Li Fufeng. ¡°¡­I guess he¡¯s disying all this content in front of you to ask what you want to know. Children themselves can¡¯t judge what information is valuable, so he¡¯s simply letting you choose.¡±


    Li Fufeng was stunned, his face showing surprise.


    Yin Xubai calmly continued, ¡°This is normal. Previously, everyone brought him gifts, and you often came to y with him. This time, you even helped collect his parents¡¯ ashes. I think he might be expressing gratitude, and it¡¯s also possible that he has indeed established a bit of friendship with you¡ªdon¡¯t be surprised, for you, this is a deserved reward. This time, we all benefited from your kindness, we should thank you.¡±


    While expressing gratitude, his tone remained t from beginning to end, feeling as if he was reading from a script.


    But this performance was enough to surprise Li Fufeng.


    Not just Li Fufeng, everyone else was surprised too.


    The surprising point wasn¡¯t that the ghost knew to repay kindness and understood human interactions, but Yin Xubai¡¯s reaction.


    ¡°Then you previously¡­¡±


    Liu Ningshuang mumbled, about to say ¡°Then you previously wanted to move their parents¡¯ bodies,¡± but swallowed thetter half of the sentence.


    She suddenly realized that with Yin Xubai¡¯s intelligence, it was normal for him to see through all this, he just didn¡¯t want to act on it. Because he was Yin Xubai, not Li Fufeng. It wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t empathize with others, he just didn¡¯t want to. After all, all of this person¡¯s passion was devoted to scientific research.


    Yin Xubai didn¡¯t care about others¡¯ reactions. While talking, he fell into his own thinking mode and muttered softly, ¡°It seems that ghosts indeed still have emotions from when they were alive. I wonder if this is a special case, or if all ghosts are like this¡­¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Because his voice was too low, Liu Ningshuang only saw his lips move and couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Yin Xubai pulled back his thoughts, looked around, and finally stared directly at the flickering TV screen. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to know if you¡¯re aware of the situation with that killer K? In your world, are there any other people with special abilities like him?¡±


    When this was said, the curiosity of others was also piqued, and they all nodded along, asking, ¡°Yes, yes, little one, do you know if there are any other superhumans or ability users? Uh, I don¡¯t know what you call them, just extraordinaries?¡±


    Although there was no one in front of them, their behavior of talking to the air looked a bit silly.


    The TV screen flickered for a while, and scene after scene slowly appeared. First was a news report about the Ghost in the Rainy Night, just one news item from an anchor.


    Then came a series of disconnected news clips, all about the situation of other ability users in that world.


    ¡°¡­A world simr to our Blue Star, with slightly more advanced technology?¡±


    Through those fragmented news clips, everyone quickly captured the key information.


    ¡°Most of the world consists of ordinary people, with only a few possessing special abilities. Most ability users aren¡¯t very powerful, with the most destructive unable to directly confront missiles. There was once someone who tried to create a cult and overthrow peace, but because they were too high-profile and arrogant, they were publicly blown to pieces. So, ability users tend to operate in the shadows unless recruited by officials, and generally don¡¯t act too conspicuously?¡±


    ¡°¡­But ability users aren¡¯tpletely disadvantaged because they hide among ordinary people and have extreme mobility. If they cause destruction in secret, the impact could be severe. So it seems the official forces and ability users in that world have reached some sort of bnce, where one side won¡¯t userge-scale weapons, and the other won¡¯t causerge-scale destruction¡­ Everything is restricted to a certain degree? There should be a set of specialws or rules, right? Unfortunately, the child doesn¡¯t know¡­¡±


    In fact, whether it was because the child hadn¡¯t specifically watched so much news or because the ghost¡¯s memory was iplete, the clips on the TV screen were all very fragmented.


    Besides this, newspaper images would appear on the screen, but they were also intermittent. Some parts that might have been forgotten in his memory were directly reced with mosaic patterns of various candies, making everyone both amused and exasperated.


    Everyone watched intently, some started recording videos, some took notes on their phone memo apps, not wanting to miss any useful clue.


    Until suddenly, a fragmented newspaper image shed on the screen with the headline [Global Ability User Rankings].


    Everyone was initially excited, but when they looked closer at the content, they didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry, because nine-tenths of it was mosaic.


    ¡ªIt really showed that he was just a child, having only nced at many things once, unable to remember them carefully.


    The content on it was mostly like this¡ª


    North ¡ö¡ö¡ö, greatest individual destructive power, ¡ö¡ö ¡ö¡ö user, ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö ¡­


    Not only were thererge patches of mosaic, but the newspaper itself was also fragmented, with pieces of newspaper scraps pieced together on the screen, not knowing which came first orst, which was above or below.


    At a rough nce, no more than ten people had rtivelyplete information.


    Well, what valuable intelligence could be gathered from this?


    Just then, Liu Ningshuang suddenly called out, ¡°Wait, look at the third newspaper fragment, Dawn City!¡±


    Her exmation immediately alerted everyone.


    They all looked over, their expressions changing.


    <i>[Puppet Master: ¡ö¡ö¡ö Council leader, controls Dawn City, ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö shadow, ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö guides evil people towards evil, self-destructing in evil.]</i>


    ¡°Dawn City? That ce name sounds familiar! If I remember correctly, when that mysterious Shadow Council President was talking to K, thetter mentioned Dawn City!¡±


    Someone quickly recalled. Comparing these few key words with the remote control methods disyed by the Shadow Council Presidentst time, they suddenly had a realization. ¡°This Puppet Master, could it be the Shadow Council President? Looking at the items here, everything matches up!¡±


    Others also realized this and nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Yeah, at first we didn¡¯t know about other worlds and thought all extraordinaries were native to Blue Star. We even thought there was another world of extraordinaries on this, and those two lived in a ce called Dawn City. Now we understand that these two people should be from the same other world, but only the Puppet Master is from Dawn City¡ª that¡¯s probably the headquarters of the Shadow Council!¡±


    ¡°Now everything adds up! This must be right! We¡¯ve finally figured out the structure of the Shadow Council, at least we know the background of that president.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s it. Unless the Puppet Master, K, and this little boy are all working together to deceive us¡­¡± As they said this, everyoneughed, ¡°But how could that be possible!¡±


    Although they didn¡¯t get more clues, what they had obtained so far was already a great harvest for them.


    It¡¯s worth noting that before this, they knew nothing about the Puppet Master and others, but now they had figured out their background. At least they had some understanding now, which would help theme up with better ns when dealing with them in the future.


    Seeing that Yin Xubai¡¯s question was really answered, others became more excited and started asking questions one after another. After all, this was amunicable ghost from another world, and they had so many things they wanted to know.


    Fortunately, Li Fufeng stopped everyone in time.


    After all, little Adams wasn¡¯t some question-answering tool. If they kept bothering him, even a child would get upset. There was no need to pile up so many questions at once.


    They should have some other form of interaction.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t read today¡¯s storybook yet. Everyone cane back tomorrow,¡± Li Fufeng took out his storybook.


    Others also realized they were too eager, and after calming down, they started trying to please the little boy. ¡°Me too, me too. I¡¯m great at telling stories!¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll bring freshly baked cupcakes tomorrow!¡±


    ¡°I have a collector¡¯s editionic book signed by a great cartoonist¡­¡±


    Afterwards, everything that happened was organized and reported. An Yuansheng, the director of the Supernatural Affairs Investigation Bureau, made the final decision. ¡°We¡¯re just getting started in the supernatural field. We don¡¯t need to aim too high. Any gain is a gain.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, our biggest gain right now isn¡¯t just this information, but Adams¡¯ friendship. This little boy is the greatest gain for our Supernatural Affairs Investigation Bureau.¡±


    Saying this, he looked at Li Fufeng with satisfaction. ¡°The idea of developing him into our external staff is excellent. See what needs he has, and we¡¯ll try our best to meet them. It¡¯s best if we can help each other. Go ahead and do it!¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 61

    Chapter 61


    <i>[When the same thing is said by one person, others might not believe it. But if ites from several different people, from different angles, and even includes sworn enemies among them, then people will tend to believe in the truth of this matter.]</i>


    <i>[This is the advantage brought by information asymmetry. The upstream party can deceive the downstream by fabricating false information.]</i>


    <i>[¡­Adams sessfullypleted his guiding task. He led everyone astray into the pre-written script.]</i>


    <i>[¡­Lies were gradually covering the truth.]</i>


    The double web of faith and thoughts, centered on the old town, spread outwards, gradually enveloping this world.


    At the center, on the second floor of the apartment, Bai Yi put down his pen, lightly pushed off the desk with his palm, and the recliner beneath him rotated 90 degrees to the right with his effort.


    The window facing him was spotless, and a thin, pale light, like ayer of ze on a painting, spilled in from outside, also giving his pale face a faint ze.


    Although not picky about food, perhaps due to the dark cuisine, Bai Yi¡¯s figure was thinner than his peers, and hisplexion was excessively pale from rarely going out in the sun. This made his already pitch-ck eyes appear even darker and deeper. Under his long eyshes, they were like two jet-ck ss beads.


    Facing the sunlight pouring into the room, Bai Yi instinctively squinted his eyes and leaned back against the chair.Like a deity sitting on a divine throne, overlooking his realm.


    Invisible threads spread outward with him at the center, the rhythms of all things opened up to him, and he could hear countless voices.


    At this moment, Bai Yi¡¯s soul seemed to leave his body, ascending to the high heavens, sensing the rhythms of countless souls.


    One soul among them was particrly special.


    ¡°¡­Want to develop you as an external staff member?¡±


    Bai Yi¡¯s half-closed eyelids moved slightly, revealing a hint of mild surprise in his eyes, which then turned into an interested smile. This faint smile spread to the corners of his lips.


    ¡°Such an interesting thing, of course I should agree!¡±


    He seemed to be talking to someone else across space.


    ¡°Being unterally considered a friend? If you¡¯re willing, of course you can ept it ¨C why not?¡±


    ¡°I told you, right? Do what I want to do, and also do what you want to do ¨C you¡¯ve achieved the first point, but the second point doesn¡¯t seem enough yet.¡± Bai Yi spoke with a smile, but his words could corrupt any honest child, ¡°Being friends with someone and continuing to mislead them¡­these two things are not contradictory!¡±


    ¡°So, you don¡¯t need to have any burden~¡±


    ¡­


    The tide-like sounds in his ears were forcibly suppressed, changing from a great river and waterfall to a trickle, and the chaotic noises constantly entering his mind were no longer enough to affect him.


    Bai Yi slowly andzily stood up from the chair, and then slowly andzily stretched.


    His movements were like a movie scene yed at half speed. Only after stretching his arms straight did he slowly andzily yawn again, making observers feel anxious for him.


    ¡°Easily done.¡±


    ¡°Unexpectedly¡­¡± The corners of his mouth gradually turned upwards, and Bai Yi drew a conclusion proven by numerous facts, ¡°It seems I really have the potential to be a psychologist.¡±


    Back then, in his role as a doctor, he had guided countless lost patients towards their path, helping them embark on a bright future. For example, that girl called Tian Yin, didn¡¯t she get a new lease on life after removing the ¡°lesion¡±?


    Now, he could even grasp the thoughts of a ghost. This self-taught psychologist wasn¡¯t bad at all.


    ¡°Hmm, to prevent arrogance, I¡¯ll give myself 99 points!¡±


    ****


    ¡°So, he¡¯s willing to be a special external staff member of our Supernatural Affairs Investigation Bureau?¡±


    In the director¡¯s office of the Supernatural Affairs Investigation Bureau.


    An Yuansheng looked at the person who came to report and asked.


    Li ¡®Officially Certified Ghost Language Max Level Sole Trantor¡¯ Fufeng: ¡°How should I put it? Little Adams is very willing to cooperate with us, but he doesn¡¯t want such a formal title as an external staff member. He feels he¡¯s not that useful, except for possibly knowing some things we don¡¯t. He thinks he can¡¯t help with anything else. The formal-sounding title makes the little one too shy to ept. So he thinks it¡¯s fine if we just ask him what we want to know, but as for the title of external staff member¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course we should give it to him,¡± An Yuansheng said solemnly. ¡°Just based on the intelligence he¡¯s provided, he¡¯s already made a great contribution to the Supernatural Affairs Investigation Bureau. Our Yao Country has always followed the principle of rewarding merit.¡±


    ¡°But he doesn¡¯t think so,¡± Li Fufeng said, somewhat amused and exasperated. ¡°The little one feels this is just an equal exchange. We¡¯ve given him so many candies, snacks, toys, and other gifts, and this information is the only return gift he can give ¨C he doesn¡¯t realize how precious his memories are.¡±


    ¡°This is really¡­¡±


    An Yuansheng showed a surprised expression. With his experience in various departments and even dealing with foreign countries, he had never encountered such a ¡°naive and pure¡± coborator before. He felt an inexplicable sense of shame for taking advantage of a child.


    ¡°A child¡¯s thoughts are just simple and pure.¡±


    He shook his head and sighed.


    ¡°But why can¡¯t he help with other things?¡± This wasn¡¯t An Yuansheng wanting to exploit ¡°childbor¡±, he was purely curious about ghosts, a phenomenon he had never encountered before, and wanted to understand more deeply. ¡°Are there any limitations?¡±


    ¡°Yes. ording to his description, he seems unable to leave the inn, though I¡¯m not sure if this is temporary or permanent. And when he¡¯s in the inn, he¡¯s sleeping most of the time, which might be a ghost¡¯s unique way of replenishing soul energy?¡± Li Fufeng spected.


    An Yuansheng frowned slightly and keenly asked, ¡°Can¡¯t leave the inn? Is he confined by something like a barrier that prevents him from leaving, or is there another reason?¡±


    ¡°¡­It should be the second reason.¡±


    Li Fufeng hesitated for a moment, then said uncertainly, ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ve guessed the meaning correctly.¡±


    An Yuansheng knew that hismunication with Adams was basically guessing meanings from pictures, so uncertainty in his tone was normal.


    He gestured with his hand, ¡°Go on.¡± Whether the conclusion from guessing the pictures was right or wrong, it was at least a line of thought.


    ¡°¡­From what I gathered from the little one, it seems he doesn¡¯t know how he became a ghost after dying. Anyway, when he hazily woke up, he was floating in the inn. At first, out of curiosity, he floated out of the inn, but soon felt like he was being crushed by a millstone¡­¡± At this point, Li Fufeng thought of the childish animation showing a huge millstone in the sky and earth, with a small figure beneath it. ¡°It seems there¡¯s a terrifying force in this world that consumes his soul. He quickly became weak, and in a confused state, he rushed into someone¡¯s home, almost instinctively trying to absorb their soul¡­¡±


    ¡°¡ªAt this point, a mysterious person stopped him.¡±


    ¡°A mysterious person?¡± An Yuansheng¡¯s straight back leaned forward a bit.


    ¡°Yes, a mysterious person. What he drew was a vague outline, like a dotted line drawn with white chalk, impossible to tell if it was male or female, young or old, just a human shape¡ªanyway, this mysterious person stopped him and sent him back to the inn.¡±


    Li Fufeng described while recalling, ¡°After entering the inn, he slowly recovered from his weakness and no longer felt the pressure of that huge millstone¡­ I think there must be different rules between Blue Star and the other dimension. Blue Star has a force that repels the existence of ghosts.¡±


    ¡°¡­Little Adams¡¯ drawings described it more or less like this.¡±


    In that abstract picture, only the mysterious person with a vague outline was saying something to the stick figure ghost. The content of the speech was automatically tranted by Adams into several difficult-to-understand symbols. They were a bnce scale, a hanging clock, and arge square divided into many small squares by countless horizontal and vertical lines, looking a bit like a page from a handwriting practice book.


    This image was also recorded and presented to everyone for a brainstorming session.


    Finally, they reached a conclusion.


    Theworkposed of numerous small squares likely represented some kind of rules and order, the bnce scale symbolized equilibrium, and the hanging clock naturally indicated time, or a specific point in time.


    ¡°¡­The most likely meaning he¡¯s trying to convey is that this world has certain rules and order, maintaining a bnce we don¡¯t understand. Ghosts are currently not allowed to appear in this world, but as time passes, or at a certain point in time, the bnce might be broken, and then ghosts might no longer be rejected.¡±


    If Bai Yi were here and heard such a well-reasoned analysis, he would probably give a thumbs up and praise ¡ª True Master of Reading Comprehension!


    Although he had instructed Adams to reveal some ¡°information¡±, even Bai Yi wasn¡¯t sure if his scribble-like level could be understood by people. In a sense, Li Fufeng was practically his best assist.


    Without Li Fufeng¡¯s trantion, Bai Yi¡¯s script, as performed by Adams, would probably have been iprehensible to anyone.


    ¡°Rules, order, maintaining bnce¡­sounds familiar.¡± After carefully pondering the tranted meaning and looking at the mysterious person with only a vague outline, Yin Xubai was the first to react, ¡°¡ªThe Flower Speaker!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I mean, the Flower Speaker said something simr.¡±


    They quickly found the Flower Speaker¡¯s file and indeed saw that familiar passage¡ª


    <i>[Now the world is in turmoil, spiritual energy is reviving, such space-time disturbances and visitors from other worlds will only be more frequent, but there are people maintaining order and human reason. Everything that should happen will happen. Everything that shouldn¡¯t happen absolutely won¡¯t. At least for now, major upheavals are impossible.]</i>


    ¡°We analyzed before that there should be some rules governing extraordinaries, or order-keepers among them. But now it seems these rules don¡¯t just apply to extraordinaries, but to the entire world.¡±


    Chu Xingrui eximed, pointing to the shadow with only an outline, his expression indescribablyplex.


    ¡°As for the order-keepers, isn¡¯t this one?¡±


    The sudden appearance of an order above Yao Country¡¯sws, and ¡°order-keepers¡± above ordinary people, made him, as a member of the royal family, far more sensitive than others. This sense of the unknown felt like a sword hanging over his head, greatly offending him.


    ¡°We just don¡¯t know if the one maintaining order is just one person, or a special organization?¡±


    Author¡¯s note: The protagonist, hiding underyers of aliases, now has an identity too!<hr>


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 Chapter 62.1

    Chapter 62.1


    Coda (6)


    Although ¡°ghost¡± Adams¡¯ age and state were not sufficient for aplete exchange between otherworldly visitors and local natives, the scattered information gathered from him, when integrated, was already a significant gain for the Special Case Investigation Team members.


    As for the existence that everyone spected about, seemingly protecting the truth and order of this world from the shadows, they temporarily called it the ¡°Maintainer of Order¡±. Although it stirred their hearts, even evoking a mix of reverence, fear, vignce, and curiosity in their innermost being ¨C this was the instinctive reaction of mortals to all unknown things ¨C it seemed too distant at present. Indeed, they should be prepared from now on, but there was no need to worry excessively.


    There were more urgent matters at hand.


    It was the [Ghost in the Rainy Night Serial Killings] that had urred in Yuanyang City and shocked the entire Yao Country.


    The public opinion group led by Chu Xingrui had done an excellent job. Under everyone¡¯s guidance, the public opinion storm that had initially erupted like thunder on a clear day had already subsided imperceptibly, like a flood entering the sea, causing no ripples. The major case that had shocked the entire country seemed to have beenpletely forgotten by people in just a few months.


    This was partly because after the kidnapping case, the Ghost in the Rainy Night Serial Killings had stopped, the killer had not continued to cause trouble, no new victims had appeared, and news about the case could only rehash old information, losing much of its heat.


    More importantly, during that period, there was more news bombarding the hot search on the inte.


    Some celebrity¡¯s secret marriage and child, some flow star¡¯s drug arrest, some film queen¡¯s real-life pce intrigue with her stic bestie¡­ It seemed as if atent force of justice in the entertainment circle had suddenly exerted itself. Thus, all kinds of eye-catching news were dug up in a matter of days. Netizens couldn¡¯t even keep up with the gossip. Apart from those directly involved, who still cared about some outdated serial killing case?¡ª This was the first taskpleted by the public opinion group of the Special Case Investigation Team after Chu Xingrui took office.


    He sessfully diverted the public¡¯s attention elsewhere, causing the heat of the Ghost in the Rainy Night Serial Killings to rapidly decline in a short time, and naturally, the perpetrator of the bloody case received much less attention.


    This greatly reduced the probability of K¡¯s identity as an otherworldly visitor and extraordinary being discovered.


    Behind the scenes, however, the Special Case Investigation Team had not given up on investigating this series of unresolved pending cases, including that serial killer who had been confirmed by Adams as an otherworldly extraordinary being.


    Previously, this culprit had fled to the Chenxing Empire, dramatically increasing the difficulty of capture.


    If Yao Country shared intelligence with the Chenxing Empire, informing them of K¡¯s various anomalies and suspected identity as an otherworldly extraordinary, with the cooperation of the two most powerful countries on Blue Star, they were confident they could capture him even if he was an extraordinary being from another world.


    However, Yao Country did not do so.


    ¡ª Information about otherworldly visitors and extraordinaries was undoubtedly extremely precious. If other countries knew nothing about it, they were undoubtedly at the forefront of intelligence. Perhaps it could give the entire Yao Country a leading position in the new era, so how could they possibly share it with the Chenxing Empire?


    Not only would they not share intelligence, but they would also conceal K¡¯s identity in various ways. For example, in the Ghost in the Rainy Night Serial Killings case, the various anomalies K had disyed, such as the intelligence suggesting he could teleport to various locations, had been tightly sealed.


    Even if Chenxing Empire spies were inside Yao Country, they would only think this was an ordinary serial killing case and would not know about the various anomalies.


    On Yao Country¡¯s side, theymunicated with the Chenxing Empire through normal overseas fugitive arrest channels, attempting to capture the fugitive serial killer and extradite him back to the country ¡ª this process was fraught with difficulties, the procedures wereplex, and coupled with the Chenxing Empire¡¯sck of cooperation, progress was extremely slow.


    Originally, the Yao Country officials still had the patience to wait, believing that as long as K¡¯s special nature was not exposed, the Chenxing Empire would not get involved.


    Adams¡¯ appearance changed their minds.


    This ghost who had died tragically as a child and was overly gullible had already be an external member of the Special Case Investigation Team and provided them with so much intelligence. They naturally wanted to seek justice for him, even though Adams had not made this request.


    He seemed easily satisfied to others, just needing some candies, snacks, and toys that children like, or someone to y with him to pass the time, which was enough to empty this little ghost¡¯s head.


    But as adults, the Special Case Investigation Team members knew well that this was never a fair exchange, more like taking advantage of a child¡¯s innocence and naivety, using a lollipop to trick him out of his diamond crown, which was practically a million-fold robbery. At most, they weren¡¯t ¡°robbing¡± for their own private interests, but representing national righteousness.


    If they truly epted such behavior righteously, it would be too shameless. They would be unworthy of being an official department of a country, representing the entire Yao Country, holding high the banner of ¡°righteousness¡±!


    ¡ª An organization that only deceives and coerces, exploiting its members in the name of righteousness, cannotst long, let alone represent the government.


    Therefore, they had ample reason to repay Adams, their external member, for his contributions.


    What better reward could there be than capturing the killer who murdered his parents?


    For this reason, the Special Case Investigation Team modified their n regarding K. Instead of continuing to wait, they decided to expedite the overseas fugitive arrest procedure.


    However, by that time, K had already transformed from an unknown fugitive into an assassin renowned throughout the Chenxing Empire, wanted nationwide and the talk of the town!


    The difficulty of bringing him back to Yao Country had increased by more than just one level!


    The Chenxing Empire¡¯s internal opinions were not yet unified, let alone actually capturing the person.


    Everything had to be traced back to after the assassination incident¡ª


    The Beiyuan Building assassination shocked the world, with the Chenxing Empire¡¯s territory being the most shocked, of course.


    The killer impersonated a pianist to infiltrate the banquet, yed a piano piece, then brazenly killed an imperial marquis and distant royal rtive in full view of everyone before leaving calmly. How audacious!


    It¡¯s no exaggeration to say that on that night, Silver City, the capital of the Chenxing Empire, known as the ¡°City That Never Sleeps¡± and the ¡°City of Stars,¡± truly became a sleepless city of stars. Even the pce lights remained on all night.


    As soon as the major case urred, the cab, royal family, and parliament ¨C those at the pinnacle of this vast empire ¨C immediately responded.


    Lockdown, martialw, search, arrest, downward ountability¡­ orders spread everywhere, countless people were on edge, working tirelessly through the night. Meanwhile, the three forces at the top began to probe and sh, shirking responsibility and fishing in troubled waters.


    ¡ª This situation had persisted in this country for decades, tracing back to the Chenxing Empire¡¯s renowned ¡°Glorious Revolution.¡±


    The so-called ¡°Glorious Revolution¡± urred over fifty years ago.


    The Industrial Revolution catalyzed the germination of ideas and the birth of new sses. The emerging forces in the Chenxing Empire were no longer content with submitting to the ancient feudal imperial system, bowing to the emperor¡¯s rule and the oppression of old nobility. Instead, they sparked a glorious revolution to overthrow the feudal imperial system amidst the intense ideological changes.


    The declining royal family and nobility were unwilling to be overthrown and cast into the dust, but the tide of the times was unstoppable.


    This war that swept across the entire Chenxing Empire was ultimately halted by an evenrger war ¡ª a world war suddenly erupted, engulfing the Chenxing Empire as well.


    If it had been an intact Chenxing Empire, there might have been a chance to win in the world war. But a Chenxing Empire divided into five and embroiled in internal strife was merely a fat piece of meat.


    External pressure temporarily eased the fierce internal contradictions of the Chenxing Empire, giving the royal family and nobility a lifeline. They negotiated with the emerging forces during the world war.


    ¡ª If the revolutionary faction was unwilling to take a step back, they would rather drag the entire country into a quagmire and perish together with the revolutionaries than willingly hand over power.


    This ¡°backstabbing deration¡± indeed achieved miraculous effects!


    If they abolished the feudal imperial system and deposed the emperor, all they would gain was a country divided into five, facing both internal and external troubles, and ultimately crushed by the wheels of world war. Perhaps the entire empire would turn to ashes in the mes of war. It was better to take a step back on both sides.


    This glorious revolution seeded, and it also failed.


    ¡ª Thest emperor of the feudal dynasty made the most humiliating decision, giving up most of the emperor¡¯s power, retaining only a small portion of military power and the emperor¡¯s honor;


    The nobility also took a step back, retaining only their titles without real power, selecting some outstanding elites from among them to form a cab and share a portion of the country¡¯s rights;


    Most of the power relinquished by the emperor and nobility nominally belonged to all the people of the Chenxing Empire, entrusted to excellent representatives elected by the people. These people formed the parliament.


    ¡ª The three forces jointly governed the empire.


    It was because of thepromise and concessions of all parties that the Chenxing Empire was able to survive the crisis of the world war. However, this iplete glorious revolution alsoid the groundwork for decades of power struggles and continuous internal strife in the Chenxing Empire.


    The royal family and cab were unwilling to share power that once belonged solely to them, while the parliament was unwilling to give up the fruits of the glorious revolution. Even the royal family and cab, which had once united under the de of the glorious revolution, gradually split apart.


    Over these decades, the three parties had been constantly shing behind the scenes.


    The reaction to the assassination case was just a microcosm of this.


    Although the assassinated Sir Leonardo had a noble background and should have belonged to the cab faction, his royal bloodline and royalist identity tied him more closely to the royal family.


    Moreover, the host of the banquet at the Beiyuan Building was also a member of the royal family. In other words, that banquet was organized by the royalist party.


    Thus, the royal family suffered the greatest loss, not only losing a member of the royalist party in the assassination but also greatly losing face.


    In anger, the aging emperor of the empire immediately issued a first-ss wanted order, mobilizing almost all avable forces, setting up a vast to capture the culprit.


    Although the cab and parliament outwardly supported the royal family¡¯s actions and righteously condemned the assassin¡¯s evil deeds, their actions were perfunctory.


    ¡ª Compared to capturing the assassin, they were more interested in gloating, attacking the royal family, and seizing the opportunity to gain benefits.


    The long-maintained bnce at the top of the Chenxing Empire was almost broken by that sudden gunshot.


    If the person could be caught quickly, perhaps this small ripple would subside rapidly. But this grand-scale manhunt yielded no results, and the killer seemed to have vanished into thin air.


    This made the royal family¡¯s position even more awkward, leaving them with nothing but impotent rage.


    From the changing public opinion within the Chenxing Empire during this period, one could see some clues.


    When the assassination first urred, the public reaction was like this:


    <i>[!!! Tell me today isn¡¯t ¡°Prank Day¡±! Beiyuan Building, a marquis assassinated, is this a joke? It wasn¡¯t this crazy even during the Glorious Revolution years ago, was it?]</i>


    <i>[Thement above is truly brilliant, makes so much sense! The Glorious Revolution never killed any nobles or royal family members from start to finish. Let alone in public. Inparison, this assassin is even more impressive!]</i>


    <i>[Ah¡­ I can¡¯t imagine such a terrible terrorist attack happening within our Chenxing Empire. What¡¯s wrong with the cab, what¡¯s wrong with the parliament, and what¡¯s wrong with the royal family? Have we taxpayers paid for nothing? If an assassin can infiltrate such an important ce as the Beiyuan Building and even kill a marquis, can we ordinary people feel any sense of security at all?]</i>


    <i>[Rest assured, ordinary people are much safer than marquises, at least we¡¯re not in the assassin¡¯s sights¡­]</i>


    <i>[I¡¯ve already bought a ticket to the Holy Federation overnight, I¡¯ll travel there for three months and won¡¯t return for a while.]</i>


    <i>[Being able to infiltrate the Beiyuan Building, kill someone, and escape unscathed, the killer must be incredibly skilled. Isn¡¯t this just like the protagonist in a spy movie? My curiosity is piqued.]</i>


    <i>[Am I the only one who wants to know the reason for the assassination?]</i>


    Tension, fear, curiosity, dissatisfaction¡­ all kinds of emotions were present.


    Some were dissatisfied with the government¡¯s response speed and inefficient capture method, some were curious about the killer¡¯s audacity and recklessness, some felt fear and anxiety rting it to themselves.


    But clearly, most people were quite calm, watching the development of events with a spectator¡¯s mentality, waiting for the killer to be caught.


    As time passed, public opinion changed.


    Someone first dug up the background of this little-known marquis, and then, gradually, people who knew him began to expose his past actions.


    Such as being consumed by lust and oppressing young maids; engaging in long-term usury in the shadows, causing many families to be ruined; being addicted to gambling, making people who sought his help deliberately lose to him in gambling as a way to extort bribes¡­ All kinds of scandals were continuously exposed, each more shocking than thest.


    And these ¡°courageous¡± righteous people who exposed him were often some unnamed good Samaritans, some unknown servants who had worked in his house and suffered oppression, some poor souls who had lost their families at a young age due to his actions, some upright youths who had refused his bribery attempts and suffered retaliation¡­ Suddenly, they transformed from nameless nobodies into heroic figures full of righteousness!<hr>


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 Chapter 62.2

    Chapter 62.2


    For a time, public outrage erupted!


    ¡ª From ancient times to the present, simr tactics have been seen countless times, yet they always work. The masses are blind and conformist, easily incited.


    However, one-sided smearing is too low-level and easy to see through. At this point, another group of rational bystanders appeared. They represented the public¡¯s doubts.


    <i>[¡­Isn¡¯t this smear campaign going too far? Do they think we¡¯re all brainless? As everyone knows, noble titles have long since been reduced to mere honorary roles. How could he possibly oppress men and women at will based on his noble status?]</i>


    <i>[Exactly, even taking bribes has been mentioned. This Sir Leonardo has no official position, how could he demand bribes from others just based on an empty noble title? If you¡¯re going to make up lies, at least make them a bit more believable.]</i>


    <i>[¡­That makes sense. These scandals don¡¯t seem very credible.]</i>


    <i>[It¡¯s another attempt to smear and fool the public, isn¡¯t it? We won¡¯t be deceived.]</i>


    After a wave of analysis from the rational party, the incited crowd sobered up from their anger and began to question the authenticity of the scandals. At the same time, these clever individuals felt they had grasped the truth.


    The real fatal blow then appeared.<i>[To be fair, some fallen nobles really have nothing but their noble titles. But this Sir Leonardo is quite different. He possesses noble royal blood and has always been proud of his royal lineage. He¡¯s one of the emperor¡¯s most staunch supporters.]</i>


    <i>[Hiss¡­ I think I understand something now.]</i>


    <i>[I get it, I get it.]</i>


    <i>[Oppressing men and women, taking bribes, no wonder. I was wondering how an empty noble could have such power. So there¡¯s someone behind him¡­ Hiss, we can¡¯t say it, we can¡¯t say it.]</i>


    <i>[What¡¯s there not to say? It¡¯s just the corrupt royal family that should have been overthrown more than fifty years ago. Indeed, even after so many years, they¡¯ve only gotten worse.]</i>


    <i>[¡­Thementer above, you¡¯re truly brave.]</i>


    <i>[The Chenxing Empire belongs to all citizens of the Chenxing Empire, not to one person. The royal family harbors evil, and asw-abiding taxpaying citizens, what can¡¯t we say? If I suffer retaliation for this, wouldn¡¯t it further prove the royal family¡¯s corruption and authoritarianism? Everyone, times have changed!]</i>


    At this point, the true intentions were revealed!


    The public opinion in the Chenxing Empire underwent a drastic change, with countless people pointing their guns at the figure sitting high on the imperial throne.


    Over the years, voices calling for theplete abolition of the imperial system in the Chenxing Empire had never ceased. However, the royal family, having learned from their past lessons of nearly being overthrown, changed their image of autocratic tyranny. Instead, they learned from the parliament, working hard to improve their reputation and present a good image to the public. Now, the mask polished for years seemed about to shatter.


    In a short time, using Sir Leonardo as a trigger, various scandals of Chenxing Empire¡¯s royal family members were exposed, causing quite an earthquake throughout the Chenxing Empire.


    At this point, no one was paying attention to the assassin anymore.


    <i>[Disappointed, so disappointed. Is this our Chenxing Empire¡¯s royal family? Are these the people who control 1/3 of the Chenxing Empire¡¯s power, supported by all of us taxpayers?]</i>


    <i>[Thementer above is too naive. Did you still have any illusions about the emperor? Emperors and the royal ss should have been thrown into the trash bin of history long ago.]</i>


    Radical advocates for abolishing the imperial system also began to speak out, upying the high ground of public opinion.


    <i>[Those who do evil deserve retribution. Regarding this assassination, I can only say well done!]</i>


    <i>[A dog can¡¯t stop eating shit. The emperor¡¯s existence is oppression to each of us, no matter how beautifully they disguise it. Now the facts have just proven this point.]</i>


    <i>[¡­Abolishing the imperial system might still be difficult for now, but it¡¯s time to restrict the power of royal family members, gentlemen!]</i>


    This grand public opinion war, from the assassination to its final explosion targeting the royal family, all happened within a short time. Everyone¡¯s attention shifted from the assassination to the corruption of the imperial royal family and the restriction of imperial power.


    The imperial royal family, who had spent a great deal of energy and focus on capturing the assassin, was caught off guard by this sudden attack.


    Even though they quickly reacted and took corresponding measures, such as iming to thoroughly investigate all scandals without leniency, severely punishing those with conclusive evidence of guilt, holding relevant responsible persons ountable for negligence, and encouraging all citizens to report wrongdoings, etc., facing this sudden wave of attacks, they were ultimately unprepared and a step behind their opponents.


    Even after temporarily dealing with everything, some imperceptible traces were still left in the hearts of the Chenxing Empire¡¯s citizens.


    ¡ª This became the embers left for the future.


    The emperor, who understood the situation clearly, could only swallow this bitter pill, gritting his teeth in hatred towards those causing trouble behind the scenes.


    As for the suspects, there was a 90% chance it was the parliament.


    The reason was simple. There were always intricate connections between the nobility and the royal family. Although the cab also wanted to seize power from the royal family, they didn¡¯t want the emperor to step down or the imperial system to be abolished. Otherwise, their noble status would lose its value.


    But the cab¡¯s suspicion couldn¡¯t bepletely ruled out either.


    After all, this wave of public opinion attacks only targeted the royal family and not the nobility. Instead, it portrayed most nobles as pitiful figures with empty titles. This made it hard for the emperor not to suspect the cab¡¯s involvement, aiming only to weaken the emperor¡¯s power.


    Theplexity of the situation made the power struggle among the Chenxing Empire¡¯s upper echelons increasinglyplex and intense.


    The biggest beneficiary, of course, was K.


    Just as the public opinion fire in the Chenxing Empire had barely subsided, the parliament, cab, and royal family were each plotting their own schemes, with differing opinions. Regarding this audacious assassin, the disgraced royal family wanted to eliminate him as soon as possible, while the parliament was hindering in various ways, almost hoping this assassin would remain active forever, keeping the royal family on the pir of shame. The cab members, meanwhile, were stirring up trouble in between, ying both sides.


    In this situation, how effective could the so-called vast of capture be? For K, who possessed special abilities, it would be utterly ridiculous to be caught by such a disunited manhunt.


    An ordinary person would have seized this opportunity to flee and disappear.


    But ¡°K¡± was never an ordinary person.


    This ¡°ghost that appears in rainy nights¡±, ¡°executioner bringing killing and bloodshed¡±, ¡°pleasure-seeking criminal skilled in manipting people¡¯s hearts¡±, was never afraid of vasts, only fearing that the stage wasn¡¯t grand enough.


    So, in the following period, the mysterious killer appeared again, brazenly starting another series of assassinations.


    In return, he received the highest bounty in the Chenxing Empire and worldwide infamy.


    And those he killed would always have various unsavory scandals exposed online afterward, always with intricate connections to the royal family, making people marvel at the ¡°coincidences of fate¡±.


    At this point, even if the royal family came forward to rify, there would always be self-proimed clever people believing this was the royal family deliberately burying the truth. Although among these scandals, some were indeed fabricated.


    Even if someone waspletely innocent, enough nder would make people believe it. Let alone the Chenxing Empire¡¯s royal family, which was already not so clean, with countless scandals?


    That serial killer [K], whose identity had been thoroughly investigated worldwide, including the exposure of the Ghost in the Rainy Night Serial Killingsmitted in Yao Country, was inadvertently portrayed as a ¡°dark justice executor¡± by Chenxing Empire¡¯s sensationalist media, inexplicably gaining a group of admirers and imitators.


    His mysterious appearances and disappearances, his unattainable skills, and his targeting of evil added ayer of legend to his persona.


    ¡ª The events that once urred in Yao Country seemed to be re-enacted in the Chenxing Empire.


    At this time, in order to avenge Adams, Yao Country didn¡¯t follow the usual procedures but applied for an emergency channel, urging the Chenxing Empire to quickly approve the transnational arrest warrant.


    This not-soplex application, however, was stuck due to internal conflicts in the Chenxing Empire.


    The battered royal family saw an opportunity in Yao Country¡¯s application, attempting to use Yao Country¡¯s influence to suppress the powerful parliament.


    ¡ª While ordinary people were still confused about everything happening in the Chenxing Empire, the upper echelons of various countries were well aware.


    It was all just a game yed by those in power.


    The public opinion war was merely the shallowestyer of this game. There were more, deeper-level confrontations happening in ces invisible to ordinary people, and what was finally disyed in public opinion was the oue of both sides ¡ª the parliament gained a lot, the royal family suffered a considerable loss, and with the cab¡¯s intervention, the cab gained some benefits, barely maintaining their basic position.


    Because of this, they were eager to find external support to strike back at the arrogant parliament, even at the risk of potentially damaging national interests.


    ¡°Support the Chenxing Empire¡¯s royal family? Take sides in their internal strife? Form an alliance solely with the royal family? We can¡¯t possibly agree¡­¡±


    The entirety of Yao Country was shocked.


    Was it possible to rashly interfere in another country¡¯s politics just to capture a fugitive?


    Whoever proposed this condition must be out of their mind, right?


    Although the Chenxing Empire¡¯s royal family offered other benefits as well, it obviously couldn¡¯t make Yao Country vite its principles and meddle in another country¡¯s politics.


    They almost suspected that the Chenxing Empire¡¯s emperor had lost his mind.


    Until they received an exnation from the other side¡­


    ¡°So far, all the people K has killed can be linked to the royal family, even if some connections are tenuous. As soon as these people are killed, their scandals are promptly exposed online¡­ No doubt, this so-called killer is targeting the royal family. Behind him, there¡¯s a powerful force helping him eliminate the threat of royal family¡¯s manhunt, while he follows orders and guidance to target people rted to the royal family. It¡¯s because of such close connection that their coordination can be so seamless¡­¡±


    ¡°As for the force behind him, who they are, I believe everyone knows in their hearts.¡±


    ¡°¡ª Clearly, this guy is just the parliament¡¯s dog! Since you want to catch the dog, how can you not offend its master? Wouldn¡¯t cooperation between us be the best choice?¡±


    To be fair, this argument made sense. Provided one didn¡¯t know K¡¯s true identity.


    The Special Case Investigation Team had a lot to say about this. They had been secretly studying him for a long time.


    ¡°¡­Based on our personality simtion of him, this otherworldly visitor has no sense of belonging to Blue Star, his nature is unconstrained, and he could never be the parliament¡¯s dog. More likely, they have a cooperative rtionship, each taking what they need.¡±


    ¡°¡­To put it bluntly, it could also be said they¡¯re using each other. The parliament needs someone who dares to trample on rules and take action against the Chenxing Empire¡¯s royal family, while that otherworldly visitor, who has nothing in this world, now urgently needs to settle down.¡±


    ¡°¡ª He needs his own territory, needs local forces to shield him from external troubles, to provide him with a period of quiet development and familiarization with this world¡¯s rules and order¡­ If I¡¯m not mistaken, this should be the basis of their cooperation.¡±


    Once analyzed, it became quite clear.


    Li Fufeng stroked his chin and expressed his deduction. ¡°¡ª I wonder what kind of cooperation terms he and the parliament have reached. The parliament probably thinks this guy is just a temporary knife to deal with the royal family, perhaps even harboring the idea of taming him for their own use. Even if they can¡¯t tame him, they¡¯re confident that at worst, they can destroy this knifeter.¡±


    Saying this, he sighed. ¡°Unfortunately, they will probably regret their current decision immensely in the future. I have a feeling that guy will do even more shocking things in the future.¡±


    ¡°¡­If we can¡¯t catch him in time.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s hearts sank in unison.


    ¡°It looks very difficult now.¡±


    With the parliament¡¯s involvement, things had be veryplicated, unless they exposed the other party¡¯s identity as an otherworldly visitor. But if they did that, the Chenxing Empire would be even less likely to let him fall into their hands.


    Everything seemed to have reached a deadlock.


    Thinking that all of this was caused by K, everyone couldn¡¯t help but feel a headache. It seemed like they were back to those days of city-wide unrest and sleepless nights investigating the murders.


    It looked like this would be a task that would take a long time toplete.


    For now, they could only issue a wanted notice.


    ¡°This guy, he¡¯s really troublesome!¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 63

    Chapter 63


    ¡°We meet again, Mr. Joseph.¡±


    The moonlight shone gently, and under its silvery radiance, raindrops pattered on the windowsill, like a soft nocturne slowly ying.


    A figure bathed in the moonlight, with raindrops rolling off the surface of an umbre.


    The invisible rain curtain in the world opened the stage curtain, and the man under the ck umbre seemed like a musician walking calmly in the rain, entering the stageposedly at the moment the curtain opened.


    ¡°!!!¡±


    Joseph suddenly stepped back, looking at the man on the balcony with uncertainty and surprise.


    He instinctively recalled a night over a month ago that also had a faint scent of rain, that piano piece yed in the Beiyuan Building. Remembering it now, this memory was tinged with a deep shade of blood.


    The culprit was the man before him.


    Joseph Houston, a member of the Imperial Parliament and administrator of the King District, lived in a heavily guardedmunity, in a vi with over ten floors.Now, he stood shocked in front of the floor-to-ceiling window on the top floor, facing the man on the balcony just a few steps away. The closed ss window gave him no sense of security.


    The thick night painted the world before his eyes. The visitor, steeped in the night, leaned casually against the railing, his light golden hair tinged with moisture.


    The ck long coat fell from his side, and the shadow cast by the ck umbre covered the man¡¯s handsome features. His beautiful deep green eyes smiled slightly at Joseph.


    This smile was so perfect it seemed artificial.


    Joseph was dazed for a moment, with an indescribable difort welling up in his subconscious.


    He had met this man codenamed K three times.


    Strictly speaking, it could only be counted as twice.


    The first time, he didn¡¯t even see the man¡¯s face. The most vivid impression was being startled awake at three in the morning in his mistress¡¯s bed by a ss of cold water sshed on his face, the cold and stimting sensation, and the hard, heart-trembling feeling of a gun muzzle pressed against the back of his head while he was in a daze.


    Someone behind him let out a softugh.


    He still remembered that gentle, elegant voice, like that of a young noble, and the unreasonable words.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Mr. Joseph. Pardon my abrupt visit, but I¡¯d like to discuss the ownership of the King District with you.¡±


    The second time they met, or rather, the first time he actually saw this face, was on that blood-stained night, at the banquet in the Beiyuan Building.


    This mysterious ¡°pianist¡± left everyone with an unforgettable farewell gift, which made the seed of fear nted in Joseph¡¯s heart quickly germinate and grow rapidly in just a few days.


    This fear overwhelmed everything, all principles and morals, making him start to consider agreeing to the other¡¯s demands, rather than blindly following in the footsteps of Sir Leonardo.


    Just when he was about to sumb to fear, the Parliament seized the opportunity of Sir Leonardo¡¯s assassination to strike at the royal family, achieving remarkable results with a thunderous blow.


    In this, the sudden assassination case served as the fuse for everything, and one of the important clues used by the Parliament against the royal family naturally yed a significant role.


    This mysterious assassin, who inadvertently assisted the Parliament, was naturally used by them.


    While the royal family wanted to cut this person into a thousand pieces, the Parliament began to consider whether they could further utilize him to deliver an even greater blow to the royal family.


    This gave the struggling Joseph a glimpse of opportunity¨C


    A chance to neither betray the Parliament nor vite his principles, while also not having to worry about losing his life for rejecting the mysterious person¡¯s demands. Moreover, he might even receive praise from the Parliament¡¯s higher-ups and possibly climb even higher!


    The mes of greed and ambition burned fiercely in his chest, making him throw caution to the wind.


    As expected, when the higher-ups in Parliament learned that he actually had a way to find the mysterious assassin and reach an agreement with him, they were all pleasantly surprised.


    While the assassination of a marquis certainly damaged the face of the Chenxing Empire, the royal family was also embarrassed. They were just coteral damage.


    If this could be used as a starting point to strike a heavy blow against the royal family, Parliament would gain even greater benefits.


    This would require the cooperation of that assassin.


    If possible, they would love for this killer, whom they had packaged online as a ¡°righteous person serving justice¡± and ¡°an unnamed hero walking in darkness¡±, to strike again a few more times, killing more members of the royal family and thoroughly disrupting the situation.


    After receiving instructions from the Parliament¡¯s higher-ups, Joseph sent messages through those few dogs in the King District that should have belonged to him but had already been subdued by someone else, attempting to contact their new master.


    Before long, this elusive new master indeed appeared before Joseph.


    ¡ª This was their third meeting.


    Unlike the previous two times, this time they were partners, and Joseph was just a messenger, while the real mastermind simply couldn¡¯t appear in person.


    The agreement they reached was simple.


    Parliament would provide K with a list, which would surely contain victims that fit his aesthetics. All he had to do was continue his killings.


    In return, Parliament would satisfy his conditions, handing over the underworld of the King District to him, and never interfere with his development in the underworld. Moreover, for some time toe, they would block interference from higher levels and provide some necessary assistance in the process of his power expansion.


    ¡ª Parliament didn¡¯t care if he grew too powerful. The Chenxing Empire had too many underground forces. Which of those seemingly formidable underground organizations dared to confront the Empire¡¯s rule head-on? And how many of them weren¡¯t just dogs ofrger powers?


    In Parliament¡¯s eyes, this seemingly unruly partner would ultimately not escape the fate of those underground organizations ¨C either being tamed by them or crushed to dust by the Empire¡¯s heavy weapons.


    Therefore, K¡¯s growth and expansion would ultimately benefit Parliament, as if developing power for Parliament. Perhaps someday in the future, when Parliament needed it, it could y an even greater role.


    ¡ª Parliament wanted to obtain the supreme power of this country and be the overt ruler. The other party in this cooperation aimed to devour everything in the darkness of this country, bing the uncrowned king in the shadows.


    ¡ª The former was restricted by systems and rules, with many things they couldn¡¯t conveniently do and needed others to handle. Thetter, though unconstrained, could certainly root and develop in this country at a faster pace with Parliament¡¯s help. They could help each other and benefit mutually.


    As the intermediary who indirectly facilitated this cooperation, even if he just passed on a message, Joseph gained tremendous benefits.


    Even if these benefits hadn¡¯t materialized yet, at least his name was now known to the bigwigs in Parliament¡¯s upper echelons. This was an opportunity that others could hardly aspire to!


    Thinking of this, looking at the ¡°opportunity creator¡± standing before him, Joseph, with mixed feelings, moved the muscles of his mouth, suppressing the instinctive fear response, then pulled open the floor-to-ceiling window and strode forward.


    He put on a fake but enthusiastic smile.


    ¡°So it¡¯s Mr. K who hase. The entire Parliament is very grateful to you. Those above even asked me to convey their thanks to you on their behalf.¡±


    The man leaning against the railing didn¡¯t move, just slightly raised the ck umbre in his hand, tilting the umbre surface to reveal hisplete features. He spoke thoughtfully:


    ¡°Oh? It seems you¡¯ve achieved a great victory?¡±


    The turbulent undercurrents of the Chenxing Empire urred in ces invisible to ordinary people. The general public could only see the constantly changing public opinion on the inte, the various scandals of royal family members being continuously exposed, those intentionally or unintentionally mentioned past mistakes made by the emperor, and even many old stories from the past being dug up by ¡°insiders¡±, including various stupid things the emperor had done that ordinary citizens were unaware of. This might allow some clever people to deduce traces of the power struggle behind the scenes.


    Those slightly more sensitive might notice that recently, some past events of the Glorious Revolution were frequently mentioned, such as suddenly popr historical dramas, rted songs at special art performances, historical forums reviewing the past, citizens discussing several great events and revolutions in the history of the Chenxing Empire¡­ Such things, one after another, garnered plenty of attention.


    Mentioning the Glorious Revolution naturally led to discussions about the feudal and corrupt imperial royal family of that time. Connecting this to the recent scandals of the royal family and the emperor¡¯s unreliable decisions, it was easy to stir up public sentiment.


    In short, if there were a favorability indicator, one would see the Chenxing Empire¡¯s citizens¡¯ approval of the royal family continuously declining.


    But this was only the surface level that ordinary people could see.


    The Chenxing Empire¡¯s royal family, which held a portion of power, couldn¡¯t be overthrown merely by public opinion attacks. The stirred-up sentiment was just the first breach created by Parliament.


    The deeper-level confrontations were difficult for ordinary people to know about.


    Even K didn¡¯t have channels to know so many inside stories.


    Therefore, his curious question gave Joseph a rare sense of superiority.


    It wasn¡¯t that Joseph¡¯s character wasn¡¯t stable enough, but the psychological shadow K had left on him earlier was too heavy, almost leaving an image of an omnipotent demon lord in his heart. Now, suddenly realizing that this seemingly all-powerful, omnipotent person also had things he didn¡¯t know, and was asking him for information, Joseph¡¯s mood, which had been suppressed by fear all along, inevitably lifted a bit.


    He replied in a very pleased tone. ¡°Mr. K¡¯s guess is correct. This time, we really made His Majesty suffer a big loss. If the Cab hadn¡¯t suddenly intervened, we could have achieved an even greater victory.¡±


    Joseph didn¡¯t care about expressing his true thoughts in front of K, his tone full of mockery and yfulness. ¡°Those so-called bigwigs, with empty titles of emperor and nobles, are still arrogant about their noble bloodlines, not knowing that this world has long changed. As people who have made greater contributions to the Chenxing Empire, as representatives of the vast majority of Chenxing Empire¡¯s citizens, we naturally have more right to control this country than they do!¡±


    The only response was the patter of rain.


    The man leaning against the railing maintained his previous posture, his expression unmoved.


    His reaction seemed to show no interest in this topic, causing Joseph to lose interest greatly.


    However, Joseph brought up another topic. ¡°Our Emperor has always been like this. After the Glorious Revolution, he didn¡¯t hesitate to drag the entire country into the quagmire of world war, threatening the destruction of the Chenxing Empire, ruining the perfect victory of the Glorious Revolution, just to barely hold onto a bit of power.¡±


    ¡°Now, he¡¯s ying the same trick again, actually attempting to cooperate with the Yao Country people, not hesitating to let them interfere in our Chenxing Empire¡¯s internal affairs, just to suppress Parliament¡¯s momentum ¡ª This Emperor hasn¡¯t thought about what would happen if the despicable Yao Country people took this opportunity to propose conditions to cut up the Chenxing Empire¡¯s interests¡­ No, just giving the Yao Country people a chance to interfere in our internal affairs, they would have countless ways to make the Chenxing Empire suffer unbearable losses!¡±


    At this point, even a dirty politician like Joseph, whose own background was not clean or honest, showed strong contempt for the Emperor¡¯s ¡°selling out the country¡± behavior.


    ¡°Oh, I almost forgot to mention, the reason why the Chenxing Empire got involved is rted to a cross-border arrest warrant.¡±


    The topic seemed to naturallye to this point. Joseph put away the intense emotions he had just shown and looked at the person in front of him. ¡°The person they want to arrest is you, Mr. K.¡±


    ¡°All this¡­ seems to be rted to a serial murder case in the Chenxing Empire.¡±


    Meeting Joseph¡¯s inquiring gaze, the man who hadn¡¯t said muchughed lightly. ¡°Oh, that matter¡­What surprising persistence, I thought they had forgotten about it.¡±


    Although he said it was surprising, his tone was calm, quite indifferent, with an air of nonchnce.


    This almost choked Joseph¡¯s carefully prepared emotions. He coughed lightly, then said in a righteous tone. ¡°The Yao Country people attempted to enter our country to arrest Mr. K, and our Emperor actually didn¡¯t hesitate to reach an agreement with them to pressure Parliament. Fortunately, Parliament withstood the pressure and refused this unreasonable demand!¡±


    ¡°¡ª Mr. K is an important friend of Parliament. This time Parliament¡¯s great victory, you have a share in the credit. We absolutely won¡¯t allow, and it¡¯s impossible for us to hand over our friend!¡±


    Joseph¡¯s tone was righteous, andbined with his serious face, it was indeed easy to believe.


    Unfortunately, the only audience present didn¡¯t cooperate with his performance, just nodding lightly. ¡°I see.¡± As for whether he believed it or not, that was another matter.


    Joseph felt the conversation couldn¡¯t continue.


    He simply threw out his purpose, getting straight to the point. ¡°Mr. K probably doesn¡¯t know, several members of Parliament have expressed their admiration for you, asking me to convey it to you on their behalf. If Mr. K is willing, we can establish a new rtionship, having a more intimate friendship.¡±


    Joseph tactfully extended an olive branch.


    ¡°K¡± certainly understood.


    After all, this purpose was ringly obvious.


    First, he exined the results of Parliament¡¯s great victory this time, even the emperor could only retreat step by step, being yed like a puppet, this was to show off their strength;


    Then, he exined Yao Country¡¯s relentless pursuit of him, not to mention the deep hatred of the Chenxing Empire¡¯s royal family towards him, only Parliament could protect him under the pressure from the Chenxing Empire¡¯s royal family and Yao Country, this was both a crisis and a threat, while also demonstrating Parliament¡¯s great strength and human touch;


    Finally, he pointed out the admiration of Parliament¡¯s higher-ups for him, subtly extending a recruitment offer.


    This series ofbined tactics, if ¡°K¡± were truly just an ordinary employee of the Shadow Council, would likely have moved him to bow down on the spot and ept the recruitment offer.


    Then, he might have be Parliament¡¯s pawn within the Shadow Council, an underground force. Even if the Shadow Council continued to expand and develop, it would always be under Parliament¡¯s control, preventing it from growing out of control.


    Of course, it¡¯s possible that Parliament didn¡¯t even take a small organization like the Shadow Council seriously. The reason for recruiting him might simply be because they valued his skills, wanting to find a useful de.


    Whichever it was, he wasn¡¯t interested.


    Although agreeing to the recruitment and bing a double agent seemed like an interesting approach, such an idea belonged to Bai Yi or the Puppet Master, not the rebellious K ¡ª his willingness to join the Shadow Council wasn¡¯t out of being convinced, but because he wanted to rise to power himself.


    Given K¡¯s character, he naturally wouldn¡¯t agree to Parliament¡¯s recruitment.


    ¡°¡ª A more intimate rtionship?¡±


    The man pushed himself off the railing, standing steadily on the balcony, looking at the expectant Joseph.


    His smile was impable.


    ¡°One is Parliament, which openly dominates the Chenxing Empire, the other is the Shadow Council, which secretly dominates the dark world. Between dawn and reflection, there is naturally an intimate rtionship.¡±


    ¡°¡ª I look forward to that day¡¯s arrival.¡±


    Joseph: ???


    At this moment, his face was full of question marks, probably thinking: What Shadow Council? What obscure organization dares topare itself to Parliament, truly believing there will be a day when both sides can be mentioned in the same breath, equally dividing the world?


    ¡°K¡± didn¡¯t care what he thought and continued, ¡°I came today just to remind you to remember to keep your promise.¡±


    As for other matters, he wasn¡¯t interested.


    Joseph was stunned, not yet having reacted.


    The man¡¯s deep green pupils seemed to be even more profound for a moment, but his smile remained gentle. ¡°The King District is already my territory. It seems you¡¯ve left some garbage there, so I took the liberty of cleaning it up for you.¡±


    Joseph¡¯s pupils contracted sharply.


    Parliament had been treating the other party as a mere tool from beginning to end. Even though they had agreed to cooperate, they couldn¡¯t resist doing some underhanded things. But the implication of these words was that their nted personnel had been dealt with?


    This evening, first being ruthlessly rejected, and now being warned like this, anger rose in his heart, and he couldn¡¯t help but frown heavily. ¡°You!¡±


    The man gave him a light nce.


    The aura of death seemed to hover around him. Those bloody scenes from before suddenly flooded back into his mind, and Joseph instantly deted like a punctured balloon.


    He moved his lips.


    ¡°You¡­ take care¡­¡±


    ¡°Well then, until next time, Mr. Joseph.¡±


    <i>¡­No, let there not be a next time. I never want to meet you again in this lifetime.</i>


    Amidst Joseph¡¯s enthusiastic fake smile, ¡°K¡± politely bade farewell, then turned and leapt down from the balcony.


    The night was deep, and his figure disappeared into the rain.<hr>


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 Chapter 64

    Chapter 64


    ¡°¡­ Yao Country and the Chenxing Empire royal family reached a cooperation agreement, jointly pressuring the Parliament, but the Parliament withstood the pressure and rejected Yao Country¡¯s request for cross-border arrest?¡±


    On the second floor of an apartment in the old district of Yuanyang City, Yao Country, in a faint golden light, a card slowly disappeared at the fingertips. Bai Yi carelessly turned to look west, as if seeing the spreading chaos on anothernd across the ocean.


    ¡°Hmm, they made up quite a convincing story. ¡­ If ¡®K¡¯ was just ¡®K¡¯, they might have believed the Parliament¡¯s lies¡­. If there was only an ordinary high school student named Bai Yi behind this persona, it would be difficult to verify the truth.


    Unfortunately, that¡¯s not the case.


    Adams¡¯s existence allowed Bai Yi to be, if not fully aware, at least privy to what was happening within the Special Case Investigation Team regarding K. The entire team held nothing back from that little ghost.


    How could Bai Yi not know the truth?


    It was clearly Yao Country that actively refused cooperation with the Chenxing Empire royal family, which is why the cross-border arrest request wasn¡¯t approved. After Joseph¡¯s exnation, it became a story of the Parliament protecting K despite the pressure! This was nothing more than getting something for nothing!


    The difference in how the Special Case Investigation Team and the Parliament acted to win people¡¯s hearts had almost determined their fate and future.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Bai Yi btedly realized that Adams had already be an external member of the Special Case Investigation Team. If he had agreed to Joseph¡¯s suggestion at the time and made K a subordinate of the Chenxing Empire Parliament, he would have ced double agents in two official organizations¡­ How interesting that would have been!Unfortunately, K¡¯s character setting didn¡¯t allow for it¡­


    As a game yer strictly adhering to persona roley, Bai Yi sighed with great regret.


    In this case, the Parliament should be grateful for ¡°K¡¯s¡± refusal.


    ¡°¡­ Another day of being moved by my own kindness.¡±


    Pretending to be emotional, Bai Yi wiped away non-existent tears of being touched.


    Temporarily withdrawing his attention from the Chenxing Empire, Bai Yi closed his eyes and sank into his mind.


    His consciousness kept falling, from the high sky to the ground, then through the ground into the abyss, until he sank to the other side of this world, a spaceposed of shadows and nks.


    Blurry shadows twisted in this space, constantly filling in the nks.


    Through these blurry shadows, he could vaguely sense distant figures scattered across Blue Star. Each of them seemed to have a thread of shadow cast into this space, establishing a connection.


    ¡°The legend degree is rising fast! It seems the real Shadow Council is about to materialize.¡±


    ¡°Well done, ding-dong, that¡¯s my boy!¡±


    After praising himself, Bai Yi waved his hand to dispel the ¡°Puppet Master¡± card that appeared in his palm, temporarily exiting the ¡°Puppet Master¡± state.


    He was like a hardworking farmer diligently tending to his crops, checking on the growth of each cabbage he had nted.


    ¡°Now, let me see how the game¡¯s AFK progress is going¡­¡±


    The next second, Bai Yi clicked on the nightmare game instance.


    Waking up from the state of suffocation in the deep sea, Bai Yi was greeted by familiar system prompts.


    <i>[AFK mode has been turned off.] </i>


    <i>[Nightmare fragment instance time has been simted to three yearster.]</i>


    He opened the history record.


    <i>[AFK mode activated, character fate simtion in progress.]</i>


    <i>[Under the yer¡¯s unconventional nurturing, your character Joey sessfully imed the top titles in painting, music, and culinary arts as a talentless individual, and developed the following traits in the process: ¡°Socially Adept¡±, ¡°Instant Friendship¡±, ¡°Genius of Humanity¡±, ¡°Depressing Art Master¡±, ¡°Art Above All¡±, ¡°Cold¡±, ¡°Obsessive¡±, ¡°Resilient¡±.]</i>


    <i>[The yer has pioneered a new field of depressing art, and your character Joey will continue down this newly paved path, striving to develop and promote it.]</i>


    <i>[In the first month of being left to his own devices, your character Joey participated in the World Dance Awards, adapting the Dance of the Seven Saints based on the ritual of creation, and choreographed the ugliest yet most heart-touching dance in history, adhering to the concept of depressing art.]</i>


    <i>[Six judges suffered from nausea, dizziness, and various negative states due to mental shock, nearly ascending to heaven on the spot, yet their infected minds were miraculously purified, their souls floating as if ascending to heaven. As the only dance in the history of the Art Awards that could make people ascend to heaven in different ways physically and mentally, your character Joey won the top title as its creator.]</i>


    <i>[In the second month of being left alone, your character Joey participated in the World Screenwriting Awards. The entry was a script adapted from ¡°The Last Supper¡±, with the Painting Spirit ying its original role. Due to the script¡¯s stronger stage presence and better mental impact than the original painting, your character Joey once again won the top title.]</i>


    <i>[In the third month of being left alone, your character Joey participated in the World Sculpture Awards. The entry ¡°Revtion Beyond Dimensions¡± was based on the indistinct figure sitting at the head of the table in ¡°The Last Supper¡±.]</i>


    <i>[That is, your character Joey created the sculpture ¡°Revtion Beyond Dimensions¡± based on the yer himself, whopletely changed the fate of others, and entered it in the World Sculpture Awards.]</i>


    <i>[This was a work created by his true skill level as a talentless person, and should not have possessed any spirituality. However, the special prototype that doesn¡¯t exist in the nightmare fragment instance gave this sculpture work unexpected spirituality. It seemed to be able to listen to and spread the voices of all things, forcing everyone who approached it to receive contamination from this sculpture. It was evaluated as a dark art piece on par with or even higher than ¡°The Sabbath¡±.]</i>


    <i>[Your character Joey once again imed a top title.]</i>


    <i>[In the fourth month of being left alone, your character Joey began creating novels, poems, and essays centered on depressing art, and submitted them to various authoritative publications.]</i>


    ¡­


    <i>[Through your character Joey¡¯s unremitting efforts, depressing art quickly rose to prominence in a short time, forming a new school. Countless artists followed in the footsteps of your character Joey, considering themselves his disciples and promoting depressing art.]</i>


    <i>[Your character Joey gained +1 fan in the painting field.] </i>


    <i>[Your character Joey gained +1 fan in the music field.] </i>


    <i>[Your character Joey gained +1 fan in the culinary field.] </i>


    <i>[Your character Joey gained +1 fan in the sculpture field.] </i>


    <i>¡­ </i>


    <i>[Your character Joey gained +1 fanatic worshipper.] </i>


    <i>[Your character Joey gained +1 devoted follower.] </i>


    <i>[Your character Joey gained +1 depressing art practitioner.] </i>


    <i>¡­</i>


    <i>[Your character Joey has obtained top titles in seven fields: painting, music, culinary arts, dance, screenwriting, sculpture, and writing, and has created a new field of depressing art, bing the current nightmare fragment instance¡¯s veritable all-round artist and undisputed master of depressing art.]</i>


    As the history record finished refreshing, Bai Yi read through it all, dumbfounded. ¡°Ah, this¡­¡±


    The top titles in other projects were understandable, after all, Joey, who could flexibly use depressing art, was more than capable of iming several top titles.


    However, what was that sculpture work about? Could the character in the game actually sense the yer¡¯s existence, realize they were being controlled by the yer, and acknowledge that their fate had been changed? Was this really just a game anymore?


    Actually, Adam¡¯s existence had already hinted at everything, and this new game instance was just being direct about it¡­


    <i>[That¡¯s right, the NPCs in the nightmare game are not just NPCs, and the nightmare game is not just a game. For most people, it¡¯s aplete nightmare!]</i>


    ¡°¡­ This tone doesn¡¯t sound like the system I¡¯m familiar with, it¡¯s more like a pre-set message waiting toe out and exin when I have doubts. Ah, this terrible tone¡­¡± Bai Yi revealed a look of seeing through everything, gently pping his hands, ¡°It must be something I said myself!¡±


    Initially suspecting that the system might have its own will, after discovering that the system mighte from the future and was a cheat created by himself, he realized his previous guess was wrong.


    The system should just be a pure tool. Perhaps sometimes its reactions make it seem as if it has human intelligence and consciousness, but that¡¯s only because the system¡¯s logic settingse from himself¡ªof course Bai Yi knows how to deal with himself!


    ¡°However, being so clearly arranged by someone, with all reactions within their expectations, still feels ufortable.¡±


    <i>¡ªEven if that person is himself.</i>


    Sulkily puffing his cheeks, just as Bai Yi thought everything was over and was about to proceed with the usual clearance settlement, the system narration suddenly appeared, with lines of text floating into view.


    <i>[You have be the honorary chairman of the Federal Artists Association.] </i>


    <i>[You have obtained the highest authority of the Federal Artists Association.] </i>


    <i>[ording to your authority, you are eligible to know the highest secrets of the Federation. Do you choose to uncover the hidden world view of this instance?]</i>


    ¡°To be honest, this system setting is too rigid. Is there anyone who would choose ¡®no¡¯?¡± Bai Yiined, then suddenly raised his hand and shouted loudly, ¡°I choose no!¡±


    The system paused for a second, then text appeared.


    <i>[Curiosity is human nature. With the truth right before your eyes, not uncovering it is no different from being a cker. You are determined to uncover the hidden world view of this instance.]</i>


    ¡°Is it okay to mock yourself like this? The ckers protest¡­¡±


    <i>[You fully utilize your authority and obtain the highest secrets investigated by countless Federation artists over the years¡ª]</i>


    ¡°So, the choice between yes and no was indeed meaningless, right¡­¡±


    Amidst Bai Yi¡¯s muttering, the system¡¯s prompts continued to appear, disregarding him.


    <i>[All things that have life must die, and worlds are no exception. Bnce is the highestw in the infinite universe of the void. It dictates that every world will have a day when it reaches its end and enters its final chapter.]</i>


    <i>[At every moment, as new worlds are born in the void, old worlds die, keeping the void¡¯s energy in a state of eternal cycle and conservation. This is the supremew of bnce.]</i>


    <i>[The death of a world is called ¡°Returning to the Void¡±.]</i>


    <i>[But the forms of returning to the void differ. Different worlds will step into death in different forms. It could be a sudden natural disaster, it could be man-made cmities within the world, or it could be an irresistible catastrophe from outside the world.]</i>


    <i>[This world has stepped into the third type of returning to the void.]</i>


    <i>[¡ªMiu Yin opened the door to the void.]</i>


    <i>[As a struggling painter who viewed painting as life, no, as more important than life, his overly ordinary talent couldn¡¯t support his dream of bing a world-renowned great painter. Instead, it repeatedly gave him setbacks and despair, making him gradually sink into desperation after countless failures.]</i>


    <i>[Until he recognized his own mediocrity,pletely gave up hope in his talent, and no longer ced hope in effort, but began to seek all illusory and unknown support.]</i>


    <i>[He first sank into hallucinogenic drugs, then participated in illegal gatherings, praying to non-existent, void revtions.]</i>


    <i>[He believed the absurd words of evil rituals promising divine favor and artistic talent in exchange. In the hallucinations brought by drugs, he raised a knife against his wife and daughter.]</i>


    <i>[His wife¡¯s skin, his daughter¡¯s blood, the emotions conveyed by extreme love and hate, the inspiration burst forth from drug-induced euphoria, all collided in the depths of his twisted soul. He saw the truth of the world, saw that destruction is eternal, and the unique ¡°The Sabbath¡± was born.]</i>


    <i>[When he sobered up from the chaos, he cried andughed.]</i>


    <i>[He created an unprecedented painting that made him famous worldwide, but also lost everything.]</i>


    <i>[At this moment, Miu Yin¡¯s mental will broke through the limits of ordinary people under stimtion. Iparable spirituality allowed him to touch existences outside the world, opening the door to the void.]</i>


    <i>[The pollution of the future seeped into this world.]</i>


    <i>[Miu Yinmitted suicide, and ¡°The Sabbath¡±, carrying all his emotions and mental will, became the source of pollution in this world. The hidden vengeful spirit in the painting frantically cursed each owner of the artwork, and the opened door to the void spread the memes of madness and pollution throughout the world.]</i>


    <i>[Artists rose up, bing extraordinary beings.]</i>


    <i>[From then on, this world weed the peak of artistic prosperity, but also gradually moved towards the countdown to returning to the void.]</i>


    <i>[The top artists of the Artists Association, with their superhuman spirituality, captured information about returning to the void from the void, attempting to change fate and save this dying world. They wanted to cultivate more artists to dy the spread of madness and pollution, while also nurturing an artist surpassing all others to create a work that wouldpletely cure the source of pollution.]</i>


    <i>[¡ªBut they didn¡¯t know that returning to the void is an inevitable result for every world, just like the metabolism inside the human body where aging cells must wither. It¡¯s not something that can be changed by one person¡¯s power. Unless aging cells are rejuvenated, and a dying world undergoes a fundamental transformation and ascension.]</i>


    <i>[¡ªThe difficulty of this is equivalent to a mortal who should follow the rules of birth, aging, sickness, and death defying fate to embark on the path of immortality, escaping the cycle of life and death.]</i>


    <i>[And this world obviously doesn¡¯t have such an opportunity.]</i>


    ¡°Returning to the void? The source of pollution outside the world? Escaping birth, aging, sickness, and death, and ascending anew?¡±


    Looking at the fading text before his eyes, Bai Yi recited it with interest.


    ¡°It seems you know a lot more than I do, system.¡± He smiled and said, ¡°Are these things deliberately revealed to the current me? Is this why the future me sent you here? Because the real world also has a day of returning to the void, and I need to hurry?¡±


    At this point, he snapped his fingers as if suddenly realizing something.


    ¡°Ah, I remember now. You once said there are only three ways to resolve the endless noise of all thingspleting one¡¯s own ascension, helping everyone in the world ascend, and clearing the nightmare game to be an almighty being¡­¡±


    As he pondered, Bai Yi¡¯s smile grew brighter. ¡°Oh my, it seems I¡¯ve been tricked~ If it¡¯s just about resolving the noise pollution of Rhythm of All Things, as things stand now, the Web of Thoughts can already do part of it.¡±


    ¡°Those three paths should be for fighting against returning to the void, right? And they might not even seed, it¡¯s just a big possibility.¡±


    Although he didn¡¯t get an answer from the system, Bai Yi was sure his thoughts were correct.


    After all, he understood himself well, regardless of which version.


    ¡°Damn, I really was tricked¡­¡±


    Realizing the truth, Bai Yi felt resentful.


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s my future self¡­¡±


    ¡°Deceiving yourself, are you even human?¡±


    System: ¡­


    In the frozen instance world, only Bai Yi was talking to himself, his face alternating between frustration, displeasure, contemtion, and excitement, truly looking quite unwell. If the system were a self-aware intelligent life, it would probably be scared enough to run away.


    Fortunately, the system doesn¡¯t have the emotion of fear.


    After venting his resentment and displeasure, Bai Yi finally brought his derailed train of thought back to the main topic.


    ¡°By the way, what was the main topic again¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s that the real world might also face returning to the void.¡±


    Bai Yi, having regained his focus, fell into deep thought.


    ¡°Natural disaster? Man-made cmity? Invasion from outside the world? Which one could it be¡­¡±


    He felt an inexplicable excitement in his heart.


    ¡°But is it really okay to give me such a clich¨¦ script of saving the world?¡±


    ¡°Pinning hopes on me to clear the game before the world returns to the void, do I look like a righteous savior? Or does my future self have some misunderstanding about myself¡­¡±


    To be honest, living in a garbage dump wasn¡¯t pleasant; it was more of a torment.


    If the world were to end now, letting him sink into eternal silence along with the garbage dump, it didn¡¯t seem like an uneptable future.


    At least, those incessant whispers, those endless murmurs flooding into his mind, would all disappearpletely. He might finally be able to get a good sleep, right?


    Thinking about it this way, why did he feel a bit of anticipation?


    At this moment, Bai Yi almost shouted. ¡°Human power has its limits, I won¡¯t be human anymore¡­ No, no, that¡¯s not right. I won¡¯t save the world! System, exit!¡±


    <i>No, no, no, wait, wait, wait. Stepping into destruction along with the garbage dump, in other words, wouldn¡¯t that mean dying buried in a stinking pile of trash? Isn¡¯t that way of dying too miserable to bear?</i>


    This terrifying thought suddenly struck him, sweeping away that bit of anticipation in Bai Yi¡¯s heart.


    <i>It seems he can only obediently y his savior game¡­</i>


    ¡°¡­ After all, only I truly understand myself.¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 65

    Chapter 65


    [Sessfully cleared the nightmare fragment [Land of Art]]


    [Instance level: ¡ï¡ï¡î]


    [Clearance rating: S]


    [Points earned: 25]


    [Achievements unlocked: [Social Butterfly] [One Big Happy Family] [Master of Seduction, King of the Sea] [Blood and Flesh Sacrifice] [Illusion of Paradise] [Music Grave Digger] [So Love Disappears, Right?] [Healed, Yet Depressed] [It¡¯s the Grim Reaper, Not the Food God]]


    [Note: You obtained nine achievements in one instance, truly living up to the name of a ruthless achievement-grinding machine. Your task reward is increased by 50%, and you will have a chance to draw special items and special objects.]


    [Hidden instance unlocked: [All-Round Artist]] [


    Instance level: ¡ï¡ï¡ï]


    [Clearance rating: S] [Points earned: 30]


    [Achievement unlocked: [God of All-Round Art]]


    [Note: Youpleted main task 7/3, achieving over 200%pletion rate on the original basis, iming seven divine titles, and aplishing an unattainable achievement in the nightmare fragment instance.]


    [God of Depressing Art]


    [Note: You pioneered a unique field of depressing art in the nightmare fragment instance, single-handedly guiding and distorting the aesthetic preferences of countless artists, developing a school of depressing art, founding your own style, worthy of being called the God of Depressing Art.]


    [Special reward draw begins.]


    [Hidden world view unlocked, you obtained the special item ¡°Fragment of the Principle of All Things¡± x1.]


    [You obtained a special drop: Nightmare Crystal (Green) x10.]


    [Note: This is a special instance. The item purchase channel has been opened. yers can use points to buy corresponding items from this nightmare fragment instance. All items are now avable in the system store.]


    [You obtained a three-star character card¡­]


    As soon as he left the game instance, a string of system prompts appeared.


    Distorted and blurry characters floated and dissipated in mid-air, followed by rippling golden light. A card, seemingly both real and illusory, slowly coalesced in the golden ripples.


    Bai Yi reached out to catch it.


    However, his attention wasn¡¯t fully on this newly acquired character card.


    ¡°New feature? System store? Are game points finally useful now¡­¡±


    While opening the system store, Bai Yi casually nced at his basic stats panel.


    It had been over a month since the nightmare game descended. Bai Yi had cleared countless instances, big and small. Since game points previously had no use, they had umted to a considerable amount.


    **


    Name: Bai Yi


    Age: 17


    Talent: Rhythm of All Things lv10 (10% awakened)


    Life Skills (only showing lv1 and above): Persuasion lv3 Iron Stomach lv3 Personality Mask lv2


    Extraordinary Skills:


    Dark Cuisine lv1


    Blind Man¡¯s Praise lv1


    Web of Thoughts lv10


    [Note: Special skill rted to the talent Rhythm of All Things, level increases with talent awakening.]


    Points: 230


    Card Slots:


    [Ghost in the Rainy Night¡ï]


    [Flower Speaker¡ï¡ï¡î]


    [Puppet Master¡ï¡ï]


    [Way of the Lawless¡ï¡ï¡î]


    Inventory: Nightmare Crystal (Green) x25, Nightmare Crystal (White) x10, Puppet Master¡¯s Diary


    **


    230 points? He wondered about their purchasing power¡­ With this thought, Bai Yi looked at the system store that opened before his eyes.


    As he focused, the apartment seemed to warp in time and space. Illusory starry skies flickered around him, surrounded by countless floating bubbles. Each bubble seemed to contain something.


    Bai Yi concentrated, staring at the nearest bubble. He immediately saw a floating scroll within it, and more information appeared before his eyes as if by divine inspiration:


    [The Last Supper 10 points]


    [Type: Artifact / Depressing Artwork]


    [Source: Joey, God of Depressing Art]


    [Effect: Indiscriminate Mental Pollution]


    [Description: Performs a will check on all creatures within a certain range. Creatures that fail the check will suffer indiscriminate mental pollution. The extent and duration of mental pollution depend on the creature¡¯s will strength and the artifact¡¯s different effects, possibly triggering various pollution states such as ¡°Self-Cannibalism,¡± ¡°Cannibalism,¡± ¡°Incestuous Love,¡± ¡°Murderous Hatred,¡± etc.]


    [Note: yer touching the bubble is considered purchasing the item. The system will automatically deduct points.]


    ¡°???¡± Several big question marks appeared above Bai Yi¡¯s head. ¡°If I remember correctly, this should be my own work, right?¡±


    Saying this, his gaze seriously scanned several bubbles. There were sculptures, musical scores, poetry collections, beautifully packaged snacks¡­One bubble after another passed before his eyes. ¡°Holy Prayer Song¨CDepressing Version,¡± ¡°White Dove,¡± ¡°Alice¡¯s Death,¡± ¡°God Beyond Dimensions¡±¡­ And the source column for these items all clearly stated ¡ª [Joey, God of Depressing Art].


    After confirming with his eyes, these were indeed his works!


    ¡°Good grief! I have to spend points to buy my own works? What kind of profiteer designed this system¡­¡±


    After instinctivelyining, Bai Yi suddenly realized something and fell into a brief silence.


    <i>It seemed that the profiteer was himself?</i>


    <i>Cough, it looks like he can¡¯tin about the system as happily as before~</i>


    <i>[Although these are the yer¡¯s own works, bringing them out of the instance requires some energy for transportation. The yer should bear the transportation cost, which is 1/10 of the marked price. No additional fees are charged beyond the transportation cost.]</i>


    <i>[For items not created by the yer, the purchase price remains the original price.]</i>


    In the illusory space, lines of text slowly appeared as the system program reminded.


    <i>[Note: Due to the special nature of the Death Gallery, yers can choose to purchase the ¡°Death Gallery Mega Pack¡± containing 99 paintings. The yer can designate three of their own works, while the remaining 96 paintings are random. The price is much lower than buying the ¡°Death Gallery¡± and then purchasing 99 paintings separately.]</i>


    Following the system¡¯s prompt, Bai Yi saw more bubbles floating in this space.


    ¡°The Sabbath,¡± ¡°Evil Spirit,¡± ¡°Autumn Field,¡± ¡°Death Gallery,¡± ¡°Fallen Saint¡±¡­ Special items from the entire Land of Art filled this space, all wrapped in intangible bubbles, like countless stars revolving around Bai Yi.


    Bai Yi quickly found the ¡°Death Gallery Mega Pack,¡± priced at exactly 60 points.


    Besides this, there were also things like the Depressing Music Mega Pack and ¡°Joey¡¯s Collection of Depressing Literature¡± that looked quite peculiar.


    ¡°Hmm, this looks interesting, I¡¯ll buy it!¡±


    ¡°This one seems fun too¡­¡±


    ¡°And this one, this one, this one¡­¡±


    In short, he bought, bought, bought, and bought!


    ¡°La~¡±


    In the starry skyposed of countless illusory bubbles, Bai Yi was like a child who had found a new toy, constantly scooping up the stars floating around him, happily humming a tune.


    In that cheerful melody without lyrics, all 230 points were spent.


    Only when the panel showed a big zero did Bai Yi finally stop.


    He dismissed the starry sky, his brilliant smile still showing some lingering excitement.


    ¡­He had thought game points were useless before.


    ¡­But now, it was truly delightful!


    As the starry sky faded, Bai Yi sat down at the table, casually scooping from the air. An ancient scroll, a mix of sacred and evil, slowly materialized. It was one of the many items he had bought.


    This scroll had a strange texture, like the pale moonlight reflecting on a maiden¡¯s skin, cold yet smooth. As the scroll appeared, the rich fragrance of fresh blood seemed to seep from the paper, as if blood had dyed the maiden¡¯s skin, giving off an unusually enticing sweet and tangy smell.


    Bai Yi looked up.


    Large swaths of blood-red spread across the paper, like a burning sky at sunset¡ªit was a vast field of blooming roses. But upon closer inspection, there were no roses at all. It was clearly countless intertwined bloody shadows, stretching wildly, like hands broken and twisted on the ground, still struggling desperately for help.


    ¡°So this is ¡®The Sabbath¡¯?¡±


    Bai Yi let go as if electrocuted, allowing the eerie scroll to float gently onto the table.


    In the unfolded scroll, the rose bushes burned like mes. A family of three stood amidst the burning roses. On the left was a man in a white shirt, pale and thin, like a skeleton wrapped in ayer of skin. On the right was a woman in a ck gauze dress, wearing a matching gauze hat, her face covered with a thin ck veil, revealing only her beautifully shaped chin and red lips pressed in a slight smile.


    A little girl stood between this seemingly mismatched couple, holding one hand of each. Her soft, deep ck hair cascaded over her shoulders, topped with arge red bow. She faced the painter with a radiant smile, revealing deep dimples.


    ¡ªThis appeared to be a very happy, sweet family portrait. Yet it inexplicably brought a sense of horror and eeriness.


    Behind the sweet smiles, there seemed to be endless hatred, endless curses, endless screams, pouring out like an overwhelming tide. They transformed into endless noise pollution, cascading towards Bai Yi, almost turning his mind upside down!


    <i>Bang!</i>


    This close and unexpected impact made Bai Yi take several steps back the moment he let go of the painting, steadying himself as he sat on the bed.


    He held his head in his hands.


    This feeling, it had been a long time¡­


    Since establishing the Web of Thoughts, this was the first time he had experienced such a close mental impact, once again tasting the feeling of being filled with garbage that he had experienced for over a decade in the past.


    ¡°Oh my, it really is¡­¡± After a moment of buffering, Bai Yi slowly raised his head, his gaze fixed on the unfolded scroll on the table. ¡°I let my guard down.¡±


    ¡°Although I know it wasn¡¯t intentional sabotage, if I don¡¯t return this garbage, I just can¡¯t swallow this¡­¡±


    He slowly stood up from the bed.


    The invisible web spread out ordingly.


    <i>Whoosh¡­</i>


    Like an endless river flowing backwards, the hatred, curses, fear, anger¡­ the ck mud umted over a hundred years that had poured out from the ancient painting was now being sent back by Bai Yi.


    Vague screams seemed to echo in his ears.


    After giving the jumbled mess in his mind a thorough cleaning, Bai Yi felt refreshed.


    When he came to his senses and looked again, the scroll on the table had changed imperceptibly.


    The little girl who had been facing outwards and the woman standing on the right had unknowingly turned their heads to the left, staring fixedly towards the far right.


    Ghost fire burned in their hollow eyes.


    Bai Yi curiously followed their gaze.


    On the far left of the scroll, the skeletal man¡¯s face was twisted in terror. His originally snow-white shirt gradually developed one bloody imprint after anotherrge fingernail marks, small handprints, various scratches.


    These bloody imprints densely covered his shirt from nothing, then spread along his neck and arms, gradually covering his entire skin, appearing grotesque and horrifying.


    It was as if two invisible hands were constantly tearing at his soul, leaving bloody marks.


    The man¡¯s mouth was wide open.


    He stared unblinkingly at Bai Yi, his direct gaze revealing an intense plea, as if begging for help from the only living person in this room.


    ¡°Tsk, how ugly~¡±


    Bai Yi shook his head in disgust, walked over and picked up the scroll. The figures in the painting immediately froze like mice under a cat¡¯s gaze, and the man¡¯s terrified expression rxed slightly.


    Then, Bai Yi flipped it over, cing it back on the table with the reverse side up.


    There, that¡¯s better. No need to worry about ugly things bothering him anymore!


    ¡°¡­?¡±


    At that very moment, Bai Yi seemed to hear a heart-wrenching scream, and an incredibly thick smell of blood instantly spread out.


    Yet oddly, there wasn¡¯t a trace of blood on the scroll.


    He didn¡¯t see the bloody scene unfolding on the open scroll¡ª


    Amidst the screams, in the blink of an eye, the man in the painting turned into a bloody mess. His entire skin peeled off his body, quickly devoured by the rose bushes resembling human hands behind him, leaving only a mass of flesh rolling and wailing among the roses.


    Secondster, everything returned to calm. The scroll blurred, the blood-red rose bushes writhed, and the painting returned to its original appearance that Bai Yi had first seen.


    ¡ªA man in a clean, neat white shirt, an elegant and beautiful woman with a ck veil, and a sweet-smiling little girl, with blood-red rose bushes blooming behind them.


    As if that terrible scene had never happened.


    Then, in the next moment, as if a cycle began anew, dense bloody prints and w marks crawled all over the man¡¯s body. Amidst screams, apleteyer of skin peeled off him.


    This process repeated three times in just five minutes, constantly ying out in a loop in the painted world. The hatred in the woman¡¯s and little girl¡¯s eyes grew more intense, and increasing madness crept into their pupils along with bloodshot veins¡­ Some extremely strong negative emotion continued to condense and grow stronger with each cycle.


    ¡ªSince this painting¡¯s creation, they had been repeating this cycle within it.


    In this constant cycle, far from diminishing, their hatred had only grown deeper. This was why Bai Yi had been caught off guard when he first unrolled the scroll.


    ¡ªThe Rhythm of All Things made him extremely sensitive to such mental and spiritual presences. Ordinary people might not be affected by this painting so quickly, but he had actively sensed it all.


    At this moment, even without directly seeing the scenes unfolding on the scroll, just relying on the perception from the Rhythm of All Things and hearing the screams, Bai Yi could understand what was happening.


    A thought crossed his mind¡ª


    ¡°ording to the background in the nightmare fragment instance, every owner of ¡®The Sabbath¡¯ would descend into madness and destruction after a period of time. That¡¯s why this dark scripture was regarded as a cursed painting, with every owner suffering its curse¡­¡±


    Bai Yi keenly noticed that after each cycle of skin-peeling, the resentment and special soul energy condensed on this scroll grew stronger.


    Based on this, he deduced that as the cycles and reincarnations reached a certain number, the umted hatred of the vengeful spirits in the painting would grow stronger and stronger. Eventually, it would break through some boundary, affecting the owner of the scroll in reality, causing mental pollution¡­ Perhaps this was the truth behind the ¡°curse¡±?


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be just this¡­¡±


    As the source of pollution in the nightmare fragment instance, the trigger that opened the door to that world¡¯s oblivion, besides mental pollution, it should have other abilities¡­


    ¡­Or maybe his guess was wrong, and it wasn¡¯t thatplicated. Perhaps there was no resentment pollution at all, and it was purely the vengeful spirits in the painting iming lives!


    As he pondered, the mental impacts around him continued endlessly. Ceaseless noise lifted the top of Bai Yi¡¯s skull, lining up to drill into his mind.


    <i>Gurgle~</i>


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    Rubbing his rumbling stomach, Bai Yi looked serious. ¡°What should I eat¡­¡±


    Earlier he had been caught off guard, but now Bai Yi had adapted well. Amidst the apaniment of screams and curses, he still had the mind to think about dinner.


    Seeming to remember something, Bai Yi walked to the kitchen and quickly found a not-so-lively fish in a basin. He skillfully scooped it up and mmed it onto the cutting board with a ¡°thwack¡±.


    ¡°Indeed, there¡¯s still one fish left!¡±


    By now, it was twilight.


    The glow of the setting sun shone through the kitchen window, falling on the cooking counter, on the young man standing before it, on his raised cleaver and its gleaming de.


    <i>Swoosh!</i>


    With one chop, blood sttered, and the head separated from the body.


    The scene was quite bloody for a moment.


    ¡­It made Bai Yi¡¯s mouth water.


    He revealed the expression of a scientist researching truth, solemnly dering.


    ¡°This fish looks delicious at first nce~¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s perfect to try out the depressing dark cuisine enhanced by the new instance!¡±


    As mes rose, his phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated, the screen lighting up with an official announcement.


    <i>¡ªYao Country has issued a global first-ss arrest warrant. K, the culprit of the Yuanyang City Rainy Night Serial Killer case, had overnight climbed to the top of two wanted lists.</i><hr>


    We are currently recruiting. CN/KR/JP Trantors/MTLers are wee!


    Discord Server: https://discord.gg/HGaByvmVuw

 Chapter 66

    Chapter 66


    ¡°They¡¯ve gone mad! They¡¯ve all gone mad!¡±


    The intense gunfire prated through the thick iron door of the basement. Faint cries and screams could be heard. Kahn and his two sons huddled trembling in the basement, their faces still bearing expressions of shock, anger, and disbelief.


    Even though local public security had never been peaceful, and armed robbery gangs were not umon ¨C as one of the most backward and chaotic small countries on Blue Star, darkness and evil had long taken root in this soil, growing alongside the nation ¨C such unrest and danger in the past had ultimately been aimed at the humblemoners. As a country that had not yet shed its feudal atmosphere and where bloodline theory prevailed, these dangers had never threatened him, the honorable Viscount.


    This country, even as it entered the industrial age, had never abandoned its faith in deities or its reverence for bloodlines. They believed in the existence of ancestral spirits, that those of noble blood were born noble, blessed by ancestral spirits for generations, while those of lowly blood were sinners in their past lives. Thetter were meant to engage in the lowest work, endure everything ¨C only thus could they wash away their sins and enter reincarnation with a clean te, praying for good fortune in their next life.


    Under the shadow of such ideology, the submissive people epted their fate, while those of noble blood did as they pleased. Such a frenzied attack on a nobleman was beyond Lord Kahn¡¯sprehension!


    Unless these people had already given up everything,pletely disregarding the terrible revenge that awaited them, and not caring about falling into theherworld after death, suffering for generations with their bodies full of sin.


    Lord Kahn, who had ¡°hit the jackpot¡±, was so angry his voice trembled.


    This was undoubtedly a provocation against him.


    ¡°Those lowly people, those lowly people¡­ how dare they¡­¡±On a rare family outing, vacationing at a suburban manor, they suddenly encountered an attack by a gang of armed bandits. This group seemed to have nned in advance, who knows how many days they had lurked outside the manor. Under the sudden attack, the few guards they had brought could barely hold them off. Kahn himself and his two sons took advantage of the guards¡¯ dying tactics to hurriedly hide in the secret room deep in the back garden.


    Just thinking about the castle manor that had been carefully maintained by his family for generations, now probably being ruthlessly destroyed by a mob of rioters, the precious collections he hadn¡¯t had time to secure likely already destroyed by those ignorant lowlifes, Lord Kahn, who had been lording over this area for over thirty years, felt a suffocating pain in his heart. He instinctively clutched at his chest, unable to breathe.


    Never before had anyone dared to challenge his authority like this!


    Anger, heartache, shock, and some unspeakable fear, all churned together in his heart. Add to that the soreness in all his fat from the intense activity, and Lord Kahn, who had barely made it into the secret room, felt dizzy and started to copse.


    ¡°Father! Father! Are you alright?¡±


    The two sons, faces pale with fright, quickly ran over to support him from both sides.


    But just as they reached out to help Lord Kahn, these two young masters, their bodies hollowed out by wine and women, clearly overestimated their strength. Not only were they unable to steady him, but they were also crushed by Kahn¡¯s enormous weight. The three of them stumbled backwards and fell to the ground!


    <i>Bang!</i>


    ¡°You two useless fools!¡± Kahn took a long while to recover from the pain of nearly breaking his tailbone. Angrily, he swatted away the arms of his two sons as they tried to help him again. He pushed himself up using the wall and the ground. ¡°Useless waste!¡±


    The two sons immediately shrank back, not daring to speak.


    Kahn couldn¡¯t be bothered to look at these two useless fellows again. He turned his gaze towards the iron door of the basement.


    The design of this secret room was extremely covert. There were no lights inside, only a few strange gems embedded in the corner of the wall, emitting a faint light in the extreme darkness.


    The light illuminated a tall, thin silhouette by the iron door. He was crouching at the entrance, extremely alert, seemingly listening to the movements outside while asionally ncing back at the three of them, clearly in a posture of full vignce and protection.


    Kahn quietly let out a sigh of relief.


    These two useless sons were predictably of no use at all, but fortunately, he wasn¡¯tpletely without a capable person by his side!


    Lord Kahn was extremely satisfied with this butler whom he had personally chosen and kept by his side for five years, both for his intelligence and quick wit, as well as his unwavering loyalty.


    Speaking of which, although this young man was about the same age as his sons, setting aside their status, Kahn knew full well that his two sonsbined were no match for him.


    Just like during the sudden attack earlier, those two fools could only shout and scream, while this young butler was able to quickly regain hisposure after the initial panic and lead the father and sons to escape immediately.


    But in this country, noble birth was the greatest asset. For those born lowly, no matter how capable they were, there was an invisible ceiling hanging over this country, the limit of what they could achieve. This young man was good in every way, but he justcked that bit of luck!


    Being able to serve as the highest-ranking butler by Lord Kahn¡¯s side was already infinitely close to the peak this young man could climb to.


    For this very reason, Kahn felt at ease using him. He even had ns ¨C such a young man of extraordinary talent who couldn¡¯t rise due to his lowly bloodline would be perfect to assist his foolish sons, whichever of the two idiots it might be. For this, he didn¡¯t mind appearing more tolerant and kind, to gain wholehearted loyalty in return.


    ¡°i,e here!¡± The Lord Kahn, known locally as greedy, lecherous, cruel, and cold-blooded, took a breath to calm the anger and fear surging in his heart. He called to the young man by the metal door in the kind tone of an elder addressing a junior, ¡°Hey,d, don¡¯t stand guard there like a fool!¡±


    The young butler turned back vigntly. In the dim light of the basement, his deep blue pupils were like star stones settled in darkness. He hesitated for a moment.


    He shouldn¡¯t have hesitated. Usually, he never showed the slightest hesitation towards any of Lord Kahn¡¯s orders.


    But now, he clearly showed hesitation he shouldn¡¯t have had.


    ¡°My lord¡­¡± He responded hesitantly, taking steps towards the father and sons while unable to resist looking back at the iron door, ¡°Outside¡­¡±


    Lord Kahn clearly saw what he was worried about. The slight displeasure that had just risen in his heart immediately dissipated, and a fleeting smile of satisfaction shed across his face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, i. It¡¯s safe here.¡± Looking at this loyal young man, his voice became even more gentle, with a tone of unique pride, ¡°Those lowly people can¡¯t possibly find their way here! This secret room is the result of several generations of our family¡¯s efforts, designed by several masters¡­¡±


    The young butler, having set aside his worries, came to stand near the father and sons. He seemed to pay no attention to the envious and displeased nces from the other two, only stopping a few steps in front of Lord Kahn, lowering his head slightly as usual, looking loyal and submissive ¨C if anyone were to burst in through the iron door, his posture ensured he could protect Lord Kahn immediately.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so tense now.¡± Kahn was satisfied in his heart, and this brutal lord showed a rare benevolent side, ¡°Those rioters don¡¯t have the ability to open the secret room. After ransacking the ce and failing to find anyone, they¡¯ll leave with the gold, silver, and jewels. All we need to do now is wait quietly¡­¡± At this point, a sh of cruelty gleamed in the folds of fat on his cheeks, ¡°Once we¡¯re free, these lowly people will taste their just desserts! The ancestral spirits will never bless these vile sinners!¡±


    The young butler stood quietly before him, his tone firm and strong. ¡°Yes, sinners must face their retribution!¡±


    Thinking about the fate of those people, Kahn¡¯s anger and heartache finally eased somewhat. He had already started arranging punishments for those audacious rioters in his mind¡­


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Suddenly, a huge explosion erupted outside the metal door, startling the two useless sons whose faces turned pale as they almost jumped up and huddled together. The door of the secret room began to shake violently, as if hit by a fierce wind or washed by a tsunami!


    ¡°Bang bang bang bang bang!¡±


    Following that was the sound of countless rounds of ammunition being fired. This sound was almost deafening, stirring up a storm of shock and fear in the hearts of the three!


    ¡°Don¡¯t panic! Don¡¯t panic!¡± Amidst the gunfire, Lord Kahn shouted at his two sons who were already wailing in terror. His voice was loud and strong, ¡°This door is made of special metal material, mere gunfire and ammunition can¡¯t possibly¡­¡±


    <i>Bang!</i>


    Another loud noise, and the tightly closed metal door burst open.


    Someone rushed in.


    A thick, pervasive smell of gunpowder filled the air.


    Lord Kahn¡¯s mouth gaped open. In the smoke that instantly filled the secret room, hisposed expression twisted into one of shock and disbelief. ¡°This is impossible¡­¡±


    His mind had never raced so quickly as it did at this moment. In a sh, he seemed to realize a possibility.


    Given the material of this door, it couldn¡¯t possibly be easily destroyed by firepower, unless there was a problem with the door itself, that it wasn¡¯t in its most perfectly sealed state¡­


    And the only one who had the opportunity to tamper with it¡­


    Lord Kahn suddenly looked at the person in front of him.


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s you!¡±


    The man standing before him let out a soft sigh. At the same moment, the dark muzzle of a gun pointed towards Lord Kahn and his sons.


    The young butler raised his head, the curve of his mouth growing wider, his eyes colder than ever before.


    ¡°I regret to say, my lord,¡± his tone still sounded respectful, ¡°I had thought I would stay by your side longer, collecting more damning evidence¡­ Unfortunately, none of that is necessary now.¡±


    As he finished speaking, the dark muzzle of the gun took aim¡­


    ¡°No! Wait, wait! Why¡­¡±


    <i>Bang!</i>


    An angry mob engulfed the bodies on the ground. The hatred long suppressed in their hearts wasn¡¯t cleared away with death. They vented freely, using every means at their disposal.


    The young butler had somehow already walked out of the crowd. He silently watched the frenzy before him, as if observing an inevitable fate.


    ¡°Sinners must face their retribution¡­¡±


    ¡°¡ªThis is the will of the Skywalker.¡±


    Leaving the dim basement, sunlight poured down. The shadow at his feet stretched forward continuously, merging with the darkness from the basement. The outline of that shadow seemed to deepen.


    ¡­¡­.


    ¡°The weather is so nice. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve felt such warm sunshine.¡± On the balcony of the thirteenth floor, a pale and beautiful woman wrapped in a deep red coat leaned against the ss door. Her face was very white, and the exposed wrist from her sleeve was excessively thin. Her whole being exuded an unhealthy, sickly air, but her eyes were beautiful, as if all her vitality burned within them. A single nce could almost draw in one¡¯s soul.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pity, I won¡¯t be able to enjoy this sunshine for much longer.¡±


    The man crouching on the ground gazed up at her adoringly. Hearing this, his expression immediately became agitated, ¡°No, Xiao Yun won¡¯t die¡­¡±


    ¡°Shh, don¡¯t make noise, don¡¯t disturb my sunbathing.¡± The woman patted his face, her lips suddenly curling into a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t you love me? Can¡¯t you live without me? Prove it to me¡­¡±


    The woman leaned forward slightly, the sunlight shining from behind her, her slender and beautiful shadow covering the man.


    ¡°Watching me die while you¡¯re left alone in this world must be very painful, right?¡±


    The expression on the man¡¯s face gradually changed, showing pain.


    Her voice in his ear was as soft as a whisper.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you die first?¡±


    ¡°I will watch you constantly, right until the end.¡±


    Under the loving gaze of his beloved, he fell from the high-rise, plunging towards the abyss, into death.


    ¡­


    In the deep night, at a table by the window, a hand opened an old notebook. Lines of writing appeared on the pages.


    After a period of use, this Puppet Master¡¯s diary had undergone special changes, gaining many extraordinary features.


    For instance, regarding the actions of certain Shadow Council members, as long as there was a certain causal connection to the Shadow Council, and as long as Bai Yi wished, it could be presented in vague, brief text in the diary.


    In that instant, it was as if he could connect through the omnipresent shadows to the shadows deep within those people¡¯s hearts, reading the fleeting inner voices existing in the depths of their minds.


    Bai Yi watched the continuously appearing text.


    It was the action trajectories of new members from all over the world.


    <i>[¡­Sinners must face their retribution. Those who impose baseless sins upon others will be consumed by their own sins, choosing their own path to destruction.]</i>


    <i>[¡­In the name of love, anything can be done. Then, dying for me, you must be willing too, right?]</i>


    <i>[¡­¡­]</i><hr>


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 Chapter 67

    Chapter 67


    ¡°Skywalker, Skywalker, cases flying the Skywalker g are everywhere. This guy, already globally wanted, can still cause such a stir. It¡¯s really unexpected!¡± In Yao Country, at the Special Case Investigation Team, Chu Xingrui eximed in amazement as he looked at the rted news from home and abroad in his hand.


    The ¡°Skywalker¡± he referred to was a nickname, and the subject was K. Literally, it could be understood as ¡°one who acts on behalf of heaven¡±?


    This went back to when ¡°K¡± became wanted by two countries and his name spread globally ¨C In this inte age, when a person gained fame, people naturally flocked to investigate his news, and the cases hemitted became well-known. Since the victims who died at his hands were, strictly speaking, not innocent, and some were even rare scum, someone at some point gave this arrogant wanted criminal such a nickname, which quickly spread throughout Blue Star.


    Of course, mainly his worshippers and supporters would call him by the nickname Skywalker. More people who disliked him never acknowledged that this vicious criminal represented justice, but instead viewed him as a trampler of order, a thug in the name of false justice.


    ¡°???¡± To this, K felt very innocent.


    <i>¡­When did he im to represent justice?</i>


    Bai Yi, who woke up to find himself pushed into the Skywalker title, was even more confused, showing a puzzled cat expression.


    Wasn¡¯t this card the evil ¡°Ghost in the Rainy Night¡±?


    K¡¯s worshippers. <i>Never mind, you¡¯re just a card drawer, what do you know about K!</i>In any case, K inexplicably became a spiritual guide, justice leader, and evil punisher in some people¡¯s minds.


    At first, these people with extreme words on the inte weren¡¯t taken seriously, after all, everyone¡¯s a bit chuunibyou these days.


    But soon, the first copycat crime urred.


    Then the second, the third¡­


    These people all imed to be ¡°Skywalkers¡±.


    Everyone suddenly realized that among K¡¯s worshippers, there weren¡¯t just chuunibyou keyboard warriors shouting slogans, but there were actually quite a few activists who dared to practice so-called ¡°justice¡±.


    Bai Yi, of course, also saw those news reports.


    ¡°Tsk, their methods of cleaning up trash are too poor. Not only can¡¯t they clean thoroughly, but they¡¯ve also sttered themselves with filth¡­¡± His first reaction was to shake his head, then his eyes lit up, ¡°However, if we could organize these many prospective cleaners, teach them how to properly identify and clean up trash, wouldn¡¯t my Bai¡¯s Global Environmental Protection Company be poised for growth and expansion?¡±


    Thinking this, Bai Yi could hardly wait.


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s about time for the Shadow Council to expand as well.¡±


    After all, K was currently a nominal member of the Shadow Council as the ¡°Untamed Soul¡±. In other words, the Skywalker belonged to the Shadow Council, so weren¡¯t these garbage cleaners who viewed the Skywalker as their spiritual guide naturally prospective members of the Shadow Council? If they heard that the Skywalker was developing them, they would surely be delighted, right?


    As for how to develop these prospective members scattered around the world, with the existence of the Web of Thoughts, as long as Bai Yi was willing, he could silently transmit special mental waves to anyone.


    Additionally, with members like Tian Yin who had already joined, simple message delivery tasks could be assigned to them.


    Silently, the Shadow Council expanded outward. Some countries that were originally not within the council¡¯s scope were gradually enveloped in shadows, and the fates of many people fell into the shadows.


    Sir Khan was the first lucky one in that country.


    ¨CThe butler who had been collecting evidence around him all along, after bing a member of the Shadow Council, finally realized that no matter how much or howplete the evidence he collected was, it was impossible to let nobles who made thews sanction nobles themselves.


    ¨CHe broke through his original concepts, persuaded a group of like-minded individuals, and made moves he never dared to make before!


    In the Special Case Investigation Team, Chu Xingrui listlessly flipped through the news from around the world, especially those cases rted to the Skywalker, which made him click his tongue in wonder. ¡°Overall, our Yao Country seems to be the calmest, with few simr cases. That small backward country in the west is really in turmoil, how many nobles have died there?¡±


    He didn¡¯t feel much sympathy, after all, apart from a title, he couldn¡¯t really enjoy much substantial royal treatment. Joining the Special Case Investigation Team, he believed his status was only a factor, while his abilities ounted for nine-tenths.


    Others couldn¡¯t have much sympathy either. Liu Ningshuang, eating melon seeds on the side, shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s the inevitable development of the times. In this era, those who still oppress and rule the people must be crazy, right? I find it quite unbelievable that the people there have only just had an outbreak now.¡±


    At this time, it was the lunch break, and everyone gathered to chat.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I also find it unbelievable. In this day and age, there are still people who believe in bloodline theory¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, here¡¯s an interesting one,¡± Chu Xingrui suddenly seemed to see some news and sat up straight, ¡°It¡¯s from Ningxi Province in our Yao Country. A man fell to his death from the 13th floor. At the time of the incident, only his wife was with him on the balcony, but he wasn¡¯t pushed down, he jumped himself.¡±


    ¡°Jumped by himself? Why? Couldn¡¯t pay off debts? Life not going well and depressed? Mentally unstable?¡±


    ¡°Not sure, probably a mental issue. That¡¯s what his wife said. ording to the investigation, this person likely did have some mental problems. Previously, because his wife was driven home by a male colleague, he kept her locked up at home for nearly a year without going out, until recently when he seemed to suddenlye to his senses and took his wife to the hospital, where they found severe injuries¡­¡±


    ¡°Scum!¡± Liu Ningshuang immediately frowned, sneering with disdain, ¡°Is this realizing his mistake andmitting suicide to atone?¡±


    Chu Xingrui wasn¡¯t sure either. He looked puzzledly at the video transmitted through internal channels, watching the beautiful and sad woman in the frame. ¡°I feel like his wife¡¯s reaction isn¡¯t quite right¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s not right? It can¡¯t possibly be rted to the Skywalker, right?¡± Liu Ningshuang leaned over to take a look, muttering something like ¡°Wow, a beauty¡± under her breath, casually joking.


    Chu Xingruiughed, and so did the others.


    ¡°Ha, of course not!¡±


    ****


    Yuanyang City, second floor of an apartment in the old town.


    The light from theputer screen reflected in his eyes, as news about the Skywalker scrolled past in his pupils. Bai Yi¡¯s two fingers tapped lightly on the desk, feeling the legend degree of the ¡°Puppet Master¡± card rising crazily during this period.


    ¡°Well, well, not bad~¡±


    Suddenly, as if sensing something, his half-squinted eyes opened wide, looking up into the air.


    ¡°Is the legend degree full¡­¡±


    In Bai Yi¡¯s line of sight, an illusory card suddenly appeared, its faint glow illuminating the entire room.


    On the front of the card, ck mist constantly spread, and an existence hidden underyers of shadows slowly walked out from the depths of the ck mist. He slowly parted the thick fog with one hand, as if about to walk out of the card and fully appear in the world.


    At the same time, a series of words quickly appeared before Bai Yi¡¯s eyes, floating in mid-air.


    <i>[Your card [Puppet Master¡ï¡ï] has collected 100% legend degree, materialized from virtual to real, sessfully manifested!]</i>


    <i>[Do you want to view the details of the manifested card?]</i>


    As Bai Yi confirmed, the card in mid-air quickly flipped over.


    One after another, distorted text reflected in his pupils.


    [Puppet Master¡ï¡ï]


    [Mysterious leader of the Shadow Council]


    [The greatest evil above evil]


    [The puppet master hidden behindyers of curtains]


    [Click to expand details and view card skills.]<ol><li>Shadow Domain lv10 </li></ol>


    Description. Under the shadow is your domain. You can hide in the shadows, be invisible in the shadows, sneak, teleport, like a fish in water, capable of anything. You can ce shadow marks on every member of the Shadow Council, and when necessary, pull all members into another shadow world where the Shadow Council is located through the shadow marks.


    The skill¡¯s strength, duration, and number of people that could be pulled in were determined by the skill level and the yer¡¯s mental willpower. It could stably pull four members into the shadow world for a long time as the ¡°Four Pirs¡± to participate in the Shadow Council; if all members were temporarily brought into the shadow world at once, it would consume a lot of energy, currentlysting at most one minute.


    Note: By leveraging the inherent effects of the Shadow Council scene temte, you sessfully made people believe you could do anything in the shadows, thus giving birth to this special skill.<ol><li>Shadow Lines lv3 </li></ol>


    Description: Everyone has a shadow. Hiding in the shadows, you could imnt shadow lines into other people¡¯s shadows out of thin air. Those imnted with shadow lines would temporarily be your puppets, with every word and action under your control.


    Due to skill level limitations, the current range of this skill was limited to within 300 meters of the yer. People outside this range could not be imnted with shadow lines. After sessful imntation, the yer¡¯s control range over the puppet was unlimited.


    The sess rate of control and the duration after sess were determined by the difference in mental willpower between both parties.


    Note: After sessfully controlling an unfortunate soul through Adams¡¯ ¡°Ghost Possession¡±, your ¡°ability¡± to remotely control others¡¯ actions became widely believed and spread.


    In mid-air, the character card emitted a brilliant light.


    The world seemed to darken for an instant. The shadows of people, animals, buildings¡­ the shadows of all things in the world, in this brief moment, seemed to deepen in color inexplicably, bing even more profound.


    Bai Yi stood at the second-floor window of the apartment, looking down.


    Sparse pedestrians passed on the street, their shadows stretched long by the sunlight, intertwining with the shadows of trees and old town buildings.


    In the depths of those profound shadows, another world seemed to be lurking. Reflected in Bai Yi¡¯s pitch-ck pupils, the inverted image of the entire city seemed to ripple slowly in the depths of the shadows.


    At this moment, in Yao Country, Chenxing Empire, Sang Country¡­ in many ces on Blue Star, many people seemed to suddenly sense something and temporarily stopped their actions.


    Tian Yin, sitting on a shaded path at the Imperial University of Yao Country reading a book; someone walking in a small alley in the King District of the Chenxing Empire; a former Flower Speaker believer, now a Shadow Council member who had just developed a new downline and was about to start preaching on the edge of an ind in Sang Country, having almost been caught for organizing a cult¡­all of them simultaneously lowered their heads.


    The shadows beneath them were as deep as ink, seemingly rippling with vortexes and ripples invisible to ordinary people.


    In the next instant, everyone¡¯s world spun, their entire beings seeming to melt and be pulled into that unfathomable vortex.


    In their infinitely stretched senses, they seemed to pass through a deep shadow, falling into another world constructed ofyers of shadows, seeing countless inverted buildings, like mirror projections of this real world reflected in a mirror.


    At the top of the highest building, a man with a blurred form and appearance sat there, endless shadows spreading out from beneath him, enveloping this world. He seemed to sit high on a divine throne, looking down at everyone who arrived here.


    Around the central building, four slightly shorter buildings rose up. They surrounded the ¡°central tower¡± like four pirs encircling a divine throne. On top of the only building with people, stood a figure wearing a pitch-ck coat and holding a ck umbre.


    ¡ª The Untamed Soul, K.


    On the central high-rise, the man in the shadows lowered his hand, gazing at his own realm and the subjects pulled into it.


    ¡°Wee to the Shadow Council Headquarters¡­¡±


    ¡°Wee to¡­the Shadow Realm.¡±


    <i>Boom!</i>


    Outside the Shadow Realm, in the small space of the second-floor apartment, three cards floated side by side, emitting a brilliantly extreme light.


    <i>[Ghost in the Rainy Night¡ï] </i>


    <i>[Flower Speaker¡ï¡ï¡î] </i>


    <i>[Puppet Master¡ï¡ï]</i>


    Bathed in the radiance, the youth¡¯s aura continuously rose. It seemed that as the card¡¯s legend degree waspleted, he had shed some shackles limiting ordinary people. He underwent a metamorphosis from the inside out, his entire being emanating an otherworldly aura.


    ¡°Oh my, oh my, it seems something extraordinary has happened¡­¡±


    Bai Yi slowly opened his eyes, his gaze revealing surprise.


    He drawled out his words, and as soon as he spoke, that transcendent aura waspletely shattered. Combined with the increasingly perverted smile on his face, an aura of neurosis hit like a wave.


    His gaze slowly turned to the text before him.


    <i>[Under your meticulous nning, three character cards from ordinary non-magical instances have materialized into extraordinary beings. You have fully grasped the essence of ¡°turning fiction into reality¡± through legend degree.]</i>


    <i>[The world line of the real world has shifted by 1%.]</i>


    <i>[You have gained one essential ascension.]</i>


    Bai Yi clenched his fist, feeling a special power surging within his body. It seemed that if he were to participate in any long-distance running, sprinting, long jump, weightlifting, or simrpetitions now, he could easily break human limits and casually win a gold medal.


    ¡°Could this be¡­ the legendary body refinement?¡±


    After realizing this, Bai Yi¡¯s first thought was:


    ¡°If that Li Xianke guy knew about this, he¡¯d be so jealous, wouldn¡¯t he?¡±


    <i>[Rhythm of All Things: 20% Awakened]</i>


    The next moment, apanied by unprecedentedfort in his body, a continuous stream of whispers from the outside world entered Bai Yi¡¯s mind, both in intensity and range stepping up to a new level.


    Various chaotic and jumbled sounds mixed together, drilling in and out of his mind, causing his thoughts to start tangling.


    Like a cat ying with a ball of yarn, ying and ying until it gets all tangled up, and so the whole cat gets messed up¡­


    Bai Yi tilted his head and seriously bit his finger.


    ¡°Oh!¡± The pain jolted Bai Yi back to his senses, temporarily clearing his mind from that extremely chaotic train of thought. He stuck out his tongue to lick the blood seeping from his fingertip. ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s real, sweeter than before by a degree~¡±


    Bai Yi couldn¡¯t help but lick again, nodding as he concluded.


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s indeed body refinement, no doubt about it.¡±


    ¡°But what¡¯s this about the world line shifting?¡±


    He suddenly looked up. ¡°System, exin.¡±


    ¡ª Since it was already confirmed that this game system came from his future self, that meant he was the system¡¯s father.


    ¡ª As the system¡¯s father, he was just that domineering.


    <i>[World line extraption initiated.]</i>


    <i>[In this world with strict physicalws that prohibit the existence of supernatural powers, the character cards from the nightmare game are the only unrestricted supernatural power. You will be the only extraordinary being in this world.]</i>


    Bai Yi: ¡°???¡±


    <i>[This was supposed to be a world without any supernatural powers. Even though the world line has shifted, such a small shift is not enough to affect the strict physicalws. Therefore, supernatural powers cannot exist in the future of this world, except for the yer himself.]</i>


    <i>[¡ª You will gain a world where only yourws apply.]</i>


    <i>[¡ª You are the only deity in this world.]</i><hr>


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 Chapter 68

    Chapter 68


    ¡°??? What? What do you mean by ¡®only myws apply¡¯? What ¡®only deity¡¯¡­ No way, what¡¯s there to look forward to being a deity in a garbage dump? What kind of deity lives in a garbage dump? Such a deity¡¯s life would be too miserable!¡±


    Cries of a young man¡¯s disbelief echoed from the second floor of an apartment in the old town district.


    Staring at the text floating in mid-air, Bai Yi seemed to have seen some kind of devil. He pouted with frustration, suddenly leaned back, and crossed his arms over his chest to make a big X. ¡°I refuse, refuse! Refuse!¡±


    Noise from all directions converged on Bai Yi incessantly. With the passive ¡°Rhythm of All Things¡± activated, this was filled with ¡°sources of pollution¡± for him. As he continued to level up, ording to the system, he was getting closer to the level of a deity. The Rhythm of All Things talent kept awakening, and the noise he received would be stronger and stronger. The pollution would be even more terrifying¡­ What human suffering this was! Just thinking about it made Bai Yi feel awful!


    ¡°System, don¡¯t tell me you have no solution~¡± He suddenly revealed an exceptionally gentle and radiant smile, staring unblinkingly at the text in mid-air, even his tone of voice was unusually gentle.


    At this moment, if drawn in aic, Bai Yi would probably be covered in dark transformation special effects from head to toe.


    <i>System, danger!</i>


    ¡°If this world truly didn¡¯t allow any supernatural powers to emerge, you wouldn¡¯t have given me three choices in the first ce, so there must be a possibility to leverage this world¡¯s physicalws.¡±


    ¡°In fact, this possibility might have already appeared before me¡­¡±¡°There must be something I¡¯ve overlooked¡­¡±


    At this moment, Bai Yi¡¯s thoughts were extraordinarily sharp, his brain seemed to enter a state of focus beyond the ordinary, operating at super speed.


    Perhaps this was ¡°three times stronger when ckening¡± (doge)?


    Suddenly, inspiration struck.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got it!¡±


    As Bai Yi spoke, ck text slowly floated in mid-air, though this time, these words appeared much slower, as if breaking through some invisible restriction: <i>[To leverage this world¡¯s strict physicalw limitations and spread supernatural power, the only item that can achieve this is¡­]</i>


    At the same time, Bai Yi uttered thest sentence:


    ¡°Fragment of the Principle of All Things!¡±


    <i>[Fragment of the Principle of All Things.]</i>


    Looking at the identical words that appeared in mid-air, Bai Yi¡¯s face instantly lit up¡ª


    As expected, it seemed he hadn¡¯t guessed wrong~


    When the Fragment of the Principle of All Things first appeared, the system¡¯s introduction was that it could indiscriminately enhance skill attributes, and even items. In a game, this would be considered a cheat-like modifier!


    No, it was even more overpowered than a game cheat, because Bai Yi¡¯s skills could be applied in reality. The fact that the Principle of All Things could affect his skills meant it could influence thews of reality.


    <i>In what game could modified attributes and skills affect reality?</i>


    <i>Was this reasonable?</i>


    The only exnation was that the essence of the Principle of All Things was above all tangible and intangible things in the nightmare game, reaching a level of turning falsehood into reality.


    This point had a simr yet different brilliance to the system ¨C the system was essentially also a cheat that turned falsehood into reality, extracting card items from nightmare instances and materializing them in reality, though it needed nightmare crystals or legend degree as driving energy.


    The Principle of All Things, however, could modify skill attributes without needing any other energy.


    Comparing the two, were their essences actually on the same level? Or even¡­


    As if divinely inspired, a guess emerged in Bai Yi¡¯s mind, seeming to understand certain truths.


    He didn¡¯t say it out loud, but instead spoke with a half-smile. ¡°So, system, your previous introduction about the Principle of All Things was actually quite one-sided, with many key details left unsaid, right?¡±


    <i>[The Principle of All Things, as the name suggests, is the ¡®principle¡¯ of all things, the most fundamental way of a world, the most fundamental principle, the most fundamental rule, also known as ¨C the origin.]</i>


    <i>[Heaven above, earth below, sun rises in the east and sets in the western sea, birds are good at flying, beasts are good at walking, fish die out of water, humans drown in water¡­ All the naturalws of heaven and earth, the principles of existence for all things, are epassed within the Principle of All Things. Different worlds have different Principles of All Things.]</i>


    <i>[Only the Principle of All Things can leverage rules because it is the origin of a world¡¯s rules.]</i>


    ¡°Oh, I understand!¡±


    Bai Yi had a sudden realization.


    ¡°Using games as an analogy, every game world operates with a set of rules running on predetermined logic ¨C the Principle of All Things is equivalent to the underlying logic of the game world. As for different worlds having different Principles of All Things, that¡¯s only natural! It¡¯s just like how every game has different rules and skill systems¡­¡±


    For instance, the nightmare fragment instances Bai Yi had experienced were very different. Some had strict physicalws like the real world, while others allowed supernatural powers to exist, and these supernatural instances had different supernatural systems¡­


    He pped his hands lightly.


    ¡°However, none of that matters~¡±


    All he wanted was to leverage the physicalws of the real world to allow supernatural powers to emerge, and the Fragment of the Principle of All Things must be able to do this!


    <i>[The yer¡¯s understanding ispletely correct. The more Fragments of the Principle of All Things used, the greater the leverage on the real world¡¯s physicalws.]</i>


    <i>[yer has Fragment of the Principle of All Things ¡Á1. After use, it can weakly leverage the real world¡¯s physicalws, transforming the real world from a non-magical state to a low-magical state. A certain degree of supernatural power will be unrestricted. Do you choose to use it?]</i>


    ¡°Refuse¡­ that¡¯s impossible, of course!¡±


    Feeling rxed, Bai Yi joked around a bit.


    <i>[Fragment of the Principle of All Things ¡Á1 has been consumed.]</i>


    Suddenly, tiny sparks of fireflies appeared around Bai Yi, countless points of light spreading out with him at the center, like an invisible, dazzling sea of stars sweeping across the entire world.


    He walked to the window and gazed into the distance.


    The whole world was wrapped in this exquisitely beautiful sea of stars. Bai Yi seemed to see invisible threads floating in the starlight, crisscrossing between heaven and earth, weaving into a.


    Many messages flooded into his mind, perhaps due to the Rhythm of All Things listening to the voices of all things in heaven and earth. He instinctively knew that those countless invisible threads were the rules weaving this world, or rather, the Principle of All Things belonging to this world.


    The starlight emanating from his body continued to spread, gradually tinting those threads. Thus, the invisible threads symbolizing the world¡¯s rules were all dyed with a faint, gorgeous starlight.


    The spectacr phenomenon like a sea of stars only appeared for an instant before vanishing. All that remained before Bai Yi¡¯s eyes was the deste long street of the old town district, ancient buildings, and the sun falling on the distant rooftops.


    In a daze, he felt that this world had undergone some change imperceptible to ordinary people.


    ¡°Spiritual energy, supernatural factors, magical energy, or spirituality¡­ call it whatever you want, anyway, this world seems different now¡­¡±


    ¡°Earth¡¯s anomaly, revival of spiritual energy, I never thought, never imagined, that those words I casually made up would actuallye true. Could it be that this Flower Speaker card can also double as a prophet?¡±


    As Bai Yi muttered to himself, the system prompt appeared.


    <i>[The real world¡¯s rules have undergone a slight distortion, the world line has significantly deviated, already shifted by 10%.]</i>


    <i>[World line extraption in progress¡­]</i>


    <i>[Great changes on Earth, spiritual veins are born. Spiritual energy containing supernatural power is surging in the newly born Earth spiritual veins. Under special circumstances as catalysts, the spiritual energy naturally emitted by the spiritual veins will spread across the entire Blue Star within a year.]</i>


    <i>[The real world has transformed from a non-magical world to a low-magical world. Based on the level of supernatural power, it will at most allow the emergence of lv1 supernatural beings.]</i>


    <i>[¡ªThe world line has shifted, a low-magical world that only allows lv1 supernatural power has been born, you will be the only exception.]</i>


    At the same time, the system thoughtfully annotated what the lv1 level of power represents: for the martial arts side, it¡¯s the ability to move swiftly across rooftops; for the magic side, it¡¯s the ability to produce small fireballs or water balls. Things like sword flying or meteor showers are impossible.


    ¡°So the next step is to continue collecting more Fragments of the Principle of All Things¡­¡± Bai Yi sorted out his thoughts, then turned his attention to another thing the system mentioned, ¡°But, spiritual veins?¡±


    Now this was something he was very familiar with!


    In that nightmare instance that transformed from wuxia to xianxia and then was twisted by Bai Yi into high-level martial arts, spiritual veins were the source of spiritual energy in the instance.


    Before Bai Yi cleared and left the instance, as the top martial arts figure in that world, a teacher for hundreds of generations who passed on knowledge to those below, and the fully leveled up ¡®Pei Hefeng¡¯, he owned an excellent spiritual vein. He even recreated his original house, courtyard, and pond on the mountain where the spiritual vein was located.


    If this spiritual vein was no different from that one, he was more than familiar with how to actively draw upon the spirit vein to stimte spiritual energy¡­


    <i>[The old Principle of All Things has been distorted, the newly born Principle of All Things has bestowed five earth spiritual veins upon this world, distributed across the five directions of the world¡­]</i>


    As the system prompt appeared, it was apanied by a virtual world map, with five light points marking the locations of the five spirit veins.


    ¡°Kun Mountain, Moyun Mountain, Melnis Mountain, Lai Mountain, Tassili Mountain¡ª¡± Bai Yi immediately recognized the five locations marked on the map, ¡°It turns out to be the five most famous mountain ranges in the world, hmm, conveniently distributed in different countries and regions in the east, south, west, north, and center.¡±


    ¡°However, under special circumstances as catalysts, it would take a year for the naturally emitted spiritual energy to spread across the world?¡±


    Bai Yi slowly drew out a card, tilting his head with a curious smile.


    ¡°What kind of circumstances count as special? Would artificially drawing upon the spiritual veins and triggering a spiritual tide count?¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 69

    Chapter 69


    Before preparing to make a move, an unexpected phone call disrupted Bai Yi¡¯s ns. He once again came to the Seventh Hospital in the suburbs.


    ¡°Bai Yi, you finally came! It¡¯s really troublesome to make youe all the way here¡­¡± As soon as she saw Bai Yi, a familiar nurse came up to greet him, exining the situation at the hospital with a helpless expression.


    Bai Yi nodded in greeting and summarized the current situation. ¡°So, the current situation is that Li Xianke snuck out of the hospital, hasn¡¯t been found yet, and then you heard from other patients that before he secretly slipped out, he mentioned wanting to find me to discuss important matters together?¡±


    The hospital staff responsible for patient safety all showed bitter smiles. ¡°That¡¯s about right. Because his condition doesn¡¯t have any tendency to harm others, his usual range of activities is quiterge. Moreover, he has been staying quietly in the hospital for so many years, we didn¡¯t expect him to suddenly evade surveince and run out. We were caught off guard, and it wasn¡¯t until he had been missing for hours that we discovered it¡­¡±


    Although they could immediately report to the police for help, unless absolutely necessary, the hospital hoped to find the person on their own first to minimize the impact. After all¡­ a mental patient escaping is not good for the hospital¡¯s reputation if word gets out.


    ¡°So, we heard from other patients that he said he wanted to find you before he left. We thought we¡¯d give it a shot and see if you knew anything¡­¡±


    As they spoke, their voices grew lower, feeling that in their desperation they had done something foolish. It was clearly their own work that hadn¡¯t been done well, yet they were pinning their hopes of finding the person on this underage high school student in front of them? They couldn¡¯t help but blush at the thought.


    ¡°Hmm, he¡¯s looking for me? I haven¡¯t seen him on my end, and I¡¯m not sure where he is¡­¡± Bai Yi remained calm, not seeming bothered by being troubled with this matter. Perhaps it was because he had grown up here, but every time he came back it felt as intimate as returning to his own home. If it weren¡¯t for the severe mental pollution at the Seventh Hospital, with constant mental wave disturbances even when sleeping at night, Bai Yi would have been happy to keep living here. He muttered to himself, ¡°What could be so urgent that he needs to find me?¡±


    Logically speaking, if Li Xianke really wanted to see him, he could have easily asked the doctors or nurses to pass on a message, asking him to visit the hospital¡­ Unless that guy couldn¡¯t even wait that little bit of time.Being in such a hurry, could it be that his immortal cultivation business had made some progress?


    Bai Yi rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought.


    It should be noted that Bai Yi had just manipted the physicalws of the real world, recing the old Principle of All Things with a new one. In the past, things like immortal cultivation were just wishful thinking, but now, it might not be impossible toe true.


    And right at this moment, Li Xianke was causing trouble.


    Was it a coincidence, or¡­


    Thinking about this, Bai Yi¡¯s lips curved into a smile.


    Things were bing interesting¡­


    The truth would only be known once Li Xianke was found.


    Of course, Bai Yi didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°Can I see the surveince footage?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± In principle, the hospital¡¯s surveince footage couldn¡¯t be easily shown to outsiders without permission, even if Bai Yi was considered half an insider in some sense.


    ¡°Take him to see it. I¡¯ll go along too.¡±


    A voice sounded from the office door. The people who were talking looked up and expressions of deep surprise appeared on their faces. They hurriedly stood up, all speaking at once.


    ¡°Director!¡±


    ¡°Director, why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Grandma Director!¡±


    ¡°If I didn¡¯te, who knows how unreliable you¡¯d be in handling things. You can¡¯t find the person yourself, so you¡¯re troubling this child instead?¡± The old director scolded them with a stern face, then beckoned Bai Yi to her side, her face breaking into a smile again. ¡°Child, next time you don¡¯t need to be so polite with them, listening to their nonsense orders. These young people nowadays, not a single one can do things properly!¡±


    Saying this, she cast an angry nce at the others.


    Bai Yi stood beside her, smiling obediently. ¡°It¡¯s alright, I haven¡¯t been back to see Grandma Director in a long time anyway.¡±


    ¡°Child, I know you¡¯re thinking of me, but this isn¡¯t a good ce. I¡¯d rather youe less often.¡± The old director instantly turned loving, speaking cheerfully.


    Turning back to the others, her expression immediately became stern again, and she started lecturing them.


    The old director was highly respected, with students all over. Some of these people could even be considered her disciples and grand-disciples. In front of her, those being lectured didn¡¯t dare to talk back. They just shrank their heads, showing obvious shame on their faces, repeatedly promising that they would never dare to do it again, bobbing their heads like pecking chickens.


    Seeing them so docile, the old director finally snorted and pulled Bai Yi towards the door. ¡°Let¡¯s go check the surveince footage. I want to see what kind of trouble this Li Daotian is causing¡­¡±


    Given her age and years of experience at the Seventh Hospital, including Bai Yi¡¯s mother and patients like Li Daotian who were admitted at a young age, almost all of them had grown up under her watch. The rtionship between them had surpassed that of a typical doctor and patient, more like that of an elder and a younger generation. Thus, the old director¡¯s tone sounded more like she wasining about a wayward son.


    They quickly saw the hospital surveince footage that was pulled up. This camera covered the garden behind the residential building. In the footage, a group of patients wearing hospital gowns were walking, chatting, sunbathing, and growing mushrooms in the garden in small groups.


    ¡°Look, Li Daotian is here,¡± someone pointed to a corner of the footage. ¡°He sits here to meditate almost every day.¡±


    In the image, the long-haired and bearded Li Daotian was sitting quietly under a big tree in a meditation posture, eyes closed, looking serene, truly giving off an immortal-like aura.


    As the footage fast-forwarded, he remained motionless. Until at a certain point, he suddenly stood up, ran into a group of patients, gesticting wildly and saying something excitedly. Obviously, the other patients were very confused by him, looking at him as if he were a mental patient.


    In the footage, Li Daotian heaved a deep sigh.


    ¡°¡­The young are unteachable!¡±


    This profound sigh revealed deep disappointment, the tone full and emotional, causing the others watching the surveince to be stunned, then turn to look at Bai Yi who had spoken.


    ¡°Cough, I was just providing a voiceover for him,¡± Bai Yi blinked innocently. ¡°I feel like that¡¯s probably what he was thinking.¡±


    The others had a row of question marks appear above their heads. ¡°???¡±


    <i>¡­Being so in sync with a patient¡¯s thoughts, don¡¯t you think there might be something wrong with you?</i>


    After this small interlude, everyone continued watching the surveince. They saw the disappointed Li Daotian leave the crowd with an expression of ¡°all are drunk but me¡±, and quickly lost sight of him. The direction hest disappeared in was the northwest corner of the surveince.


    The hospital security guards who had already searched once before hurriedly exined. ¡°That direction leads to Xingfu Orphanage. There¡¯s a very tall wall there,pletely a dead end. We¡¯ve already checked, it¡¯s impossible to climb over that wall.¡±


    ¡°The wall near Xingfu Orphanage?¡± The old director was stunned for a moment, trying hard to remember something. Suddenly, she pped the table, ¡°This old fellow, so he went through that secret door! I know how he got out now!¡±


    Saying this, the old director stormed out.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, he can¡¯t have gone far! He¡¯s probably still there!¡±


    The others hurriedly followed, their heads still full of questions. As they walked, they asked. ¡°Director, what door are you talking about? Is there a door in that wall to get out? We¡¯ve searched everywhere, including Xingfu Orphanage, but we didn¡¯t find him¡­¡±


    ¡°This is something from a long time ago. It¡¯s normal that you young people don¡¯t know about it. There used to be a dog hole in that wall. After the war broke out, to make it easier to hide and transfer the wounded, the hospital specially turned the dog hole into a small door. The outside was disguised as a wall, and they hollowed out a section inside the tall wall, forming a temporary secret tunnel and room. It was very concealed for hiding people and transferring them. Back then, even the enemy¡¯s special agents didn¡¯t discover it!¡±


    Speaking of this, the old director seemed quite emotional, as if recalling many past events. She reminisced.


    ¡°Later, part of the hospital was sectioned off to build the orphanage. At first, this wall was kept as it was, not torn down, and even extended topletely separate the two sides. Until now, those who knew about that secret door have either passed away or retired. I had almost forgotten about it too. After all, such a concealed door, probably no one could find it¡­ If it weren¡¯t for someone sneaking out through that door a few years ago, I wouldn¡¯t have remembered it so quickly!¡±


    Saying this, she unconsciously nced at Bai Yi.


    Bai Yi, being as perceptive as he was, immediately guessed something from the emotional fluctuation the other party briefly emitted.


    As they were talking, the group had arrived at the spot. A wall at least seven or eight meters tall stood straight in front of them, enough to discourage anyone from thoughts of climbing over to escape.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, after someone snuck out from here once years ago, the hospital blocked the exit on the other side of the wall. If Li Daotian really went this way, he¡¯s probably still in the secret passage.¡±


    Saying this, the old director calmly walked to a corner of the wall, crouched down and carefully observed for a while. She then started fiddling with some inconspicuous bricks on the ground.


    To everyone¡¯s amazement, several bricks on the thick wall suddenly sank inwards, vaguely forming a small doorway. The inside of the doorway was pitch ck, without any light, probably only big enough for one person to crawl through.


    Everyone couldn¡¯t help but curiously peer inside.


    Just then¡ª


    A mud-covered hand suddenly reached out from the darkness!


    A muffled voice came faintly. ¡°Help¡­ me¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Several timid young nurses screamed reflexively.


    ¡­..


    Five minutester, looking at Li Daotian who they had pulled out of the hole, his head, clothes, and beard all covered in mud, everyone was collectively speechless. ¡°What on earth were you doing?¡±


    Li Daotian sprawled on the ground in a spread-eagle position, gazing at the sky with a dejected expression. ¡°Suddenly feeling enlightened, with an opportunity approaching, I sought a secluded ce as mentioned by an old Fellow Cultivator to enter closed cultivation. s, I failed at thest moment!¡±


    ¡°Ah! Vast heavens, why are you so unfair to me!¡±


    The others were even more speechless, automatically ignoring his words.


    ¡­This guy clearly just got himself stuck inside after going in and couldn¡¯t get out. What closed cultivation nonsense!


    The farce ended in an unexpected way. Li Daotian was taken back to his ward, not allowed toe out until he cleaned himself up. Bai Yi then followed the old director to her office. Even though she was of retirement age and rarely managed hospital affairs now, the hospital still kept an office for her.


    ¡°Grandma Director, the person you mentioned earlier who once snuck out through that secret door, and the one who told Li Daotian about the existence of the secret door¡­ was it my mom?¡± Bai Yi sat on the sofa and asked softly.


    The old director was stunned for a moment. She paused, then nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. I don¡¯t know who told Li Daotian, but it was probably her too. Since you¡¯ve guessed it, I have nothing to hide. Child, that was many years ago¡­¡±


    ¡°At that time, your mom was probably only seven or eight years old. I don¡¯t know how she found such a well-hidden small door, but she took the chance when no one was paying attention and snuck over to the orphanage side.¡±


    ¡°¡­At first, we didn¡¯t notice. It wasn¡¯t untilter when she bit a young adult volunteer at the orphanage and was sent back by the orphanage director that we found out she had snuck next door. It wasn¡¯t too serious, just a couple of bites on the person¡¯s arm and hand.¡±


    At this point, the old director shook her head with a smile. ¡°This girl, she was always unusually clever. I still can¡¯t figure out how she discovered that door!¡±


    ¡°¡­But it¡¯s understandable. This girl grew up in Xingfu Orphanage from birth. It wasn¡¯t until she was five years old that the orphanage noticed her unusual reactions, often saying things others couldn¡¯t understand. She was diagnosed with a mental condition and admitted to our Seventh Hospital. After all, Xingfu Orphanage was her true home in her heart, so her wanting to return to the orphanage was understandable.¡±


    ¡°¡­After that, we sealed up the exit on the other side of the passage.¡±


    Perhaps it was a habit of elderly people, but the old director rambled on for quite a while, inevitably recalling many past events. Thinking of that young girl who passed away at such a young age, and then looking at the young man in front of her, the only evidence left of her in this world, she felt an increasing sense of how things change while people are gone.


    She couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°In the blink of an eye, more than twenty years have passed. You¡¯ve grown up so big, almost 18 years old now. Even the neighboring Xingfu Orphanage is about to be rebuilt!¡±


    Bai Yi maintained his obedient smile, not saying much. He listened as the old director rambled on, recalling more past events.


    However, what was this about Xingfu Orphanage being rebuilt?


    This was something Bai Yi hadn¡¯t paid attention to.


    After asking the doctors at the hospital, he learned that all of this was directly rted to Bai Yi himself.


    After the kidnapping case orchestrated by Bai Yi, the Gong Group was found to have various criminal evidence against them. Their business shrank significantly, and the group¡¯s boss, Gong Fang, ended up in prison.


    His biological daughter, Yuan Yao, inherited everything.


    Even though the Gong Group¡¯s business had shrunk, what fell into Yuan Yao¡¯s hands was still considerable wealth. She took in the abandoned boy Gong Tian, who had no blood rtion to her, and then hired people to rebuild Xingfu Orphanage, which had been burned down in a fire years ago.


    It was estimated that in at most half a year, a brand new Xingfu Orphanage would be reborn from the ruins, providing children with a happy and warm home.


    Mentioning this, the doctors and nurses at the Seventh Hospital couldn¡¯t help but praise and marvel. ¡°Miss Yuan is truly kind-hearted, not at all like her ck-hearted father!¡±


    Bai Yi also chimed in with a few words of agreement.


    As he was mingling with a group of doctors and nurses, gossiping and chatting, he suddenly heard Li Daotian¡¯s voice.


    From a distance, he could hear him greeting, waving the long sleeves of his hospital gown ¡ª it should be rified here that the hospital didn¡¯t deliberately give this guy oversized gowns, it was purely Li Daotian¡¯s strong personal request ¡ª frantically waving at Bai Yi. ¡°Fellow Cultivator Bai, Fellow Cultivator Bai, you¡¯re here too!¡±


    ¡°Is Fellow Cultivator Li well?¡± Bai Yi stood up and walked over, greeting him in his usual manner, ¡°Has your cultivation improved?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, fortune is not on my side. Trapped in this ce devoid of spiritual energy, even with a great opportunity, what can one do!¡± Li Daotian sighed deeply with great regret, not forgetting to nce at the nearby doctors and nurses, as if they were viins keeping him here and preventing him from cultivating immortality.


    Before Bai Yi could offer a few words offort, the next moment, Li Daotian¡¯s expression became excited again. He sneakily approached Bai Yi and said in a low, excited voice. ¡°You must have felt it too, right?¡±


    Bai Yi. ¡°???¡±


    ¡°The heavens and earth have changed, the opportunity to break free from this mundane world is right before our eyes. Fellow Cultivator, you must have sensed it too, right!¡±


    Bai Yi. ¡°!!!¡±


    His gaze towards Li Daotian became different.


    <i>¡­This guy, is he truly mad or just pretending? Is it purely severe delusions, or is he a hidden cultivation genius born in the wrong world and wrong era?</i>


    With his discernment, he couldn¡¯t judge for a moment.


    Li Daotian, however, was so excited he was gesticting wildly. Even though he lowered his voice, he couldn¡¯t hide his excitement. ¡°If not this time, there will be a next time, and a time after that. There will definitely be a chance. The opportunity for cultivation and gaining enlightenment is right before us! Fellow Cultivator, why don¡¯t we make an appointment¡ª Don¡¯t pull me, I¡¯m not leaving, I still need to discuss important matters with Fellow Cultivator Bai¡­¡±


    His words were cut off halfway as he was caught by the doctors and nurses who came looking for him. ¡°The examination isn¡¯t finished yet. Taking the chance to use the bathroom to sneak away, you¡¯re quite something¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving! I still need to discuss important matters with Fellow Cultivator Bai! Fellow Cultivator Bai¡­¡± As he was being ¡°escorted¡± forward, Li Daotian continued to struggle, his head twisting back frantically, his mouth chattering non-stop.


    In the end, he pressed his entire body against the wall, refusing to move.


    His immortal cultivation theory seemed to have undergone an upgrade after some time, with many new terms added that only he understood.


    But this didn¡¯t prevent Bai Yi from somehow following his train of thought, the two of themmunicating fluently.


    This made others look at Bai Yi with increasingly strange expressions.


    Until he was locked in the examination room, Li Daotian was still clinging to the door, sighing deeply, ¡°Last time, Fellow Cultivator Bai, you said the path to ascension was broken. But I see now that the heavens and earth have greatly changed. The passage between the two realms must be opening. s, I¡¯m trapped here, unable to ascend. I wonder if any immortals will enter the mortal realm to teach me the way of longevity!¡±


    Bai Yi couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    He blinked. ¡°Maybe¡­ it¡¯s really possible!¡±


    As he spoke, an illusory card shed at his fingertips.


    ****


    At the same time, thousands of miles away from Yuanyang City, on the peak of Kun Mountain, hailed as the highest peak on Blue Star, snow covered everything.


    At this moment, on this peak considered the most difficult to climb in the world, a group of people were ascending along the mountain path. The higher they went, the thinner the air became, and the temperature dropped sharply.


    This climbing team was well-equipped, with various skin colors and nationalities, wearing uniforms representing different countries. They were spread out on Kun Mountain¡¯s path like an arithmetic sequence, clearly including climbing teams from countries around the world. They were participating in a globally broadcast Kun Mountain climbing challenge, aiming to set a new world record.


    Under the satellite broadcast cameras, the images were exceptionally clear. Close-ups, long shots, different camera angles showed different perspectives.


    From a bird¡¯s eye view from the sky, they looked like a line of tiny ck ants on the snow-covered mountain path.


    As it involved a world record challenge, at this time, a significant number of people worldwide were watching this global broadcast.


    Bulletments frequently scrolled across the screen.


    <i>[Hiss, I feel cold just looking at theputer screen. I can¡¯t help but hug my nket and shiver.]</i>


    <i>[Go for it! Hope to see a new world record born!]</i>


    <i>[That satellite overhead view is amazing, feels like looking down at Blue Star from outer space.]</i>


    <i>[Wait, what¡¯s that! Looks like a meteor?]</i>


    At some moment, in the sky above, a point of light seemed to break throughyers of clouds, falling rapidly from beyond the sky.


    In the satellite footage, the clouds in the sky seemed to ignite from intense friction, that streak of light wrapped in burning cloudyers, descending like lightning from the sky.


    Suddenly, the screen turnedpletely white.


    Momentster, at the locations of five mountain ranges distributed around the world, thick white mist surged upwards, forming rolling pirs of air, whistling skyward like smoke signals.


    At this time, people around the world couldn¡¯t see this scene.


    They were staring nkly upwards, gazing at the sky.


    It was as if a violent cold wind suddenly swept across the entire surface of Blue Star, the intense cold causing water vapor to condense, turning into a fluttering snowfall covering the whole world.


    In the close-up shots from the satellite broadcast, amidst the vast whiteness, that meteor-like object shed by, vaguely revealing its outline.


    In front of screens, countless people let out exmations of surprise.


    ¡°A sword! It¡¯s actually a sword!¡±


    ¡ª A swordes from beyond the sky, frost whitens all under heaven.


    [End of Volume One: The Beginning of All Things]<hr>


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 Chapter 70

    Chapter 70


    Blue Star had vast territories, with five major mountain ranges and seven great oceans since ancient times, along with countless small mountains andkes.


    As time progressed, humans abandoned the t Earth theory and recognized the entirety of the and even the universe. This was then divided into five major regions based on the distribution of mountains and seas.


    The Yao Country was located in thergest central region of Blue Star.


    Kun Mountain belonged to the foremost of the five mountain ranges. The highest peak of the Kun Mountain range was situated at the border intersection of Yao Country and several small nations, geographically at the heart of the central region.


    If carefully divided ording to national boundaries, more than half of the Kun Mountain range belonged to Yao Country, with a small portion outside its borders.


    This world¡¯s highest treacherous peak stretched across Yao Country¡¯s border like a wall reaching the sky, extending between clouds and heaven. The ancients mistakenly believed this ce to be the boundary between heaven and earth, eximing ¡°this mountain is as high as the sky¡± when standing before it.


    At this moment, this sky-reaching wall had ¡°disappeared¡±.


    In its ce was a pir of air shooting towards the sky.


    White mist soared skyward like a jade Milky Way. Rolling thick fog obscured the sky and sun, almost condensing into raindrops, showering the world below.The former location of Kun Mountain was entirely shrouded in white mist. Wisps of white fog were still imperceptibly drifting to the surrounding areas.


    A hundred meters beyond the white mist, the local military had drawn a long cordon. Everyone looking towards the mist had extremely vignt expressions, continuously persuading the curious onlookers to leave.


    <i>Hum¡­</i>


    In the distant sky, the sound of an aircraft vibrating the air could be heard. On a pre-prepared open space, atest model of a high-speed aircraft descended from above, with several people hurriedly disembarking.


    The young man in the lead showed his credentials. ¡°We are from the Special Case Investigation Team, ordered toe to Kun Mountain to investigate the incident.¡±


    The person speaking was Chu Xingrui, followed by Li Fufeng, Liu Ningshuang, Yin Xubai, and several other members of the Special Case Investigation Team.


    As soon as news of the Kun Mountain live broadcast interruption, earthquake urrence, and strange mist spreading reached them, the Special Case Investigation Team took action ¡ª other departments continued with normal earthquake relief work, for which Yao Country already had a set of well-practiced operational mechanisms. The Special Case Investigation Team¡¯s task was to investigate the truth behind this incident.


    After all, this incident was clearly different from ordinary earthquakes. At that time, many people saw the sword shadow from the sky and white mist soaring upwards, followed by snow covering the globe ¡ª it was strange no matter how one looked at it.


    On their way here, they had received news that not only had Kun Mountain experienced changes, but the other four mountain ranges belonging to the five major mountain systems had also simultaneously undergone strange transformations ¡ª mountain ranges shaking, white mist soaring into the sky, and fog spreading endlessly.


    Such bizarre changes that exceededmon sense clearly fell within the jurisdiction of the Special Case Investigation Team to investigate. Even if the Special Case Investigation Team had no clues about this and not the slightest confidence.


    They were prepared to set up camp on-site for a long-term investigation.


    Having shown their credentials, someone immediately led them to find the person in charge here, who would arrange for them.


    As they walked, Chu Xingrui looked at the scattered onlookers gathered outside the cordon and couldn¡¯t help but frown. ¡°Why are there still so many civilians gathered here? How¡¯s the disaster relief situation here? How wide is the earthquake¡¯s affected area? Are there any aftershocks? What¡¯s the casualty situation?¡±


    He fired off a series of questions in session.


    Mainly because they had rushed over as soon as they received the news, and hadn¡¯t had time to understand many situations.


    The two people leading the way showed expressions of being at a loss for words. ¡°It¡¯s both big and small.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°The intensity of this earthquake was very high, measured at over 7 on the scale,¡± exined Xiao Wang, one of the two. ¡°Logically, the earthquake¡¯s aftershocks should have affected many surrounding areas. But the strange thing is, this earthquake was confined to the Kun Mountain area, without transmitting vibrations outward. Yet the shaking in Kun Mountainsted for a full minute!¡± He helplessly pointed at the onlookers still lingering nearby, ¡°These people gathered here are vigers from the foothills of Kun Mountain. They heard about the earthquake and initially ran out of their homes in fear, but then found they weren¡¯t affected at all. Now they¡¯re all squatting here to watch themotion! We¡¯ve barely managed to persuade some to leave!¡±


    ¡°How bizarre,¡± the team remarked.


    Even though many in the Special Case Investigation Team only had a superficial understanding of earthquakes, they knew that major earthquakes would inevitably have aftershocks spreading out, just like ripples from a stone thrown into ake. The situation described by this person seemed to defymon sense. For someone like Yin Xubai who knew more, it was simply unbelievable.


    ¡°Exactly! When we first received news of the Kun Mountain earthquake, nearby towns and viges immediately organized evacuations. We didn¡¯t expect there to be no aftershocks at all. We almost thought we¡¯d received false information. But because the situation is so strange, we still can¡¯t let those evacuated civilians return home. It¡¯s better to wait and observe, in case something happens after they go back. After all, the situation in Kun Mountain is very abnormal now.¡±


    As he spoke, Xiao Wang turned to look at the fog-shrouded Kun Mountain inside the cordon, his face showing a hint of fear, as if he had encountered something terrifyingly beyondprehension.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Li Fufeng suddenly asked, pointing inside the cordon. ¡°I see you seem very wary of the mist over there. Is there something wrong with it?¡±


    However, seeing that these people weren¡¯t wearing protective gear, it probably wasn¡¯t poisonous. Could it be that the mist eats people¡­ An absurd thought shed through Li Fufeng¡¯s mind, just as the older, moreposed-looking young man who had been silent beside Wang took a deep breath.


    He warned with a serious expression, ¡°This white mist is indeed very strange and dangerous. You must not approach it carelessly.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Now everyone was curious. Wasn¡¯t their purpose foring here to investigate this strange incident?


    The man who introduced himself as Li said,


    ¡°When the earthquake urred, arge amount of white mist gushed out from underground, instantly enveloping the entire Kun Mountain. Because it happened so suddenly, thepetition teams, including the photography crew at the mountain¡¯s foot, and the friends and family who came to witness thepetition, were all within the mist¡¯s coverage area. Not one of them escaped, and their whereabouts are unknown ¡ª about 103 people in total. They are the only victims of this earthquake.¡±


    ¡°Are they lost in the mist? What about their phones¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s useless. We¡¯ve tried calling, but couldn¡¯t get through. GPS positioning doesn¡¯t work either. We¡¯ve tried almost every method possible, but all theirmunication devices are unreachable. It¡¯s as if this white mist is a ck hole, or there¡¯s some kind of maic field blocking signals. Satellite maps only show a blur, and there¡¯s no way to detect the situation inside¡­¡±


    ¡°Because rescuing people was urgent, we immediately arranged for rescue teams to go in and search, but the rescue teams also disappeared after entering. Even militarymunication equipment couldn¡¯t receive signals.¡±


    ¡°¡­In thest second before the signal disappeared, their message was that everything was normal, and they hadn¡¯t encountered any danger. At that moment, we felt as if we had seen a ghost.¡±


    The ground was still covered with a thickyer of snow, and the chill permeating the air seemed to suddenly prate into everyone¡¯s bones.


    Li¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t as lively as Wang¡¯s, nor did he have a talent for storytelling. He spoke inly, but somehow the atmosphere around them grew increasingly silent and heavy with his narration.


    Perhaps to dispel the overly heavy atmosphere, Wang beside himughed, ¡°Don¡¯t listen to this guy¡¯s nonsense. Where are there ghosts in this world? Maybe there¡¯s some special mineral under Kun Mountain that was affected by the earthquake, just happening to change the maic field. I¡¯m just saying, if there are anymon sense issues, just take it as me talking nonsense. After all, Blue Star is so vast, and our human exploration of it is far from sufficient.¡±


    But his words had no effect.


    Liu Ningshuang had already hugged her arms, her face pale.


    She prided herself on fearing nothing in heaven or earth, except ghosts. Before meeting Adam, she could deceive herself that the world was scientific and ghosts were fake, but now¡­


    ¡°Could it really be ghosts? Isn¡¯t there something simr in novels, like a ghost wall¡­¡± She tugged at Li Fufeng¡¯s sleeve, lowering her voice to whisper.


    Li Fufeng looked at her helplessly, shaking his head slightly, and answered quietly so others couldn¡¯t hear. ¡°It should be fine.¡±


    His gaze unconsciously drifted towards the thick white mist, his voice sounding almost like sleep-talking¡­


    ¡°¡­I feel it¡¯s not a bad thing.¡±


    That white mist seemed to instinctively attract him¡­


    Like a sudden spring in the desert, making one unconsciously want to approach and nourish their parched body.


    The group quickly settled down, but the investigation made no progress. Only Yin Xubai seemed to have discovered something, wandering around the area daily with a group of people before diving into his temporaryboratory, doing who knows what.


    Come to think of it, this seemed to be the daily routine of the Special Case Investigation Team.


    Ever since recruiting Adams as an external member, apart from Yin Xubai¡¯s research group being immersed in otherworldly material research, most others were often in a state of having nothing to do.


    Although they had received reports from certain ces, facts ultimately proved they were just ordinary people ying tricks. When the Special Case Investigation Team was deployed, they didn¡¯t encounter any supernatural events, but inadvertently eliminated several cult organizations and pyramid schemes. Among them were some chatans, but some also had real skills in areas like feng shui, astronomy, and geography. After verification, the team also recruited them as special talents, perhaps useful in the future.


    This Kun Mountain incident was clearly different from previous minor cases, but a world-shaking big event!


    ¡°No clues! No clues at all! Not a bit of progress. If we report back, will our Special Case Investigation Team, established for so long and enjoying so many special treatments and benefits, turn out to be just for show, exposed when facing a real test?¡±


    As the leader of this mission, Chu Xingrui couldn¡¯t sit still.


    ¡°Now is the time to truly test our Special Case Investigation Team!¡± He took a deep breath, his gaze quickly scanning the others. ¡°Special Case Investigation Team ¨C we¡¯re meant to investigate abnormal affairs. If we can¡¯t investigate anything this time, just like others, then this so-called Special Case Investigation Team is nothing but a joke. What¡¯s the point of its existence?¡±


    Everyone¡¯s expressions were grim, not because Chu Xingrui¡¯s words were too blunt, but because what he said was the truth.


    Indeed, they hadn¡¯t made any progress.


    Even though they had almostbed through nearby viges, learned all the information about Kun Mountain from the vigers¡¯ mouths, even knowing clearly the long-standing legends in some viges and everything that had happened nearby in the past three months, there seemed to be no clues they needed among all this.


    ¡°I heard vigers mention local legends about immortal swords on Kun Mountain, which might be rted to the sword shadow that fell from the sky earlier¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s obviously fake. I¡¯ve heard several different versions of simr stories. These people are just making far-fetched connections. Haven¡¯t you seen the internal news? Five mountain ranges shook simultaneously, and people in those areas reportedly saw a sword shadow pass through the sky. It couldn¡¯t be one sword splitting into five, or that all five ces have stories about immortal swords, right?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re just brainstorming here, I¡¯m just suggesting an idea¡­¡±


    ¡°I say¡ª¡± Li Fufeng suddenly spoke up, ¡°Why don¡¯t I go into Kun Mountain for a look? Perhaps that¡¯s the only way to uncover the truth.¡±


    ¡°Go to Kun Mountain? Kun Mountain can¡¯t even be found¡­¡± The others quickly reacted, ¡°You want to enter the tiger¡¯s den, no, go into the depths of the white mist to investigate the truth of the anomaly? That¡¯s too dangerous!¡±


    Although the person in charge here had been extremely cooperative with them upon hearing they were a department specializing in handling special events, almost fulfilling their every request, seemingly treating them as ¡°experts¡±, and some young people addicted to online novels were almost treating them as the legendary national supernatural organization, they themselves knew very well that they were just ordinary people.


    Since its establishment, the Special Case Investigation Team had only encountered a few supernatural events, none of which were highly dangerous.


    But this time was clearly different.


    Not to mention the hundred or so people who initially disappeared, even the several rescue teams that went in afterward were still unounted for ¡ª that strange mist seemed to be able to devour life itself.


    ¡°We have to go despite the danger. I feel that ce is the core of everything. Without venturing into danger and just circling in safe areas, we may never touch upon the real secrets. Besides, my intuition tells me that this white mist isn¡¯t as dangerous as everyone imagines,¡± Li Fufeng said vaguely. ¡°Perhaps our understanding is too limited, leading to some misunderstandings?¡±


    The others didn¡¯t quite believe his words, but no one opposed him either. Chu Xingrui pondered for a few seconds before nodding, ¡°That makes sense. Our Special Case Investigation Team should be facing the most dangerous, strange, and bizarre things in the world. If we think we can easily solve all supernatural events while staying in safe areas, that¡¯s simply wishful thinking!¡±


    He made a decisive statement. ¡°Let¡¯s do this, I¡¯ll go with Li Fufeng. The rest of you stay here to support and continue investigating. If we don¡¯t return in three days, report to the director!¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re from the action team, your identity is more suitable. As the team leader, you should stay here to oversee the overall situation. Let me go instead, I¡¯m used to partnering with Old Li,¡± Liu Ningshuang immediately objected.


    Chu Xingrui asked in surprise, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of ghosts?¡±


    The others also looked over in surprise.


    Liu Ningshuang instinctively swallowed, then quickly snorted disdainfully after realizing, ¡°Afraid of ghosts? What a joke! Big ghosts or small ghosts, I can take them all out with one punch!¡±


    ¡°Alright then, you two go. It¡¯s good to have someone watching each other¡¯s backs,¡± Chu Xingrui agreed after consideration.


    ¡°You¡¯re going into the mist area?¡± At this moment, Yin Xubai came over. ¡°I¡¯ve made some progress on my end, which might be helpful.¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 71

    Chapter 71


    ¡°Professor Yin!¡± Surprised and delighted gazes suddenly fell on Yin Xubai. ¡°Have you discovered any clues?¡±


    ¡°I suppose there¡¯s been some progress,¡± Yin Xubai replied. After spending time together, he was no longer as aloof as before. He pointed towards the foggy area in the distance. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, Li Fufeng¡¯s intuition was correct. This fog isn¡¯t harmful to us. On the contrary, it¡¯s actually beneficial for the human body.¡±


    ¡°Over this period, I collected some fog samples from the outskirts and found that this gas has a clear nurturing effect on living organisms. It can eliminate fatigue, alleviate pain, and more. Due to the limited time, I haven¡¯t been able to research its full effects yet.¡±


    He added, ¡°During this time, with Kun Mountain as the center, this special fog has been continuously spreading to the surrounding areas. We¡¯ve all inhaled varying amounts of it. However, the concentration of the special gas in the air here isn¡¯t as high as in the foggy area, and the efficiency of inhaling the fog while breathing is quite low. That¡¯s why the effects weren¡¯t noticeable in the first few days. You should be able to feel something by now.¡±


    He reminded them, and though the others couldn¡¯t quite believe it, they followed his instructions and focused on sensing the changes in their bodies.


    ¡°Wow! This arm of mine suffered a severe injury and the bone would ache from time to time, but it hasn¡¯t bothered me these past few days,¡± someone said in amazement while swinging their arm. ¡°I didn¡¯t notice until you mentioned it, but it seems more flexible now. It¡¯s not like before when I couldn¡¯t use much strength in this arm.¡±


    ¡°Same here. I used to suffer from insomnia, but sinceing here, I¡¯ve been sleeping soundly every night. My energy levels seem to have improved a lot recently. Could this also be an effect of the white fog?¡±


    ¡°I suspect so. We¡¯ve been running around investigating everywhere during this time, and the intensity of our activities has been quite high. Yet we¡¯ve rarely felt tired. Based on my previous physical limits, I should have been aching all over by now¡­¡±


    ¡°I see you¡¯ve finally noticed,¡± Yin Xubai said with certainty. Even with his calm tone,ing from him, it sounded like he was saying, ¡®See, you¡¯re not as stupid as I thought.¡¯ He paused, then continued, ¡°That¡¯s why I said the foggy area might not be as dangerous as you think. From the beginning, because of the disappearance of over a hundred people and the rescue teams not returning, everyone assumed it must be a forbidden zone that devours life. But the reality might bepletely different.¡±Yin Xubai then went on to exin various energy reactions and hypotheses rted to the special gas.


    ¡°So, the missing people are likely to be safe?¡± Liu Ningshuang asked, grasping the main point despite feeling overwhelmed by the information.


    Yin Xubai nced at her and said, ¡°ording to my estimates, being in such dense white fog, they could survive for ten days and nights without food or water, as it would be enough to replenish their body¡¯s energy. Unless they encountered other idents.¡± As he said this, his eyes were filled with incredulity, as if still immersed in his previous experiments.


    In his mind, he recalled: In the high-concentration fog cultivation, in just a few days, ordinary white mice had not only undergone transformations from flesh to fur, but even the speed of cellr aging had begun to slow down, albeit slightly. Moreover, their unusually agile reactions¡­ It gave him the absurd notion that if the experiment continued and they kept living in such an environment, they might one day develop intelligence and spiritual awareness.


    Yin Xubai didn¡¯t mention his experiments or the far-fetched theories that followed. He simply summarized calmly, ¡°Therefore, on your journey, you might encounter some scares and twists, but barring any idents, you likely won¡¯t be in mortal danger.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, that¡¯s great news!¡±


    It was as if a veil of mystery had been lifted from before their eyes. Yin Xubai¡¯s judgment and logical reasoning suddenly brightened everyone¡¯s mood, as if a heavily overcast sky had turned into a bright, sunny day.


    This was because they had finally found a clue, grasping hope that they might uncover the secrets behind this unusual event.


    This greatly reduced their worries about theirpanions¡¯ prospects.


    Li Fufeng and his partner soon set out.


    They carried a full set of wilderness survival tools, including the newly improvedmunication devices from Yin Xubai ¨C which incorporated design ideas from electronicponents found in the inn from another world, making them currently the most advanced in the world. They also wrapped long, sturdy ropes around their waists, made of a special material resistant to all kinds of cutting and burning.


    Fully prepared, the two cautiously stepped into the dense fog.


    Inhale¡­ Exhale¡­


    The towering white pirs of gas wereposed of pure, dense fog. During this period, as the fog at the edges of the pirs continuously spread outward, even the viges and towns near Kun Mountain began to be shrouded in wisps of mist.


    As a result, everyone could feel the air bing much fresher as they breathed, with the sense of rity and invigoration bing more and more apparent.


    Some even joked that living in such an environment would surely add years to their lives.


    However, it wasn¡¯t until Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang actually entered the foggy area, immersing themselves in this mist-filled zone, that they realized how naive and inexperienced they had been before!


    <i>This was what a true earthly paradise felt like! (They were taken aback.)</i>


    With each breath, an unimaginably pure energy entered their nostrils. Though the gas was colorless and odorless, it felt incredibly fresh and pure, making them feel as if they were floating towards immortality. Their bodies instinctively craved it, greedily absorbing it through every pore as they were continuously washed by the iing white mist.


    At this moment, as the dense fog washed over the two, it seemed to awaken a desire deeply rooted in their genes, in every cell of their bodies. They were so engrossed in the intoxicating, iparable pleasure that they couldn¡¯t even respond to Yin Xubai¡¯s voiceing through themunicator.


    At this point, how could the two not understand that this special white fog was not only harmless but a tremendous stroke of luck?


    They even had the notion of staying here until the end of time.


    Li Fufeng used his astonishing willpower to regain some focus, finally hearing the constant voiceing from the other end of themunicator.


    ¡°How is it? Are you alright? Please respond¡­¡±


    Here¡¯s the English trantion of the Chinese text, keeping the requested elements in mind:


    ¡°We¡­we¡¯re fine¡­¡± He was about to speak when he heard Liu Ningshuang¡¯s voice next to him, seemingly squeezed through her teeth, ¡°This is¡­ good¡­ phew¡­¡±


    The world was obscured by an extremely dense fog, filling Li Fufeng¡¯s entire field of vision. Even though he couldn¡¯t see Liu Ningshuang¡¯s expression, he could sense how hard hispanion was trying to endure from the force with which she was gripping his hand.


    It wasn¡¯t endurance due to pain.


    Rather¡­ it was too pleasurable.


    It felt as if everything old in their flesh and blood had been swept away, every cell reborn, emerging from the old shell.


    The feeling, a hundred or thousand times morefortable than soaking in a hot spring, almost made them not want to move forward anymore. Fortunately, they both remembered they had entered to find someone. They struggled to suppress the urge to lie down and groped their way forward through the thick fog.


    As they walked, they both reported their findings to the other side of themunicator, their tone sounding very rxed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this fog isn¡¯t dangerous. You cane in too¡ª¡±


    ****


    ¡°We¡­ we¡¯re fine¡­¡±


    ¡°This is¡­ good¡­ phew¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this fog isn¡¯t dangerous. You cane in too¡ª¡±


    ¡°Zzzzzzzz¡­¡±


    Outside the foggy area, hearing a series of unintelligible static from themunicator and seeing the signal connection interrupted on the disy, their heart sank like a stone, and the smile on their facepletely disappeared.


    ¡°This, this, this¡­¡± Taking a step back, looking at the white fog as if they were seeing a demon. ¡°It¡¯s exactly the same as what happened to those rescue teams, exactly the same.¡±


    ¡°They were saying everything was fine, that it was good, and even told others toe in. But as they were speaking, they just¡­ disappeared.¡±


    The person speaking wasn¡¯t a member of the Special Case Investigation Team, but an official from a nearby vige who had personally experienced the disappearance of those rescue team members. At this moment, their face was whiter than paper.


    ¡°Could it be¡­ could it be that ghosts really exist in this world¡­¡± they mumbled in a voice lighter than paper.


    ¡°They¡¯ve all been bewitched¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­And they want to lure more people in?¡±


    <i>Bang!</i>


    With a light sound, the person felt a pain in their head. They covered their head and turned around, only to find that someone had given them a flick on the forehead.


    The middle-aged man beside him, with a serious expression, lowered the hand that had flicked him. ¡°What nonsense are you thinking, kid! Have you gone crazy from reading those ghost stories on the inte all day? There¡¯s no such thing as ghosts!¡±


    After giving a harsh scolding, seeing that the other person had be quiet and submissive, the middle-aged man then turned to Chu Xingrui and said, ¡°Young people just don¡¯t know how to behave. Captain Chu, I¡¯ll take him away now to prevent this kid from disrupting your investigation.¡±


    Chu Xingrui smiled and waved his hand. After they left, the smile on his face faded, turning serious.


    With a solemn expression, he looked towards the other two members of the Special Case Investigation Team ¨C they were responsible for constantly monitoring the movements of two long ropes extending into the mist. The other ends of the ropes were tied around Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang¡¯s waists. If anything happened, they would at least have a chance to pull them back along the ropes, preventing them from going missing.


    But when Chu Xingrui¡¯s gaze fell upon them, he discovered that their faces were also deathly pale.


    With trembling lips, they showed him the ropes they had pulled back from the mist. At the other end of the ropes were smooth, even cuts, as if something incredibly sharp had severed them in an instant. ¡°They¡¯re gone. As soon as the signal was cut off, the ropes went ck on the other end. When we pulled the ropes back, this is what we found.¡±


    The surroundings immediately fell into a heavy, deathly silence.


    In the silence, Yin Xubai walked over,id the rope on the ground, and examined it. By estimating with just his eyes, he concluded, ¡°Approximately six meters. No, it¡¯s 6.2 meters. In other words, they walked 6.2 meters into the foggy area and then, for some unknown reason, lost contact.¡±


    He continued to stare at the severed end of the rope, falling into a state of istion, muttering to himself.


    ¡°The cut is very smooth, so smooth that I can¡¯t imagine anything in this world being so sharp. No, there is nothing in this world that is that sharp. Given the material of this rope, nothing I know of could cut it in an instant and leave such a smooth break¡­¡±


    Upon reaching this conclusion, Yin Xubai¡¯s eyes lit up with excitement that had not been seen before.


    ¡°¡ª¡ªThat ¡®knife¡¯ is unlike anything I know.¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 72

    Chapter 72


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this mist isn¡¯t dangerous. You cane in too,¡±


    In a single step, the scene of the world changing dramatically ¨C Li Fufeng thought that those who hadn¡¯t experienced it personally probably could never imagine it.


    This made him swallow the words he was about to say.


    He froze in ce.


    One moment it was a vast expanse of mist, and the next it was a zing sun hanging high, with emerald grass spread like a carpet. Li Fufeng looked up at the clear, bright sky and therge sun embedded in the center of the sky dome, then looked down at the small path covered with gravel and soil under his feet. His gaze then moved to therge patches of paddy fields filled with rice ears beside the path, and the faint figures of people moving along the paths between the fields¡­ The sudden change in time and space in an instant was overwhelming, and even someone who prided himself on being calm like him couldn¡¯t help but feel a great wave of turmoil in his heart.


    ¡°Hiss!¡±


    A sharp pain came from his arm. The very real pain made Li Fufeng, who had still been doubting whether all this was real and thinking he might have fallen victim to some special technique causing hallucinations ¨C perhaps the special mist had such an ability ¨C suddenlye to his senses. He temporarily suppressed the shock and awe rising in his heart, only to discover Liu Ningshuang, who had appeared in this ce with him, and her hand pinching his arm.


    The pain made his face contort. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s not a dream!¡± Liu Ningshuang first eximed, then reacted to Li Fufeng¡¯s angry re. She sheepishly withdrew her hand, pretending nothing had happened, and while looking around, she eximed in an exaggerated tone, ¡°Huh? Where is this? How did we suddenly move from the mist area to here? Could it be that a new otherworld space has descended?¡± Having personally experienced the appearance of the mysterious inn and knowing the identities of K and the Puppet Master as visitors from another world, Liu Ningshuang immediately made a practical association. Her exaggerated tone suddenly became nine-tenths genuine, and her whole body shuddered, ¡°Could this be the reason for so many people disappearing? Were they all swept into an otherworld space?¡±Her topic change was sessful, and Li Fufeng couldn¡¯t be bothered to dwell on the small matter from earlier. Even though he knew Liu Ningshuang¡¯s exaggerated tone had a certain performative element, following her train of thought, Li Fufeng had to admit it made sense.


    This made his gaze take on a grave color. ¡°It¡¯s very possible. Such an instant, earth-shattering change ¨C apart from the descent of another world, I really can¡¯t think of any other possibility.¡±


    As they spoke, the two turned back and walked a few steps in the direction they hade from, but they didn¡¯t return to the mist area. Instead, they remained on this unknown country path, and didn¡¯t see any ¡°portal¡± to return. It was as if they had been thrown into this world by some invisible force, with no way of leaving.


    Reaching down to touch the rope at his waist, which should have been long enough to extend outside the mist area, Li Fufeng found that it now seemed to have been cut off by some force, leaving only a small section at the waist. He guessed that the force might have been the spatial cutting power during the time-space transfer. He shook his head and suggested to Liu Ningshuang. ¡°It seems we have no way to go back for now. Why don¡¯t we first see¡­what¡¯s going on here?¡±


    Liu Ningshuang naturally didn¡¯t object to his suggestion.


    Out of curiosity and caution towards the unknown, before figuring out the attitude of the local inhabitants towards outsiders, even though they vaguely saw the outlines of a vige in the distance and figures moving between the rice paddies, they didn¡¯t intend to rashly appear before the people of this world.


    As members of the Special Case Investigation Team selected from the elite, and former police elites, excellent investigative skills were a must-have for both of them. They nned to observe quietly and gather information first.


    Fortunately, where they hadnded was arge expanse of fields, with an ancient-looking vige in the distance. For a moment, it almost made one think they had traveled back several hundred years¡­ If they weren¡¯t mistaken, the people of this world were clearly still in a backward feudal era, and themon people at the bottom of the feudal era were apparently the lowest difficulty targets for their observation and information gathering ¨C if they had descended from the sky into a ce like an imperial pce, directly facing the elite figures at the top of an entire world, that would have been the highest difficulty challenge.


    Several hours passed, and the two became more certain of their judgment.


    This was indeed a world in the feudal era. Whether it was the style of the vige buildings or the dress of the vigers in the fields, everything was simr to the Yao Country of several hundred years ago.


    Even just quietly observing from the outskirts of the vige for an afternoon, the information they gathered was enough for the two to fabricate identities for themselves that wouldn¡¯t be seen through by the vigers in a short time, and to seamlessly integrate among the local vigers.


    If it weren¡¯t for the clothes they were wearing that were out of ce in this world, even their colleagues from the Special Case Investigation Team standing before them would have found it hard to believe that these two individuals, whose every move carried an ancient charm and whose demeanor was almost indistinguishable from the local vigers, were actually the experts from their team.


    Now the only w was the clothes they were wearing.


    The two exchanged a nce and simultaneously set their sights on a small dwelling at the very edge of the vige ¨C through the low fence, they saw a row of clothes hanging to dry in the yard, and the empty yard without a single person in sight. This was also the best target the two had chosen after observing for an afternoon.


    They had caught thieves countless times before, but this was the first time they were ying the role of thieves themselves. For a moment, they looked at each other, each seemingly wanting the other to make the first move.


    In the end, it was Liu Ningshuang, with her superior physical skills, who stepped up to take on this task. She crouched low and quickly ran to the fence, casually propped herself up on a wooden post, and nimbly vaulted over.


    But as soon as shended, she froze.


    A small figure was standing in the previously empty yard, no more than three meters away from her, and Liu Ningshuang hadn¡¯t even heard the slightest sound of her appearance.


    The suddenly appearing little girl swayed her small braid and curiously tilted her head. Herrge, bright eyes looked directly at Liu Ningshuang. ¡°Big sister, what are you doing?¡±


    A gentle breeze lifted her red dress, and the girl¡¯s shadow flickered in front of Liu Ningshuang for just a moment before reappearing on top of the fence wall, like a feather lightly falling on the wall¡¯s edge.


    ¡°And there¡¯s a big brother too¡­¡± She looked down at the startled Li Fufeng, blinking her eyes with a sweet smile. Deep dimples appeared on both her cheeks. ¡°You¡¯ve been wandering outside the vige for almost three hours. Are you ying hide and seek?¡±


    ****


    <i>[Ghosts! It must be ghosts! Those people were all swallowed by ghosts, that eerie thick fog must be the ghost realm of evil spirits¡­]</i>


    <i>[How could there be ghosts in this world? It must be aliens! Perhaps aliens came to this many years ago and have been secretly conducting various terrifying experiments. Their ck technologyboratory was designed under the Five Mountain Ranges, and unexpectedly, a sudden earthquake caused the mysterious gas from theb to leak. So the aliens simply took all the people who identally entered to do experiments, and also scared others from daring to explore the mist, protecting their secretboratory from exposure¡­]</i>


    <i>[There are no ghosts, and no aliens. It¡¯s all nonsense~ This is probably a promotional stunt by some filmpany. They¡¯re likely filming a doomsday or fantasy movie. Some blurry photos, seemingly usible guesses online, a big move to spark global discussion ¨C looks like it¡¯s a big production! Let me guess how they¡¯re going to promote it: natural disasters, earthquakes, demons invading from the abyss, or strange mist enveloping the globe, virus infection, human mutation¡­ These tropes are toomon, right? It¡¯s happened before, I won¡¯t fall for it again!]</i>


    <i>[That does sound reasonable. We haven¡¯t heard of any major incidents so far. Those photos of mist in the mountain areas online aren¡¯t worth getting worked up about. It¡¯s not like we¡¯ve never had fog before, it¡¯s just that this time the mist is a bit thicker.]</i>


    <i>[Then how do you exin the sword shadow in the sky over Kunshan? It was on satellite broadcast, clearly a sword falling from the sky¡­]</i>


    <i>[At that time, it wasn¡¯t just Kun Mountain. People saw the exact same scene in all the ces where the Five Mountain Ranges are located. But afterwards, no one found the sword that fell from the sky. Besides, if there really was a sword falling from such a height, the kic energy produced would surely cause a bigmotion on the ground, but there were no corresponding traces¡­ This is probably just a phenomenon simr to a mirage, not real! It should be environmental pollution affecting the atmosphere, sunlight entering the cloudyer, and then being refracted by special pollutants to create a mirage, which is why so many people saw the false image¡­]</i>


    <i>[Experts havee out to exin, here¡¯s the link. They used a lot of iprehensible technical terms, involvingplex crustal movements and environmental pollution¡­ In short, to summarize what the experts said, everything is very scientific and reasonable. The thick fog is caused by environmental pollution. The Five Mountain Ranges happen to have special geography, and then there was seismic activity. A bunch of factors mixed together formed the current strange phenomenon. Those missing people are also due to the severe impact of the thick fog on visibility, plus the mountain environment became moreplex after the seismic activity, so they¡¯re temporarily lost in the thick fog. That¡¯s very reasonable! All countries have sent rescue teams, believe in the rescue teams!]</i>


    <i>[Really? There are still people who believe the experts¡¯ ghost stories?]</i>


    <i>[At this point, I have toe out and be honest. This is a secret hidden from everyone in the world, rted to a war that decided the fate of humanity many years ago¡­]</i>


    ¡°How is it?¡±


    ¡°The public opinion on the inte is under control. Although this incident was sudden, the number of people missing from our five domains added together is only a few hundred, and it¡¯s just missing, not dead. With all countries working together, we can still suppress other voices in the short term.¡±


    Chu Xingrui, receiving the report from below, temporarily breathed a sigh of relief.


    It had been a week since the seismic activity in the Five Mountain Ranges, which was also the second day since Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang entered the mist area. There had been no news from them, and Yin Xubai was also muttering iprehensibly, doing who knows what. Chu Xingrui, acknowledging that he had neither outstanding physical skills nor a mind for research and exploration, could only do his best within his abilities, striving to guide public opinion on the inte.


    The inte users wouldn¡¯t know how much of the information they were receiving was orchestrated by the Special Case Investigation Team. Many seemingly opposing viewpoints engaged in endless arguments might, on the other side of the screen, all be the same person.


    What the Special Case Investigation Team was doing was simply muddying the waters. They didn¡¯t need the public to believe any particr judgment, just to see a variety of exnations and be more confused. In the end, most people naturally viewed it as an absurd and bizarre incident, and led by humorousizens, apart from the friends and family of the missing, almost everyone else was caught up in the atmosphere of meme-making. Those still concerned about the truth behind the incident were few and far between, not enough to affect the big picture.


    Chu Xingrui believed that not just Yao Country, but other countries were likely responding in simr ways.


    Although they had temporarily resolved the impact on public opinion, avoiding unnecessary attention from too many ordinary people, as long as the missing were not found and the secrets behind the mist not revealed, the Special Case Investigation Team¡¯s mission was a failure. And those whose attention had been temporarily diverted couldn¡¯t be kept in the dark forever.


    The invisible pressure made Chu Xingrui feel urgent.


    Just as he was considering making decisions he had never had the heart to make before, perhaps sacrificing more lives to probe, news from the northern countries made him shudder.


    ¡°¡­They found the body of one of the missing?¡±


    ¡°¨CKilled with one strike, head and body separated?¡±


    Chu Xingrui almost stood up at once, his raised voice clearly revealing his suddenly fluctuating emotions.


    He forcibly suppressed his emotions and asked carefully, ¡°How did they discover the body? Are they sure it¡¯s one of the missing?¡±


    ¡°Because the rescuers lose contact upon entering the mist area, they tried usingrge vehicles, parking the body outside the mist area and extending a crane arm inside to sweep. Although the area they could sweep was small, basically just the outskirts of the mist area. Unexpectedly, they actually swept out a section of a body ¡ª after identification, it turned out to be one of the people who went missing during the Tani Mountain earthquake,¡± the person being questioned rted all the known information without omission. ¡°ording to the investigation, this person was originally a small-time hoodlum who had recently attached himself to a local nobleman¡¯s son. He participated in a camping trip organized by a group of young nobles as a follower, and then disappeared along with them.¡±


    ¡°¨CWho would have thought that when he appeared again, he¡¯d be a corpse!¡±


    Hearing mention of the tiny country that was barely a speck on the world map, Chu Xingrui understood. ¡°No wonder they risked potentially harming the missing persons by crudely sweeping the outskirts of the mist area¡­¡±


    When they had arranged for Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang to enter the mist area, it wasn¡¯t apletely impulsive move. Before that, Yin Xubai had already used animals as pioneers to conduct corresponding experiments.


    They had put animals with ropes tied around them into the mist area, from small animals like rats and rabbits torge animals like cattle and horses. Under the constraint of the ropes, they were eventually able to urately pull all the animals back ¡ª even though they were so unwilling, struggling and resisting almost desperately.


    These animals, which had stayed in the mist area for periods ranging from a few hours to a day, underwentprehensive testing upon their return ¡ª the results showed that a kind of special energy seemed to have been injected into their flesh and blood. Not only were their old illnesses and injuries greatly alleviated, but they had also be younger at the cellr level. A vibrant vitality radiated from within them, making them full of energy.


    The one that had stayed the longest seemed to have be noticeably smarter.


    In short, from all aspects of the test results, they had not suffered any negative effects, but rather gained long-term positive changes. It was because of this that Chu Xingrui feltfortable letting Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang enter the mist area to try.


    Even if they ultimately never returned.


    The mist areas in other mountain ranges had undoubtedly also been met with research and exploration from various countries, and the benefits the mist brought to the human body surely couldn¡¯t have gone unnoticed by other countries. As for the special rule that animals could freelye and go in the mist area while humans never returned, everyone had probably figured it out by now.


    Everyone had reason to suspect that deep in the imprable mist, there existed a special screening and identification mechanism that only targeted humans.


    Moreover, no matter how much research was done, it was found that the mist only benefited the human body without any harm. Therefore, many people had already guessed that this was some kind of special selection, and those selected would, like the animals, undergo a transformation of life.


    ¡ª This was enough to give rise to special expectations in some high-ranking individuals gued by serious illnesses or natural aging.


    However, spection was just spection. As long as it wasn¡¯t proven, they wouldn¡¯t rashly try it on themselves. But the desire to uncover the truth had undoubtedly be more intense and urgent.


    Therger countries were still okay, with various forces keeping each other in check, making it difficult for individual ambitions and selfish desires to immediately drive a country¡¯s decisions. But in those small countries where those in power could cover the sky with one hand, the will of those in power could be implemented at the fastest speed.


    ¡°But, are they sure that the decapitated body wasn¡¯t caused by their crude sweeping?¡±


    Even as he criticized this way, Chu Xingrui knew in his heart that those people couldn¡¯t possibly have mistaken the cause of death for a corpse.


    This made him worry for Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang.


    Chu Xingrui¡¯s gaze turned towards Kun Mountain in the mist.


    ¡­ It seemed that within this thick mist, there might be dangers beyond imagination!


    He hoped¡­they wouldn¡¯te to any harm¡­<hr>


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 Chapter 73

    Chapter 73


    Just as Chu Xingrui was secretly worrying about the safety of Li Fufeng and hispanion, these two were squatting side by side in a courtyard, one feeding chickens and geese, looking quite skilled.


    But the next moment, with a ¡°peck,¡± a giant white goose, three times the size of a normal white goose, began pping its wings and flying low in the courtyard ¨C about one centimeter off the ground. It relentlessly chased after the person who had been feeding it carelessly and always trying to secretly pluck feathers from its body. Every feather seemed to be shing with killing intent.


    The exponential increase in size also brought an exponential boost to the fighting power of the giant white goose. For a moment, the entire courtyard seemed to be stirred up by a small sandstorm, with dust flying everywhere. Liu Ningshuang, who was being chased by the giant white goose, skillfully ran towards Li Fufeng, who was feeding the chickens, not forgetting to look back. ¡°I just ruffled your feathers a bit, don¡¯t be so petty!¡±


    Provoked by this, the ferocious giant white goose charged even more fiercely, its long beak pecking more aggressively with a series of ¡°peck peck peck¡± attacks, all of which were narrowly avoided by Liu Ningshuang¡¯s agile movements.


    Liu Ningshuang skillfully led the giant white goose around the courtyard for about tenps until the goose was too tired to run anymore and could only re at her with fierce eyes. She then slowly slowed down her pace and expertly plucked a handful of fluffy feathers from the exhausted goose lying on the ground. ¡°See, isn¡¯t it better to be obedient like this?¡±


    She muttered, looking quite pleased with herself, standing next to the dejected giant white goose, the contrast especially stark.


    Li Fufeng shook his head with an amused smile. After finishing feeding the chickens, he stood up. ¡°Why do you provoke it for no reason? Geese are very fierce, you know.¡±


    ¡°I was just curious,¡± Liu Ningshuang raised both hands and gestured, ¡°Such a big goose, isn¡¯t it rare? I¡¯ve never seen a goose like this before. Oh, and these chickens¡­¡±


    ¡°No, no, no, don¡¯t set your sights on the chickens now.¡± Seeing Liu Ningshuang¡¯s gaze fall on the bright red-feathered chickens, Li Fufeng quickly stepped forward to block them, ¡°If you keep messing around, I¡¯m afraid these chickens will be worn out before I can fatten them up¡­¡± As he said this, he suddenly became alert and silently turned his gaze towards the area behind Liu Ningshuang, ¡°In these few days, hasn¡¯t this giant white goose lost quite a bit of weight?¡±Liu Ningshuang¡¯s gaze followed Li Fufeng¡¯s to the exhausted giant white goose on the ground. After observing for a moment, she immediately looked away guiltily. She coughed twice and looked up. ¡°Well, how can normal post-meal exercise be called messing around? It¡¯s not losing weight, it¡¯s muscle toning and nutrition¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Just like how stealing books isn¡¯t called theft, I get it,¡± Li Fufeng quipped skillfully. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t seen youe in here with me, I would have thought I brought Professor Yin here. Perhaps this strange otherworld has suddenly awakened your bloodline¡¯s Yin-style perspective? Is this what being cousins means?¡±


    ¡°?¡± Hearing him mention Yin Xubai, the childhood trauma that had overshadowed her for years suddenly resurfaced in her memory. Liu Ningshuang¡¯s mood immediately soured, and she instantly lost interest in teasing the chickens and geese.


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°I was just too bored, okay? We can¡¯t go back to Blue Star, and it¡¯s not time to enter the city yet, so I was just finding something to pass the time. Sigh, I hope our families won¡¯t be too heartbroken when the news of our disappearance gets back to them.¡±


    As she spoke, Liu Ningshuang let out a heavy sigh. The excitement from chasing the goose earlier was gone, revealing her true emotions.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if the time flow between the two sides is 1:1. We¡¯ve been in this strange otherworld for five days now. We¡¯ve probably been listed as missing persons on Blue Star by now¡­¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be that fast. It¡¯s only been five days. The Special Case Investigation Team won¡¯t confirm our deaths so quickly and notify our families,¡± Li Fufeng was also somewhat worried, but he quicklyposed himself and said seriously, ¡°That¡¯s why we need to get out of here as soon as possible, and return to Blue Star before our deaths are confirmed and the news reaches our families. It would be even better if we could bring back information about this world and news about the missing persons¡­ Whether it¡¯s for returning or finding the missing persons, we need to quickly make contact with the upper echelons of this world.¡±


    ¡°¡ªThis uing trip to the city for the market is our chance.¡±


    Liu Ningshuang was originally of strong character, but this experience had been too bizarre. Anyone would feel lost when even the possibility of returning home was uncertain. After venting her emotions momentarily, she quickly regained herposure. Taking a deep breath, she stood up. ¡°You¡¯re right, we need to find a way back as soon as possible.¡±


    She thought of the scene they faced when they suddenly arrived in this world a few days ago, and a smile appeared on her face again. ¡°Actually, we¡¯re already quite lucky. We didn¡¯t end up in some dangerous and terrifying world, being hunted bypletely unreasonable natives. Instead, we met people with simr cultures who are willing to help us¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Li Fufeng nodded in agreement.


    Their thoughts seemed to drift back to their first day in this world¡ª


    An ancient mansion in a style from hundreds of years ago, a suddenly appearing girl in red, and shadows shing like ghosts¡­ These elementsbined were like a ssic ghost movie.


    And Liu Ningshuang, who wasn¡¯t afraid of anything except ghosts, was undoubtedly stunned at first sight.


    Even Li Fufeng, who was friends with Adam, was quite shocked¡ªnot because of the girl¡¯s entrance, but by her first words.


    ¡°¡ªYou¡¯ve been wandering outside the vige for almost three hours, are you ying hide and seek?¡±


    Even though the speaker was smiling sweetly, sincerely, and curiously, hearing this almost made Li Fufeng break out in a cold sweat.


    Their reconnaissance, which they thought had been well-hidden and undetected, had been observed from beginning to end. Perhaps even the moment they suddenly appeared in this world hadn¡¯t escaped notice. Thinking of this, how could they not be terrified?


    As the girl in red appeared and spoke, a group of vigers seemed to appear at her summons, suddenly surrounding the two in the courtyard.


    At that time, they both thought they were done for.


    Fortunately, these people didn¡¯t seem to have any ill intentions towards them, or rather, the girl who called herself ¡°Qing Fei¡± had no ill intentions, and she seemed to hold a high position in the hearts of the other vigers. At least, they were all willing to listen to her ideas.


    ¡ªAnd so the two of them temporarily stayed.


    ¡°Qing Fei¡± had probably been staying in the vige and rarely saw outsiders or hadpanions of equal status, so she was particrly enthusiastic and curious about these two neers, Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang.


    The two soon learned that the courtyard house they had chosen wasn¡¯t Qing Fei¡¯s home. This young girl lived alone in the center of the vige, but she had discovered the two outsiders lingering outside the vige through some unknown means and appeared before them out of curiosity.


    Unexpectedly, her unique entrance almost made Liu Ningshuang mistake her for a wandering ghost in the ancient mansion.


    After Qing Fei epted the two, the vigers seemed to automatically treat them as the girl¡¯s guests and arranged for them to stay in this courtyard where the girl lived alone. All they had to do these few days was feed the chickens and geese in the yard, which in a sense, was also taking care of their own food.


    Apart from this, their freedom didn¡¯t seem to be restricted. If they wished, they could leave the vige at any time.


    But the two didn¡¯t act rashly.


    Their ¡°stumble¡± with Qing Fei made them realize that this world wasn¡¯t as simple as they thought, but had supernatural powers. On the contrary, they had made the mistake of empiricism, thinking it was just like Yao Country from hundreds of years ago.


    The two spent a few days establishing rtionships with the vigers, gathering a lot of information by helping with chores, and learning about the world from Qing Fei. Gradually, they pieced together a simple intelligence report in their minds.


    This world was indeed not as simple as they had initially thought. Although the customs were simr to those of ancient Yao Country from hundreds of years ago, there existed supernatural powers that ancient Yao Country didn¡¯t have ¨C namely, the martial arts.


    The martial arts of this world were not like the fighting techniques Liu Ningshuang had learned before, but a power that involved drawing spiritual energy from the earth into the body, forming an internal cirction through practice, continuously strengthening the physical body, and then applying martial techniques.


    ording to information they gathered from the vige children, legendary martial arts masters could easily split mountains and cross rivers on a single reed.


    Although there were no martial arts masters in this vige called Shicun Vige, there were legends of various great masters, which the children here had heard countless times since childhood.


    Initially, the two didn¡¯t quite believe the children¡¯s stories, thinking they must be greatly exaggerated ¨C this wasn¡¯t just martial arts, it was almost like immortal cultivation.


    But when they saw vigers who reportedly hadn¡¯t even begun to learn martial arts effortlessly wielding swords weighing dozens of pounds in the vige¡¯s martial arts field, while others didn¡¯t find it strange at all, they finally realized that all the stories were true.


    They immediately became interested in this world¡¯s martial arts and curious about these masters who could supposedly fly through the air. It was as if some childhood fantasies hade true before their eyes.


    This information wasn¡¯t a secret, and the two soon learned that this world wasn¡¯t divided into countries, but consisted of twelve cities and numerous viges of various sizes. The true martial arts masters mostly lived in the cities, developing their families and epting disciples. The viges outside the cities were mostly inhabited by ordinary people with little to no martial arts skills, and it was rare for a martial artist to choose to settle outside the cities.


    If they wanted to gain a deeper understanding of this world, or even learn these special martial arts powers, they would have to enter the city.


    Now, thinking back to the ghost-like shadow of the young girl Qing Fei, they understood. This girl wasn¡¯t a ghost, she just had martial arts skills. As for her level of strength, withoutparison to others, the two couldn¡¯t be sure of her standing in this world.


    They guessed it probably wasn¡¯t very high. After all, her age was a factor, and even if she was a prodigy, it would still take time to increase her strength¡­ This was a world of martial arts practice, not a xianxia novel where there were monsters hundreds of years old pretending to be young. Even though these so-called martial arts, in their eyes, had already reached a levelparable to immortal cultivation.


    Knowing this, the two were eager to enter the city. After inquiries, they learned that Shicun Vige would go to the city once every half month, mainly to sell grain and game, and to buy necessary living supplies and the monthly ¡°Martial Arts Gazette¡± ¨C aprehensive periodical that included martial arts, life, entertainment, and other news, popr in all twelve cities and almost the only way for people in this world to learn about news from various ces.


    This news immediately caught their attention.


    If they could persuade the group going to the city to take them along, they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about getting lost or viting certain taboos due tock ofmon sense. More importantly, they wondered if this world had something simr to the travel permits that existed in ancient Yao Country, which might be necessary for entering the city smoothly. If the management in this aspect was very strict, it might be difficult for them to find a way in.


    Later, they confirmed that travel permits were indeed necessary. However, the management in this aspect wasn¡¯t very strict in this world, and every vige could settle outsiders and issue household permits on their own.


    This was undoubtedly the only chance for the two.


    They set their sights on the special Qing Fei.


    ¡°Tomorrow is when the vigers prepare to enter the city. I hope our n can sessfully persuade her¡­¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 74

    Chapter 74


    ¡°Do you also want to go to Daliang City together?¡± Looking at the two guests who were the first to greet her in the courtyard, Qing Fei, who had just returned from doing something outside, blinked her eyes and nodded without hesitation, ¡°Sure, sure! Go find Grandpa Vige Chief, he will help arrange your entry permits for the city.¡±


    Her attitude was so straightforward that it made both Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang stunned. The lie they had prepared in their minds had no chance to be used, and it ¡°died in the womb¡±.


    Originally, they had fabricated identities as two country bumpkins who had been isted in the mountains until their elders passed away, forcing them toe out and see the world¡­ For a moment, the two felt strangely regretful.


    They quickly shook their heads to get rid of this inappropriate emotion, then frowned, realizing that the situation was not simple.


    ¡ª Two strangers of unknown origin, asking to join the vige¡¯s group to enter the city using the vige¡¯s identity, no matter how you look at it, it shouldn¡¯t be something that could be agreed to so easily, right?


    Even though Qing Fei in front of them looked only about thirteen or fourteen years old, since she could make such an important decision for the vige, she couldn¡¯t possibly be as easily fooled as an ordinary child.


    The hesitant and conflicted expressions on their faces werepletely caught by Qing Fei, but this enthusiastic host didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of exining things to her guests.


    Instead, she seemed to have finally foundpanions for an adventure. With a smile on her face, she put her hands behind her back and happily trotted back to her room. Every frame of her retreating figure seemed to spell out the word ¡°excitement¡±.


    Left behind, Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang looked at each other, both hesitant and uneasy, deeply fearing that they had missed some detail, or if there was something about them that could be exploited by others.Could it be¡­ that their background had been seen through? No, perhaps she knew from the beginning¡­ Thinking about how they had been secretly observing the vige from outside, this strange little girl might have been observing them from inside the vige. Maybe she even saw the scene when they first arrived in this world, and perhaps it was because of this that she became interested in them and was willing to help them enter the city¡­ The two felt suffocated at the thought.


    At this moment, these childhood friends miraculously connected their thought processes, both thinking of Yin Xubai¡¯s various experiments, and for the first time felt an unprecedented sense of empathy.


    However, they weren¡¯t empathizing with Yin Xubai, the perverted scientist, but with the various experimental subjects observed by Yin Xubai.


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t youe in yet? We¡¯re leaving early tomorrow morning!¡±


    The previously closed door opened a crack, and a small head with two braids peeked out. Her bright ck eyes looked at the two people standing still in the courtyard with confusion.


    ¡°Oh, oh, we¡¯reing right now!¡±


    The two finally snapped out of their trance, nced at each other, and seemed to see in each other¡¯s eyes the embarrassment of wanting to escape by boarding a train overnight.


    What experiments, what observations, how could such a cute little girl be like the perverted Yin Xubai? It must be an illusion caused by staying with Yin Xubai for too long¡­


    Behind them, the girl¡¯s eyes blinked a few times, filled with both curiosity and confusion. ¡°Could it be them?¡±


    ¡°The ones who can take me away from Shicun Vige¡­¡±


    ****


    The sky had not yet brightened. The sun was like a melted egg yolk, coating the surrounding clouds with a warm and hazy ze, and draping ayer of dawn light over the city standing silently in the remnants of night.


    At the wide-open city gate, a group of about a dozen people was entering the city. In the group, a young man and woman were queuing up obediently while curiously looking around.


    ¡°The road into the city is unexpectedly short. I thought since this world only has ten cities in total, each city would be about the size of a country in our ancient times¡­¡±


    The two huddled together, whispering and asionally looking at the tall city walls and the surrounding crowds. They seemed fascinated by everything they saw and continued to quietly exchange their guesses.


    ¡°This world feels much smaller than I imagined. Could they still be living in an era before the great voyages? Besides the continent represented by these ten cities, are there other undiscovered continents? We originally thought these ten cities represented the entire world, but could it actually be just one country? Just like the ancient Yao Country before other continents were discovered?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a reasonable guess¡­¡±


    They spoke in low voices, mostly expressing awe at the appearance of Daliang City. When it came to things inconvenient to say out loud, they tapped and struck each other¡¯s palms in code, using secret signals instead. Their gawking appearance made them look no different from any other ¡°country bumpkins¡± entering the city for the first time.


    In the crowd, some people who noticed this scene frowned disdainfully and quickly averted their gaze from these country folk, as if fearing they might catch their uncouthness if they looked too long. Naturally, they overlooked the subtle movements of their almost intertwined hands and fingers tapping on each other¡¯s palms.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go,¡± Qing Fei, the little girl, skipped over to Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang after smoothly passing through the city gate inspection. She shed her trademark sweet smile, showing deep dimples. ¡°Brother Li, Sister Liu, where do you want to go y?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± The two were startled simultaneously, their sped hands naturally separating as they instinctively looked towards the rest of the group.


    Qing Fei followed their gaze and immediately understood their meaning. She shook her hand, ¡°They¡¯re going to sell goods, so boring! Don¡¯t mind them, let¡¯s go y, let¡¯s go y, okay?¡± As she spoke, she nimbly positioned herself between the two, taking one hand each, and began swinging their arms in a yful manner.


    This set of well-practiced actions,bined with the little girl¡¯s cute smile and voice, made it impossible to refuse.


    Liu Ningshuang immediately dered surrender. ¡°Okay, okay, where do you want to go? We¡¯re not familiar with this ce¡­¡± After all, their purpose of entering the city had been achieved, and they could start gathering information from anywhere. Having a local as a guide might even make things smoother.


    Li Fufeng nodded in agreement beside her, indicating he was on board.


    ¡°Eh? This is my first time in Daliang City too¡­¡± Qing Fei, who had just achieved her goal, didn¡¯t have time to be happy before she puffed up her cheeks in frustration. Then, she shook her little head left and right for half a turn, her eyes rolling around as if trying to judge where would be more fun based on the flow of people around them.


    What? The ¡°guide¡± is also here for the first time? Yet you acted so experienced¡­ Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang were both amused and exasperated. Just as they were about to say something, they saw the little girl, who had been looking left and right, suddenly brighten up, as if she had really figured out where would be more fun. She raised Liu Ningshuang¡¯s hand and pointed in a certain direction, ¡°Let¡¯s go that way! It seems like something fun is happening over there.¡±


    This Daliang City had a style reminiscent of ancient Yao Country, with green bricks and red wood, blue tiles and ornate roofs. On the main streets paved with t bluestone, people were bustling about. Perhaps the only difference was that almost everyone here carried swords or daggers, and asionally people would leap high over the houses and alleys like flying birds.


    The red sun had risen to the middle of the sky, set against the tallest tower in the city, like the golden crow from mythology perched on the Fusang tree.


    The direction Qing Fei pointed to was towards the central tower of the city. In that direction also stood the mansion of Daliang City¡¯s lord.


    After entering the city gate, the surging crowd had been dispersed by the branching main roads, suddenly bing sparse. As they walked on the road towards the city lord¡¯s mansion, they faintly heard discussions from the side.


    ¡°Hiss, the corpse¡­ really disappeared?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s no lie, we all saw it with our own eyes. The executioner had just carried out the sentence, and the next moment the body disappeared¡­ This was witnessed by the city lord, the executioner, and the hundreds of spectators gathered at the execution ground. We all saw it with our own eyes!¡±


    ¡°This¡­ it¡¯s ghostly! How can such a thing happen? A severed head, yet able to escape. Could that Kunlun ve know sorcery?¡±


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be possible, right?¡±


    ¡°I think it must have been a monster in disguise. Yellow hair and blue eyes, has anyone ever seen such a person before? You all say it¡¯s a Kunlun ve from ancient texts, but I say it¡¯s a monster.¡±


    ¡°The monster theory is absurd! If there were really mountain spirits and strange creatures in this world, how could the Skywalkers with their godly martial arts not detect them? If even one monster had ever been discovered, it would have made the front page of the ¡®Martial Arts Gazette¡¯. Since there¡¯s never been the slightest rumor of monsters, they must not exist!¡±


    ¡°Skywalkers? Who knows if there are still Skywalkers in this world! Not to mention if the Skywalkers are dead¡­ mmph¡­¡±


    ¡°Shh! Are you crazy? Saying such mad things, ndering the Skywalkers, all ten cities wouldn¡¯t tolerate you¡­¡±


    In a corner of the street, the gazes of the two followed the speakers¡¯ voices precisely, seeing two men dressed as wandering knights leaning very close to each other. The one in blue was covering the mouth of his thoughtlesspanion with one hand while warning him in a low voice. His gaze nervously scanned the surroundings, meeting the eyes of Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang.


    The blue-clothed man¡¯s face froze, and he was about to leave quickly with hispanion, but when he lifted his leg, he couldn¡¯t move.


    ¡°!¡± He slowly lowered his head like a zombie, only to find the little girl in red who had somehow run to his side, her hand precisely gripping his trouser leg. She looked up at the blue-clothed man¡¯s face, which had stiffened as if his father had died, and smiled with innocent curiosity. ¡°Uncle, what are you talking about? I want to hear too.¡±


    The blue-clothed man¡¯s raised heart slowly settled down. He tried to squeeze out a smile. ¡°Little one, you must have misheard. We weren¡¯t saying anything. And we don¡¯t have any stories to tell you¡­¡±


    As he spoke, he brushed off the little girl¡¯s hand and gave a meaningful look to hispanion who had regained his senses. Both of them simultaneously gathered their internal energy, their bodies bing light as they were about to leave.


    ¡°Liar!¡± The little girl immediately frowned and reached out to grab again. Her young face suddenly had an indescribable aura.


    The blue-clothed man, who was about to soar into the air and flee, suddenly felt the internal energy in his body¡¯s meridians freeze instantly. He seemed to have suddenly turned into an ordinary person with no martial arts skills.


    At this moment, he was like a bird that had just taken off but forgotten how to fly, instinctively pping its wings desperately, and in the chaos, he dragged his friend down with him.


    After stumbling a few steps before steadying himself, he looked down and still saw a small hand gripping his trouser leg, and the girl¡¯s young face.


    The blue-clothed man was terrified. Thetter half of the little girl¡¯s words also drifted to his ears. ¡°I clearly heard you mention Skywalkers¡­¡±


    ¡°Cough cough cough cough!¡± The blue-clothed man coughed frantically. Hispanion, not even having time toin about his friend¡¯s actions that implicated him, quickly spoke up loudly, ¡°We were talking about a strange incident that happened recently!¡±


    He shouted at the top of his voice, trying to cover the little girl¡¯s words. ¡°A few days ago, a Kunlun ve was executed at the execution ground. His head was clearly separated from his body, but the corpse disappeared before it even hit the ground!¡±


    ¡°Kunlun ve?¡± Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang caught the key words.


    ¡°Yes, a Kunlun ve.¡± Realizing that the topic had been sessfully changed and no one was focusing on the Skywalkers anymore, the man breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, ¡°He was dressed strangely, with yellow hair and blue eyes, much like the Kunlun ves described in ancient books. However, we¡¯ve never heard of Kunlun ves having such sorcery¡­¡±


    ¡°Dressed strangely, yellow hair and blue eyes?¡± Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang exchanged a nce, feeling a strange sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.


    They suddenly thought of the missing people who disappeared in Kunshan, and those contestants, family members, and photographers from various countries around the world¡­ Could it really be what they were thinking?


    Seeing that the two seemed very interested, the man tried even harder to steer the conversation in this direction, attempting to make them quickly forget about the Skywalkers topic. ¡°Oh right, that Kunlun ve had twopanions, also dressed strangely, but with appearances simr to us from the Ten Cities¡­¡±


    ¡°?!!¡± The gazes of the two immediately turned towards him, suddenly appearing very sharp.


    ¡°¡­Since they didn¡¯tmit capital crimes, they¡¯re still being held in the dungeon of the city lord¡¯s mansion. It¡¯s said that the city lord will interrogate them today, and maybe we¡¯ll find out what kind of sorcery it is.¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 75

    Chapter 75


    Although they had just arrived, it wasn¡¯t difficult for them to inquire about an event witnessed by hundreds of people, which, in a sense, had no confidentiality. Li Fufeng and his twopanions quickly learned the details of the incident.


    About ten days ago, the Xu family¡¯s merchant association in the city reported that their youngdy had left a note and run away, her whereabouts unknown.


    This youngdy, who had some martial arts skills, was dissatisfied with the arranged marriage her family had set for her. Taking advantage of her elders¡¯ absence on a business trip, she sent away the servants and secretly slipped out of the house, leaving the city. By the time the city lord¡¯s people discovered this, she had already left the city.


    Less than a day after she left the city, the youngdy who had departed with her head held high returned looking disheveled ¨C her bundle was lost, and her clothes were covered in blood stains.


    As soon as she arrived, the youngdy frantically exined the reason for her disheveled state. ¡°I¡­ I killed someone!¡± she cried out, grabbing a random passerby, her voice filled with panic, fear, terror, and confusion.


    It must be said that the scene shocked quite a few people at the time, and even made it to the news section of the ¡°Martial Arts Gazette ¨C Daliang City Edition.¡±


    Although this was a world where martial arts were widespread, the existence of the Twelve Cities meant that this world still operated ording to a set of rules, and one couldn¡¯t just kill people at will. Upon hearing the news, the city lord immediately sent people to follow the still-shaken youngdy out of the city.


    Then, they found three people lying in the woods.


    Two of them, a man and a woman, seemed to be just asleep, breathing normally. The other person looked much worse, covered in blood, their face swollen beyond recognition. Even covered in blood, the golden hair was still eye-catching to everyone.¡ª This was actually a legendary Kunlun ve.


    Just looking at the Kunlun ve¡¯s condition, it was obvious who the victim was. However, upon closer inspection, they discovered that the person wasn¡¯t dead yet, at least still had a breath left.


    What happened next was simple. The barely alive victim was rushed back for rescue ¡ª although ording to the youngdy¡¯s ount of what happened, this person might not have deserved to be saved. But even if they were a criminal, they should at least be given a chance for trial.


    At this point, Miss Xu, who had discovered that the person wasn¡¯t dead and had calmed down, told everything she knew.


    ¡ª It turned out that shortly after the runaway bride left the city, she encountered a group of three people in a forest. This group consisted of a pair of siblings and a strange Kunlun ve.


    Out of curiosity about seeing a Kunlun ve for the first time in her life, and because the siblings were outgoing and friendly, Miss Xu surprisingly got along well with these strangers.


    The three seemed to be unfamiliar with manymon sense things about this world and had no impression of Daliang City. They imed to have lived in the deep mountains all their lives, having a deep longing and curiosity for the outside world. This was their first time leaving the mountains to see the world.


    The inexperienced Miss Xu believed their story.


    The reason was that a Kunlun ve with such a striking appearance would have surely been discovered if they hadn¡¯t been living in the deep mountains. And these people¡¯sck of knowledge about the outside world didn¡¯t seem to be an act.


    Since she had also left home in pursuit of freedom, Miss Xu empathized with their reason for leaving the deep mountains to see the world. She enthusiastically invited them to travel together.


    The three warmly weed this newpanion.


    ¡ª The Kunlun ve, who imed to be an excellent cook, volunteered to take charge of that evening¡¯s dinner.


    After enjoying a fragrant grilled fish dinner, the excitement of making new friends gradually gave way to drowsiness. The group set up camp and chose to turn in early.


    Just after Miss Xu fell asleep, someone silently crept into her tent, seemingly intending to do something.


    At that moment, an instinctive sense of danger caused Miss Xu to wake up groggily. In a state between sleep and wakefulness, she saw a dark shadow cast on her face. She cried out unconsciously, startling the intruder, who quickly pounced on her, immediately trying to cover her mouth.


    This, however, gave Miss Xu, who had no realbat experience, a chance to fight back. In the struggle, intense fear temporarily overwhelmed the youngdy¡¯s rationality. Shepletely forgot about techniques, and her body began to move purely on instinct, inadvertently unleashing all of her martial arts skills.


    By the time she came to her senses, the suspicious attacker had been kicked out of the tent and was lying in the woods, covered in blood, his face bruised and swollen, his fate unknown,pletely transformed into a bloody mess.


    Mistakenly believing she had killed someone, Miss Xu hurriedly fled back to the city, leading to everything that happened afterwards.


    The rescued criminal struggled and defended himself in vain, confirming her words without discrepancy. He only added a few details.


    Such as his motive.


    ording to him, having juste out of the deep mountains and knowing nothing about this world, he learned of her identity from Miss Xu herself. He thought this naive, innocent rich girl would be suitable as his first stepping stone to engage with this world ¨C if he kidnapped her, he could extract martial arts secrets or other information from this youngdy. The bundle she carried when running away from home obviously contained valuable items enough for him to establish a foothold in this world, and then slowly expand upwards.


    As for why he didn¡¯t choose to gain favor, win the youngdy¡¯s approval, and then establish himself in this world through the Xu merchant association? Who made him the ¡°Kunlun ve¡± in Miss Xu¡¯s words? He really couldn¡¯t guarantee how people in the outside world would treat a ¡°Kunlun ve¡±. Just from Miss Xu¡¯s attitude towards him and his twopanions during their conversation, he could see the subtle bias.


    However, Li Fufeng and hispanion, who had already guessed these people¡¯s origins, also guessed the reason this person didn¡¯t voice.


    ¡ª Compared to the results of a simple and brutal one-time heist, being treated as a ¡°Kunlun ve¡±, having to please people from a backward feudal era like a servant, and clearly Eastern ancient people at that, possibly having to continue for a long time before having a chance to change one¡¯s fate, this kind of thing, perhaps some freedom-loving modern person wouldn¡¯t do, right?


    Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t understand the martial arts of this world, nor did he know the difference in physical constitution between martial artists and ordinary people. The drug that could easily make the siblings sleep deeply had a clearly weakened effect when used on Miss Xu who possessed internal energy, leading to theplete failure of his n.


    ¡°¡­Suddenly transported to ancient times, who would be willing to be someone¡¯s ve, trying to climb the socialdder by pleasing masters? Given the opportunity to directly rob once, you¡¯d have the needed martial arts secrets and treasures, without needing to please anyone. Just find a deep mountain forest to practice martial arts intensively, and after gaining some strength,e out of the mountains with gold and silver, disguise your appearance a bit, and you could thrive in the backward ancient times, right?¡± Li Fufeng pondered the person¡¯s thoughts, making a rough inference, ¡°This guy¡­was probably thinking along these lines, right?¡±


    At this time, the three were sitting in a street-side restaurant, with even this private room being paid for by Qing Fei.


    The one who paid was earnestly eating pastries, apparently maintaining an attitude of being outside the topic of discussion.


    ¡°But it didn¡¯t seem like that Miss Xu intended to use him as a ve, did she?¡± Liu Ningshuang countered, then immediately answered her own question, ¡°Oh, Miss Xu can¡¯t represent everyone in this world. If someone became interested in Kunlun ves, and Miss Xu couldn¡¯t resist, he would be in danger!¡±


    Li Fufeng made an affirmative sound. ¡°But, after all, direct kidnapping and robbery probably fit his mindset better, right? He probably had his heart set on it as soon as he learned of Miss Xu¡¯s identity. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have acted so quickly. If it was just for self-protection, he wouldn¡¯t have needed to go to such lengths¡­¡±


    Liu Ningshuang nodded repeatedly, then quipped, ¡°That¡¯s true. If we haven¡¯t guessed wrong, the three of them are all missing persons. In that case, what decent person would carry knockout drugs with them?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s those siblings who were implicated by him that are unfortunate¡­¡±


    ording to the information they gathered, the ¡°Kunlun ve¡± had been executed three days ago, with his dismembered body mysteriously disappearing. As for the siblings, they had also eaten the drugged grilled fish that day and had slept heavily for a day and a night before waking up.


    But as soon as they woke up, they were faced with cold shackles.


    Who could me them, since these three were originally together? It was impossible not to suspect their involvement in this incident. Even if they were also drugged, who could guarantee it wasn¡¯t a ruse, a backup n to protect themselves in case of failure?


    Even though these two people confusedly stated that they weren¡¯t familiar with the criminal at all, it sounded more like a cunning excuse, further increasing their suspicion ¨C after all, wasn¡¯t this different from what they initially said abouting from the deep mountains together?


    If there hadn¡¯t been apleteck of evidence proving their involvement in this incident, they wouldn¡¯t just be imprisoned now, but would have been beheaded three days ago as aplices of the ¡°Kunlun ve¡±.


    ¡°Ah, such unfortunate souls¡­¡± Learning that the two were still in jail, Liu Ningshuang couldn¡¯t help but mourn for them. They understood that these two were likely indeed unrted to the deceased ¡°Kunlun ve¡±. After all, in the Kun Mountain incident, the missing people hade from countries all over the world!


    But the people of this world couldn¡¯t possibly know the inside story. Unless the siblings revealed the secret of their transportation to this world, and even if they exposed this secret, the situation might not necessarily improve.


    Tragic, with a capital T.


    Thinking this way, Liu Ningshuang felt overwhelmed.


    ¡°Looking at it this way, we were really super lucky!¡±


    Hearing this, Qing Fei, who was sitting next to her focusing on a te of pastries, licked the crumbs off her fingertips and looked up with curved eyes. ¡°Ah, is Sister Liu praising me? This makes me feel a bit embarrassed~¡±


    The little girl¡¯s voice was so sweet that it made Liu Ningshuang feel a bit embarrassed.


    Although they hadn¡¯t explicitly discussed it among themselves, Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang had long ago spected that when they suddenly appeared outside that vige, Qing Fei might have seen it.


    Therefore, even without knowing about the existence of Blue Star, this mysterious girl must surely know about the special origins of the two. Since she didn¡¯t mention it, they maintained a kind of unspoken understanding. After all, no matter how special, it wouldn¡¯t be possible to trace back to Blue Star, right?


    So, Liu Ningshuang frankly admitted. ¡°We should indeed thank you properly. If it weren¡¯t for you, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to enter Daliang City, and even this private room was your treat¡­¡±


    Speaking of which, thinking about how two adults had been reduced to relying on a child¡¯s generosity, she couldn¡¯t help but want to cover her face.


    Li Fufeng beside her clearly thought the same, almost mirroring hispanion¡¯s face-covering expression.


    Qing Fei waved her hand. ¡°It¡¯s okay. If it weren¡¯t for you, I wouldn¡¯t have had the chance toe to Daliang City either.¡± She propped her chin on her hand, saying seriously, ¡°Mm, we¡¯re helping each other.¡±


    Given your status in Shicun Vige, wouldn¡¯t you have had the chance to enter the city with others? How is this mutual assistance¡­ Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang exchanged nces, feeling helpless. They could only take it as the little girl¡¯s casual attempt tofort them, even if it wasn¡¯t sincere.


    ¡°By the way, shouldn¡¯t we go rescue those two unfortunate souls next?¡± Qing Fei suddenly spoke up, her voice childish but clear, ¡°They should be Brother Li and Sister Liu¡¯s fellow countrymen, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­Not necessarily,¡± Li Fufeng pondered. Everything was just their spection; what if they were actually natives? It would be troublesome if they went through all the effort to rescue them only to find out it was a mistake.


    ¡°Since they¡¯re still in prison, we should be able to visit them, right?¡± he said. ¡°I wonder how we can arrange a prison visit?¡±


    As soon as he said it, Li Fufeng inwardly chided himself for being foolish.


    There were only three people here. He and Liu Ningshuang were unfamiliar with everything in this world, and the only one who could provide answers, the little girl Qing Fei, was only twelve or thirteen years old. Even if she had talent in martial arts, how could she possibly know the conditions and procedures for prison visits?


    Sure enough, Qing Fei was already furrowing her brows in distress. ¡°Ah, if it¡¯s about rescuing people, I could still provide some help. I already know where the execution ground is, but as for prison visits¡­¡±


    Knowing where the execution ground is means you can help with rescuing people? Isn¡¯t there something wrong with your thinking¡­ Li Fufeng felt there were too many issues with this statement, and strangely, he found himself developing an odd mindset of wanting to correct a child who seemed to be going astray.


    As a former police officer and now a member of the Special Case Investigation Team, if their time travel ended up leading a good child astray, that would truly be their fault¡­ Deciding to set a good example, Li Fufeng immediately interrupted the little girl¡¯s seemingly dangerous train of thought. He smiled slightly. ¡°Prison visits aren¡¯t some secret affair. If we don¡¯t know how to do it, we can ask around.¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 76

    Chapter 76


    ¡°This way, the person is inside¡­¡±


    The gloomy dungeon was briefly illuminated by a flickering light. Li Fufeng and hispanion followed behind the jailer, their peripheral vision sweeping past the cells they passed. Like anyone who had paid to visit a prisoner, they maintained caution and silence.


    The mysterious little girl Qing Fei was temporarily absent.


    It was already evening, and the group from Shicun Vige was preparing to return. However, Qing Fei didn¡¯t seem to n on going back with them. After saying goodbye to the two, this little girl with obvious secrets went off alone to ¡°discuss¡± something with the vigers from Shicun Vige.


    Not wanting to waste time, Li Fufeng and hispanion decided to visit the prisoners.


    Just as they reached a corner, they heard a string of incessantints and protests. A prisoner wasughing loudly. ¡°I¡¯m telling you two, you¡¯re still not admitting it even after being locked up? You don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be released just because you refuse to confess, do you?¡±


    A young male voice argued desperately, his voice full of helplessness and indignation. ¡°We¡¯re really innocent¡ª¡±


    The two paused their steps slightly and exchanged a nce.


    Without the jailer¡¯s prompt, they knew this was their target.As they turned the corner, the voices from the cell became clearer.


    ¡°¡ªWe¡¯ve already said we¡¯re not close to that bastard! Who knows why he suddenlyunched a night raid¡­ We were also targets of the ambush¡­¡± This time it was a girl speaking. Even just hearing her voice, one could sense her overwhelming frustration and exasperation. ¡°Ah~~~ If only we had distanced ourselves from that guy from the start, we wereplete strangers to begin with! If it weren¡¯t for the fact that we could barely be considered fellow countrymen, hoping to support each other here¡­ Anyway, I¡¯ve been wronged! Have I used up all my lucky star¡¯s fortune?¡±


    The next second, the firelight illuminated the dark cell.


    It also lit up two people slumped in the corner of the cell.


    Two faces with about 60% simrity were huddled together, both wearing identical expressions of grievance. They looked to be in their early twenties.


    ¡­Well, the simrity instantly increased by 10%.


    At the same time, the siblings who had been sprawled on the hay pile sighing dramatically suddenly noticed the flickering light in their vision. They whipped their heads around and simultaneously did a kip-up! Then, both heads pressed against the cell door at the same time. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Have you cleared up the truth? Are you here to release us?¡±


    These perfectly synchronized movements, even down to the hopeful tone and the gleam in their eyes, truly befitted a pair of siblings¡­ As his gaze swept over the short stubble on the brother¡¯s head,bined with the key phrases unique to Blue Star that he had just heard¡­


    ¡­After confirming with a nce, he knew these were the people they were looking for.


    Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang exchanged another look.


    Meanwhile, the hopeful siblings had already received a negative answer from the jailer. The sparkle in their eyes dimmed, and thoroughly dejected, they shuffled back to their corner.


    They could faintly hear their mutterings: ¡°Ah, in this world, can there still be any trust between people¡­¡±


    Well, at least give them a bit of hope first, lest they give up and reveal the secret of their transmigration. After all, these two didn¡¯t seem like the type who could keep a secret and rot in prison. Come to think of it, the one who had been killed actually managed to keep their origins a secret until death¡­ Looking at the siblings who resembled a pair of salted fish, Li Fufeng sighed and spoke softly. ¡°Personally, I¡¯m willing to believe that you two are indeed innocent¡­¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, the two ¡°whooshed¡± their heads up, staring at him with burning gazes. They suddenly felt that this young man, whom they hadn¡¯t paid much attention to before, now looked pleasing to the eye no matter how they looked at him.


    Under those sparkling gazes, Li Fufeng maintained hisposure and continued smiling. ¡°Mypanion and I are very interested in that Kunlun ve, as well as this case. During our investigation, we¡¯vee across quite a few clues¡­¡± This was not only to conceal their identity and deceive the two, but also their excuse for bribing the jailer to visit the prisoners. ¡°But not a single clue proves that you two are involved in this case. On the contrary, the more we investigate, the more we find that you two seem more like uninvolved bystanders in this incident. Out of curiosity, we came here.¡±


    As Li Fufeng said this, the siblings¡¯ eyes grew even brighter. Their eyes were practically screaming ¡°Look, there are still people in this world with working eyes!¡± and ¡°We¡¯re saved! We won¡¯t have to rot in prison after all!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± He paused subtly, then finished his remaining words under their sparkling gazes, ¡°And aftering here and seeing you two in person, we are even more certain of our previous guess ¨C you are indeed innocent.¡±


    Beside him, Liu Ningshuang followed up on herpanion¡¯s words, summarizing, ¡°So, you can rest assured. If you are truly innocent, we won¡¯t stand by and let innocent people be wronged. Once everything is investigated thoroughly, we will submit the results of our own investigation and wait for the city government to make a fair judgment.¡±


    As the siblings¡¯ expressions grew increasingly rxed and excited, Li Fufeng gently asked.


    ¡°By the way, what are your names?¡±


    ¡°Ji Heng and Ji Nian?¡±


    The purpose of the prison visit was achieved. Li Fufeng and hispanion, with their elite-level investigative skills, confirmed that the siblings were likely the missing persons from Blue Star. However, as these two reported their names, a new question arose.


    ¡°¡ªTheir names aren¡¯t on the list of 103 missing persons from Kun Mountain! Could they be using false names?¡±


    Logically speaking, given the intelligence disyed by the siblings, it seemed unlikely they could lie so casually in front of Li Fufeng and hispanion, both elite members of the Special Case Investigation Team, without being detected.


    ¡­Or were they ying dumb to deceive them? Were they the fools all along?


    Liu Ningshuang shook her head, dismissing the unreliable guess, and temporarily set aside the issue of names. ¡°Anyway, these two people¡¯s backgrounds should be correct. They are indeed citizens of our Yao Country. Now we need to find a way to get them out of prison.¡±


    ¡°¡­Given their involvement in the Kunlun ve case, and the mysterious disappearance of the Kunlun ve¡¯s body, even if there¡¯s no evidence of them being aplices, getting them released from prison isn¡¯t something just anyone can do.¡± Li Fufeng nodded. Although they had just arrived in Daliang City, they weren¡¯tpletely uninformed. A few rounds in the city were enough to gather plenty of information. ¡°There should only be three people who can make decisions on this matter.¡±


    ¡ª The newly appointed city lord of Daliang City, the prosecutor responsible for investigating and judging cases in Daliang City ¨C who had full authority over cases, and the chief steward of the city government ¨C the loyal deputy of the old city lord who had raised the new city lord since childhood, whose influence in Daliang City was probably second only to the new city lord.


    ¡°And among these three people, the best choice is undoubtedly¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s that soft-hearted, easy-to-talk-to fool of a city lord!¡±


    The familiar childish voice of the little girl sounded behind them. They saw a sh of red dress appear as if by magic. She pped a thin booklet of papers onto the table with a ¡°pah!¡±


    The two were immediately drawn to the conspicuous words on the title page: ¡°Is this¡­ ¡®Martial Arts Gazette¡¯?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, and it¡¯s the local Daliang City edition~¡± Qing Fei pped her hands and flipped through the pages. ¡°Ta-da! Look at our new city lord, he¡¯s had a long-term exclusive column in the local ¡®Martial Arts Gazette¡¯ entertainment section, making an indelible contribution to enriching the daily leisure time of Daliang City¡¯s citizens.¡±


    As her small hands turned the pages, the entertainment section¡¯s headline appeared before them in bold, ck font¡ª


    #The Young City Lord¡¯s Love (Beating) Journey Episode 103#


    #The Epitome of Perseverance! A True Man Faces Challenges After Being Rejected 102 Times!#


    #Was the Young City Lord Rejected Again Today?#


    Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang: ¡°???¡±


    What? What?? What???


    This overwhelming scent of trashy entertainment tabloids¡­


    If you don¡¯t understand, just ask, is this the world of martial artists?


    This wave truly shocked the two of them.


    After flipping through this entertainment column and making some reasonable deductions, the two pretty much figured it out. It turned out that this newly appointed Daliang City Lord had been interested in the daughter of a certain martial arts school master in Daliang City since he was young, and had persisted for many years.


    However, while the Young City Lord¡¯s martial arts talent could only be considered ordinary genius, his love interest was a true prodigy. Her martial arts talent was among the best in this world, casually achieving enlightenment and breaking through with just a bit of practice. Even in areas outside of martial arts, she excelled at everything she tried. Between them, there was clearly a huge gap between a learning god and a top student.


    This prodigy had extremely high standards and only looked up to ¡°learning gods¡± of the same caliber. Even though the Young City Lord had a noble status, she didn¡¯t pay him any attention. The only way to catch her eye was to defeat her in some aspect¡ªin response to the Young City Lord¡¯s derations of love, her challenge was that he had to surpass her in any one area to be worthy of consideration as a potential future husband.


    The fact that ¡®Martial Arts Gazette¡¯ had specially opened a column to document the Young City Lord¡¯s pursuit journey, continuing for 103 episodes, showed that he had clearly failed repeatedly.


    Now it seemed that even though he had just ascended to the position of City Lord shortly after this issue of ¡®Martial Arts Gazette¡¯ came out, it apparently didn¡¯t make much difference.


    ¡°So, what does the Young City Lord¡¯s gossip have to do with our mission to rescue people?¡± After silently consuming this information, Liu Ningshuang was puzzled. ¡°It seems he has no hope of achieving a direct victory. You¡¯re not suggesting we help him find an alternative way to contribute to his pursuit n and move that iron-hearted love interest, are you? Although Blue Star has many rted shenanigans, I have absolutely no experience in this¡­¡± Though she did have some experience being pursued (?)


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what Qing Fei meant.¡± Li Fufeng, who also had no experience being pursued, quietly raised his hand. He waved the booklet, ¡°Her point should be that through these gossips, we can see that this new City Lord is the type who is easy to talk to and can be reasoned with. So if we find a way to approach him, we should have a chance to clear those two unfortunate souls¡¯ names.¡±


    Liu Ningshuang suddenly realized. ¡°Oh, right. I almost forgot, this world is simr to ancient feudal times, relying on rule by man rather than rule ofw. The City Lord has absolute power! If this City Lord were cruel and unreasonable, we would have no chance to save them unless we staged a prison break.¡±


    Although he held the highest authority in Daliang City, and even if that prodigy had exceptional talent but hadn¡¯t fully developed yet, this young City Lord could easily take what he wanted by force or abduct the young woman. But he chose to follow the ¡°rules¡± and didn¡¯t even mind his affairs being written about in the martial arts gazette as entertainment for Daliang City¡¯s citizens¡­ The level of approachability of this Daliang City Lord exceeded expectations.


    Even on Blue Star, which prided itself on being more civilized and ruled byw rather than by individuals, there were still unreasonable young masters!


    The unexpectedly down-to-earth personality of this Daliang City Lord was their greatest advantage in rescuing people!


    Now, their task was to approach him.


    As neers who had just arrived in Daliang City, it was naturally impossible for them to easily meet the City Lord, even if they used the Kunlun ve murder case as an excuse. Otherwise, if everyone could find a legitimate reason to see him, this City Lord would be too busy to divide his attention, and it would also be simple for assassins to attempt an assassination.


    The three of them flipped through the ¡°Martial Arts Gazette¡± and finally stopped at thest page.


    There, they found the best way to meet the City Lord:plete various tasks set by the city government, umte contributions to obtain a Daliang Token, and then have the opportunity for a personal audience with the City Lord!


    ¡ª This was also Daliang City¡¯s unique mechanism for screening talent.


    The tasks posted in the ¡°Martial Arts Gazette¡± were diverse, such as solving unsolved mysteries, investigating the truth of certain matters, exploring dangerous ces, obtaining spirit nts growing in harsh environments, alchemy, medicine making, drawing, fighting¡­ It could be said that all aspects were covered, capturing all-round talents in one.


    As long as someone couldplete one of these tasks and umte a certain amount of contribution, it meant that this person must possess some outstanding ability. Obtaining a ¡°Daliang Token¡± and bing an honored guest of the city government was then a matter of course!


    As former police officers and current members of the Special Case Investigation Team, Li Fufeng and hispanion¡¯s main skills were in investigation, with their expertise being in solving cases.


    But ording to their estimates, to umte enough contributions, they would need to solve about twenty significant cases. Not to mention whether their past case-solving experience would still be applicable in this world of martial arts, just the long time required for this was something they couldn¡¯t afford. Other tasks would also require considerable time.


    ¡°Wait!¡± At this moment, Liu Ningshuang¡¯s gaze locked onto thest line of this page, and her finger moved to it.


    ¡°¡­If one provides suggestions and strategies for the operation and management of Daliang City, and gains recognition from the city government, corresponding contributions will also be awarded. Is this a new way to gain contributions suggested by the new City Lord before he took office?¡±


    Li Fufeng¡¯s vision followed her finger to these lines, and his eyes gradually lit up.


    If they might not be able topete with the natives of this world in other aspects, but when it came to offering suggestions and strategies¡­


    Not to mention that they were department elites who had received decent political education, even ordinary people living in the inte age of Blue Star were all keyboard politicians, weren¡¯t they?


    Offering suggestions and strategies for governance, they were experts at that!


    Amidst their excitement, their smiles also became subtle.


    Could it be that they had stumbled upon the ssic plot of #identally transmigrating to feudal ancient times, gaining the City Lord¡¯s appreciation through suggestions and strategies, showing off in front of the ancients, reciting 300 poems daily, and having various geniuses bow down in admiration¡­#???<hr>


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 Chapter 77

    Chapter 77


    Even as they sat in the inn room, the siblings hadn¡¯t fullye to their senses, almost believing that everything happening now was just a dream.


    Half an hour ago, they were prisoners confined in a dungeon, facing possible execution at any moment. Half an hourter, they werepletely transformed, sitting in an inn room drinking tea. This earth-shattering change was simply too incredible.


    The siblings¡¯ gazes simultaneously turned to the other two people in the room, the righteous passersby who had brought about this change for them.


    Even when these two righteous passersby had dered in the dungeon that they would investigate the truth and clear their names, deep down, the siblings hadn¡¯t held much hope. It was more like clinging to a false lifeline for selffort in a desperate situation.


    They never expected¡­


    ¡°You did it, you actually did it! Great gods, saying you saved us from fire and water isn¡¯t enough to describe your greatness. You are the light of righteousness, forever divine!!¡±


    ¡°Wuwuwu, we¡¯re finally out of that hellhole. I thought we were going to die. Even if we didn¡¯t die, we would have be stinky if we stayed any longer. I¡¯ve already washed myself five times!¡±


    A long string of words burst out from the siblings¡¯ mouths simultaneously, filled with genuine emotion. After finishing, they exchanged a nce and realized what they had done. Then, as if on cue, they both lunged forward¡ª


    ¡°We have no way to repay this life-saving kindness except with our bod¡ªno, I mean, we siblings have nothing, we can only offer ourselves in service. From now on, if you two great powers have any dirty work, hardbor, errands, or tasks you don¡¯t want to do, you can leave them to us. We¡¯ll serve you like horses and oxen, we¡¯ll definitely repay this great kindness of saving our lives! Please, you must ept us!¡±Li Fufeng/Liu Ningshuang: ¡­?


    Slowly looking down at the siblings who had urately targeted their legs and were now [literally clinging to them], showing no psychological burden whatsoever, the two Special Case Investigation Team members both had a question mark slowly appear in their minds.


    ¡­Are these really citizens of Yao Country? There must be some mistake, right?


    ¡­Should we be grateful that these two at least divided themselves ording to gender, and didn¡¯t turn from leg-clinging to harassment of the opposite sex?


    Liu Ningshuang, who had nearly unconsciously kicked away the attacker who pounced on her, twitched her lips. Having never experienced anything like this before, she was at a loss as she tried tofort the girl clinging to her. ¡°Um, miss, calm down, calm down. You¡¯re safe now. Can you please let go of me first?¡±


    ¡°¡ªUnless you want to be thrown back in prison, charged with assaulting the city lord¡¯s new special advisors,¡± Li Fufeng leisurely added from the side.


    <i>Whoosh¡ª</i>


    Almost as soon as he finished speaking, the siblings immediately let go and retreated back to their chairs at nearly the same speed they had used to pounce earlier. This series of actions looked as if a scene that had urred not long ago had been recorded and then yed backward.


    ¡°Hahaha, so our life-saving benefactors are now the city lord¡¯s appointed special advisors? How impressive! As expected of the great gods who could clear our names!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, we¡¯re so grateful to you both. Without you, we don¡¯t know if we would have survived to get out of there.¡±


    At this moment, the siblings revealed matching starry-eyed expressions, their tone full of genuine gratitude and praise, particrly sincere and enthusiastic!


    It was as if this was their first conversation with Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang after being rescued, and everything that had just happened was an illusion, like deleted scenes from a movie shoot.


    ¡­That¡¯s right, nothing happened just now! (Convinced)


    Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang once again: ¡­?


    ¡­For some reason, they had the inexplicable feeling of being defeated by the speechlessness of facing a Husky that pretends to be innocent and wags its tail after wrecking the house¡­ and can only be forgiven.


    Feeling that continuing might lead them into the silly rhythm that Huskies excel at, causing them to stray further from the main topic, Li Fufeng cleared his throat and got straight to the point. ¡°Let¡¯s be frank, you¡¯re not natives of this ce, are you?¡± He sat upright in his chair, leaning slightly forward as he spoke, his gaze firmly fixed on the faces opposite him, exuding a subtle sense of pressure beneath his focus.


    ¡ª Not yet entirely certain that these two were indeed among the missing people from Blue Star, he wouldn¡¯t take the initiative to reveal their background first. After all, this concerned their most important secret.


    Under such an intense gaze, Ji Hengughed nervously. ¡°Didn¡¯t we say before? We¡¯re from the mountains¡­¡±


    ¡°Blue Star,¡± Li Fufeng suddenly uttered these two words.


    As he spoke, he didn¡¯t miss the slightest reaction from the two. With his judgment, a momentary reaction was enough to draw a conclusion.


    ¡°!!!¡± The siblings were simultaneously startled.


    Five secondster, they realized something.


    Logically, the natives of this world shouldn¡¯t know about the existence of Blue Star. Before this, they had never let it slip, and the city lord¡¯s office obviously didn¡¯t know either. Could it be¡­


    ¡°¡ªYou¡¯ve secretly captured other transmigrators without the city lord¡¯s knowledge, tortured out the secret of our transmigration, and now you¡¯ve specifically rescued us to monopolize this secret?!¡±


    The trembling siblings fell into an inexplicable fear.


    ¡°¡ªIf we don¡¯t agree, are we going to be silenced? If we agree, we won¡¯t be dissected, will we¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop, stop, stop! Please, can you not overthink this?¡± At this moment, Liu Ningshuang was greatly shocked. She raised a hand and made a heavy gesture in the air, sessfully silencing the siblings, then couldn¡¯t help butment, ¡°By the way, have you considered that we might have just identally learned the term ¡®Blue Star¡¯ from other transmigrators, without knowing anything else? As a result of our casual probing, you two directly exposed yourselves!¡±


    ¡°Ah, right, I¡¯m so stupid, really¡­¡±


    Looking at the siblings who were almost huddled together trembling, Liu Ningshuang was once again at a loss for words. ¡°No, I was just making an assumption. There are no other transmigrators. No, you¡¯ve got me all confused now. We two are the other transmigrators!¡±


    With herst shouted sentence, the trembling siblings instantly froze into stiff statues.


    Three secondster, they slowly raised their heads, their colorless eyes looking at the man and woman in front of them. ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡­Could all the embarrassing history from just now bepletely forgotten?


    ¡­Is it toote to silence them now?


    ****


    After a period of chaos, through a series of popr memes from Blue Star in a back-and-forth exchange, the four people confirmed their shared origins and sat together again, the atmosphere noticeably rxed.


    ¡°So you really are fellow countrymen. I knew there was something off about such meddlesome righteous passersby,¡± Ji Heng spoke with a serious tone, determined to make others overlook the recent embarrassing history.


    Ji Nian cooperated by continuing. ¡°Yes, yes, that¡¯s what I thought. A position like ¡®special advisor¡¯, it doesn¡¯t sound like something original to this world.¡±


    ¡°¡ªBy the way, fellow countrymen, what are your names? Did you also get lost in that strange white fog and identally transmigrate like us?¡±


    ¡°Li Fufeng, Liu Ningshuang.¡± Li Fufeng pointed to himself, then to Liu Ningshuang, giving their real names, but not revealing their identities as members of the Special Case Investigation Team, nor mentioning that they had initially entered the fog area to rescue people. After all, they didn¡¯t know how to return now, so it was better to pretend to be one of the missing people. However, they weren¡¯t among the first batch of missing people and weren¡¯t clear if there had been any special anomalies at the time, so he tried to be as vague as possible to avoid exposing details. He just sighed lightly, ¡°We never expected to encounter such a strange event¡­¡±


    Indeed, he didn¡¯t need to say much more. The siblings began to fill in the gaps with information they didn¡¯t know. ¡°Yes, yes, who could have expected such a thick fog to suddenly appear? Before we could react, everything around us was just a white expanse. Luckily, in that critical moment, we instinctively held hands, so we didn¡¯t get separated when we transmigrated. Who knows how confused we were when we suddenly found ourselves in a primitive forest after just a few steps in that fog! You should know that before that, we were sunbathing on a beach!¡±


    ¡°Wait, beach? You were on a beach beforeing here?¡± Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang spoke almost simultaneously, realizing something was off. How could there be a beach in Kun Mountain? Not to mention sunbathing¡­


    ¡°Yeah, on the beach. Fortunately, we had bags with our clothes. When we transmigrated, we didn¡¯t suddenly appear in a crowd, otherwise it would have been a social disaster!¡± Ji Nian thought of her swimsuit, then imagined this world simr to ancient feudal times. If they had directly transmigrated to a street¡­ She felt embarrassed just thinking about it. Then she curiously asked, ¡°Weren¡¯t you on a beach when you transmigrated? Were you resting in a hotel like that Hatton guy?¡±


    ¡°¡­Hatton?¡± Another unfamiliar name.


    Seeing their confused expressions, Ji Heng exined, ¡°That¡¯s the ¡®Kunlun ve¡¯ who was killed earlier. Because of his Western appearance, he was mistaken for a Kunlun ve. We didn¡¯t know each other before transmigrating, we met after. Because we all happened tond in that forest, after talking we found out we were staying at the same hotel. At that time, we didn¡¯t know we had transmigrated to another world, we just thought we had encountered something strange. Thinking that we were all tourists from Liwu Ind and not knowing if the ce we suddenly appeared in was dangerous, we decided to stick together. And then¡­¡± At this point, Ji Heng¡¯s expression becameplex, ¡°¡­well, you know what happened next.¡±


    Yes, they did know what happened next.


    But that wasn¡¯t the point¡­


    The point was¡­ Liwu Ind???


    ¡ª This pair of siblings were on Liwu Ind before they disappeared?


    Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang looked at each other, seemingly seeing a term slowly appear in each other¡¯s eyes ¡ª Taxini Mountain!


    On November 11th, a mysterious sword shadow descended from the sky, followed by white pirs of air connecting heaven and earth at the five great mountain ranges of the five domains, with an eerie white fog lingering¡­ And Taxini Mountain was one of the five great mountain ranges, also the most special one.


    ¡ª It was the only underwater mountain range.


    With the Taxini mountain range at its center, there were inds of various sizes scattered throughout. These inds were distributed across the South Sea, forming a unified whole with their unique culture and geographical location. For hundreds of years, people had been establishing countries on these ind groups, propagating their bloodlines.


    To jointly resist natural disasters such as earthquakes, typhoons, and volcanic eruptions, these countries established on small inds formed an invisible alliance, maintaining trade and mutual assistance with each other.


    Decades ago, when the war that engulfed the world broke out, the ind nations in the South Sea trembled in fear, directly facing the terrifying pressure from Sang Country. At the southernmost tip of these numerous ind nations, Sang Country,posed of nine inds, had military and economic power second only to Yao Country, Chenxing Empire, and the Holy Federation. This overwhelming advantage posed a significant threat to the smaller nations. When the war swept across Blue Star, these weak archipgos right at Sang Country¡¯s doorstep were like tempting morsels of meat.


    To survive the war and share the pressure from Sang Country, the originally loose and informal alliance was solidified with a substantial contract, forming the ¡°Archipgo Alliance¡± that would now act as one.


    After its establishment, these small countries, previously considered third-rate on the world stage, suddenly became a first-ss power on Blue Star, second only to a few major nations.


    Having tasted the benefits of alliance, even after the war ended, this unbreakable union continued to this day ¡ª leveraging their unique geographical advantages and climate, the Archipgo Alliance reaped profits from global tourism.


    Liwu Ind was a popr tourist destination within the Archipgo Alliance.


    All these clues shed through their minds in an instant¡­


    No wonder the names of these siblings weren¡¯t on the list of missing persons they had seen¡­


    Because from the beginning, they were never among the missing from Kun Mountain, and were not within the scope of Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang¡¯s investigation.


    Understanding this, the two didn¡¯t feel relieved. Instead, they saw a faint gravity on each other¡¯s faces.


    The Ji siblings came from Liwu Ind, while they had entered the fog area from Kun Mountain, yet they all met in Daliang City. The fact was clear ¡ª the fog areas connecting the five domains in this world, and the missing from the five domains, had perhaps all arrived in this world.


    And the cautionary tale of Hatton told them that this world was not safe, and many missing people might be in danger.


    Danger, fellow countrymen from Blue Star, danger!


    At this moment, the four had already formted their next n.


    Through their highly feasible management ns, they had gained the appreciation of Daliang City¡¯s new lord. Even without martial arts cultivation, they were seen as intellectual talents. Moreover, since they had risen to their positions through the ¡°offering advice and strategies¡± channel provided by the new city lord, they were in a sense simr to ¡°disciples of the emperor¡±, and currently held high favor with the city lord.


    In the days toe, they would need to work harder to increase the city lord¡¯s favor, using his authority to quietly find more ¡°transmigrators¡±, screen and identify them, and gather the innocent civilians stranded in this foreignnd under their wings for protection.


    Right, they could also arrange these people ording to their abilities, having them help build Daliang City¡­ Then, as their status improved, find ways to ess deeper secrets of this world, and perhaps one day have the chance to return to Blue Star¡­


    With a fairlyplete blueprint in mind, the four quickly formted more detailed steps. Finally, they simultaneously cast interested nces at one thing.


    ¡ª That was the unique martial arts of this world.


    Whether or not there was a chance to return, learning martial arts was necessary.


    Originally named by elders obsessed with wuxia at home, and thus growing up with wuxia-style names, these four rades in misfortune¡± had long yearned for the magical martial arts described in wuxia novels.


    Now that they had the opportunity to learn firsthand, how could they pass it up?


    Conveniently, Daliang City had specially established martial arts schools, open to all for teaching basic martial arts. Even for more advanced parts, given their current status in Daliang City, obtaining a few martial arts manuals and secret texts from the city lord¡¯s mansion wouldn¡¯t be difficult.


    Hmm, it¡¯s decided then. Next up: start martial arts training, work on increasing contributions to climb the ranks, and find people!


    ****


    The Outside World.


    The dense white fog that had enveloped Kun Mountain was gradually beginning to thin, or rather, arge amount of the fog had already spread outward from Kun Mountain, silently merging into the air and drifting in all directions.


    ording to relevant department measurements, in just a few short days, the air quality across the globe had mysteriously improved by no small amount.


    The five fog areas, now the most mysterious regions with the best air quality, had recently attracted many unknown figures rushing to upy nearby areas. If not for interventions from various national organizations, wealthy individuals would have started buyingnd in the vicinity.


    ¡ª Although the unknown fates of numerous missing people indicated the danger of the fog areas, the evident benefits this mysterious fog brought to the human body made people want to take a gamble.


    Even though ns to buynd were thwarted by official intervention, it didn¡¯t stop them from spendingrge sums on buying houses.


    The biggest changes this strange and inexplicable anomaly brought to the world, apart from several hundred missing people, turned out to be the soaring property prices in towns near the fog areas???


    In this wave, it was actually a victory for real estate developers???


    ¡°Hmph, a bunch of foolish mortals. The gates to the immortal realm have opened, the golden age of cultivation is about to descend, yet they remain oblivious. This is my opportunity, Li Daotian¡¯s opportunity! Hahaha!¡±


    In the northern suburbs of Yuanyang City, at the Seventh Hospital.


    Li Daotian, draped in a white bedsheet, stood on a tree with his arms spread wide. Bathing in sunlight, he let out a maniacalugh.


    A group of mental patients formed a circle under the tree, curiously looking up at this scene that could only be described as a mixture of chuunibyou andedy.


    ¡°Hahaha¡ª¡±


    Theughter stopped abruptly. With the sound of a branch snapping, something heavy fell from the tree.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Someone walked over, curiously looking down.


    Struggling to get up from the human cushion formed by the mental patients, Li Daotian raised his head nonchntly and made eye contact with the neer.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s young friend Bai. It¡¯s nothing, I just forgot that my current shallow cultivation can¡¯t support levitation. No, it¡¯s that the current immortal energy is insufficient to support the realm of levitation.¡±


    As he spoke, he sighed heavily, meeting a pair of pitch-ck eyes that seemed to hold the depths of the ocean.


    ¡°To be able to perceive to this extent? Mere delusions surely aren¡¯t enough. Could it be that you¡¯re truly a natural cultivation prodigy?¡± The owner of these eyes murmured softly, ¡°No, even the highest talent needs correct theoretical guidance. To reach this level just based on delusional immortal cultivation theories¡­ Isn¡¯t that reaching the correct goal by treading the wrong path?¡±


    ¡°¡­Unless that path isn¡¯t absolutely wrong. At least¡­ it contains even a tiny bit of correctness.¡±


    Bai Yi slowly blinked, revealing an intrigued expression.


    Ah, I only realized this now¡­


    <i>[Are the delusions of immortal cultivation really just delusions?]</i>


    He half-knelt, making eye contact with the person on the ground in a strange posture, suddenly tilting his head. ¡°By the way, I forgot to ask, fellow cultivator, how did you initially embark on this path?¡±


    ¡°Well, about that.¡± When it came to this topic, Li Daotian became energetic. He sprang up, ¡°It has a lot to do with you, young friend Bai.¡±


    ¡°Your mother was the guide to my path!¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 78

    Chapter 78


    ¡°My name is Li Daotian, a cultivator hidden in the mortal world. From a young age, I realized I was different. While other kids my age were still engrossed in cartoons, I was already crouching under the overpass near my home, blending in seamlessly with a group of fortune tellers, giving people readings without any sense of incongruity.¡±


    ¡°¡­Unfortunately, I always ended up being sent to the police station as a suspected kidnapped child, receiving ideological education to break away from feudal superstitions.¡±


    ¡°My parents med my grandfather for this. They always felt that this former fortune teller had a bad influence on me. They also constantly suspected that my mind was inherently abnormal.¡±


    ¡°But in fact, this had nothing to do with my grandfather.¡±


    ¡°Being out of ce among ordinary people was something I was born with.¡±


    ¡°When I was too young,ckingmon sense, I didn¡¯t know why I felt so out of ce with others. It wasn¡¯t until I came across the concept of ¡®immortals¡¯ that I had an epiphany¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªThose immortals in legends who descended to the mortal world to experience hardships must be referring to me! Cultivating to be an immortal is my destiny! I, who am destined to ascend, am inherently different from mortals!¡±


    ¡°How foolish of me to have wasted ten years before this, living a boring life among mortals.¡±


    ¡°I was determined to make up for the wasted time with double effort. I began cultivation with 120% dedication, wholeheartedly striving for my destined immortality!¡±¡°Regrettably, I couldn¡¯t recall any cultivation techniques.¡±


    ¡°It seemed this was an inevitable trial of my mortal experience. Before starting cultivation, I had to create a suitable technique for myself.¡±


    ¡°After spending two months using my library card to read all Taoist scriptures, my exasperated parents sent me to a mental hospital, not only confiscating my books but also depriving me of personal freedom.¡±


    ¡°¡­The path to immortality was indeed full of twists and turns. Had tribtions descended just as I set foot on the great path?¡±


    ¡°¡ªDamn it, I won¡¯t give up!¡±


    ¡°¡ªBing an immortal is a task that goes against the natural order, and I¡¯m prepared for it.¡±


    ¡°As long as I¡¯m alive and can think, I can continue to organize the theories in my mind and create cultivation techniques. However, this tribtion had a significant impact on me. Inner demons took advantage of the situation, causing me to unknowingly stray from the right path in my mental confusion, all while believing I was walking the correct path of the great Dao.¡±


    ¡°During lunchtime, I ecstatically jumped onto a chair in the cafeteria and enthusiastically announced my cultivation system to everyone. Whether they were doctors or patients, I was happy to share my theories with everyone, hoping to gain more fellow cultivators.¡±


    ¡°¡ªBut I didn¡¯t know that these were all errors that had strayed from the right path. The tribtion of inner demons was truly terrifying!¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, someone pointed out my mistakes on the spot.¡±


    ¡°¡ªShe was a forerunner walking on the correct great path. She became a spiritual mentor I would never forget in this lifetime.¡±


    ¡°¡ªAlthough she didn¡¯t acknowledge it.¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t teach me any cultivation techniques, but she vividly described the scenes of the immortal realm before me: the diverse immortals and gods, the flowing spiritual qi, the extraordinary flowers and herbs that emitted wondrous light when nourished by spiritual qi¡­ It was as if she had truly seen the legendary immortal realm with her own eyes. And I believed her.¡±


    ¡°¡ªIf I was an immortal who had descended to experience mortal tribtions, who said there couldn¡¯t be a second one? This must be a reincarnated goddess even more powerful than me, who hadn¡¯t lost all her memories!¡±


    ¡°Through the goddess¡¯s authentic descriptions, I corrected many errors in my own theories and became more confident in treading the great path.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, blessings oftene disguised as misfortunes. Although losing freedom was a great tribtion and disaster, it was apanied by an even greater opportunity!¡±


    ¡°The ce where the goddess resided was not a ce of disaster, but a ce of fortune.¡±


    ¡°I dered that the mental hospital was my home, we were all family, and when I cultivated and ascended in the future, I would take everyone with me, even the chickens and dogs!¡±


    The sky was clear, and sunlight flowed like thick, sweet honey across the windowsill to the table.


    The neutral pen that had just finished thest stroke was gently set down. In the sketchbook, a Q-version chibi character wearing a cape made from a white bedsheet made an excessively dramatic deration to a circle of chibi characters in patient gowns surrounding him.


    A hand casually closed the sketchbook.


    Bai Yi looked up at the person opposite him, who was also the protagonist of theic.


    ¡°Your mother was indeed the guide on my path of cultivation!¡±


    ¡°What an astonishing statement!¡± The words that had slipped out of the other person¡¯s mouth at that time shed through Bai Yi¡¯s mind. He still remembered the feeling at that moment, as if a thin mist that had been deliberately obscuring his vision was suddenly blown away by a gust of wind, and the truth of the world unfolded before him.


    Bai Yi wasn¡¯t actuallypletely unaware.


    His birth mother, who grew up in an orphanage and a mental hospital, was able to conceive and sessfully give birth to a child whose father¡¯s identity no one could guess, even under long-term care and supervision¡­ This was not something an ordinary person could achieve.


    It was only natural that a child born to such an extraordinary woman would be extraordinary as well.


    To say that Bai Yi had always beenpletely oblivious to his birth mother¡¯s extraordinary nature would be impossible. But due to some consideration that he still found difficult to understand, he had never tried to explore those secrets.


    He had lived an ordinary life for seventeen years. Apanied by nightly nightmares, he lived in this mist-shrouded world along with all the mortals, mediocre people, scum, and lunatics.


    Until the advent of the Nightmare Game system.


    Bai Yi had no intention of passively epting the arrangements of the game system, even if the person behind the system might be his father.


    In any case, he was the chess yer in control.


    It was time for him to unveil those secrets he had never actively sought before¡ª


    Li Daotian, who had been living in the Seventh Hospital since before Bai Yi was born, provided him with a considerable amount of information. As he listened to Li Daotian¡¯s narrative, Bai Yi recorded every word without missing a single one, and even drew a shortic strip on the side.


    For an ordinary person, seeing the Q-version chibi character in theic with hands on hipsughing loudly, along with his embarrassing and chuunibyou quotes, they would probably die of embarrassment on the spot and want to move away from Blue Star overnight.


    But Li Daotian was clearly no ordinary person.


    Looking at Li Daotian, who was excited and beaming with joy while trying hard to restrain himself, even putting on a reserved expression, his eyes filled with ¡°I didn¡¯t expect young friend Bai to be so admiring of my insignificant cultivation journey that he would specially record it in such a novel way to promote and let more people know, I¡¯ll ept your admiration¡±, Bai Yi almost turned into a tsukkomi character.


    ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s call it #Li Xianke¡¯s Cultivation Notes#.¡±


    For the sake of collecting useful information, he decided not to burst the tool man¡¯s cultivation dream bubble for now, or tell him the cruel fact that in this world one could only practice martial arts and not cultivate immortality.


    Bai Yi even cooperatively waved the sketchbook in his hand, his curved eyebrows radiant in the honey-like flowing sunlight. ¡°Fellow cultivator¡¯s journey of seeking the Dao is truly inspiring. It makes me want to record it and study it constantly~¡±


    Li Daotian¡¯s flying eyebrows indeed rose even higher.


    He waved his hand insincerely, pretending to be modest:.¡±My little achievements are not worth mentioning. If it weren¡¯t for fellow cultivator Bai guiding me on the great path back then, I would still be lost in the wrong path today. If only fellow cultivator Bai hadn¡¯t been pregnant at the time and couldn¡¯t be tired, I would have liked to have a long talk with her.¡± The fellow cultivator Bai he referred to was obviously not Bai Yi, but Bai Yi¡¯s birth mother ¡°Bai Xin¡±.


    As he spoke, his mood became more uplifted. ¡°With fellow cultivator Bai not here, it¡¯s only right that I enlighten you, young friend. In fact, with your talent, you could discuss the great Dao with me just by dabbling in it these years. If you were to devote yourself to it wholeheartedly, you would surely go much further¡­¡±


    Li Daotian put on a stance as if he was about to impart all his knowledge. It was as if he was about to officially transfer Bai Yi from an auditing student to a cultivation major.


    ¡­This scene gave off a strong sense of cult recruitment d¨¦j¨¤ vu.


    Surprisingly, Bai Yi showed no signs of impatience, listening and responding all the way, seemingly able to converse with him quite engagingly, causing the nurse watching from afar to question her life choices.


    ¡°Mm-hmm, yes, yes, I think at this point it should¡­¡± While chatting enthusiastically with Li Daotian, Bai Yi didn¡¯t forget to multitask and pulled out a pitch-ck notebook. He sat not far from Li Daotian¡¯s hospital bed and casually flipped it open.


    <i>Rustle¡­ rustle rustle¡­</i>


    Lines of long-dried writing appeared on the pages.


    <i>[The promoter of the extinction of the immortal path, the creator of the glory of the martial way, the man without a path ¨C Pei Hefeng, after drifting through the void for hundreds of years, returned to the mortal world.]</i>


    <i>[The age of declining dharma has passed, and spiritual energy in the mortal world has revived.]</i>


    <i>[His life-bound sword Hanguang, carrying his entire martial will, drew in the five domain spiritual veins that had recently revived at the moment of its descent. The surging spiritual tide swept across the mortal world like an ocean.]</i>


    <i>[Originally, the spiritual energy concentration in the mortal world was just a small puddle. It would have taken decades of normal breathing of the earth¡¯s spiritual veins to turn into rivers. The birth of the spiritual tidepressed decades into days, and the puddle had already turned into rivers.]</i>


    <i>[Atst, such a mortal world was barely able to amodate a ¡°shark¡± like Pei Hefeng that couldn¡¯t fit in a small puddle.]</i>


    <i>[Was all this really just a coincidental ident?]</i>


    <i>Rustle¡­ rustle rustle¡­</i>


    <i>[As the spiritual tide surged, the ¡°Martial Realm¡± that descended along with Hanguang¡¯s master Pei Hefeng materialized with the input of massive nightmare crystals, randomly grabbing a batch of lucky viewers into it.]</i>


    <i>[As a reward for changing the direction of an entire world¡¯s progress, the martial world that had evolved to its peak was the scene temte carried by the man without a path, Pei Hefeng himself.]</i>


    <i>[In that prosperous martial world, dynasties had long been eliminated, reced by top sects and powerful individuals dividing different territories. Towering above countless martial geniuses, the creator of this glorious era, Hanguang¡¯s master Pei Hefeng, owned the twelve central cities of the world, which was his ¡°Martial Realm¡±.]</i>


    <i>[The scene temte ¡°Martial Realm¡± materialized by consuming arge number of nightmare crystals,bined with the massive collective consciousness absorbed by the ¡°Web of Thoughts¡±, was enough to vividly and flexibly simte one non-existent false character after another within it. It made every missing person who stumbled into it treat it as a real existence.]</i>


    <i>[¡ªAs if they had really crossed through time and space to a glorious martial world. Or perhaps they had entered a time-space rift in the mist, arriving at a secluded paradise.]</i>


    <i>[This vivid world and those lifelike people would not let anyone doubt that this was a fictional fabrication.]</i>


    <i>[¡ªWhen they naturally ept this setting and develop curiosity and desire to explore this glorious martial world, it¡¯s time to guide them to discover the truth step by step.]</i>


    <i>[After all, secrets discovered through great efforts and facts witnessed firsthand are always easier for people to believe than stories fabricated out of thin air by others, right?]</i>


    The pitch-ck notebook flickered with an extraordinary light imperceptible to the naked eye. This was because after multiple instances of ¡°what was written down came true¡± and the condensation of legendary status, it had begun to transform into something extraordinary, starting to give birth to extraordinary power.


    Perhaps in some distant future, this notebook would truly acquire the characteristic of ¡°whatever is written bes reality¡±?


    For now, this notebook that had just birthed a bit of extraordinary spirit could only automatically record some events that had already urred¡ªthe greater the causal connection between an event and the notebook¡¯s owner, the more likely it was to be automatically recorded by the notebook.


    For instance, the disappearances into the fog area that Bai Yi had a hand in orchestrating.


    In the faint extraordinary spiritual light, the words on the page seemed to emit light as well. A hand gently brushed over the writing, finally resting on a passage that had appeared not long ago¡ª


    <i>[¡­Li Fufeng and hispanion, who identally fell into the fog area while searching for missing persons and traversed to a strange world, gained the appreciation of the city lord of Daliang City with their knowledge and learning.]</i>


    <i>[They thus settled down in Daliang City.]</i>


    <i>[As time flew by, three years passed. The two investigators from the Special Case Investigation Team unknowingly became ustomed to this world, even reaching a decent level in martial arts cultivation.]</i>


    <i>[Through various channels, they had gathered 71 ¡°transmigrators¡± in Daliang City. Among them were missing persons from the five domains, as well as investigators sent by various countries initially. More transmigrators were scattered in other cities. And in ces unknown to them, quite a few transmigrators had died in dangerous situations.]</i>


    <i>[Some were executed for breaking thew, some were casually killed for offending the powerful, some died from idents during exploration, some were inexplicably killed by beasts or bandits in the wilderness¡­]</i>


    This ¡°Puppet Master¡¯s Diary¡±, which had already birthed an extraordinary spiritual light, continued to reveal new writing. It said¡ª


    <i>[¡ªBut these people do not deserve sympathy.]</i>


    <i>[¡ªEven on Blue Star, they were nothing but scum, garbage polluting the environment.]</i>


    <i>[Their deaths seemed diverse, full of idents and coincidences. But the entire Martial Realm, and the beings within it, were nothing but fabrications in the creator¡¯s hands. Everyone was under the creator¡¯s watch. Therefore, there were no idental deaths. All who died were necessarily in ordance with the creator¡¯s will.]</i>


    <i>[They were just garbage that needed to be cleared away.]</i>


    After spouting a segment of over-the-top praise with chuunibyou values off the charts, this diary that had started to be strange seemed to return to normal¡ª


    <i>[¡­Unaware of all this, the transmigrators seemed to have be ustomed to life in the Martial Realm. The elites among them had even climbed to rtively high positions in various cities, or be trusted individuals beside important figures.]</i>


    <i>[At this time, a mysterious summons was sent to the twelve cities, and transmigrators with wide informationworks all learned of the news.]</i>


    <i>[¡ªThis summons came from the legendary capital.]</i>


    <i>[¡ªIt might touch upon the deepest secrets of this world.]</i>


    <i>[¡ªPerhaps it was the opportunity for them to return home.]</i><hr>


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 Chapter 79

    Chapter 79


    <i>Huff¡­ huff¡­</i>


    The howling gusts swept across the martial arts training ground in session. Two human silhouettes violently collided in mid-air. The strong winds stirred up dust from the ground. Amidst the constantly shifting afterimages, the continuous sound of fist winds, almost breaking the sound barrier in the air, could be heard.


    <i>Bang, bang, bang!</i>


    After an unknown amount of time, the dull sound of body collisions abruptly ceased. Two equally slender figures, one tall and one short, crossed paths in the arena. The taller one stumbled uponnding, immediately dropping to one knee on the ground.


    Liu Ningshuang¡¯s fist, hanging at her side, was still trembling uncontrobly. She felt as if her entire arm was no longer her own. After the intense battle, every inch of muscle was immersed in pain.


    Her knee had just touched the ground.


    ¡°Huff¡­ I admit defeat¡­ Indeed, I¡¯ve lost to you again.¡± Visible white breath gushed out with her breathing. Liu Ningshuang looked up helplessly at the person standing opposite her. ¡°Is this what they call a genius? At such a young age, and with your main focus not even being fist techniques, you can achieve such a high level of mastery? If I hadn¡¯t suppressed my inner power level and we were purelyparing fist techniques, I¡¯m afraid I wouldn¡¯t even be qualified to fight you.¡±


    The young girl standing opposite her looked slender and frail, with ck hair and a red dress. Though young, she had an extraordinary aura that was even more outstanding than her beautiful features. After going through the same battle, she didn¡¯t appear to have the slightest bit of fatigue. Even her breathing wasn¡¯t particrly disordered, as if she had just warmed up.


    Hearing Liu Ningshuang¡¯s surrender, Qing Fei didn¡¯t seem to show much joy or pride in her victory. After all, in the past half month, the same battle had urred many times, always with the same result.She tilted her head. ¡°Sister Liu, you¡¯re already very good.¡±


    Qing Fei was telling theplete truth.


    But Liu Ningshuang pursed her lips, not believing it one bit.


    She had been beaten by this little girl to the point of almost losing confidence.


    Not long ago, when Liu Ningshuang had achieved some proficiency in her fist techniques, adhering to the belief that ¡°training behind closed doors is just an empty framework, true martial skills must be forged in actualbat,¡± she began to seek sparring partners everywhere¡ªsuppressing her inner power to the same level, purelypeting with martial skills, improving her martial arts through battle.


    ¡ªMost people probably couldn¡¯t imagine that such a seemingly valiant and heroic girl would actually be practicing fist techniques.


    Liu Ningshuang, who had been practicing martial arts since childhood, already had talent in this area. However, the limited level of martial arts on Blue Star had restricted her strength.


    After encountering the martial arts techniques of this world, Liu Ningshuang took to it like a fish to water. Over the past two years, her progress in inner power cultivation could only be considered average, but her learning of martial arts skills could be described as advancing by leaps and bounds.


    Yao Country had always strictly controlled cold weapons, so Liu Ningshuang, who had practiced martial arts for over twenty years, had focused most of her skill points on unarmedbat. Therefore, when choosing martial arts techniques, she didn¡¯t select the most widely spread sword or knife techniques, but chose fist techniques instead.


    Facts proved that her choice was correct.


    Starting from half a month ago, disregarding inner power cultivation and solely considering fist technique proficiency, she had already surpassed everyone in the martial arts school where she studied, including the teacher who taught her fist techniques.


    So, Liu Ningshuang set her sights on Qing Fei.


    ¡ªAnd then, she was beaten in return.


    ¡°You, you haven¡¯t really practiced fist techniques much, have you? Don¡¯t think I can¡¯t tell¡ªyou¡¯ve been using just the simplest set of fist techniques from start to finish, so why can you still pummel me?¡± Feeling she had improved again, yet once more challenged and beaten, Liu Ningshuang sat down on the ground in frustration, beginning to question her life.


    ¡­Was her talent in fist techniques really that strong?


    ¡­Could it be that the martial arts school teacher who praised her as a genius and then got beaten by her was actually toozy to teach her anymore because her talent was too poor, so he deliberately acted to send her away?


    Of course, the truth couldn¡¯t possibly be that ridiculous¡­ The heavily impacted Liu Ningshuang had started to imagine things illogically.


    At this moment, a hand fell on her head.


    Qing Fei hade over at some point and ruffled Liu Ningshuang¡¯s dejected head. She smiled and said, ¡°Actually, you¡¯re already very strong, Sister Liu~¡±


    ¡°¡ªReally, don¡¯t doubt it. In terms of inner power cultivation, your talent can only be considered average. But when ites to martial arts skills, being able to reach this level in just two years shows extraordinary talent.¡±


    Facing Liu Ningshuang¡¯s disbelieving gaze, she pointed at herself again. ¡°As for me, I¡¯m indeed not proficient in fist techniques. The reason I can win against you is that mastering one technique means mastering a hundred. Not being proficient in fist techniques doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m not proficient in other martial arts. Sword techniques, knife techniques, fist techniques¡ªmastering one means understanding all.¡±


    Liu Ningshuang vaguely understood, but it still seemed like there was ayer of hazy curtain. ¡°You mean¡­¡±


    Qing Fei sat down beside her and casually picked up a twig, drawing tworge characters on the ground. ¡°Martial Way!¡±


    ¡°What does Sister Liu think the Martial Way is?¡± (TL: or Martial Dao)


    Without waiting for Liu Ningshuang to answer, Qing Fei continued. ¡°The Martial Way is simple¡ªit¡¯s martial arts and the Way. Understanding the Way without practicing martial arts leaves you with only realm but no strength. Practicing martial arts without cultivating the Way means you can never enter the realm.¡±


    ¡°¡ªOnly byprehending one¡¯s own Way can one enter the realm of martial arts. At that time, any fist technique, palm technique, or sword technique is simply infused with one Way.¡±


    As she spoke, Qing Fei stood up, and the twig in her hand suddenly thrust forward.


    In the sharp sound of cutting through the air, Liu Ningshuang seemed to see a divine sword suddenly unsheathed. In the next moment, the young girl¡¯s palm turned, and the twig shed downward in the air, the sharp sword light instantly transforming into the chopping wind of a falling de.


    The transformation between them was natural and wless.


    ¡°¡ªIs this the realm of martial arts?¡±


    Liu Ningshuang widened her eyes in disbelief and spoke in a daze.


    ¡°This is the realm of martial arts,¡± Qing Fei threw down the twig and gave her an affirmative answer. ¡°Inner power cultivation can be improved by following a step-by-step process, but for martial techniques to enter the realm, it requires countless refinements and a bit of coincidental opportunity. Therefore, most people won¡¯t choose this path, spending a lot of time honing martial techniques and trying to enter the realm. They just need to diligently cultivate inner power techniques and improve their cultivation level. After all, with high enough cultivation, one can overwhelm all techniques.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost like inner power cultivation adds to constitution and internal force, while entering the realm of martial arts adds to wisdom, skill, and martial arts proficiency¡­¡± Liu Ningshuang rted it to a game, indicating she fully understood. ¡°Only children make choices, adults naturally want it all!¡±


    She looked at Qing Fei with sparkling eyes. ¡°Little Qing Fei~¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, I can tell you. Ultimately, you¡¯ll have toprehend it yourself, Sister Liu.¡± Qing Fei reached out again, skillfully ruffling the head beside her.


    ¡°To enter the realm of martial arts, whether it¡¯s sword techniques, palm techniques, or de techniques, there are only three steps¡ªsee yourself, see the world, see all beings.¡±


    As she said this, her young face became serious.


    ¡°¡ªSeeing yourself means understanding your own Martial Way; seeing the world meansprehending the Way of Heaven and Earth; seeing all beings means all beings can be the Way. Those who can take the first step are already exceptionally talented. To take the second step requires not only talent but also opportunity. As for thest step of seeing all beings¡­ I¡¯ve never heard of anyone achieving it yet.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re at the first step now, havingprehended your own Way, which is why you can directly master even unfamiliar fist techniques?¡± Liu Ningshuang suddenly realized, feeling her horizons had been broadened.


    ¡°For the first step, that¡¯s indeed possible,¡± Qing Fei tilted her head in thought, then nodded firmly.


    Liu Ningshuang wanted to ask more, but she felt a gentle touch on her head again, as a small hand ruffled her forehead.


    Qing Fei squinted her eyes, a satisfied smile appearing on her face.


    She, who had been immersed in the desire for knowledge, finally came to her senses and realized what had happened repeatedly before.


    Looking at the little girl¡¯s contented expression, a question mark slowly floated up in her mind: ¡°¡­?¡±


    Come to think of it, was she being petted like a cat?


    ¡­It must be a misconception, definitely a misconception!


    ****


    Meanwhile, at the mansion of the city lord of Daliang City.


    Li Fufeng stood before the city lord, repeating the new term from the other¡¯s mouth with confusion and surprise. ¡°The Heavenly Capital Summons?¡±


    ¡°¡ªWhat is that?¡±


    This direct question didn¡¯t arouse the city lord¡¯s suspicion. At this moment, the young city lord¡¯s face also carried a slight puzzlement. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault for not knowing. Until this summons appeared, even I thought it was just a legend. I never imagined that the summons from the Heavenly Capital would actually be real.¡±


    He shook his head helplessly. ¡°Since it¡¯s real, I must follow the agreement passed down through generations of ancestors and go to answer the summons.¡±


    ¡°???¡± Li Fufeng was stillpletely confused, not understanding a word. The expression on his face fully conveyed his bewilderment.


    The young city lord, who was always approachable and had a good impression of this advisor who often offered him valuable insights and had a gentle demeanor, patiently exined. ¡°It¡¯s like this. Since ancient times, there has been a legend among the twelve cities, its truth unverifiable, concerning the origin of the twelve cities¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s said that the twelve cities are not aplete world, but a realm created by a being who transcends heaven and man.¡± The city lord¡¯s opening statement gave Li Fufeng a big surprise.


    ¡°¡ªLong ago, the world we lived in was supposed to be a much vasternd. Some say it was a blue star, and all our ancestors came from thend of the rising sun in the east of that greatnd.¡±


    Hearing this, Li Fufeng¡¯s pupils shook.


    ¡­A blue star?


    ¡­Thend of the rising sun in the east?


    The precision of the description was striking. Was it coincidence, or¡­


    ¡°¡­Legend has it that one day, something changed on that star. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth gradually thinned, and martial arts lost its fertile soil. What¡¯s more terrifying was that every martial artist, just by continuing to exist in the world, would inevitably absorb the spiritual energy, making the already scarce energy even more scarce. In the end, no one could survive in that age of decliningws. Unless everyone chose to disperse their cultivation and be ordinary people.¡±


    ¡°¡ªFinally, that martial arts expert who transcended heaven and man used his life-bound divine sword as a carrier, and with his inconceivable realm, he created this realm, amodating all martial artists willing to follow him in the sword realm. They are the ancestors of our twelve cities.¡±


    ¡°And the Heavenly Capital City is the residence of that sword master.¡±


    ¡°To find a new world with spiritual energy, that person, carrying his life-bound divine sword and the people of a realm, left their former home and drifted in the vast void, constantly devouring special energy in the void and converting it into spiritual energy for the realm. This allowed the martial artists of the twelve cities to survive here and prosper.¡±


    ¡°To avoid life expectancy depletion, the sword master also fell into slumber. He would only awaken again when encountering a new world.¡±


    ¡°¡ªThis is the original version of the legend.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s another version which says that from the beginning, our ancestors never nned to leave their homnd forever. That world that had entered the age of decliningws would one day wee the revival of spiritual energy. At that time, the sword realm drifting in the void would follow the coordinates left behind back then, bringing all of us back to our homnd.¡±


    ¡°¡ªWhen that dayes, the summons from the Heavenly Capital will be sent to the twelve cities, awakening the slumbering sword master.¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 80

    Chapter 80


    ¡°La¡­.¡±


    Humming a cheerful, nonsensical tune, Bai Yi walked along the streets of the old city district, stepping on each concrete paving stone one by one, as happy as a primary school student on a field trip.


    It was after-dinner walking time. It was already early December, and the temperature in Yuanyang City had dropped sharply. It had snowed just two days ago, and there was still unmelted snow on the eaves.


    There weren¡¯t many people in the old city district to begin with, and most of them were elderly. In this kind of weather, unless necessary, they didn¡¯t want to go out and face the cold wind and remnant snow, challenging their old arms and legs. As a result, the entire street seemed excessively empty.


    The world seemed much quieter in Bai Yi¡¯s perception.


    Whenever he walked among crowds, those intense emotional colors and mental impacts that always rushed towards him ¨C red, white, purple, like spilled paint ¨C were now distant due to the absence of people. All the noises, shouts, and low murmurs were also weakened by at least several degrees due to the physical distance before entering Bai Yi¡¯s mind.


    This was enough for Bai Yi.


    Most of the time, he felt like he was immersed in the deep sea, surrounded by a mental ocean on all sides. Now, away from the crowd, he could temporarily surface. Even though dark seawater still soaked his surroundings, at least he could breathe some air.


    ¡°What wonderful weather. Indeed, I love winter the most~¡±Bai Yi happily curved his eyes, hopping and stepping on the paving stones beneath his feet. Even the cold wind blowing in his face felt refreshing and pleasant. He couldn¡¯t help but make an exmation he had made countless times before. ¡°I really wish there was only me in this world.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Suddenly, a faint, barely noticeable purring sound from near the flower bed at the corner of the street¡¯s end crept into his ears.


    ¡°!¡± It was as if a small light bulb lit up above Bai Yi¡¯s head. Hiszily squinting eyes instantly opened wide, and he ¡°swished¡± his head around, his gaze urately capturing the target.


    Under arge patch of dark green leaves hanging from the edge of the flower bed, a familiar cat was curled up into a ball, looking like a small lump of coal. Because it was lying on the leeward side and sheltered byrge green leaves, it was sleeping soundly, asionally letting outfortable purrs.


    As Bai Yi¡¯s gaze fell upon it, the ck ¡°lump of coal¡± suddenly shivered involuntarily, as if sensing something, with all its fur standing on end!


    ¡°Oh my, look what I¡¯ve found?¡±


    The sleeping cat was chasing after cooked but escaped dried fish in its dream when suddenly, an extremely familiar and detestable voice cheerfully sounded above its head.


    ¡°?!!¡± The entire cat was startled.


    A shadow fell over it.


    In its suddenly opened round cat eyes, a pale, casual face with faint dark circles was reflected. The face wore a brilliant smile that somehow always gave people a sense of ill intent.


    The young man lowered his head to make eye contact with it. Those deep, dark eyes blinked gently at it, long eyshes fluttering, and then he winked. ¡°Caught you red-handed, you cutie~¡±


    ¡°Meow!¡± The cat instantly puffed up in terror.


    It was all too familiar with this detestable two-legged creature before it.


    Due to its young age and weak body, every time it wandered to a new ce, it couldn¡¯tpete with others of its kind. asionally, it would encounter some foolish two-legged creatures who were deceived by its appearance and offered food, but that was often snatched away by stronger cats, leaving it hungry¡­ It had finally found this perfect new territory with great difficulty. Sinceing here half a month ago, it hadn¡¯t encountered any other catspeting for territory or food.


    The two-legged creatures here were also easy to trick. As soon as the lord catmanded, they would immediately offer food to please it.


    Such a good life was the pinnacle for a stray cat.


    Until recently, when it encountered this detestable two-legged creature, its infinitely good peak cat life came to aplete end.


    Recalling how a month ago, out of curiosity, it had jumped onto the second-floor window sill of that old apartment and saw this strange two-legged creature talking to himself and performing alone, it was greatly confused.


    Just because it was too shocked by this scene, the lord cat let its guard down and was suddenly captured by the two-legged creature. Not only was there no delicious food offered as tribute, but it was humiliatingly petted from head to tail, directly ttened into a cat pancake. Only after this detestable two-legged creature had yed enough did it manage to flee in terror.


    Since then, it had been circling around that apartment building every day.


    Who knew that not long ago, while it wasfortably lying in its newly discovered best sunbathing spot for an afternoon nap, it would be caught red-handed again by this mysteriously appearing two-legged creature.


    This time, not only was it once again ttened into a cat pancake, but it also tasted the darkest cuisine it had ever experienced in its life!


    The cat¡¯s soul trembled!


    And after the first time, there was a second time, and a third.


    No matter how the lord cat tried to hide, this two-legged creature seemed to be equipped with a cat-detecting radar, always able to find it precisely.


    One dark cuisine after another tortured it to the point of doubting its cat life.


    <i>¡­ Cat sighing.jpg</i>


    Now, it could very keenly sense the ¡°malice¡± from this two-legged creature. Every time it woke up startled from its sleep¡­ without a doubt, the two-legged creature must have appeared!


    Sure enough, just as its eyes opened, a hand was already reaching towards it, the movement so practiced that it sent chills down the cat¡¯s spine.


    <i>Danger! Lord cat! Danger!!!</i>


    A strong rm sounded, and the cat sprang up with a jolt, its paws pushing off the ground, its back arching. The entire cat darted out, its lightning-fast movement resembling a miniature ck panther, not at all like an ordinary cat.


    In mid-air, it almost became a ck phantom.


    The lord cat could almost imagine the bewilderment and confusion on the face of this detestable two-legged creature as it grasped at empty air!


    ¡ªHmph, stupid two-legged creature, it was no longer the weakling that could be manipted at will!


    Although looking back now, it didn¡¯t understand why it had been so weak and foolish before, actually being bullied by those so-called peers without any wisdom, and repeatedly toyed with by this detestable two-legged creature¡­ But now, for some unknown reason, its increasingly strong and agile body and recently awakened wisdom had given it unprecedented confidence.


    The previous possible terror had faded, and the cat was now itching to act. Not only to escape, but also to y tricks on this two-legged creature.


    Bet you didn¡¯t expect this, stupid two-legged creature. The lord cat now¡­ has super-evolved!


    ¡°¡ªMeow!!!¡±


    A terrified meow brought everything to an abrupt halt.


    In the instant the cat leaped up, Bai Yi casually reached out his hand, sweeping through that phantom like scooping up a goldfish. When he stopped, there was a frantically struggling cat in his hand.


    ¡°You¡¯ve evolved even better than I imagined. In less than half a month, not only has your physiquepletely changed, but you¡¯ve also awakened considerable intelligence?¡± Bai Yi carefully examined the cat in his hand, his deep ck eyes filled with curiosity.


    ¡°¡­So far, I haven¡¯t noticed such obvious changes in other animals. At least the current spiritual energy concentration isn¡¯t enough.¡± While turning the cat over to examine it, Bai Yi pondered, ¡°So, the key isn¡¯t spiritual energy, but the effect of the dark cuisine, huh.¡±


    After the game instance [Land of Art], Bai Yi¡¯s dark cuisine skill had already been fully elevated, crossing from an ordinary skill into the realm of extraordinary skills¡ª


    Dark Cuisine Lv1<ol><li>Emotion Infusion: You, who genuinely love food, infuse special emotions into your cooking. Those who taste this food will be infected by the emotions in the dish, falling into states of ecstasy, anger, irritability, grief, madness, and various other emotions. </li></ol>


    The degree of infection and duration depend on the mental strength of the consumer. No negative effects remain after the emotions subside.<ol><li>Soul Stirring: By investing spiritual energy as ingredients while cooking, it will trigger different special effects, causing beneficial or detrimental states in the consumer. It can drive people into mental frenzy or cure spiritual pollution. A mental-type skill that can cause permanent effects.</li></ol><ol><li>Depression/Healing: A special depressing cuisine thatbines healing and dark cuisines, featuring characteristics of both. </li></ol>


    During consumption, the eater will continuously make will saves. Passing increases mental attributes by 1, failing decreases them by 1. If mental attributes rise to a certain level, they gain the ¡°Absolute Rationality¡± state buff; if lowered to a certain level, they fall into a state ofplete insanity.


    [Note: Being able to elevate an ordinary life skill to an extraordinary level, you undoubtedly possess amazing talent in dark cuisine. This is your fortune, but others¡¯ misfortune. Every diner willing to taste your dark cuisine is a rare animal worth protecting. Please cherish them.]


    In the past, no one except Bai Yi himself could survive tasting his dark cuisine. Moreover, for some reason, there wasn¡¯t even a single stray cat or dog in this neighborhood, leaving his eager desire to feed with nowhere to go. The dishes he made could only be regrettably self-consumed.


    After upgrading to an extraordinary skill, Bai Yi discovered that he could actively control the properties of every dark cuisine he made, whether beneficial or detrimental effects. It was no longer like before, where he could only passively cause indiscriminate damage.


    This reactivated his long-dormant desire to feed.


    The ball of ck coal-like fur before him, being the only stray cat in this neighborhood where no other stray animals could be found, and the only cat daring to run into Bai Yi¡¯s apartment, naturally became the only ¡°cat choice¡±.


    Over this period, Bai Yi had fed it no less than ten times.


    Now, the fact that this cat was still alive and kicking, and even had amazing transformations in physique and intelligence, was living proof.


    ¡ªProof of his superb culinary skills and the wonder of his cuisine!


    ¡°Long time no see~¡± He had been frequently running between the apartment and the Seventh Hospitaltely, and hadn¡¯te out to catch cats for many days. Bai Yi grabbed the cat¡¯s paw that was swinging at him, skillfully kneaded it twice, then shook it. He gazed into the round cat eyes and greeted enthusiastically, ¡°Perfect timing, I¡¯ve made a new vor of pan-fried dried fish today. Aren¡¯t you super excited?¡±


    ¡°¡­Meow.¡±


    The cat, unable to struggle with its paw held, doubted its entire cat life. It meowed weakly, like a fish ced on a chopping board, having apparently lost all joy in life.


    ¡°It seems you¡¯re indeed very excited~¡± Bai Yi became even happier. He magically produced a round, cat paw-shaped lunchbox from his coat pocket and ced it in front of the cat. ¡°Here you go, your dried fish has arrived!¡±


    As the round cat paw-shaped lunchbox was opened, as if a dark seal had been broken, an indescribable aroma immediately wafted out.


    The dried fish, neatly arranged in two rows,y stiffly in the lunchbox, looking rigid, pale, and bizarre, oddly giving people a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu of lying in a morgue. Bright red sauce was smeared on the surface of the dried fish like fresh blood.


    An indescribable mental impact hit like a wave.


    The cat felt dizzy, the world before its eyes distorting.


    In the distorted world, the smile on the corner of the young man¡¯s lips holding the lunchbox looked so twisted, ferocious, and terrifying.


    For a moment, even those well-cooked dried fish seemed to struggle and move in the lunchbox, their dead fish eyes turning slightly,ing back to life. Perhaps this was the legendary #strange light emanating from fish eyes#?


    ¡°Here, eat up quickly~¡± The dried fish drew closer.


    ¡°Meow? Meow meow meow!¡± Suddenly, the cat let out a terrified scream, its round eyes showing an expression as if it had seen a ghost. Its small head forcefully leaned back in a tactical retreat.


    <i>¡­Don¡¯t touch me!!!</i>


    Unfortunately, despite the cat¡¯s desperate struggle, it couldn¡¯t escape the evil ws and could only tearfully eat all the pan-fried dried fish.


    In that terrible taste and bizarre mental impact, even this small cat¡¯s soul seemed to be elevated.


    These terrifying dried fish, with each taste, felt like a test of its will, strange hallucinations stimting every inch of its soul. Combined with the taste that challenged the cat¡¯s pte, it was simply inhumane torture for the cat!


    Hello? Is this 110? Please arrest this cat abuser quickly!


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Happiness is just~ this~ easy~¡±


    Another day of joyful feeding, Bai Yi sat down on the steps next to the flower bed, holding the cat that had be a cat pancake, his humming tune bing even more cheerful.


    The coal-like cat bally motionless in his arms, as if it had lost all dreams in its cat life.


    Sunlight fell on its jet-ck fur, seemingly permeating ayer of extremely dark ink. A faint halo, barely discernible to the naked eye, flowed at the tips of each strand of fur.


    The young man holding the ck cat hummed strange rhymes, one hand casually stroking the ck fur, making the halo flow more smoothly. It was like untangling a knotted ball of yarn into individual strands.


    His slender five fingers were transparently white, with a jade-like quality, never tainted by the slightest debris or dust, as if these things simply couldn¡¯t touch his skin.


    ¡°Purr purr¡­¡±


    Unknowingly,fortable sounds came from the ck cat¡¯s nose, and a human-like expression of enjoyment appeared on its face.


    The spiritual energy between heaven and earth continuously gathered towards the man and cat, seeping into every pore, almost forming a small vortex around them.


    If Li Fufeng and other ¡°transmigrators¡± saw this scene, they would probably doubt their entire existence¡­


    Because this was a realm that even the city lord of Daliang City they had seen hadn¡¯t achieved ¨C a state ofpletely shedding the mortal body.


    And in the legends of the twelve cities, this was the necessary path towards bing an immortal, the first step from ordinary to extraordinary.


    Bai Yi took out his phone at some point, cing it on his knee, scrolling through various news with the cat.


    The recent news wasn¡¯t particrly special, still the usual entertainment headlines. The only additional change was brought by Bai Yi himself ¨C in the twenty days since the appearance of the Five Domain Fog Area, the bodies of more than twenty missing persons had been found sessively.


    At this time, the beneficial effects of spiritual energy on the human body had also been verified by scientists from various countries. Although they were still unclear about the nature of spiritual energy, with the outbreak of the spiritual tide and the rise in global spiritual energy concentration, the improvement in air quality everywhere and the increasedfort people felt when breathing spiritual energy were obvious results.


    Online, various experts expressed their opinions, talking at length, leavingizens confused and bewildered. In the end, they only knew that as long as it was beneficial to them, it was fine.


    As for whether there were any more miraculous research results, they would not be made public under the tacit agreement of various countries¡¯ officials.


    Even the deaths of the missing persons were suppressed by public opinion.


    So the news Bai Yi was scrolling through now was all kinds of silly news.


    Hemented as he scrolled, not feeling bored at all.


    ¡°Oh my, foolish humans!¡± Seeing something, Bai Yi shook his head and couldn¡¯t help but poke the cat, here and there, disturbing the drowsy cat who had to open its eyes again, ¡°You feel the same way, right?¡±


    Later, seeing something else, he woke the cat up again.


    ¡°This news is quite interesting, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Not long after, he once again extended his mischievous hand to poke the cat. ¡°Wow, is this the legendary cat pancake? I can do it! I¡¯ve learned it, I¡¯ll try it next time!¡±


    The phone screen was directly pushed in front of the cat¡¯s face. In the video, cat-shaped dough pieces molded into various poses were vividly and adorably disyed. The video¡¯s owner was carefully cing these dough pieces into a hot, sizzling oil pot.


    ¡°Meow!¡± The poor cat, opening its drowsy eyes, first saw this scene and instantly bristled.


    Bai Yi, showing no sympathy, burst intoughter. He maliciously brought the screen closer to the cat, allowing it to see the entire process more clearly and in detail.


    The cat: ¡°¡­¡±


    <i>¡­Although I¡¯m a cat, you¡¯re truly a dog!</i><hr>


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 Chapter 81

    Chapter 81


    Heavenly Capital, Heaven City.


    A ce that had always existed only in legends, no one knew where it was or in what form it existed.


    Even the city lord of Daliang City only knew a single phrase passed down through generations: When his city lord¡¯s token glowed, it meant a summons from the Heavenly Capital had arrived. He needn¡¯t do anything, just follow the guidance of this summons token, and he would be able to reach the mysterious Heavenly Capital and have an audience with the lord of the Heavenly Capital.


    This exnation was truly baffling.


    The young city lord couldn¡¯t see any guidance from the token at all.


    But as thest rays of the setting sun faded and night fell, when the sky was covered in pitch darkness, suddenly stars began to emit extraordinary light. This was a sight that had never appeared in the twelve cities of this world before.


    ¡ª This world was notplete, more akin to the legendary blessednds and secret realms. Even the sun and moon were mere illusions, and not a single star had ever appeared in the sky above.


    But now, countless stars shone together. Among them, the twelve brightest and most brilliant stars seemed to be guarded by the other stars, forming a beautiful star map in the night sky. The light they emitted fell upon the earth, as if casting twelve starry rivers on the ground.


    In the city lord¡¯s mansion of Daliang City, the young city lord gazed at the glowing token in his palm, feeling the power that faintly resonated with one of the bright stars in the sky. He stared for a long time at the intricate star map in the heavens, his gaze falling on the center of the star pattern.¡­ Under the infinite starlight, a faint shadow seemed to flicker in and out of existence in the distant ce corresponding to the center of the star map.


    ¡°Heavenly Capital¡­so that¡¯s how it is,¡± he realized with sudden understanding and indescribable awe. ¡°Heavenly Capital is right there.¡±


    And the star map in the sky was the best guide.


    He couldn¡¯t help but feel intense longing and curiosity, the instinctive human desire to explore the unknown. ¡°¡­ Even if just for this incredible spectacle, I should make the journey.¡±


    ¡°Heavenly Capital¡­ what kind of ce could it be?¡±


    ¡­..


    Half a monthter, in a nameless desert.


    The g of Daliang City flew high as a group of more than ten people trudged through the desert, advancing at a slow pace.


    Among the team, there were only five ¡°transmigrators¡±, all of whom had earned the city lord¡¯s favor due to their outstanding performance and had the opportunity to voluntarily apply to join the guard. Li Fufeng and hispanion were among them.


    As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but fine golden sand, seemingly stretching endlessly to the horizon, with no trace of life to be found.


    In the vast desert, terrifying ravines appeared from time to time. The edges of these chasms were lined with ckened, scorched earth and rocks. The ground was baked by intense heat, while icy cold winds asionally swept through the air, lifting sand grains from the surface to reveal knife marks, sword marks, spear marks, and skeletal remains buried deep below.


    A sense of destion, primitiveness, and vastness permeated the atmosphere.


    ¡ªAll of this inevitably brought to mind the ancient battlefields left behind after the great wars of the gods in ancient times.


    ¡°In a sense, it¡¯s not wrong to call it an ancient battlefield.¡±


    Li Fufeng, who had been immersed in this vast and unfamiliarndscape, was suddenly jolted by the words of the person beside him. He realized that he had unknowingly spoken his first impression aloud.


    The person who responded was the youngest member of the team, yet also one of the strongest warriors, Qing Fei.


    This mysterious young girl, who knew about Li Fufeng and hispanions¡¯ unusual background yet chose to help and conceal them, had be an honored guest at the city lord¡¯s mansion in the three months since joining Daliang City. Her exceptional martial arts talent and strength had quickly set her apart. When it came to this journey to the Heavenly Capital, the city lord had agreed without hesitation as soon as she expressed her desire toe.


    Li Fufeng was well aware that she was held in much higher regard than himself. Even the city lord¡¯s library waspletely open to her. Despite her young age, this girl likely knew far more secrets than he did. He immediately asked, ¡°An ancient battlefield? How so?¡±


    Naturally, Qing Fei began revealing secrets previously unheard of. ¡°Do you understand the void outside the world? It¡¯s not a ce where one can easily survive. I saw an ancient manuscript in the library, which stated that the Master of the Hanguang Sword couldn¡¯t survive in the void by himself. That¡¯s why he created the Sword Realm, using the method of ¡®a mustard seed containing Mount Sumeru¡¯ to hide the Sword Realm in a space between dimensions, and imprinted the coordinates on the Hanguang Sword. He himself hid in the Sword Realm, using this method to traverse the void¡­¡±


    As she spoke, she gestured with her hands.


    Li Fufeng and the others, drawn in by her words, watched her movements and unconsciously imagined a dark, boundless void with a lonely sword floating within it.


    ¡­ It seemed the Hanguang Sword was truly made of incredibly resilient material.


    ¡°¡­ But this was just the beginning. ording to the manuscript, terrible spatial storms would asionally arise in the void, posing a great threat to the fragile Sword Realm. The establishment of the twelve cities also served to reinforce the Sword Realm ¡ª these twelve cities were purposely built at twelve key points to strengthen the space of the Sword Realm.¡±


    ¡°¡­ In this way, even when faced with numerous spatial storms, they ultimately survived through the united efforts of the twelve cities.¡±


    ¡°Until one time, the owner of the ancient manuscript wasn¡¯t clear about what exactly happened, only knowing it was a crisis beyond description. Perhaps it was an unprecedented massive spatial storm, or maybe an even more terrifying danger from the void. In any case, the entire Sword Realm was almost shattered in an instant by an unimaginably powerful force ¡ª However, the lords of the twelve cities, along with all the celestials, were summoned by the Lord of the Heavenly Capital and immediately headed towards the source of the danger¡­¡± At this point, Qing Fei pointed towards the distance, her arm sweeping arge arc through the air, ¡°¡ª That¡¯s this great desert. At that time, there was no desert here at all. The appearance of this vast desert came after that crisis had passed.¡±


    As night gradually faded and the stars disappeared, there was no star map to guide them in the daytime. It was easy to get lost in the desert, so the advancing team had long since stopped, preparing to resume their journey in the evening.


    As Qing Fei sat by the fire, vividly recounting the tale, many people gathered around her, including several ¡°transmigrators¡±.


    Hearing this, even without knowing theplete truth, everyone drew in a sharp breath, revealing expressions of shock.


    This vast desert that stretched as far as they could see was actually formed after that crisis had passed?!


    Looking again at the crisscrossing cracks, ravines, scorched earth, and skeletal remains in the desert, it wasn¡¯t hard to imagine what a devastating story had unfolded on thisnd.


    ¡°¡­ And then?¡± someone couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°What happened to those summoned celestials, the lords of the twelve cities, and the Lord of the Heavenly Capital, the Master of the Hanguang Sword?¡±


    ¡°There is no ¡®and then¡¯,¡± a voice suddenly rang out. The young city lord had strolled over at some point. The city lord¡¯s token hanging at his waist had lost the call of the stars in the sky and now only emitted a faint glow, unremarkable in the daylight. ¡°After that, all the celestials disappeared, the lords of the twelve cities vanished, the Heavenly Capital was burned without a trace, bing a legend in old documents that may or may not have existed¡­ That Lord of the Heavenly Capital is believed to have fallen into a deep sleep due to severe injuries.¡±


    Li Fufeng instantly recalled the first day he entered Daliang City, when two passersby seemed to have discussed something about ¡°the death of celestials¡±¡­


    The howling cold wind seemed like a heavy sigh passing through the desert. The city lord¡¯s voice was broken by the wind. ¡°The Sword Realm lost its master and helmsman. The twelve cities that were once closely connected gradually went their separate ways, no longer heeding the orders of the Heavenly Capital City, but instead respecting only their own city lords, and no longer having a unified goal to advance towards.¡±


    ¡°Of course, for some people, this might be a good thing.¡±


    The city lord of Daliang City raised an eyebrow, showing a hint of mockery. His pitch-ck eyes gleamed with a light that seemed to see through everything.


    ¡°With the reappearance of Heavenly Capital, who knows what some people might be thinking. Do they truly wish¡­ to awaken the Lord of the Heavenly Capital?¡±


    Li Fufeng and the others understood his implication, or rather, his explicit statement. Evidently, during the years Heavenly Capital City had been missing, some of the city lords of the twelve cities had grown ustomed to ruling independently and definitely did not want to invite back a superior over them.


    Those who thought this way were likely not few in number.


    However, despite their reluctance, the mystery of Heavenly Capital and the power of its lord were surely known to all. It was unlikely that anyone would dare to openly defy Heavenly Capital¡¯s summons and simply note.


    Even if they truly wanted to overthrow the leader and act independently, shouldn¡¯t they at leaste to assess the situation before making a decision?


    Regardless, they all anticipated how chaotic it would be when the forces of the twelve cities gathered together, and how many undercurrents of conflict there would be.


    As for everyone working together wholeheartedly to awaken the Lord of the Heavenly Capital¡­ the probability of that happening was extremely low.


    Judging by the Daliang City lord¡¯s reaction, he didn¡¯t seem inclined to cause trouble, but rather leaned towards heeding the summons. This surprised the ¡°transmigrators¡± while also allowing them to breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed they wouldn¡¯t need to expend effort convincing this city lord of Daliang City.


    They weren¡¯t interested in the internal power shifts of this world. Whether the twelve cities acted independently or united under the Lord of the Heavenly Capital didn¡¯t matter much to them.


    But based on the various rumors about the Lord of the Heavenly Capital, if they had the ability to leave Blue Star and venture into the void, they surely had a way to return to Blue Star. Wasn¡¯t one interpretation of the summons that the awakening of the Lord of Heavenly Capital would lead everyone back to their homnd?


    If so, awakening the Lord of Heavenly Capital became crucial for them¡ªat least for those ¡°transmigrators¡± who hade with Li Fufeng and wanted to return home.


    But thinking about what the Daliang City lord had said, and then considering the eleven city lords with unclear intentions, they felt a great headacheing on.


    Their time in this world had been short. Although many transmigrators had made considerable progress in martial arts cultivation, this progress was far from enough to allow them to force all the city lords to listen to them through overwhelming power and obediently go to awaken the Lord of the Heavenly Capital.


    Therefore, they could only adapt to circumstances as they arose, using rhetoric and strategy to guide the situation towards their desired oue.


    ¡­They just hoped that the ¡°transmigrators¡± who had crossed over to other cities had some ability and could be trusted confidants who could speak to the city lords. Even if they couldn¡¯t influence decisions, they could at least act as inside agents.


    As night fell once again, the star map in the sky scattered its light, and the Daliang City team finally saw the ethereal image of the Heavenly Capital City slowly emerging in the distant desert, attracting them like a lighthouse.


    When the group hurriedly arrived in that direction, they immediately encountered teams from other citiesing from different directions.


    Everyone stood in the night, with mercury-like starlight coating the desert in ayer of silver-white. The vast expanse of silver-white sand was like an unfolded canvas, imprinted with the phantom of an ancient city.


    It was an enormous, sprawling ancient structure that couldn¡¯t be taken in at a nce. Broken city walls were buried in fine sand, and the entire city looked as if it had been swept by a violent storm. All the buildings had been cut in half, destroyed into andscape of ruins.


    Only the sword and de marks engraved on them remained as clear as yesterday. Li Fufeng couldn¡¯t help but reach out to touch them.


    His hand grasped at nothing.


    It was like passing through a reflection in water, an illusion in bubbles.


    This was a city that existed only under the glow of starlight. When the stars disappeared by day, so would the phantom. It truly existed in the past but had long perished in the present.


    Before they knew it, the teams from all twelve cities had arrived.


    ¡°What should we do now?¡± Facing this ¡°ancient city¡± that seemed close at hand yet untouchable, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.


    ¡°The existence of the Heavenly Capital is real, so the legends about the Lord of Heavenly Capital are likely true as well. We were able toe here because of the resonance between the city lord¡¯s token and the star map, right? Our city lord tokens are probably the keys to opening the real Heavenly Capital.¡±


    The oldest-looking city lord spoke first.


    ¡°That makes sense. Xingji, Xuanniao, Xushi, Jianglou, Daliang, Shishen, Chun Shou, Chun Huo, Chun Wei, Shou Xing, Da Huo, Xi Mu¡­ you probably don¡¯t know this, but the naming of the twelve citieses from the ¡®Twelve Star Celestial Spheres.¡¯ Our Sword Realm has never had stars, so there¡¯s no concept of ¡®Twelve Star Celestial Spheres.¡¯ Those were named by the ancestors of our homnd as they observed the celestial bodies.¡±


    ¡°I found it. This seems to be where the tokens should be inserted, forming the celestial star map. I propose we arrange the city lord tokens ording to the distribution of the Twelve Star Celestial Spheres¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop talking among yourselves!¡±


    An impatient voice interrupted their conversation, breaking the seemingly harmonious atmosphere.


    ¡°Who wants to open the damned Heavenly Capital anyway!¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 82

    Chapter 82


    Many things often justck the first person to take the lead. As soon as the first person spoke up, others gradually began to speak as well.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m not interested in opening the Heavenly Capital City either.¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to see if the legends of the Heavenly Capital were true, but I don¡¯t want to awaken the Lord of the Heavenly Capital.¡±


    ¡°¡­I think our current situation is quite good.¡±


    The City Lord of Daliang¡¯s guess had indeede true.


    Li Fufeng worriedly observed the scene as it quickly descended into chaos. On the question of whether to awaken the Lord of the Heavenly Capital, the two factions argued endlessly. It seemed that those with fiery tempers were about toe to blows.


    At this moment, he realized how weak the power of these ¡°transmigrators¡± was. Even though he had found fellow countrymen among the other teams and they had briefly ¡°acknowledged kinship¡± ¨C the fact that these city lords trusted them so much indicated that these people were the most capable elites even among the ¡°transmigrators¡±. Now, the number of ¡°transmigrators¡± was almost surpassing that of the natives.


    Yet they still couldn¡¯t interfere in this ¡°war¡±.


    The city lords, ustomed to their ruling positions, didn¡¯t necessarily have ill intentions towards the Lord of the Heavenly Capital. However, it was evident that they didn¡¯t want a higher authority suddenly appearing above them.Even the city lords who leaned towards opening the Heavenly Capital City and awakening its Lord probably felt the same way. They might have been more inclined to awaken the person and then sideline them ¨C raising them up high and cing them on a pedestal, but never truly following their orders or allowing them to take control.


    Of course, the most important reason was probably¡­


    ¡°What if the Lord of the Heavenly Capital insists on returning to their so-called homnd after awakening? Are we really willing to give up everything in the Sword Realm to follow a group of descendants separated by countless years, starting over in a newly revivednd of weak magic?¡±


    ¡°No matter what, I can¡¯t do that!¡±


    In fact, this was the fundamental issue.


    The Lord of the Heavenly Capital had shown great kindness to all twelve cities. Even with their own agendas, they wouldn¡¯t be so ungrateful as to forget this debt. The problem was that once they awakened the Lord of the Heavenly Capital, many feared they would have to abandon everything they had and leave the Sword Realm to return to the Land of the Rising Sun ¨C although this had been the unchanging goal of their ancestors and the Lord of Heavenly Capital for hundreds of years, for these descendants who cared nothing for the Land of the Rising Sun, it would be an unmitigated disaster.


    When this point was bluntly raised, even those inclined to awaken the Lord of the Heavenly Capital fell silent.


    Undeniably, time was the most terrifying weapon in this world. Regarding the return to Blue Star, perhaps only the sleeping Lord of the Heavenly Capital still persisted in this goal throughout the entire Sword Realm¡­ Watching the confrontation before him, a sense of destion rose in Li Fufeng¡¯s heart.


    If he continued to stay in this world, would his longing for Blue Star eventually fade with the passage of time? In ten years, twenty years, would he one day be one of these people?


    This thought terrified him.


    No, I must find a way back as soon as possible!


    I absolutely cannot be trapped here for life!


    Looking at the crowd that had fallen into silence and hesitation, Li Fufeng stepped forward. Although he hadn¡¯t yet figured out what to do, he knew he couldn¡¯t allow these people to reach an unfavorable consensus-


    ¡°Hey, haven¡¯t we got something wrong here?¡±


    Before Li Fufeng could take another step, someone else moved even faster, instantly appearing in the center of the crowd. Her pitying gaze fell on those who had been shouting the loudest.


    ¡°You don¡¯t really think that as long as you do nothing, you can maintain your current way of life indefinitely, do you?¡±


    The girl who suddenly appeared looked no older than fifteen, possibly even younger. Her face still retained some baby fat, and she wore a faint, cold smile, her eyes nearly rolling to the heavens.


    Her appearance and these words were clearly something the others hadn¡¯t anticipated, leaving everyone stunned for a moment.


    This allowed her to smoothly finish her thought. ¡°Well, I suppose that¡¯s not wrong. If you do nothing, you might indeed maintain the status quo, repeating it many times over. After all, if you start over, you wouldn¡¯t know any different, would you?¡±


    It seems she¡¯s said something quite extraordinary¡­ Li Fufeng stared in astonishment at Qing Fei, whose presence had suddenly be overwhelmingly strong, as a dazed thought floated through his mind.


    Everyone here was intelligent. Unintelligent ¡°transmigrators¡± wouldn¡¯t have had the chance to appear on this journey, and unintelligent martial artists couldn¡¯t have reached the highest levels of cultivation. Those who could firmly hold the position of city lord certainly couldn¡¯t be fools¡­ The implications hidden in Qing Fei¡¯s few words were too terrifying to believe.


    No one was tactless enough to ask irrelevant questions like ¡°Who are you? What right do you have to speak?¡± Though the girl before them was young, the aura she exuded was terrifyingly powerful. Nearly everyone present was subdued by it. Only a handful of people could match her aura. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have tolerated a young girl suddenly interjecting.


    In terms of martial prowess, she was undoubtedly among the top tier here.


    And words spoken by such a person, no matter how oundish they sounded, surely couldn¡¯t beplete nonsense?


    ¡°W-what do you mean?¡±


    The City Lord of Quanshou City, who had been the first to express resistance to awakening the Lord of the Heavenly Capital and was now the first to be swept by Qing Fei¡¯s pitying gaze, spoke up reflexively. His eyes darted to the City Lord of Daliang City, remembering that this girl hade with him. ¡°Don¡¯t joke around! You think you can fool me like this¡­¡±


    ¡°I have no interest in talking to fools who can¡¯t see the situation clearly,¡± Qing Fei interrupted him mercilessly.


    Unlike her usual sweet and innocent demeanor befitting a child, or her typically serious manner, her face now showed astonishing coldness, exuding an aura that made people afraid to disturb her.


    ¡°You¡­¡± The person who had been bluntly called a fool grew furious.


    But his anger was once again interrupted by another person-


    ¡°I believe you,¡± said the oldest and most respected person present, the City Lord of Shouxing City, whose martial arts cultivation was said to be only one step away from reaching the Heavenly Realm.


    This old man stroked his beard and spoke amidst the bewildered gazes of the others. ¡°If this old man hasn¡¯t misjudged, young friend¡­ you must be approaching that realm, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± The others listened in confusion.


    The City Lord of Shouxing exined calmly. ¡°In terms of realm, this young girl is probably the strongest among us. If I¡¯m not mistaken, she¡¯s at the limit of ¡®Seeing Heaven and Earth¡¯. She¡¯s about to approach¡­ the legendary realm of ¡®Seeing All Living Beings¡¯, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    This statement was like a thunderbolt thrown into the crowd. It stunned everyone present.


    Even the ¡°transmigrators¡± had heard of the three realms of martial arts, especially the difficulty of reaching ¡®Seeing All Living Beings¡¯. Even those who had reached ¡®Seeing Heaven and Earth¡¯ were few and far between.


    But now wasn¡¯t the time to dwell on why such a young girl had reached such a profound realm. The focus was on the words spoken by someone of such a realm¡­


    ¡°I see!¡± Seeing Qing Fei nod, confirming his guess, the City Lord of Shouxing showed no joy on his face. Instead, he let out a long sigh and smiled bitterly, ¡°Although I too have reached the realm of Seeing Heaven and Earth, I¡¯m not as profound as you, young friend. asionally, I¡¯ve vaguely suspected something was amiss with this world, but I dared not delve deeper. I dismissed it as a deviation in cultivation, an illusion caused by inner demons¡­ Now it seems I was only deceiving myself!¡±


    ¡°Self-deception is not without its merits,¡± Qing Fei smiled. ¡°In the past, wasn¡¯t I the same? If not for this variable, I wouldn¡¯t have had the chance to uncover the truth.¡±


    The native inhabitants of the Sword Realm seemed lost in thought, as if they had understood something from the dialogue between the two. Their expressions changed dramatically.


    The ¡°transmigrators,¡± however, were confused.


    Although they had mastered much of this world¡¯s martial arts knowledge and could discuss meridians and acupoints with ease, the content these two were mentioning was clearly beyond their scope. For them, it was like having learned elementary school math and then overhearing two university students discussing advanced calculus. They understood each word individually, but put together, it was iprehensible yet impressive.


    ¡°Hey, hey, hey, don¡¯t speak in riddles!¡± While people like Li Fufeng, who were more perceptive, might have grasped some meaning, Liu Ningshuang was exasperated. ¡°Can you exin clearly what you mean?¡±


    Her eyes, full of curiosity and thirst for knowledge, fell on Qing Fei.


    Qing Fei raised her eyes, meeting Liu Ningshuang¡¯s gaze, and exined. ¡°I don¡¯t know about others, whether they¡¯ve noticed or not, but for me, time in this world has been cycling repeatedly. Since I became conscious, I¡¯ve been in Shili Vige, never having a chance to leave. The vigers repeat the same actions every day, but they¡¯ve never realized their abnormality ¡ª only I knew.¡±


    Everyone listened quietly, the atmosphere suddenly falling into silence.


    Having spoken such terrifying words in a calm tone, Qing Fei paused, then continued. ¡°Perhaps I was once like them, each day a brand new start, unconsciously repeating the daily routine of martial arts practice, until one cycle, I finally noticed the anomaly¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment,¡± someone suddenly raised a question. ¡°ording to what you¡¯re saying, if you were always trapped in the cycle, how could you suddenly be aware of the anomaly? Without any variables or external factors interfering, shouldn¡¯t you have remained oblivious like everyone else?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I was about to address,¡± Qing Fei replied, her tone lifting slightly. ¡°Although we were constantly cycling, repeating the previous day¡¯s experiences with nothing changing, Iter discovered that one thing was changing: the realm of martial arts. Through the cycles, my cultivation didn¡¯t change, but my martial realm didn¡¯t reset with each restart. It kept umting. So, after one restart, when I reached the limit of Seeing Heaven and Earth, I suddenly prated the truth of this world.¡±


    ¡°But I couldn¡¯t resist. Everything around me kept restarting. On my own, I couldn¡¯t break through the time loop. I couldn¡¯t even leave the small Shili Vige. Everyone in this world had no future!¡±


    She paused briefly topose herself, then concluded, ¡°If not for this variable that appeared, the Sword Realm returning to the Land of the Rising Sun, we¡¯d still be repeating endlessly in the time loop.¡± As she mentioned the variable, her gaze subtly swept over Li Fufeng and the others, then across the other ¡°transmigrators¡±.


    Li Fufeng and the others immediately understood who she was referring to.


    Many of their previous puzzles were solved at this moment. For instance, why Qing Fei helped them, these mysterious outsiders; why she stayed in Daliang City; why she insisted oning along this time to search for the Heavenly Capital and its Lord¡­


    Because only that person could resolve the predicament, right? Although now, it seemed the cycling time loop had been broken. It appeared there was no need to find the Lord of the Heavenly Capital?


    Someone voiced the doubt first. ¡°But now that the cycle is broken ¨C assuming what you say is true ¨C isn¡¯t it good for this world to move forward like this?¡± As long as they didn¡¯t awaken the Lord of the Heavenly Capital, forcing everyone to return to the Land of the Rising Sun and start over.


    ¡°Hehe. Is that what you think?¡±


    Someone in the crowd chuckled softly.


    All eyes turned to Li Fufeng, who had suddenly spoken up. They seemed surprised that he dared to speak in such a situation.


    Li Fufeng spoke up under the intense gazes, seizing the opportunity he had been waiting for.


    ¡°Have you considered why the time loop broke this time? If the Sword Realm had been shattered and precarious since that destructive storm years ago, and the Lord of the Heavenly Capital used some power to maintain the world through constant cycles¡­ then now, this world might only have a bit of energy left.¡±


    In truth, Li Fufeng wasn¡¯t sure if his guess was correct. He just needed others to believe this guess, to believe that awakening the Lord of the Heavenly Capital and returning to the Land of the Rising Sun was currently the only way out. Then his goal would be achieved.


    So, he spoke with certainty andposure, sessfully making everyone look skeptical yet considering.


    ¡°The time hase. This world no longer needs to repeat cycles to maintain itself. As long as everyone returns to the Land of the Rising Sun, it doesn¡¯t matter if this world shatters.¡±


    ¡°This broken world has no future. Our future ¨C all of us ¨C lies in the Land of the Rising Sun.¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 83

    Chapter 83


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Li Fufeng¡¯s words plunged everyone into a deathly silence. The spection he had put forward, though perhaps still rough, had no obvious ws in its most crucial parts.


    Moreover, even if the possibility of it being true was only one in ten million, it was still utterly uneptable to everyone present.


    This suddenly made him, who originally had no presence, the focus of the crowd, attracting the gaze of every person.


    Even the ¡°transmigrators¡± were no exception.


    They looked at Li Fufeng as if they were looking at a true hero.


    ¡­ In this ce where almost all the powerful figures from twelve cities had gathered, they, a group of martial arts novices who had grown up in a peaceful world, had almost knelt down due to the conflicting auras just now, hadn¡¯t they? It was as dangerous as being in the eye of a storm!


    ¡­ This fellow transmigrator could still think so calmly and had the courage to stand up and speak. What a brave and magnificent act!


    At this moment, even the ¡°transmigrators¡± with their own agendas were shocked. Their gaze towards Li Fufeng was not just one of amazement, but had even reached the level of admiration.¡°p p p p p!¡±


    The sudden apuse broke everyone¡¯s varied thoughts and the previously quiet, almost eerie atmosphere.


    ¡°How amazing, Mr. Consultant!¡± Two pairs of sparkling eyes simultaneously fixed on Li Fufeng. The siblings, whose resemnce was so strong that even someone with zero deductive skills could tell their rtionship at first nce, maintained a synchronized head-turning motion. They looked up at the man at the center of attention with gazes full of shock and admiration, pping like seals. ¡°Just knowing a few clues and being able to quickly unravel and analyze so much¡­ Are all men with the title of consultant this impressive? Whether it¡¯s a crime consultant or any other kind of consultant¡­¡±


    As they spoke, their voices got lower and lower. But everyone present had cultivated abilities, and could clearly hear Ji Heng¡¯s subsequent muttering.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got it!¡± Ji Nian suddenly pped her hands together, naturally picking up where her brother left off. She eximed in realization, ¡°You must be the legendary Sherlock Li Moriarty!¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    ¡°???¡±


    ¡°????¡±


    Question marks appeared in the eyes of those around them in an arithmetic progression. In the center of the pupils surrounded by question marks, the reflected images showed the nearly identical excited and adoring faces of the siblings, as well as Li Fufeng¡¯s slowly cracking smile.


    The situation is veryplicated now.


    He looked at these twopanions he had casually brought along, he felt a long-forgotten sense of suffocation and heaviness from being surrounded by silliness.


    ¡­ He regretted it now, deeply regretted it.


    What were these two doing¡­ Earlier they had been in an absent-minded state mixed in with the crowd, seemingly confused by the unexpected situation. Now it seemed they had finallye to their senses, but the first thing they did upon regaining consciousness was to torment him???


    ¡­ How on earth did they manage to say such embarrassing lines in public?


    Here¡¯s my trantion and paraphrase of the Chinese text into English, keeping the requested elements in mind:


    Li Fufeng¡¯s words plunged everyone into a deathly silence. Though his conjecture may have been rough, the most critical parts had no obvious ws. Even if the chances of it being true were one in a million, it was utterly uneptable to everyone present.


    This suddenly thrust Li Fufeng, who had previously been unremarkable, into the spotlight, drawing the gaze of every person there. Even the ¡°transmigrators¡± were no exception. They looked at Li Fufeng as if he were a true hero.


    In their minds, they thought: ¡°In this ce filled with nearly all the extraordinary beings from the twelve cities, we novices raised in a peaceful world almost fell to our knees from the shing auras earlier! It was like being caught in the eye of a storm!¡±


    ¡°Yet this fellow traveler could still think so calmly and had the courage to speak up. What an incredibly brave act!¡±


    At that moment, even the ¡°transmigrators¡± with their own agendas were deeply impressed. Their gazes toward Li Fufeng went beyond mere amazement, reaching a level of genuine admiration.


    Suddenly, encouraging apuse broke the various trains of thought and the eerily quiet atmosphere.


    ¡°How amazing, Mr. Advisor!¡± Two pairs of sparkling eyes simultaneously fixed on Li Fufeng. The siblings, whose resemnce was obvious even to the most oblivious observer, maintained perfect synchronization as they turned their heads. They gazed up at the man who was now the center of attention, their eyes filled with awe and reverence as they pped like seals. ¡°Just from knowing a few clues, you could quickly unravel and analyze so much. Are all men with the title of advisor this impressive, whether they¡¯re crime advisors or whatever else?¡±


    As they spoke, their voices grew quieter. But everyone present had cultivated abilities, so they clearly heard Ji Heng¡¯s muttered words.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got it!¡± Ji Nian suddenly pped her hands together, continuing her brother¡¯s mumbling. She eximed in realization, ¡°You must be the legendary Sherlock Lee Moriarty!¡±


    ¡°?¡± ¡°???¡± ¡°?????¡±


    Question marks appeared in the eyes of those around them in an arithmetic sequence. At the center of the question mark-surrounded pupils were reflected the excited and adoring faces of the siblings, along with Li Fufeng¡¯s gradually cracking smile.


    Bai Yi was feeling veryplicated at the moment.


    Looking at these twopanions he had casually brought along, he felt a long-forgotten sense of suffocation and heaviness from being surrounded by silliness.


    He was regretting it now, deeply regretting it.


    What were these two doing¡­ Earlier they had been in a daze, mixed in with the crowd, seemingly confused by the unexpected situation. Now that they had finallye to their senses, the first thing they did was to embarrass him?


    How on earth could they say such cringe-worthy lines in public?


    Feeling the gazes from all directions falling on him, although he was still bathed in just as many stares as before, Li Fufeng keenly sensed that the meaning behind these looks had changed¡­ It was as if¡­ he too had been lumped together with those two unreliable characters.


    This was terrible. If it made others disbelieve the nonsense he had just spouted¡­ No, it was already terrible. Every time he encountered these siblings ¡°acting up,¡± Li Fufeng found himself involuntarily transforming into the role of the straight man.


    He silently sorted out the jumbled emotions in his heart and skillfully put on a smile. ¡°Actually, I was just guessing randomly.¡±


    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t just a random guess. Your conjecture is very possible,¡± said Qing Fei, who had interacted with the siblings numerous times and was somewhat familiar with their personalities. As a fellow victim who had experienced social death situations, she was the first to regain herposure. She too skillfully ignored the silly duo and continued, ¡°Actually, for a long time now, finding myself repeating the previous day¡¯s life day after day, I¡¯ve often wondered¡­¡±


    Under the ck night sky nketing everything, beneath the faint starlight, the sand grains spreading across the field of vision resembled a golden ocean. The little girl¡¯s red dress was blown by the cold night wind. She stretched out a hand, her outstretched fingers catching the flowing starlight.


    A fleeting confusion passed through her clear pupils.


    ¡°¡­Is this world real?¡± she wondered. ¡°Am I¡­ truly existing?¡±


    The atmosphere suddenly sank into an inexplicable low. Although they didn¡¯t know exactly why, almost everyone was infected by Qing Fei¡¯s state of mind, thanks to her high-level rendering and suppression. They seemed to be drawn into her vast, empty mentalndscape, seeing what she saw ¨C a hazy, unreal sky and earth.


    ¡°Anyway, now we need to find the real Heavenly Capital and awaken its ruler, right?¡± The ¡°transmigrators,¡± due to their low cultivation levels, were easily influenced by her will. But the natives here, all top experts from the twelve cities, almost instantly shook off the influence. Someone impatiently spoke up.


    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s get to it quickly. I don¡¯t want to live in a world that could be reset by a time loop at any moment, or one that might fall apart once the reset ends.¡±


    ¡°So, we¡¯ve reached a consensus?¡±


    Those gathered here were either decision-makers of the twelve cities or high-level individuals who had determined countless people¡¯s fates with their own powerful martial strength. They understood priorities clearly. The primary task now was to enter the true Heavenly Capital and awaken its ruler; other details could be dealt withter.


    Thus, the conflicts and unpleasantries that had urred earlier were unanimously forgotten. Everyone¡¯s attention focused on the illusory ruins of the Heavenly Capital before them, or more precisely, on the very center of the ruins.


    Passing through the mirage-like broken walls and pirs, treading on the sand grains and bones beneath their feet, this group that had finallye together with some semnce of unity made their way to the very heart of the ruins ¨C the remains of half a pce, still just an untouchable illusion.


    However, amidst these remains stood a massive stone stele in the center of the desert, like a key inserted into a lock. Engraved upon it was a star chart of the twelve celestial houses.


    ¡°This must be it,¡± said the city lord who first discovered the stele. She reached out to touch the cold surface of the stone. ¡°This is real, I saw it right away. The star chart indentations correspond exactly to our city lord tokens¡­¡±


    She was about to suggest that everyone ce their tokens to try, when a strange yet irresistible force transmitted from the stele, instantly repelling the hand that had just touched it.


    Above in the sky, the stars began to shine brightly.


    The starry sky above began to shift. Twelve bright stars slowly rotated among the celestial bodies, weaving a swirling vortex of starlight. As the light showered down, the star map on the ck stone tablet suddenly trembled, and light burst forth from every engraved line.


    About half a meter above the stone tablet, the light coalesced into a floating star map. The patterns from the twelve city lord tokens were embedded within this celestial chart, slowly rotating above the stone tablet, echoing the star map in the sky¡­


    This scene strongly resembled something the ¡°transmigrators¡± had seen in science fiction movies, like virtual VR projections.


    At this moment, the entire sky was nketed in starlight.


    The silhouette of a city gradually emerged, bathed in starlight, as if a spell had been cast at the stroke of midnight. It was slowly sketched out in the previously empty sky, bit by bit.


    Everyone stared dumbfounded at the city appearing in the sky.


    ¡°¡­ Heavenly Capital truly lives up to its name, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    After a moment of shock, someone spoke up glumly.


    ¡°What¡¯s this? It turns out our tokens weren¡¯t needed at all. No, perhaps we weren¡¯t needed at all. When the time came, at sunrise, the seal was triggered, and the Heavenly Capital appeared.¡±


    ¡°¡ªWhether we came or not.¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t this in line with the Lord of the Heavenly Capital¡¯s arrangements?¡± Regardless of their stance, thoughts, personality, or values, humans share an innate appreciation for beauty. At this moment, the vast, boundless starry sky and the Heavenly Capital floating beneath it undoubtedly allowed everyone to experience a form of ultimate beauty. Amidst the awe, someone smiled and said, ¡°Falling into a slumber, only able to passively wait for future generations to awaken them¡ªafter all, that was just the spection of us ordinary mortals, passed down through hearsay. That Lord of the Heavenly Capital, said to transcend heaven and earth, is a god-like existence. How could they allow themselves to be so powerless¡­ only able to wait for others to make decisions?¡±


    The speaker wore a ck robe, with half their face hidden in the hood of the cloak. Their voice was somewhat hoarse.


    ¡ªThis was a member of one of the city lords¡¯ entourages, who had briefly joined the ¡°transmigrators''¡± discussion earlier. They had remained low-key and silent, introducing themselves as ¡°Samuel¡±. Li Fufeng and the others didn¡¯t know them, only aware that they seemed to be a ¡°transmigrator¡± from the West. But to climb to such a position in this clearly Eastern-dominated civilization in just a few years undoubtedly required extraordinary talent.


    The deceased ¡°Kunlun ve¡± served as a stark contrast.


    Samuel, who had suddenly spoken up,pletely ignored the gazes around him and continued in a convincing tone:


    ¡°Perhaps the so-called summoning tokens were never meant to be items for the Lord of the Heavenly Capital to seek help from the outside world. Rather, they might be rewards we inherited from our ancestors for their loyal service to the Lord of the Heavenly Capital?¡±


    Despite being an outsider, he spoke with a tone more native than the locals, immersing himself quite naturally.


    ¡°¡ªIt¡¯s not that the Lord of the Heavenly Capital needs us to awaken them.¡±


    ¡°¡ªBut rather, when the Lord of the Heavenly Capital awakens, those of us who arrive first will receive their favor?¡±


    ¡°For instance, leading us together to the Land of the Rising Sun, as the first group of pioneers, sharing in the joy of returning to our homnd.¡±


    Most importantly¡ª


    Samuel looked up at the sky, letting out a joyful exmation that made one think he was about to shed tears of devotion. A strand of silver-white hair fell from his hood.


    ¡°¡­ In the face of an impending world destruction, this is truly an ark of hope leading to the future.¡±


    ¡ªHow generous, this deity.


    !


    ¡­ His pupils trembled with realization.


    Samuel¡¯s unexpected outburst stunned everyone, leaving them caught between the shock of ¡°So this is the truth¡± and the bizarre thought of ¡°What kind of person is this? Are they really not preaching?¡±


    But time no longer allowed them to think further.


    <i>Crack, crack, crack, crack¡­</i>


    Faint yet clear cracking sounds approached from afar. At the edge of their vision, spider-web-like cracks spread across the distant horizon. Then, piece by piece, fragments began to fall away before their eyes.


    As they fell, they transformed into a vast nothingness.


    The entire world suddenly became like a richly colored painting on a scroll, with an eraser moving from the edges towards the center, gradually erasing all traces.


    More and more nk space spread from the edges of their vision.


    ¡°Go!¡± Qing Fei, the first to react, shouted as her heart pounded like a struck drum. She leapt towards the city in the sky, ¡°Quickly, to the Heavenly Capital City!¡±


    She even brought along Li Fufeng and the others, who were like dead weight.


    The others reacted quickly too. The more powerful ones, like the outspoken City Lord of Shouxing City, swept up the lower-level martial artists around them and soared into the sky like the wind!


    Behind them, the earth and sky continuously transformed into nothingness and emptiness, with patches of nkness constantly pursuing them.


    They seemed to be the only remaining colors in this world.


    Above them was the Heavenly Capital City, bathed in starlight.


    <i>Faster, faster, faster!</i>


    An unprecedented sense of urgency squeezed their hearts. Like a flock of sheep chased by hunting dogs, this group of beings at the pinnacle of the twelve cities experienced the feeling of fleeing for their lives for the first time.


    If even they felt this way, there was no need to mention the others.


    All colors between heaven and earth were fading away, like a rainbow candy melting from the outside in. The boundaries of the world were constantly being devoured by a nk void. Only the ancient Heavenly Capital beneath the starry sky appeared to be the sole remaining true color.


    At this moment, all distracting thoughts vanished. Everyone¡¯s gaze fell in the same direction, with only one goal in mind.


    ¡ªHeavenly Capital!


    <i>Huff, huff, huff¡­</i>


    Li Fufeng, brought to the forefront by Qing Fei, felt the cold wind cutting across his face like a knife. His heart pounded violently in his chest, and his throat ached with each rapid breath.


    At that moment, he heard a horrifying scream behind him, filled with unimaginable terror and despair.


    ¡°No¡ª¡±


    Li Fufeng instinctively looked back.


    In his line of sight, a silhouette that had fallen behind was being pursued by patches of nothingness. Starting from where it touched the void, ankles, calves, arms¡ªthe nk nothingness was like an invisible eraser, instantly erasing half of him in a moment.


    Without a doubt, the next to go would be his upper body and head. It would likely disappear in less than a breath¡¯s time.


    Looking back for a moment while fleeing for one¡¯s life was the limit.


    As Li Fufeng turned his gaze away, in his final glimpse, that silhouettepletely vanished. His heart couldn¡¯t help but skip a beat heavily.


    ¡ªEveryone who witnessed this scene couldn¡¯t help but feel afraid. It was difficult for anyone not to be scared after seeing a living person erased like a piece of paper.


    However, amidst the terror, a sense of confusion also arose in Li Fufeng¡¯s mind. He instinctively recalled the scene he had just witnessed. Every detail reyed constantly in his mind.


    If he hadn¡¯t seen wrong¡­ the reaction of that person wasn¡¯t quite right. Just before being overtaken and devoured by the void, that person was utterly terrified, but the moment their body actually made contact with that nk nothingness, that fear seemed to vanish.


    ¡­Even the scream cut off abruptly.


    He appeared as if he had just awakened from a dream, wearing an expression of sudden realization. No longer struggling or crying out, his expression could be described as calm.


    In the end, his face even showed a serene expression.


    ¡ªIt was as if he had calmly and serenely epted death. This was the perfect ending he had long hoped for.


    Li Fufeng shuddered at his own imagination. Even the knife-like cold wind scraping his face was momentarily ignored.


    In this moment of desperate escape, he couldn¡¯t help but admire himself for still having the presence of mind to imagine so much. Perhaps it was a symptom of his professional habits, but something about this situation seemed off¡­


    Just as his thoughts began to form, the world in front of him suddenly spun. He felt like a small cookie being flung out, quickly tracing an arc through the air beforending on the ground with a thud. He instinctively rolled half a turn to absorb the impact beforeing to a stop.


    Immediately after, a series of thuds sounded nearby, and he heard the familiar cries of the Ji Heng and Ji Nian siblings.


    Brilliant starlight shone down, illuminating the ancient city wall beneath him, covered in sword and de marks. A hand reached out to Li Fufeng. ¡°How long are you nning to lie there? Get up quickly.¡±


    Li Fufeng grabbed Liu Ningshuang¡¯s hand and stood up. Seeing the group of lively transmigrators around him, he realized what had happened. ¡°This is the Heavenly Capital¡­ We all made it?¡± There was a sense of unreality, as if a hellishly difficult game had suddenly been cleared.


    ¡°¡­¡± Liu Ningshuang was silent for a moment. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Not everyone arrived¡­¡± Her tonecked its usual cheerfulness, her gaze fixed straight ahead beyond the city wall. Her brows had unknowingly furrowed tightly. ¡°It seems¡­ they can¡¯t get in?¡±


    Li Fufeng was stunned for a moment, carefully surveying the scene. Only then did he realize that all the survivors standing on the city wall were ¡°transmigrators¡± from Blue Star, while not a single native inhabitant was present.


    Logically, Qing Fei should have been the first to arrive¡­ With an ominous feeling rising in his heart, Li Fufeng¡¯s gaze towards the outside of the city wall met the little girl¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Qing Fei¡ª¡±


    His line of sight fell upon the world behind the girl, constantly dissolving into nothingness, and those silhouettes blocked outside the Heavenly Capital, starting from the back of the crowd, continuously melting into the void.


    Though their bodies were disappearing, their faces showed only smiles¡­


    Earlier, it was they who had fled in panic, desperately trying to escape to the Heavenly Capital. But at the moment of being dissolved by the void, they smiled and epted their fate, seemingly without any regrets.


    ¡­How strange.


    And this scene of willingly ¡°embracing death¡± appeared incredibly eerie and horrifying to the remaining survivors.


    As the entire world disintegrated, the only safe zone left was a small circle outside of the Heavenly Capital. The survivors trapped in the safe zone were blocked from entering by the Heavenly Capital¡¯s invisible force. Facing the inevitability of the safe zone¡¯s continued copse and their unavoidable demise, even those at the pinnacle of this world¡¯s power hierarchy couldn¡¯t help but lose theirposure.


    ¡°What should we do now? What can we do?¡±


    ¡°Why is this happening? Is the Heavenly Capital rejecting us?¡±


    ¡°But we have the token¡­¡±


    ¡°Is this the fate the Lord of the Heavenly Capital prepared for us? To be buried along with this doomed world¡­¡±


    ¡°Were our deductions wrong? Did the Lord of the Heavenly Capital never intend to take us along? Wasn¡¯t the City Lord¡¯s token supposed to be our pass into the Heavenly Capital?¡± The most short-tempered among them, the City Lord of Cunshou City, was on the verge of an outburst. He unhesitatingly charged towards the ancient city wall, his body seemingly engulfed in a whirlwind. ¡°Damn it, damn it, let me in! I must get in¡ª¡±


    <i>Boom! Boom boom boom boom!</i>


    In mid-air, this master-level being seemed to transform himself into a divine weapon. Each punch and kick carried enough force to copse mountains, like thunderous artillery fire bombarding the city wall.


    ¡°It¡¯s useless,¡± someone spoke from behind.


    While others might not have noticed, the ¡°transmigrators¡± standing on the city wall had long since observed the strange behavior of the natives below. Except for the City Lord of Cunshou City who was still desperately trying to enter the Heavenly Capital, the others simply stood behind him, calmly watching the scene. They made no move to stop him or to help. They also paid no attention to the encroaching void behind them.


    ¡­They were far too calm.


    Even the hot-tempered Yan Wu, the City Lord of Cunshou City, sensed something was amiss. He turned around in frustration, extremely annoyed by these unhelpful individuals: ¡°How do you know it¡¯s useless if we don¡¯t try? Why aren¡¯t you helping? What are you all¡ª¡±


    The words caught in his throat. Before him were faces filled with calm enlightenment, which made him extremely ufortable. His whole body felt uneasy. ¡°W-what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you realized it yet? You really are a fool who hasn¡¯t crossed over,¡± said Qing Fei in her red dress, her mocking expression and tone instantly igniting his anger.


    Next to speak was the City Lord of Shouxing City, who had also reached the Seeing the Heaven realm. The old man sighed with deep emotion. ¡°The dead cannot enter the world of the living. Illusions can only remain in dreams. We¡¯ve long since be a group of dead people.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ are you all talking about¡­¡± Yan Wu unconsciously took a step back, unaware of the stiffness in his own voice.


    Another person spoke up. ¡°I¡¯ve remembered now. That terrifying storm years ago didn¡¯t just destroy the entire Sword Realm¡­ All of us died back then!¡±


    These people murmured one after another. ¡°Are we now just the lingering thoughts of the dead, or¡­¡±


    ¡°Although we¡¯ve decided to calmly ept our fate, still, we can¡¯t help but feel reluctant,¡± Qing Fei slowly walked to the front of the crowd, her palm touching the tightly closed gates of the Heavenly Capital. ¡°We still don¡¯t know the truth, and haven¡¯t seen that person ¨C the one who created all this and gave us another ¡®life¡¯.¡±


    She repeated emphatically¡ª


    ¡°To disappear like this, we really are reluctant.¡±


    A hidden force on the surface of the city gate repelled her approach, but Qing Fei paid no mind. She pushed hard with her hand.


    First her fingers, then her palm, followed by her forearm ¨C half of her arm was instantly shattered by the suddenly erupting force. At that moment, a tiny crack appeared in the tightly closed great door.


    An immense radiance flowed out from within, instantly engulfing the entire world and covering everyone¡¯s vision.


    ¡°Sword Master, it¡¯s time for you to wake up too.¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 84

    Chapter 84


    Everything happened too quickly. Before Li Fufeng could react, endless light flooded over him like water.


    In a world devoid of sight, the ovepping and undting sounds from nearby became so clear ¨C old people, young girls, youths, women¡­ Various voices intertwined. As thest ¡°survivors¡± of this world, since discovering the nature of their own deaths, they had fallen into a state ofplete bewilderment. They kept muttering to themselves, ignoring everything happening around them.


    ¡°I remember now, I remember everything¡­¡±


    ¡°It was the Return to the Void! The Return to the Void catastrophe that drove the world towards its destined destruction! The inevitable end of every world!¡±


    ¡°¡­When drifting through the void, the Hanguang Sword identally passed by a world entering Return to the Void and was affected by the aftershocks ¨C that was a force we couldn¡¯t resist. Even though the Sword Master decisively took us away at the cost of severe injuries, the Hanguang Sword was still gravely wounded. But everything was already irreversible¡­ The world was destroyed, everyone died¡­ So, it turns out we had already died long ago!¡±


    In the blinding whiteness, Li Fufeng heard a familiar voice shouting. It was the voice of Yan Wu, the city lord of Quanshou City.


    This voice was no longer as frenzied and angry as before, but filled with shock, realization, and indescribable sorrow and mncholy.


    ¡°No, am I really still me now?¡±


    At this moment, this man of rash and impulsive temperament suddenly became sharp and sensitive. ¡°Am I really Yan Wu¡­¡±¡­Or just an illusionbeled with the name ¡°Yan Wu¡±?


    In Li Fufeng¡¯s vision, gradually adapting to the light, blurry human silhouettes emerged in the previously vast emptiness, like splotches of colorful paint on a palette.


    He barely made out the smallest ¡°red paint¡± splotch among them. Noticing that the red was rapidly fading, like the other quickly paling ¡°paints¡± around it, about to dissolve into the light, Li Fufeng instinctively ran towards her.


    Liu Ningshuang beside him was faster, already running quickly towards her, as if trying to grab that silhouette, holding onto a dream destined to dissipate. ¡°Qing Fei¡ª¡±


    The red shadow brushed past her fingertips, dispersing inrge patches into the light like red ink dripped into water. Her fingers passed through as if through an empty illusion, grasping nothing.


    In the reddened light, Liu Ningshuang vaguely saw the familiar little girl tilt her head. ¡°¡­It¡¯s you, Sister Liu.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me. How are you now, what can I do, no, what should I do to help you¡­¡± Liu Ningshuang¡¯s voice was almost incoherent and trembling.


    The sudden changes that had urred in this short time were too shocking for her. She hadn¡¯t fullye to her senses yet, her brain had stopped thinking. Now all she knew was that she absolutely couldn¡¯t watch these people disappear like this, especially Qing Fei.


    ¡­She had to do something, even if it was futile.


    ¡°No, there¡¯s no need.¡±


    Qing Fei¡¯s silhouette had already blurred. She merged into this light-filled world like an invisible mist, even her voice bing ethereal and elusive because of it, as if omnipresent.


    ¡°There¡¯s no ce for me in the future world. We are people who shouldn¡¯t continue to exist.¡±


    ¡°But, but, we persevered for so long in the time loop, and we were finally about to return to the Land of the Rising Sun¡­¡± Liu Ningshuang found her own vision blurring.


    ¡­Damn it, the light was too dazzling.


    ¡°Sister Liu, do you remember the three realms of martial arts enlightenment I told you about?¡± Whether or not she noticed her sad and reluctant emotions, the girl¡¯s ethereal voice spoke on its own, ¡°¡ªSee oneself, see the world, see all living beings.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already told you about the first two. The realm of seeing all living beings, I couldn¡¯t exin it clearly before, but now I can tell you.¡±


    ¡°¡ªI see all living beings, as all living beings see me. In a single thought, the world is born because of me, and all living beings be one with me. This is seeing all living beings.¡±


    She spoke the truth with her light and ethereal voice.


    ¡ªThe real Sword Realm had long been shattered, this illusory world was born from the Sword Master¡¯s thoughts, and the living beings in this world were the same. So, those who had died before came ¡°alive¡± in his dream, living as they did in the past.


    ¡°¡ªEach of us is a manifestation born from a single thought of the Sword Master, an illusion in his dream. I am not the lingering soul of the deceased, but merely a false person in a dream.¡±


    ¡°¡­Now, it¡¯s time for this dream to end.¡±


    She said thest sentence with a tone full of aspiration:


    ¡°Go, follow the Sword Master to the Land of the Rising Sun, that is the true destination for us real people.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ if I¡¯m merely a person in a dream, why do I still choose to disappear as ¡®Qing Fei¡¯ in the end¡­ If all beings are one, all manifestations of the Sword Master¡¯s single thought, why do I still use an honorific to address that Hanguang Sword Master¡­¡±


    Liu Ningshuang¡¯s questioning whisper slowly faded away.


    Her questions could no longer be answered by the person in question.


    The sky split open.


    More and more light poured in like water crazily filling a bottle, bursting the entire bottle in an instant. This nk world also shattered like a broken bottle.


    The gray sky, Kun Mountain soaring into the clouds like a celestialdder, familiar colleagues from the Special Investigation Department in the distance, and that feeling of being tossed into a washing machine, spinning wildly, then suddenly flying backwards, like the weightlessness of falling from a cliff. Various chaotic sensations and images intertwined in his dizzying, seemingly stirred brain, making it difficult to distinguish between reality and illusion.


    Li Fufeng felt himself falling from a great height, head down and feet up. But a subconscious thought told him this was an illusion of crossing space.


    He was falling from that shattered world towards the Blue Star, from a false dream into the real world.


    He vaguely heard others¡¯ exmations, with Liu Ningshuang¡¯s voice particrly clear. Li Fufeng¡¯s wide-open eyes reflected the snow-covered mountain peak,rge fragments of the illusory world scattering like light, and within that shattered illusory world, a pair of eyes finally opening.


    Through countless flying shards of light, he saw a snow-white figure lying quietly in the center of a world bathed in endless radiance. As those ink-deep eyes slowly opened, all the light seemed to transform into the most real light of the outside world, causing that illusory world to burst apart.


    Time seemed to stretch infinitely in his senses.


    Li Fufeng¡¯s falling body gained a sense of reality,nding with a ¡°thud¡± on the ground, yet without the pain of falling from a great height.


    Hey on his back, gazing dazedly at the sky.


    In his pupils, that snow-white figure that had disappeared in an instant seemed to linger, and in his ears, that softugh still echoed.


    ¡°¡­This sleep has been a bit too long.¡±


    ¡± ¡ªI¡¯m back.¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 85

    Chapter 85


    At the headquarters of the Special Case Investigation Team, Director An Yuansheng had reviewed the investigation report from Li Fufeng and his colleague no less than ten times. He put down the report and rubbed his temples, thinking, ¡°When this report goes up, those people above are going to have quite a headache.¡±


    He was still suffering from the aftereffects of being bombarded with information. Just thinking about the future situation they would face gave him the urge to submit his resignation letter and apply for retirement on the spot.


    ¡­ Even a supernatural martial arts system had emerged, with two subordinates demonstrating their lightness skills right in front of him. So epting that there was a Lord of the Heavenly Capital from beyond this world who had practiced martial arts to the point of bing superhuman didn¡¯t seem so difficult. Then epting that this Lord of the Heavenly Capital¡¯s personal domain and all his followers had been destroyed by the catastrophe of Returning to the Void, and that supposedly every world had its day of entering Returning to the Void, shouldn¡¯t be a problem either, right? Finally, based on facts and reasonable spection, epting that Blue Star was in a stage of spiritual energy resurgence, and that more extraordinary individuals simr to the Lord of the Heavenly Capital might return in the future, should be undeniable, right?


    ¡­ As if they could ept it! Damn this spiritual energy resurgence!


    ¡ª Did this mean that the world was about to be a runaway horse, galloping towards a future they couldn¡¯t even imagine, and they didn¡¯t even know if that future was good or bad, or what roles they would y in it?


    An Yuansheng sighed heavily.


    For an organization established by the national government, symbolizing social order and stability, such apletely unpredictable future was too terrible!


    ¡ª But undoubtedly, in this world where spiritual energy was continuously resurging and they had no way to stop it, supernatural powers, such as the martial arts system, might be a dominant factor in shaping the future and determining the new order. People with supernatural powers would undoubtedly upy higher positions in the future world and y more important roles in the new order.


    Even future international situations might change due to the emergence of supernatural powers. Think about the Lord of the Heavenly Capital ¨C if any country in today¡¯s world had such a powerful figure, it would be tantamount to possessing another invincible nuclear weapon, but more convenient and harder to guard against.Given the current situation, since spiritual energy resurgence and the emergence of supernatural powers were an unstoppable trend, the only thing Yao Country could do was to firmly grasp this power, seize the initiative, and prepare for all future changes. At the very least, they absolutely couldn¡¯t be left with nothing while others possessed nuclear weapons.


    ¡ª Presumably, other countries that had received reports from their investigators were thinking simrly!


    ¡°Collect and organize all the martial arts techniques submitted by Li Fufeng and his team. Start by selecting absolutely trustworthy individuals within a certain range to try practicing, prioritizing selections from the military¡­ ording to the analysis, all the people in the Sword Realm were incarnations of the Lord of the Heavenly Capital. Since he generously passed on martial arts techniques to everyone in the dream and didn¡¯t take them back or instruct against spreading them after waking up, he probably doesn¡¯t mind, or even hopes for the widespread dissemination of martial arts.¡±


    An Yuansheng twirled his pen, listing the uing ns one by one.


    These ns were not a unteral decision by him alone, but were agreed upon by the upper echelons of Yao Country, after obtaining analysis and deductions from experts in various fields, and finally reaching a unanimous judgment.


    ¡°Gather historians to conduct a detailed textual research on the ancient history of Yao Country. It would be best to find unofficial histories privately kept by civilians. Any details rted to supernatural powers must be recorded, and can no longer be ignored as fabrications or folk legends like before¡­ Oh, especially the period from 300 to 500 years ago. ording to spection, the Lord of the Heavenly Capital should be from that period, or at least, the time when he left with his followers should be between 300 and 500 years ago¡­ Organize the history of that period in detail. Even if we can only find possible traces rted to him, it¡¯s a gain for us.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Next, is to search for traces of the Lord of the Heavenly Capital. In today¡¯s technological society, there are cameras everywhere, and it¡¯s impossible for a person topletely conceal their traces. However, the power possessed by the Lord of the Heavenly Capital may be beyond our understanding, and it¡¯s not impossible for him to evade the entire world¡­ But we still have to try. If sessful, perhaps we can sit down andmunicate with him properly. ording to the higher-ups, if he needs it, the country can even designate a piece ofnd specifically for him to establish a sect and ept disciples. Based on Li Fufeng and his team¡¯s experiences in the Sword Realm, although his power has reached an inhuman level, the experts¡¯ profile of the Lord of the Heavenly Capital¡¯s personality still showsmonalities with ordinary people. In this aspect, we in Yao Country have an advantage over other countries, after all, this is his homnd¡­¡±


    ¡°¡ª If we can really discover any information rted to the Lord of the Heavenly Capital when investigating the history of that time, we might be able to y the sentiment card, which could be a shortcut to finding him.¡± For instance, if he had any enemies or benefactors back then, and their bloodlines still exist today, wouldn¡¯t it be the country¡¯s turn to step in? The Lord of the Heavenly Capital, wherever he is, would have to remember a favor, right?


    After finally organizing the uing ns and distributing them to various departments, half a day had passed. An Yuansheng rubbed his temples and let out a heavy sigh, his face unable to hide his fatigue. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m really getting old.¡±


    Thinking about the martial arts techniques submitted by Li Fufeng and his team, which were said to strengthen the body after practice, he felt a bit tempted. He wondered if it would still be effective to start practicing martial arts at his age.


    ****


    Li Fufeng had no idea that his superior was interested in the martial arts techniques he submitted. He was busy dealing with the aftermath of the Lord of the Heavenly Capital¡¯s return along with his colleagues from the Special Case Investigation Team.


    Now they fully understood the truth of everything.


    The day when the sword shadow slid down from the sky was November 11th, the day of Hanguang Sword¡¯s return to Blue Star.


    This sword, which was said to have been severely damaged in that great storm hundreds of years ago, probably sensed something left behind on Blue Star by the Lord of the Heavenly Capital at the moment of its return from the sky, which led to the shocking changes in the five regions and the surging of spiritual energy that transformed into misty areas.


    ¡ª With the concept of spiritual energy resurgence, scientists around the world, including Yin Xubai, no longer needed to obsess over what exactly theponents of that mist, which was greatly beneficial to the human body, were. Without a doubt, this should be the legendary spiritual energy.


    And those five mountain ranges were probably celestial spiritual veins. They had heard about concepts rted to spiritual energy and spiritual veins in the Sword Realm, and now they were just connecting them to reality.


    There was also a lot of information they had inadvertently learned in the Sword Realm. After returning to Blue Star, they were required to recall these countless times, ensuring that no potentially useful information was missed.


    Most of this information seemed useless, and even Li Fufeng and his team didn¡¯t know its value. But as long as they could remember it, when ced in the hands of true professionals, these scraps of information could be utilized without waste, and perhaps some very valuable intelligence could be discovered from them.


    The information about the celestial spiritual veins was one such example.


    When Li Fufeng and his colleagues inadvertently mentioned the concept of spiritual veins, it was immediately associated with the five mountain ranges, including Kun Mountain, by the experts. Connecting with other clues, these brightest minds of Yao Country could easily reconstruct most of the truth behind this anomalous event:


    On November 11, the Hanguang Sword Master returned to Blue Star, activating the celestial spiritual veins of the five regions, transforming the spiritual tide into misty areas.


    During this process, perhaps due to the overwhelming mental will of the sleeping Lord of the Heavenly Capital, people who happened to be near the five regional spiritual veins were drawn into his dream.


    They ¡°crossed over¡± into the Sword Realm that had not yet copsed in the dream, meeting the original inhabitants who should have long been dead but were ¡°reborn¡± and constantly reincarnating due to the Lord of the Heavenly Capital¡¯s will.


    Because the dream was so deceptive, these false people born in the dream believed they were the descendants of the original followers, having safely survived the baptism of Returning to the Void and lived peacefully in the Sword Realm for hundreds of years. Even the ¡°transmigrators¡± were deceived, believing it was a real world.


    They even spent a full three years in the dream. They interacted with those NPCs for three years without noticing anything amiss, even practicing martial arts and integrating into the dream world.


    If not for the Lord of the Heavenly Capital¡¯s awakening at the end, many ¡°transmigrators¡± had already prepared to spend their lives in that world.


    ¡­ Even Li Fufeng didn¡¯t hold much hope of returning to Blue Star.


    Therefore, when he fell from that dream world into reality, opening his eyes in the cold wind of Kun Mountain, finding himself still wearing the clothes he had on when he disappeared, he almost thought he had just experienced an incredibly realistic dream.


    But the internal energy flowing through his body¡¯s meridians and his noticeably stronger and more agile physique told him everything was real.


    When he took the phone handed to him by Chu Xingrui and saw the date December 27 disyed on it, Li Fufeng waspletely stunned, his thoughts in chaos.


    ¡­ What was real, and what was fake? If everything was just a dream, why did he still retain some of his martial arts cultivation? If everything was real, why had only a month and a half passed in reality after spending three years in the dream?


    Fortunately, Li Fufeng was among those with stronger psychological resilience, having previously experienced Adams and the inn incident. He knew that many things in this world were beyondmon understanding. Some ¡°transmigrators¡± who were unintentionally caught up in this anomalous event had much worse reactions than him.


    People from other countries weren¡¯t the responsibility of the Special Case Investigation Team, but Yao Country citizens were within their jurisdiction.


    Comforting their emotions, assigning professionals tomunicate with them, understanding their experiences, trying to gather enough information from each person, figuring out if they had gained any powers in the Sword Realm that needed to be treated cautiously, arranging psychological experts for some to prevent them from falling into depression after their dreams of bing rulers in another world were shattered¡­ and most importantly, discreetly probing each person¡¯s character to identify if any of them might be uncontroble after gaining power and challenge the established order. If so, they needed to prepare corresponding measures early on.


    During this process, they also encountered some good talents with clean backgrounds, quick minds, who passed political vetting, and showed good martial arts aptitude. The Special Case Investigation Team naturally extended olive branches to them.


    These various tasks should have been handled by multiple teams, but since Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang were direct participants in this anomalous event, other colleagues often had to seek their help when dealing with rted work, which was quite overwhelming.


    Moreover, the most headache-inducing aspect was that this incident had already be too big to be resolved simply by keeping the transmigrators quiet.


    ¡ª From the moment that ¡°I¡¯m back¡± resonated in the ears of countless people in this world, the incident could no longer be keptpletely confidential.


    Although ordinary people still didn¡¯t know the more in-depth information due to the unanimous agreement among various countries¡¯ officials to block the news, just the fact that #supernatural powers exist in the world, and a being with such powers has returned to Blue Star# was enough to set the whole world abuzz!


    ¡ª This was undoubtedly another matter for the Special Case Investigation Team to handle, although it was mainly Chu Xingrui¡¯s department¡¯s responsibility.


    Under these circumstances, the two had been so busy for a week since their return that their feet barely touched the ground. Every day after waking up, they couldn¡¯t help but touch their pillows and sheets, counting how many more hairs had fallen today.


    At this time, the Yao Country Special Case Investigation Team headquarters had essentially be a 007 club. Among a group of balding wage ves, an ethereal, invisible soul floated back and forth, curiously observing everything around.


    And no one around could see his existence.


    Naturally, everything here was unguarded against him.


    The ghost named Adams passed through the crowd like a breeze, arriving at the familiar office ¡ª since the spiritual energy revival, the restrictions on him in this area had been lifted.


    In the office, Li Fufeng, finally catching a breath during a busy moment, was sprawled in his chair resting. Across from him was Liu Ningshuang, looking dejected and lost in thought.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Li Fufeng poured a ss of water, pushed it across the desk to his colleague, his tone carrying a hint of worry, ¡°It¡¯s been a week, haven¡¯t you figured it out yet?¡±


    ¡°Do you also think that since everything was just a dream, waking up from the dream is the most perfect ending, with no one dying, nothing lost, because it was all just a dream?¡± Liu Ningshuang didn¡¯t drink the water, just raised her head, her tone carrying a strange mockery, ¡°After all, who cries for those who die in dreams, who truly feels sad for things lost in dreams? Just waking up is enough, right?¡±


    Her expression carried deep confusion and bewilderment. She didn¡¯t need Li Fufeng to answer, just muttered to herself with a distant gaze.


    ¡°But I feel it wasn¡¯t just a dream¡­¡±


    ¡­ In her senses, those three years spent were real, and the girl who practiced boxing with her for three years was real too. Not just an illusion in a dream.


    ¡­ If denying her reality, defining her as a false entity in a dream, that would be too tragic.


    ¡°I think so too.¡±


    Li Fufeng leaned forward, cing his hand on hers.


    ¡°?¡± Liu Ningshuang¡¯s eyes widened in surprise.


    Li Fufeng smiled slightly at his colleague. ¡°Many things don¡¯t need such definite answers. Why must we determine whether it was a dream or not? Whether the people in the dream were real or fake?¡±


    He removed his hand and leaned back in his chair.


    ¡°¡­ The lingering thoughts of the deceased, after their death, were reborn in the dream of the Lord of the Heavenly Capital. In this way, they apanied their lord back to the world of the living. Finally, after their wish was fulfilled, they disappeared without regret. If you¡¯re willing to think of it this way, isn¡¯t it also a perfect ending?¡±


    Liu Ningshuang stared at him nkly. The ghost Adams, who had somehow perched on Liu Ningshuang¡¯s shoulder, wore an identical nk expression. In their eyes was reflected the young man¡¯s smile.


    ¡°¡ª Who says the real truth can¡¯t be like this?¡±


    ****


    ¡°¡­ What a romantically fairy-tale-like exnation! If I weren¡¯t the one who wrote this dream, I might have been convinced.¡±


    Bai Yi, who had seen all this through Adams¡¯ eyes, was sitting on a bench in an abandoned park, petting a cat.


    He suddenly spoke to the empty air in front of him.


    ¡°¡­ Speaking of which, aren¡¯t those nightmare instances the same? Just a dream of the protagonist? The plot in the instance happened long ago, everyone has already died, and the protagonist is just the lingering thought of the deceased? As for the mission to clear the instance¡­¡± he said casually, ¡°I guess it¡¯s probably thest obsession of the protagonist before death?¡±


    As he said this, the smile at the corner of Bai Yi¡¯s lips grew wider. He looked at the unresponsive air, as if he had already received a definitive answer.


    ¡°¡ª Isn¡¯t Adams¡¯ existence the best proof?¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 86

    Chapter 86


    Chenxing Empire, inside a certainpany building.


    Matthews, dressed in the standard gray suit of a corporate drone, ran all the way, finally reaching the office in thest minute before beingte. His thick ck short hair was slightly damp, obviously not having time to dry it properly. His hastily tied necktie was a bit crooked. His face, still catching his breath, showed signs of sleep deprivation, with the dark circles under his eyes particrly noticeable.


    Seeing his appearance, his colleagues started teasing him as usual. ¡°Hey, Matthews, didn¡¯t sleep well against night? Looking at those dark circles under your eyes, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re still obsessed with those inte rumors, trying to find those non-existent extraordinaries!¡±


    ¡°No, no, no, calling them extraordinaries isn¡¯t urate, they should be called martial artists. It¡¯s said to be an ancient heritage of the Yao Country. When cultivated to the level of ¡®seeing the world¡¯, one could create a divine realm like a god and embody everything within it!¡± At this point, they couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter, ¡°Even an idiot wouldn¡¯t believe such a ridiculous lie! The stories made up by the Yao people are too absurd!¡±


    Amidst theughter filling the room, Matthews¡¯ face turned red. His fingers at his side clenched tighter and tighter, until he finally couldn¡¯t help but retort. ¡°It¡¯s not a lie, it¡¯s true!¡±


    Everyone looked at him in surprise. Not because of what he said, but because of his rare ¡°rebellion¡± today.


    Matthews took a deep breath nervously. ¡°Two months ago, hundreds of people from the Five Domains disappeared simultaneously all over the world. This was a real incident reported in the news, and the truth behind it is clearly not simple. A few days ago, when most of the missing people reappeared, many people nearby heard a mysterious voice¡­¡±


    He spoke all this in one breath, his face flushing even deeper, not from anger but from excitement. ¡°It said It had returned! At least thousands of people worldwide heard it! And it was in different ces across the Five Domains! At the exact same time those missing people reappeared!¡± Matthews¡¯ expression was full of longing, ¡°This must be the god at the pinnacle of martial arts cultivation that those missing people mentioned! The mysterious ¡®Master of the Heavenly Capital¡¯!¡±


    Seeing him bing increasingly excited, his tone bing more enthusiastic, not only had he lost his usual silent and submissive attitude when they teased and mocked him, but he had even learned to argue loudly, seeming to have changed from a soft persimmon to a hard one, the others felt inexplicably displeased.The person who first started teasing him snorted and interrupted:


    ¡°Hmph, it¡¯s all hearsay! Do you have any real evidence? All the information is just rumors ¨C and they¡¯re all from Yao people! They say their disappearance was due to gaining martial arts opportunities, favored by the god at the pinnacle of martial arts cultivation, and even that god came from their country¡­ The Yao people¡¯s ability to brag is really getting more and more impressive! If there really were gods in this world, they should belong to our Chenxing Empire!¡±


    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t just Yao people who heard that voice at that time. Including our Chenxing Empire, I remember when it spread online, weren¡¯t you all discussing it very enthusiastically?¡± At this point, Matthews¡¯ voice was tinged with deep disappointment, ¡°You even said you wanted to find a master and learn martial arts then.¡±


    That time, seeing so many people online iming to have heard the mysterious person¡¯s voice, the whole office was enthusiastically discussing the topic of that mysterious voice. Then, topics about martial arts power and the Master of the Heavenly Capital appeared online, reportedly from those who had disappeared, and the discussions became even more heated ¨C that was the first time he felt he had integrated into his colleagues¡¯ circle, rather than being marginalized.


    But why, after just one day, did public opinion in the Chenxing Empirepletely change? Everything those people had sworn to before suddenly became lies, rumors, bandwagoning, and nonsense. His colleagues, who had been discussing it enthusiastically before, immediately changed their tune, even mocking him for still refusing to believe the ¡°truth.¡±


    His expression greatly irritated others, and someone mmed their hand on the table: ¡°Hey! What¡¯s with that look? You¡¯re acting like we¡¯re traitors. It¡¯s all a lie! Who knows what tricks the Yao people are ying! Didn¡¯t our Empire¡¯s citizenster rify online that they never heard any voice and were just spreading rumors?¡±


    ¡°As a citizen of our Empire, you¡¯re not going to believe the Yao country¡¯s nonsense, are you? We all know about the martial arts that have been passed down in the East since ancient times, but they¡¯re far from reaching a level that could be called extraordinary.¡±


    ¡°¡­As for the hundreds of people who suddenly disappeared and then suddenly returned, it is indeed very unusual. But with the development of science, there are always some mysterious unsolved puzzles, and this is probably just another one. The Yao people are just cleverly using this incident to fabricate a believable rumor about martial arts and extraordinaries. They can¡¯t possibly think that making up a story about an extraordinary ancestor who lived for hundreds of years will forcibly elevate Yao country, can they?¡±


    After finishing a day¡¯s work, Matthews dragged his tired body home, unable to help recalling his colleagues¡¯ mocking words.


    ¡ª They must truly think I¡¯m beyond help!


    ¡­But in his eyes, it was they who had their eyes and ears covered, treating lies as truth.


    ¡°Could it be that the Empire¡¯s high-level officials don¡¯t want us to know about the existence of extraordinary powers? Those Empire citizens whoter changed their statements, were they asked by officials to keep it secret, or¡­¡±


    His two-bedroom apartment wasn¡¯trge. In the quiet study, the light from theptop screen dimly illuminated his face.


    On this face that still appeared silent, calm, and docile, his eyes emitted a strong light that definitely didn¡¯t belong to someone silent, calm, and docile.


    ¡ª It was¡­ like the gaze of someone walking in an icy, snowy wilderness, looking at a burning fire.


    On theputer screen, several websites were open simultaneously.


    One of them was a browsing site of the Chenxing Empire, showing the usual peace and quiet. The ounts that had previously sworn to have heard the mysterious voice now had apology letters admitting to spreading rumors still hanging there, with a bunch ofizens¡¯ curses below. asionally,ments suggesting that extraordinary powers truly existed would appear, only to be deleted within the first second of being posted, and those ounts would even lose their right to speak online afterward.


    The others were foreign websites he had essed by circumventing the firewall.


    For instance, on Yao country¡¯s social media tforms, the atmosphere waspletely different.


    Popr topics were almost all rted to #Master of the Heavenly Capital#, #Martial Arts#, #Extraordinaries#, #Sword Realm#, and the like. The disappeared people from Yao country openly announced on the inte that their recent disappearance was due to entering a secret realm called the Sword Realm, where they received martial arts opportunities bestowed by the Master of the Heavenly Capital ¡ª they also took the chance to greatly praise the Master of the Heavenly Capital. As for the content of the martial arts manuals and detailed information about the Sword Realm? Sorry, they had signed confidentiality agreements and couldn¡¯t disclose anything.


    ¡°They¡¯re really open and straightforward¡­¡± Inparison to the evasive and truth-twisting Chenxing Empire, it was clear which side was more credible.


    Looking at those missing people from Yao Country freely expressing themselves online, and then thinking about the missing people from the Chenxing Empire after their return ¨C besides the official statement confirming their safe return, they had never spoken or appeared in any public setting. These were people who had experienced such an extraordinary event ¨C given the nature of Chenxing Empire¡¯s media, it was impossible that they would have passed up such a news story!


    The implications behind this¡­


    Could it be that these people¡­ were not entirely free now?


    A faint shadow of doubt passed through Matthews¡¯ mind.


    <em>[Last night, in the eastern suburbs of the Brin District, a warehouse identally caught fire and exploded. ording to the investigation, the cause of the fire was a lit cigarette butt carelessly left behind by the warehouse manager when leaving work, which ignited mmable and explosive materials in the warehouse¡­]</em>


    Matthews casually closed the news pushed by the client, his expression enigmatic. ¡°Does the imperial leadership really take us for fools? I don¡¯t know if I should believe the empire¡¯s news anymore¡­¡±


    He looked at the maximized page on the screen. On the gray background, shadows and light were constantly shifting.


    This was a transnational forum he had recently joined.


    When everyone else believed the empire¡¯s nonsense, he, unwilling to believe, spent every spare moment frantically searching online for any information rted to extraordinary powers. From a young age, ostracized by his peers, he had been like an oddball, always immersed in a world of fantasy, unusually obsessed with legends and myths that seemed absurd to others, always fantasizing that it all might manifest in reality. Therefore, he wouldn¡¯t miss any opportunity.


    Just a few days after that, Matthews received an invitation from this mysterious transnational forum. After joining, he discovered that the members here seemed to be just like him, possessing an unusually persistent exploration and pursuit of extraordinary powers. It seemed that the people behind the forum had sent out invitations for precisely this reason.


    This disy of far-reaching power didn¡¯t scare him; instead, it convinced him that the ¡®Extraordinary Forum¡¯ was certainly not some fake scam.


    Skillfully scanning the news scrolling on the Extraordinary Forum, Matthews saw a familiar warehouse explosion picture, but the caption shockingly read. ¡°Local gang in Brin District wiped out, King District¡¯s Cleaner organization achieves a great victory. Another area of darkness incorporated into the Shadow¡¯s territory¡­¡±


    As he observed, the Extraordinary Forum was posting real-time news from various countries around the world. Some came from forum members¡¯ personal experiences, while most came from mysterious forum administrators and moderators.


    In addition to this, there were asional messages rted to extraordinary powers. Many members were martial arts practitioners who had gained opportunities in the Sword Realm. There were also some mysterious members who seemed to understand other extraordinary powers beyond martial arts, asionally leaking tidbits that left others in awe.


    It was because of joining this forum that Matthews was able to see the true doors of the extraordinary world opening before him.


    He eagerly absorbed all the information openly shared on the forum, especially those secret reports involving extraordinaries.


    ¡°A mysterious flower shop that appears randomly around the world, only descending when one is at their most desperate, painful, and unfortunate moment, giving each guest a seed of hope¡­?¡±


    ¡°That infamous serial killer K turned out to be an extraordinary too? I wonder who obtained such intelligence and leaked it¡­¡±


    ¡°A certain extraordinary organization hidden in the shadows, seemingly going by the name of Shadow¡­¡±


    Meanwhile, in different parts of the world, in front ofputer screens, different people eximed the same thing.


    ¡°¡­This world really isn¡¯t as simple as it seems!¡±<hr>


    We are currently recruiting. CN/KR/JP Trantors/MTLers are wee!


    Discord Server: https://discord.gg/HGaByvmVuw

 Chapter 87

    Chapter 87


    <em>[Well done.</em>


    <em>¨CAdministrator 00]</em>


    In the backend of the Extraordinary Forum, the moment the information was sent out, all data that could potentially be traced to the signal was automatically shattered.


    In less than a minute, a reply arrived.


    <em>[It¡¯s all thanks to you! And 01¡¯s nning? I still have much to learn, I¡¯m just an insignificant executor! Please don¡¯t give me too much credit, I still need more of your guidance and encouragement! Administrator 02]</em>


    Bai Yi: ¡°???¡± It looked like humility, but it was actually a veiled request to deepen their connection, using the excuse of guidance and encouragement¡­


    ¡­It seemed that the previous events had ultimately affected her. Was this¡­ treating him as a life mentor, this recently appointed ¡°Passionate Embrace¡± of the Shadow Council?


    A familiar silhouette of a young girl shed through Bai Yi¡¯s mind.


    He muttered this name. ¡°Tian Yin?¡±Inparison, the other person¡¯s reply was simple and straightforward.


    <em>[Yes, I will continue as you instructed. Here is a list of members worth developing recently, please review.</em>


    <em>¡ªAdministrator 01]</em>


    Bai Yi again: ¡°???¡±


    Member list and such¡­ it reeked of an old criminal organization from the start. He felt that there was something off about this guy too.


    Compared to Tian Yin, Bai Yi had known this person for a long time, even if the other party didn¡¯t know his true identity. But as online acquaintances, they had known each other for nearly two years, although they hadn¡¯t chatted much.


    Bai Yi suddenly asked: <em>[¡­By the way, you must have guessed the true rtionship between K and the Council by now, right?]</em>


    The other party seemed used to Bai Yi¡¯s casual style. Half a minuteter, a reply came through.


    <em>[Yes, he joined the Council earlier than everyone thinks.]</em>


    Immediately following was a long exnation.


    <em>[Although it¡¯s widely rumored in the hidden world that K joined after the Rainy Night Serial Killer case, when the Shadow Council President made certain promises to temporarily gain the allegiance of this unruly assassin. Even so, he still acted on his own,ing and going as he pleased. Except for your orders, Mr. President, we others, even as the Four Pirs, were never taken seriously by him. ¨C This should be correct.]</em>


    <em>[But I think K must have joined the Council before the Rainy Night Serial Killer case. At least, that case must have had your nning behind it ¨C perhaps this is why he considered joining the Council? Did you reveal certain qualities at that time that he admired?]</em>


    The paragraphs of text on the screen were automatically erased and shattered by some program shortly after being disyed. Bai Yi was not surprised by the other¡¯s perceptiveness. He sent a message with a smile on his face ¨C


    <em>[As expected of you, the Council didn¡¯t give you your title wrongly.]</em>


    <em>[No, it¡¯s mainly because I was constantly following the Rainy Night Serial Killer case back then. And one of the cleanup targets in the case happened to be rted to me, which you should be well aware of. It wasn¡¯t long after that incident that you and I met online. At that time, I really thought about dying together with him. Driven by revenge, I went to extremes to learn everything about him ¨C and I told you all of this.]</em>


    The person on the other end spoke with a restrained calmness.


    <em>[Therefore, I can be certain that you were involved in that person¡¯s death, and it wasn¡¯t entirely nned by K alone. This involves details I personally told you two years ago.]</em>


    ¡°It was actually because of this reason?¡± Bai Yi raised his eyebrows in slight surprise, muttering with amusement, ¡°This guy, always saying he doesn¡¯t hold grudges, but in reality, he remembers them quite deeply.¡±


    At that moment, the other party sent a final paragraph¡ª


    <em>[I also want to thank you for stopping me back then. Even as a cripple that some people call useless, I¡¯m still a thousand times more valuable than trash¡ªI¡¯ve always remembered what you said to me. At least now, I can create some value for the Council.]</em>


    ¡°Something is indeed off about this guy. He seems rational, but he¡¯s actually a fanatic¡­¡±


    Bai Yi was a bit speechless. No matter which persona he used, it seemed easy to attract self-brainwashing zealots.


    ¡ªHe really, really didn¡¯t want to develop a cult!


    Finally, after sending out a mass message <em>[Train well in the martial arts system ording to the internally distributed martial arts techniques to improve personal strength]</em>, Bai Yi closed the backend and began browsing the forum casually.


    To be honest, there wasn¡¯t much worth browsing.


    At present, when the forum had just been developing for a short while, more than half of the forum¡¯s traffic was contributed by Shadow Council members, and the information rted to extraordinaries was the same¡ªalthough these people might not even know that the organization behind them was the Shadow Council, and instead thought they were working for a legitimatepany with ck society background in the Chenxing Empire. After all, many of these people were recruited when the Shadow Council first started developing from the King District.


    The extraordinary intelligence posted by Shadow Council members came fromyer uponyer of instructions starting from the very top with Bai Yi.


    Just as Bai Yi was about to log out, his finger suddenly paused, his surprised gaze falling on thetest message posted by an ID called ¡°Riding the Wind and Clouds¡±: ¡°Yao Country prepares to spread basic martial arts techniques, starting with students, guiding the whole nation to practice martial arts?¡±


    ¡­Although this was indeed one of his goals, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t have allowed so many people to learn martial arts from the Sword Realm. But to think of this so quickly and be able to act so decisively, the upper echelons of Yao Country were more ambitious than he had imagined.


    Moreover, if he remembered correctly, the ID ¡°Riding the Wind and Clouds¡± should be Li Fufeng, or perhaps it also included Chu Xingrui and other members of the Special Case Investigation Team?


    ¡ªSince Li Fufeng received an invitation to join this forum, this ID had been used as a public ount for the Special Case Investigation Team. They often posted intelligence of lower confidentiality levels, and over time, it had be recognized by many on the forum as an expert ount.


    There were several other ounts in simr situations, backed by official forces from different countries. From the moment this mysterious, technologically advanced, and unbreakable extraordinary forum entered their sight, they keenly realized its extraordinary nature. Perhaps, behind the forum stood one or several extraordinaries, a door opened to the mysterious hidden world.


    Therefore, various countries invested considerable resources and energy in maintaining ounts on the forum. While constantly probing and collecting extraordinary intelligence released by the Shadow Council, providing legendary status for Bai Yi, they also published some news from their respective countries, umting forum contribution points and raising ount levels. This way, they would have the opportunity to ess more core content of the forum in the future.


    ¡ªAlthough all of this was carefully selected by the official channels of various countries and deemed to be of low confidentiality, for Bai Yi, who was currently just an ordinary high school student, and for quite a few ordinary people like Matthews whocked background, it was already a pretty good source of information. It also made Matthews and others firmly believe in the omniscience of the extraordinary forum.


    ¡ªWithout a doubt, this was a win-win-win result.


    For instance, right now, weren¡¯t the forum members ahead of the rest of the world, knowing in advance about the policy that Yao Country was about to introduce?


    If this time it wasn¡¯t nationwide martial arts training, but rather releasing a limited number of spots, giving people a chance to embark on the path of martial arts cultivation, even knowing a few hours in advance would be enough for some to seize the opportunity.


    ¡ªThis was the benefit that the Extraordinary Forum brought them.


    With the intelligence released by ¡°Riding the Wind and Clouds¡±, the forum was now unprecedentedly lively.


    [xxx: @RidingtheWindandClouds expert, is it true? Is Yao Country really nning to promote martial arts widely, allowing every ordinary person to practice?]


    [RidingtheWindandClouds: It¡¯s true. However, widespread promotion might still take some time. For now, it¡¯s mainly starting from schools, especially junior high and high school students. Whether it¡¯s age, physical condition, or for ease of management¡­ students are the most suitable candidates. The authorities probably also considered that students¡¯ worldviews are not yet fully formed, so they can be educated and cultivated in this process. And unsuitable individuals can be screened out in time.]


    [xxx: So it¡¯s really true! It¡¯s okay, we¡¯re willing to wait, as long as there¡¯s a chance to practice real martial arts techniques. Starting with students first is absolutely fine! I think the national leadership¡¯s consideration is correct, they are indeed more suitable.]


    [xxx: I¡¯m so envious. As a person from neighboring Sang Country, may I ask if it¡¯s possible to change nationality and join Yao Country now?]


    [RidingtheWindandClouds: Sang Country has a simr culture to Yao Country. I¡¯ve received inside information that they¡¯re also considering spreading martial arts, but the candidates and approaches might be different from Yao Country.]


    [xxx: Then is it possible that our X country might also have a chance?]


    Amidst the excited and enthusiastic discussion, a cold questioning stood out particrly¡ª


    [GodofStars: Has Yao Country gone mad! Why are they doing this? What benefit is there in letting thosemoners master martial arts! Do they know what they will do!]


    ¡°Tsk, this tone, it¡¯s definitely the old Chenxing Empire government.¡±


    Bai Yimented with a shake of his head.


    ¡ªNo one but the Chenxing Empire officials, who were still tightly sealing off extraordinary-rted intelligence, would be so exasperated.


    After all, once martial arts were widely spread in Yao Country, even if the Chenxing Empire continued to block the news, or even crudely controlled their domestic inte, it wouldn¡¯t be a secret for long. Unless from now on, they delusionally prohibited all Yao Country citizens from entering their borders.


    Seeing a group of ordinary people from other countries cheering on the forum, saying they would immediately buy tickets to fly to Yao Country, those IDs obviously rted to national official forces couldn¡¯t sit still. Some stupidly questioned if everything was a conspiracy of the Extraordinary Forum, while others persisted in trying to track the forum¡¯s location¡­ In fact, many had never given up investigating the forum.


    ¡°They¡¯re all so idle, let them be.¡±


    Bai Yi didn¡¯t care about this at all.


    Those many days and nights spent in the Nightmare Game weren¡¯t wasted. Although he couldn¡¯t bring supernatural powers from the Nightmare Game into reality after the game system descended, there was no problem with ordinary skills, as long as he was willing to learn.


    Having experienced many nightmares in technologically advanced eras, Bai Yi¡¯s hacking skills were enough to crush this era.


    Therefore, he wasn¡¯t worried at all about the Extraordinary Forum being investigated.


    Bai Yi¡¯s attention turned to that piece of intelligence from earlier. As if thinking of something, he frowned with some annoyance.


    ¡°Nationwide martial arts practice, starting with students? That means the school will probably send out a notice soon, right?¡±


    Just then, Bai Yi¡¯s phone gave a soft ring.


    A notification message popped up on the screen, from his current high school ss group¡ª


    @All members: In three days, there will be an important event for the whole school. Students who are on leave at home or away from school for any reason must return to school on time to participate. Those who cannote to school due to special circumstances, please submit an application in advance and exin the reasons in detail.


    ¡°As expected? It should be for this reason.¡± Bai Yi showed an unsurprised expression,zily yawning, ¡°Ah, how troublesome. Looks like I¡¯ll have to go too.¡±


    Having just yawned, he lowered his eyes, ayer of hazy mist floating beneath his eyshes. His dragged-out tone sounded particrly sticky.


    ¡°Ah! Not happy, not happy, not happy! Super not happy!¡± He pushed the desk with both hands, rolling back several steps in his chair while it spun half a circle. Bai Yi¡¯s body fell backwards,nding steadily on the bed. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go to school! No, no!¡±


    Facing the snow-white ceiling, he let out a cry that every student has made before, symbolizing defiance against fate!


    In the empty room, silence was the only response to his outburst.


    Bai Yi boredly withdrew his gaze, rolling himself from left to right. ¡°Ah, as expected, I might as well just y games~¡±


    He had already learned to unashamedlymand the system¡ª


    ¡°¡ªSystem, give me another round!¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 88

    Chapter 88


    If one were to say this world was a calm ocean, then the appearance of the Twelve Cities of the Heavenly Capital was undoubtedly like hurling a massive mountain into that ocean, stirring up huge waves and tsunamis, as well as persistent ripples spreading in all directions.


    From the day the Hanguang Sword descended from the sky, the fate of this world and the destiny of all people were destined to be different.


    Yao Country was the first nation to be baptized by the tsunami.


    Initially, the Special Case Investigation Team had collected 73 martial arts techniques from the Sword Realm through dimensional travelers like Li Fufeng. And now, Yao Country was suddenly going to use martial arts techniques from the Sword Realm as martial arts textbooks for all students nationwide, opening martial arts sses in every school across the country!


    In an extremely short time, this newly minted policy spread throughout the country and to the entire world.


    Countless people were in a frenzy!


    ¡­


    ¡°What happened? Everyone seems especially excited today?¡±


    ¡°Are you living under a rock? Haven¡¯t you heard the news about opening martial arts sses? It¡¯s all over the inte now. That¡¯s the legendary martial arts, you know! The roof-hopping and wall-scaling described in wuxia novels are nothingpared to this. It¡¯s a power that can truly be called extraordinary!¡±¡°Hehe, isn¡¯t this like fantasy novelsing true? I heard that urban novels with extraordinary backgrounds have seen a rise in salestely. You know, things like urban cultivation after rebirth, great swordsmen in cities, picking up heavenly extraordinary beauties, and especially the spiritual energy revival genre, which has hit peak sales. I couldn¡¯t help but read a few. Who hasn¡¯t fantasized about being a novel protagonist?¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, now that we have spiritual energy revival and extraordinary powers appearing in the real world, do you think those extraordinary organizations from novels might actually exist? Our country must have an official extraordinary agency, right? That¡¯s how it always is in novels. Now that they¡¯re opening martial arts sses, if we have talent, do you think we might have a chance to join¡­¡±


    When Bai Yi entered the ssroom of ss 3, Grade 3 at Yuanyang City No. 9 High School, yawning, various morous human voices apanied by colorful mental fluctuations washed over him like murky oil paint.


    As one of the top three sses in the third year of No. 9 High School, and also one of the most disciplined sses, on any other day, even though it wasn¡¯t yet time for the official start of ss, all students would have conscientiously arrived early and proactively begun their day of study.


    After all, in this peaceful society, this was one of the best ways for them to secure their future prospects.


    And now, apletely different path had appeared. The ¡°Lord of the Heavenly Capital¡± had opened the door of martial arts to everyone.


    The ssroom, which should have been filled with a thick atmosphere of study and solemn silence, was now full of curious anticipation, naive expectations, uninhibited discussions, and excited debates.


    This made a certain person who mingled among them stand out particrly.


    When everyone was cheering with joy, the person who responded perfunctorily and remained silent was conspicuous; among the pairs of eyes bright with expectation and excitement, the only pair that showed weariness and boredom, with obvious dark circles, was so out of ce.


    The deskmate next to him was still talking animatedly, spitting saliva in excitement. Bai Yi only nodded perfunctorily a few times in response. He propped his elbow on the desk, rested his chin in his palm, and lowered his eyelids, skillfully ignoring the ¡°voices¡± that kept entering his ears and cerebral cortex.


    ¡­..So noisy.


    The thought appeared from time to time, floating out once again.


    ¡­When would this world be a bit quieter?


    ¡°So, I really don¡¯t like school after all.¡±


    A somewhat childishint mumbled from the lips of the drowsy youth beside him, unexpectedly sounding a bit endearing.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Zhang Yun widened his eyes as he looked at the speaker.


    ¡°What¡¯s with that expression? You look like you¡¯re seeing an alien,¡± Bai Yi, who hadn¡¯tpletely closed his eyes, took in his deskmate¡¯s dumbfounded expression and asked curiously, ¡°Do I look like a good student who loves school and attending sses?¡±


    ¡°Ah, no,¡± Zhang Yun, who had finally reacted, hurriedly waved his hands, seeming at a loss for words. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡±


    Meeting the youth¡¯s eyes that opened with a yawn, Zhang Yun exined a bit awkwardly. ¡°I just felt that you, Bai Yi, don¡¯t seem like someone who would say such things. Although there are many students who dislike school, and I sometimes have thoughts of not wanting to go to school andin about various aspects of it, I always felt¡­ well, I always felt that you were different from us, always seeming so at ease.¡±


    He spoke more smoothly as he continued, finally revealing a smile that Bai Yi found a bit foolish. ¡°Anyway, hearing you make such down-to-earthints, it feels like the distance between us has suddenly lessened a lot.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Bai Yi looked with interest at this deskmate he hadn¡¯t gotten familiar with in three years, curiously repeating, ¡°Distance?¡±


    For someone who was always passively receiving others¡¯ emotions, all the people around him were nothing more than indiscriminate sources of mental radiation pollution, and mobile ones at that.


    However, some pollution sources had murky colors and foul odors, frantically rapping in his brain, filled with all kinds of resentment and curses. Others had bright colors and moderate auras, and though noisy, at most they were just some unrealistic fantasies.


    This deskmate was the one he had chosen among the pollution sources with the lightest color and mostfortable aura.


    Even when the other person was at their most emotional, the impact on Bai Yi¡¯s brain was at most like ying a loop of hot-blooded shonen anime BGM in his mind ¨C who knew why this seemingly gentle and timid guy would have so many chuunibyou and passionate thoughts!


    Bai Yi, who had been on extended leave from school, rarely came to school, but every time he did, he would be surrounded by his deskmate¡¯s weird hot-blooded BGM mental waves ying in surround sound, even blocking and weakening the mental impacts from other pollution sources around him.


    Now, hearing Bai Yi¡¯s question, the other person¡¯s eyes clearly lit up, and the emotional waves radiating outward once again started frantically ying shonen manga BGM in Bai Yi¡¯s mind.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! You probably don¡¯t know this, Bai Yi? You¡¯ve always been far ahead in the grade¡¯s poll for ¡®Who is the person with the most distance,¡¯ holding the top spot for three years without dropping!¡±


    The strange deskmate straightened his back and introduced Bai Yi to himself with an oddly proud tone: ¡°And you know what? Many female students secretly call you the ¡®Manga Boy,¡¯ and in the ranking of ¡®Who looks most like they¡¯ve walked out of a manga,¡¯ you¡¯re also in a league of your own, with noparable rivals!¡±


    Bai Yi froze for a moment: ¡°¡­¡±


    Putting aside who was so bored as to create such rankings, and that even more bored people would actually participate in voting, just the fact that he, as a deskmate, was on the list¡­ why did his tone sound so proud, as if taking pride in Bai Yi¡¯s achievements?


    ¡°Hey, but Bai Yi, you really are amazing!¡±


    It was only when Zhang Yun earnestly refuted that Bai Yi realized he had already spoken his innerints out loud.


    ¡°Is being on two hard-to-describe rankings considered amazing?¡± Bai Yi narrowed his eyes, realizing that chatting with this deskmate really made it easy to lose control of his sarcasm.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just that,¡± Zhang Yun waved his hand and said in a matter-of-fact tone, ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯ve always had this mysterious aura. You applied for home-schooling less than two months after entering high school, and it was actually approved. You onlye to school for monthly exams, and even though you always look sleep-deprived and in poor spirits, you still rank first in every subject¡­¡±


    He counted on his fingers as he listed. ¡°Don¡¯t you think these characteristics really sound like standard manga protagonist traits? And it¡¯s more like a shoujo manga protagonist. If it were a shonen manga, this setup would be more fitting for a male supporting character around the protagonist¡­¡±


    ¡°But you know what? I think their imagination isn¡¯t wild enough. Maybe you¡¯re actually a superhero manga protagonist who¡¯s busy saving the world and onlyes to school in your spare time!¡±


    Zhang Yun dered solemnly.


    Bai Yi froze again: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡­In a way, this guy had actually guessed correctly.


    However¡­


    ¡°Are the students really that free? Is it because they don¡¯t have enough homework?¡± Bai Yi voiced a sincere question from the depths of his soul.


    Zhang Yun: ¡°It¡¯s mainly because your looks and grades are too outstanding, and you¡¯re rarely seen on normal days. When people have time to gossip, it¡¯s hard not to be curious about you. Some say they saw you being cornered by school bullies when you first entered high school, so you must have been depressed, that¡¯s why you chose to study at home despite your excellent grades. But you do look like you¡¯re not in good health, many girls on the forum feel sorry for you, calling you a depressed genius beautiful boy. Others say they¡¯ve seen you bossing around the head of the school bullies outside school, and he seemed afraid of you. Anyway, you¡¯re so cool and a bit scary, just like an anti-hero protagonist in a hot-blooded shonen manga. Oh, and before, every time you came to school for monthly exams, a ck car would pick you up punctually at the school gate. The driver was said to be wearing a ck suit, though it seems that hasn¡¯t been seen this semester. Now people are spreading rumors that you¡¯re the young master of a fallen ck society family¡­ On the school forum, scripts with you as the protagonist have kept half of the novel section alive.¡±


    Towards the end, Zhang Yun smiled a bit embarrassedly. After all, he had contributed quite a bit to many of these scripts.


    ¡°Anyway, you really look mysterious, Bai Yi! Just like those special characters with a story in manga!¡±


    Bai Yi froze for the third time: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡­So, this is the reason why you guys use me as the protagonist to create all kinds of scripts?


    ¡­I thought you were just a bunch of ordinary pollution sources, but who knew you were actually rare talents in the scriptwriting world!


    He finally understood why the mental waves emitted by this deskmate when excited would automatically y BGM in his head ¨C this guy¡¯s brain was full of drama.


    ¡°You should write a book,¡± Bai Yi seriously suggested. ¡°I think your novel would definitely be popr.¡±


    Zhang Yun actually seemed to be considering it. ¡°Hmm, if I don¡¯t have talent in martial arts, bing a novelist in the future wouldn¡¯t be bad. But, I¡¯m really curious about those things spread on the forum¡­¡±


    Probably realizing that Bai Yi wasn¡¯t as unapproachable as imagined, but rather quite easy to talk to, he rested his head on his arm and looked at Bai Yi with blinking ¡°I¡¯m curious¡± eyes. ¡°By the way, Bai Yi, you¡¯re not really some fallen ck society heir, are you? If it¡¯s convenient to tell me, just consider it as me umting material for my future novelist career. Don¡¯t worry, I can keep a secret, I absolutely won¡¯t tell anyone else!¡±


    Bai Yi tilted his head to look at him. ¡°You really want to know?¡±


    ¡°Really, couldn¡¯t be more real. Please, just satisfy my curiosity a bit!¡± Zhang Yun nodded repeatedly, his eyes shining.


    Under his expectant gaze, the youth in front of him suddenly smiled slightly. He said in a casual tone. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to disappoint you then. There¡¯s actually nothing special. I did get approval for home-schooling due to psychological reasons, but it had nothing to do with those school bullies. They did corner me once back then, but after I reasoned with them, they had an epiphany and decided to turn over a new leaf. Later when we met outside school, they were all very grateful to me¡­¡±


    The morning sunlight gently fell through the window, illuminating the smile at the corner of the youth¡¯s lips. Zhang Yun heard him sigh troubledly, ¡°I also advised them that there was no need to take it too seriously, I just did a small, insignificant thing. But every time they see me, they act like they¡¯re seeing their life mentor. It must have been misunderstood by passing students.¡±


    ¡°¡­As for the person who often came to pick me up by car, he was actually a psychologist. The condition the school gave when approving my application was to have me talk with that doctor every now and then. We agreed on the time to be after each monthly exam.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Zhang Yun gaped in astonishment.


    ¡­ It didn¡¯t sound as legendary as those scripts. But did he end up digging into Bai Yi¡¯s privacy?


    He didn¡¯t know what to say for a moment. He wanted to ask what the psychological reason was, but he was worried about invading privacy. In the end, he just opened his mouth, ¡°So the doctor fromst semester didn¡¯te to pick you up because¡­¡± Had Bai Yi already recovered? That would be great¡­


    ¡°He had some minor psychological issues and was temporarily hospitalized.¡±


    Zhang Yun: ??


    He stared nkly at the smiling face of the youth in front of him.


    ¡­ Something seemed off?


    Ten secondster, he reacted, his expression changing from surprise to realization, and finally to horror. It was like listening to a heartwarming story that suddenly turned into a ghost story at the end, giving the audience a massive shock.


    ¡°¡ªH-h-hospitalized?!¡±


    ¡°Oh my.¡± Bai Yi blinked at him gently, smiling as if he had seeded in ying a prank, ¡°Did I scare you?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Although something felt off, Bai Yi¡¯s tone when speaking to him had indeed be much more intimate than before. So, was this¡­ a prank between friends?


    ¡°I was just joking earlier.¡±


    As expected¡­ Zhang Yun let out a sigh of relief.


    Then he heard Bai Yi exin in an overly cheerful tone.


    ¡°¡­ Actually, that doctor is seriously ill and has been hospitalized for half a year, so he can¡¯te to see me anymore. Anyway, I just had a minor problem with insomnia, and it¡¯s pretty much better now.¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 89

    Chapter 89


    Zhang Yun felt that today must be his lucky day.


    ¡°January 21, 2025.¡±


    He solemnly circled this date in his diary, deciding to treat this day as his lucky day every year from now on.


    The extraordinary powers that only existed in novels had miraculously appeared in reality, and he was fortunate enough to be one of the first pioneers to have the opportunity to cultivate martial arts. Not only that, but he had finally made his first friend after nearly three years of high school¡­


    From elementary school to middle school to high school, he had always been the only son of a nouveau riche who entered through the back door in a ss full of top students, always rankingst; overly obsessed with novels andics, often causing trouble for others by saying inappropriate things he had imagined in reality, being treated as the weirdo among weirdos; terrible social skills, barely able tomunicate smoothly in real life, always dragging the team down during group work¡­ A person who didn¡¯t mind all these things and was willing to be his friend.


    The beginning of the new year started with such luck, as if blessed by the gods. Even if he had bad luck every day for the rest of the year, it would bepletely eptable.


    After all, this was a super, super, super lucky day that he had used up his luck from the past decade or more, and possibly even his future luck!


    ¡°That won¡¯t do, you know.¡± The youth¡¯s voice, tinged with amusement, sounded in Zhang Yun¡¯s ear, interrupting his unintentional spoken thoughts. ¡°It¡¯s just an ordinary day, yet for you it¡¯s considered lucky? You¡¯re even willing to use up all your past and future luck¡­ I¡¯m telling you, this absolutely won¡¯t do!¡±


    ¡­ Suddenly emitting such heavy negative emotions to pollute the atmosphere, this was hisst safe zone in this ssroom, and even it was going to be contaminated ¨C this absolutely won¡¯t do!¡°?¡± Zhang Yun turned his head in confusion, discovering that Bai Yi, who had been half-lying on the desk, had raised his headpletely at some point and was staring directly at him. As he said thest sentence, his smiling tone suddenly turned serious, and in that instant, all the amusement in his eyes disappeared, leaving only pure coldness in his pitch-ck pupils.


    He just stared straight at Zhang Yun like this.


    ¡°¡ªAfter all, I never acknowledged that we¡¯re friends.¡±


    Zhang Yun froze like a suddenly powered-off robot.


    After several seconds, he slowly opened his mouth. ¡°I-I see, I got carried away with my imagination again, haha¡­¡± The corners of his mouth gradually curved upwards, eventually turning into an awkward smile. ¡°Indeed, I can never seem to break the habit of talking to myself. Many people have pointed this out before. Did I cause trouble for you this time, Bai Yi?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you did.¡± Bai Yi nodded without hesitation, stretching out his hands to make a big circle. ¡°A very, very big trouble.¡±


    Seeing the other¡¯s frozen smile, he pouted. ¡°Being considered a friend by someone, and having that person arbitrarily push all their past and future misfortunes onto me as the price of making friends¡­ Such a heavy burden, I can¡¯t bear it, you know. Isn¡¯t this an extremely, extremely, extremely big trouble?¡±


    Hearing this, Zhang Yun hurriedly shook his head and exined. ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I meant. I just, I just felt I was too lucky today. In the past, no one was willing to listen to me talk so much, and I actually managed tomunicate smoothly with you for so long.¡±


    ¡°Every time I want to talk to others, I always lose control of myself. Because I¡¯m too nervous, I say inappropriate things, making others dislike me. Only on the inte can I be a bit more rxed and natural¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ Although I don¡¯t have many friends at school, I¡¯m rejected by everyone because I¡¯m not likable, while you, Bai Yi, actively reject others. Actually, many ssmates are curious and want to get to know you ¨C you¡¯re just like a manga protagonist!¡±


    After saying a long string of words, when he got to the part about manga protagonists, Zhang Yun¡¯s stuttering tone became smooth and natural. His dull eyes began to shine again, and he spoke with an excited and unquestionable tone. ¡°For a background extra like me to have a day where I canmunicate and be friends with the protagonist at the center of the world, isn¡¯t that super lucky! Although, although it¡¯s just me assuming we¡¯re friends¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I said, I haven¡¯t acknowledged it. Being your friend carries too heavy a burden. I¡¯m the super-powered young protagonist who has to save the world in a manga, I already have enough burdens.¡± Bai Yi¡¯s attitude seemed to return to its previous calm and gentleness, and he even joked along with Zhang Yun¡¯s imagined script.


    ¡°¡ªIt¡¯s just an ordinary day of chatting and sharing gossip with a deskmate, nothing special about this everyday urrence. There¡¯s no need to consider it a lucky day.¡±


    He flopped back down on the desk and turned his head to look at Zhang Yun. ¡°If you have to use up your luck for such ordinary daily urrences, your luck will be negative in the future, and you might drop dead on the spot.¡±


    Zhang Yun¡¯s eyes gradually regained their brightness, and he nodded heavily. ¡°That¡¯s right, there will often be such ordinary daily urrences. If I really had to use up my luck, I wouldn¡¯t have enough to deduct.¡±


    His bright eyes reflected the youth beside him.


    Feeling the passionate shonen manga BGM emanating from his deskmate once again, Bai Yi nodded silently.


    Hmm, his safe zone wasn¡¯t destroyed¡­ He stillzilyy on the desk, just turning his head to look at the person next to him. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s get reacquainted, deskmate.¡±


    ¡°¡­ We might have to get along well for the next few months.¡±


    As he spoke, Bai Yi¡¯s gaze turned towards the ssroom door, observing the strangers entering behind the homeroom teacher.


    ¡°After all, given the current situation, I probably won¡¯t be allowed to continue homeschooling.¡±


    ****


    ¡°¡­ Students, from today on, the school is adding a special course, which is the martial arts ss. Those who perform excellently in this subject will receive bonus points when applying for universities in the future.¡±


    As expected, the homeroom teacher dropped a bombshell as soon as she appeared.


    ¡°I¡¯ll first distribute the textbooks that will be usedter.¡±


    In an instant, the entire ssroom was submerged in cheers. Not just this ssroom, but also the ones to the left and right, above and below. The tsunami-like cheers almost made the teaching building shake.


    ¡ªEven though they had been notified in advance, when the reality truly materialized before their eyes, it was still hard not to be excited.


    Especially in a school full of teenagers still in puberty, filled with all kinds of unrealistic fantasies and dreams.


    After distributing the ¡°Martial Arts ssic,¡± the homeroom teacher didn¡¯t forget to remind everyone. ¡°Remember, although what you have in your hands is just the basic introductory chapter, it¡¯s still precious supernatural cultivation methods from the Twelve Cities of the Heavenly Capital. Without proper guidance and instruction, don¡¯t rashly try the movements inside, and don¡¯t casually show the textbook to others ¡ª ordinary people without a solid foundation in martial arts knowledge can easily get injured if they practice on their own without guidance.¡±


    ¡°The new course schedule has been released. In the future, when it¡¯s time for the martial arts ss, everyone should go to the designated time and ce ording to the schedule. This is our ss¡¯s new martial arts teacher¡­¡±


    She introduced the young man standing beside her to the whole ss. ¡°This is Teacher Tu Hao. He will be responsible for teaching everyone martial arts from now on.¡±


    The young man called Teacher Tu looked to be about 28 or 29 years old, with a tall and sturdy build and a neat crew cut. Though not particrly handsome, he had a masculine and robust aura.


    He faced everyone with a serious expression. ¡°Hello students, I will be your martial arts teacher from now on¡­¡±


    During his self-introduction, Bai Yi¡¯s gaze discreetly swept over him, from his serious facial expression to his naturally hanging hands, from his hair to the creaseless corners of his clothes¡­ The traces of military training were too obvious. As expected, was he a soldier?


    ¡­ He had already learned some information from the Special Investigation Division through Adams. Now it was justpletely confirmed.


    ¡°¡­ Many students may not be clear about themon knowledge of martial arts. I¡¯ll first give everyone a brief introduction today.¡±


    The homeroom teacher had left the ssroom at some point. Tu Hao on the podium seemed a bit nervous as a first-time teacher. He coughed lightly and gestured for the students to open the newly distributed textbooks on their desks.


    ¡°First, regarding the origin of this extraordinary system of martial arts, we must mention the Lord of the Sword Realm and the Heavenly Capital¡­¡±


    Tu Hao briefly exined the background of the Lord of the Heavenly Capital and his followers leaving Blue Star during the end times hundreds of years ago and returning hundreds of yearster. This included stories of how the Lord of the Heavenly Capital conquered his followers with his sword before leaving Blue Star ¨C such stories all came from various legends of the Twelve Cities.


    He omitted many details that ordinary students shouldn¡¯t know, such as the catastrophe of the Returning to the Void that the Sword Realm encountered, and the people in dreams who turned into ghosts.


    ¡ªOf course, Bai Yi reasonably spected that it wasn¡¯t Tu Hao intentionally omitting these details, but rather that he himself didn¡¯t know. The higher-ups probably wouldn¡¯t casually spread information of this level.


    ¡°¡­ ording to the information obtained by the first batch of idental travelers who entered the Sword Realm, the origin of this martial arts system is the Lord of the Heavenly Capital, also known as the Lord of the Hanguang Sword. He created the extraordinary martial arts based on traditional martial arts and spread his self-created ¡®Martial Arts ssic¡¯, giving others the opportunity to embark on the path of martial arts. All martial arts secrets in the Sword Realm are derived from the ¡®Martial Arts ssic¡¯.¡±


    As he spoke, Tu Hao held up the small ck booklet in his hand.


    ¡°¡ªThis is the textbook you now have in your hands.¡±


    ¡°Of course, what you have is an abridged introductory version.¡±


    The ssroom immediately burst into a hubbub, with incessant whispers.


    It was hard to imagine that the book used as a textbook for students was actually the masterpiece of the founder of martial arts, even if it was an introductory version.


    ¡ªShould they praise the courage of the Yao Country¡¯s high-level officials, or admire the magnanimity of the Lord of the Heavenly Capital who widely spread his cultivation methods?


    ¡°Quiet.¡±


    Once Tu Hao, who came from the military, put on a stern face, he naturally exuded an aura that ordinary teachers didn¡¯t have, immediately making the ssroom quiet again.


    ¡°The reason for saying all this is to let everyone know that this promotion of martial arts is a major policy of the entire country, not just a small, casual matter. Those who have talent and strength in this area will have unimaginable treatment in the future. So students should take this seriously and not miss this opportunity.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t just speaking to the students in the ssroom, but more like expressing the attitude of Yao Country¡¯s high-level officials. To every citizen of this country, to that mysterious Lord of the Heavenly Capital.


    Bai Yi believed that at this moment, in countless schools across the country, there were probably many ¡°teachers¡± saying the same thing.


    ¡°¡ªAnd for this opportunity, we should thank the Lord of the Heavenly Capital who widely spread martial arts. Although this ancestor has returned to his homnd after many years of absence, he may not know how to adapt to this world hundreds of yearster and hasn¡¯t appeared publicly yet. But our Yao Country absolutely wees the return of this ancestor. For everything he has done to spread martial arts, we, every descendant, have only gratitude and reverence in our hearts.¡±


    As Tu Hao spoke passionately, along with the background story about the Sword Realm and the Lord of the Heavenly Capital, the group of teenage boys and girls below the stage who hadn¡¯t outgrown their chuunibyou phase became more and more excited. In the end, they couldn¡¯t help but hold their textbooks on the desk like treasures.


    Gently flipping through the pages, fingers tracing the ck printed text, it was as if they could see the past when the Lord of the Heavenly Capital wrote this cultivation method stroke by stroke. Many people¡¯s eyes showed a longing look, as if they wished they could go back hundreds of years to personally witness the legendary period when the Lord of the Heavenly Capital conquered the world with his sword.


    Next to him, Zhang Yun had already started to imagine a new fantasy script on his own, and was enthusiastically sharing it with Bai Yi.


    He began with a deep voice, as if narrating the opening of a TV series or novel. ¡°This story begins with a boy obsessed with swordsmanship but too poor to join a martial arts school¡­¡±


    Bai Yi/Pei Hefeng: ¡°???¡±


    ¡­ The non-existent story has increased.


    As he flipped through the martial arts manual he had personally written on the desk, listening to his deskmate invent non-existent stories about him, he began to anticipate that his life from now on would be very interesting.<hr>


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 Chapter 90

    Chapter 90


    ¡°Bai Yi!¡±


    At the gate of the Np.9 High School in Yuanyang City, Zhang Yun, who was about to go home, suddenly saw a familiar figure in front of him.


    It had been almost an hour since school let out. Most students and teachers had already left, leaving the school gate empty.


    The sunset had consumed the sky, casting orange-red light and gray shadows on the ground. The intertwining light and shadow fell on the tall, thin silhouette of the young man. He walked forward with his head down, lost in thought.


    ¡°Hey, haven¡¯t you gone home yet?¡±


    Zhang Yun quickly ran over, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder.


    Just as Zhang Yun¡¯s hand was about to touch his shoulder, the young man suddenly turned around, narrowly avoiding his touch.


    The orange-red light fell on that pale face. For a moment, as those eyes with faint dark circles looked back at him under the burning twilight, Zhang Yun had a fleeting impression of something inhuman.


    But this illusion vanished instantly. When Zhang Yun focused his gaze, he only saw a hint of surprise in the other¡¯s eyes at being suddenly called out to.With this perfectly timed surprise, Bai Yi slowly blinked and asked in return, ¡°Zhang Yun? You¡¯re going home now? Were you practicing at school again?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Teacher Tu said I have talent, but since I only started learning martial arts at eighteen and never practiced anything rted before, I have no foundation at all. So I need to practice more usually to build a solid foundation as quickly as possible.¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I never thought I¡¯d have talent in martial arts. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve experienced being treated as gifted. I¡¯m still not used to it¡­¡± He recalled Teacher Tu¡¯s enthusiastic praise and felt a bit ufortable.


    Zhang Yun rubbed his forehead and grinned, showing a mouthful of white teeth,pletely forgetting the question he had just asked Bai Yi.


    Although after he finished speaking, he suddenly remembered that his ssmate sitting next to him seemed to have been determined as an ordinary person with average martial arts aptitude. In the whole ss, he was probably below average. Was his current behavior a bit too boastful?


    Especially since this ssmate had always been so excellent in the past that others could only look up to him, but ironically, in the new era of spiritual awakening, he had suffered a setback and was determined to be an ordinary person who could never achieve anything in martial arts no matter how hard he tried¡­ Speaking of which, with the arrival of the extraordinary era, the former loser suddenly bing gifted in the supernatural realm, while the once omnipotent genius turned into an ordinary person in the extraordinary era, being left behind by countless people who used to be inferior to him ¨C such a clich¨¦ setting really had the vor of a young adult novel antagonist. Add an on-the-spot descent into viiny, and it would be even more typical.


    Zhang Yun couldn¡¯t help but start his internal theater again.


    Bai Yi looked at him with a subtle expression: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡­What a strange emotional fluctuation. He felt like this guy was thinking something not very friendly about him?


    When Zhang Yun came back to his senses, he was met with a pair of dead fish eyes with dark circles. Did he feel like he was being looked down upon? It wasn¡¯t a contemptuous look with malice, but more like the expression cats naturally show when looking at stupid bipeds.


    He gave a dryugh out of embarrassment.


    ¡­It seemed he had unintentionally cast Bai Yi into a weird script again, and it was an antagonist¡¯s script?


    Actually, it didn¡¯t fit at all.


    ¡ª What kind of genius suddenly bes useless, gets surpassed by people they once left behind, feels all sorts of jealousy and pain, hates their own ipetence, envies others¡¯ luck, and then turns evil and falls from grace ¡ª that kind of antagonist script¡­ Once you try to put Bai Yi¡¯s face on this type of antagonist: thatzy expression, the dark circles under his eyes that seem like a born setting that can¡¯t be erased, and those dead fish eyes that often show boredom¡­ Ah! The antagonist character setting instantly copses!


    ¡ª ¡°My Deskmate Can¡¯t Be This Kind of Person!¡±


    Zhang Yun put on a serious face: adding quotation marks to show solemnity.


    That¡¯s right, no matter what, Bai Yi could never be that kind of person!


    ¡­He felt that Bai Yi was more suited for the script of #Although I don¡¯t have supernatural talent but that doesn¡¯t matter I¡¯ll be a super scientist and crush supernatural beings with my super high IQ isn¡¯t that good#.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Zhang Yun¡¯s uncontroble mental theater was suddenly interrupted. Bai Yi raised his finger and waved it in front of Zhang Yun¡¯s vacant eyes.


    ¡°Illusions, illusions, they¡¯re all illusions! Whatever you were just thinking, anyway¡­¡± At this point, Bai Yi raised his hand and snapped his fingers, putting on a deep, mysterious expression that would surely be close-up in a manga, and slowly uttered four words, ¡°For-get-it-all!¡±


    !!!


    Zhang Yun¡¯s pupils shook, and his expression went nk for a full five seconds.


    After five seconds, his shocked gaze moved slightly, and the big ¡°!!!¡± above his head turned into ¡°???¡±.


    ¡­His memory seemed to be intact?


    By the way, why did he instinctively believe in such an oundish thing as his deskmate knowing magic?


    Was it because his deskmate¡¯s acting was too convincing, or was it because the quality about him was so unique that now that supernatural powers had appeared, saying he knew magic didn¡¯t seem out of ce at all?


    Here¡¯s the English trantion, maintaining the past tense except for thoughts, and preserving the specified names and terms:


    No, no, no, now was not the time to think about this issue. The key point now was ¡ª he had socially died!


    Click.


    With a light sound, the sh of the phone camera illuminated his dumbfounded face. Zhang Yun¡¯s nk gaze slowly moved upward, meeting Bai Yi¡¯s face with a corner of his mouth still rising uncontrobly.


    ¡°Oh my, I captured a very interesting expression,¡± Bai Yi waved his phone, his face wearing a mischievous smile. He found Zhang Yun¡¯s ount in the ss group chat and casually sent the photo over. ¡°¡­A precious embarrassing photo of the future great martial arts master, it should be worth a lot in the future, right?¡±


    Although he had heard teachers and others jokingly or seriously refer to him as the ¡°future great martial arts master¡± more than once, this was the first time he heard Bai Yi say it. While feeling embarrassed, Zhang Yun inexplicably felt like a fan being praised by his idol, and he couldn¡¯t help but grin foolishly.


    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s too early to talk about the future, actually I think I¡­¡±


    ¡°So work hard, future great martial arts master,¡± Bai Yi patted his shoulder, encouraging him in a light tone. ¡°When you be famouster, I¡¯ll be able to stay at home ying games and make a living by selling your embarrassing history!¡±


    ¡°???¡± Zhang Yun¡¯s face was instantly covered with question marks.


    By the time he reacted, he found that Bai Yi had already disappeared.


    Looking at the empty school gate, he could only dumbly utter one word, ¡°¡­Huh?¡±


    ¡­Oh right, what was he going to ask earlier? It seemed he wanted to ask Bai Yi why he was leaving school sote?


    ****


    ¡°La~¡±


    Bai Yi was hopping like an elementary school student on a field trip, stepping precisely on the squares of the stone path on his way home.


    He hummed a tune whose lyrics he had forgotten, walking all the way to near his apartment building. When he was only about ten steps away from the staircase entrance, the danger radar in his subconscious suddenly gave a warning!


    ¡ª There was a sudden attack from above. At his normal walking speed, it would hit him squarely on the head after one more step. With that speed and force, if he were still a mortal flesh and blood, he would surely have his head split open and bleeding instantly, or worse, lose his life.


    ¡ª And if his head didn¡¯t split open and bleed, it would inevitably expose the secret that he was no longer mortal flesh and blood.


    His brain analyzed the possible situations he might face in less than a second, and Bai Yi retracted his raised foot.


    In what seemed like a second to ordinary people, it was enough for him toplete the series of actions from ¡°instinctively sensing danger¡± ¡ú ¡°brain analyzing the uing situation, judging that just stopping would perfectly avoid the attack¡± ¡ú ¡°body stopping in ce ording to the brain¡¯s judgment¡±.


    And in the next second after Bai Yi stopped, he heard a shout from behind ¡ª


    ¡°Watch out!¡±


    As the voice fell, a figure also rushed over quickly.


    Like aunched rocket, the rushing figure didn¡¯t pause at all. As it arrived in front of Bai Yi, it leaped high into the air, using its waist as an axis, rotating the lower body half a circle, and kicked out with the momentum!


    Bang!


    A ck shadow flew heavily from above, one step away from Bai Yi, and crashed heavily into the wall of the apartment building. Arge amount of soil sttered, apanied by the sound of ceramic shards shattering on the ground.


    ¡ª It was a flowerpot full of soil.


    Among the broken flowerpot shards and scattered soil clumps, a bunch of deformed flowersy there, their petals covered in dirt spots.


    ¡°Phew¡­¡± The person in mid-airnded lightly on the ground. Their face, flushed from the sudden burst of speed and strength just now, still carried undiminished anxiety and concern.


    Xia Jiajia exhaled and turned back to look at the person she had protected behind her. ¡°Bai Yi, are you alright¡­?¡±


    She met a pair of overly calm eyes. Forget about panic or fear, there wasn¡¯t even a hint of surprise or curiosity.


    The unfinished words in Xia Jiajia¡¯s mouth suddenly got stuck.


    It was Bai Yi who took the initiative to start the conversation, avoiding awkwardness. ¡°Sister Jiajia, are you on holiday?¡±


    It was early February now. They, as high school seniors, still had sses, but university students should be on holiday.


    ¡°Mm, I guess you could say I¡¯m on holiday,¡± Xia Jiajia reacted and answered, ¡°I just finished myst exam yesterday. Once the results are out, it¡¯ll officially be the holiday. Since I¡¯m a local, unlike out-of-town ssmates who have to stay at school to wait, I just came back directly. Worst case, I¡¯ll make another trip to school.¡±


    While they were speaking, Xia Jiajia had enough time to gather her thoughts that had just been in disarray. She frowned at the flower pot in the corner of the wall, then looked up at the building above ¨C this apartment building was adjacent to the one where the two of them lived, reaching eleven stories high. In this old district where buildings were generally not tall, it was quite eye-catching.


    On almost every floor¡¯s balcony of the apartment building, flower pots were ced. This made a certain gap in the center of the ninth floor balcony particrly prominent. With Bai Yi¡¯s eyesight, he could clearly see the obvious gap among that row of flowers.


    Compared to Bai Yi who got the answer through direct observation afterwards, Xia Jiajia had noticed it the moment she saw the flower pot fall when they went out. Her brow furrowed even deeper as she looked up at the ninth floor balcony without moving.


    ¡°The railing seems to be broken and hasn¡¯t been repaired. It¡¯s too careless to just put flower pots there. They could fall with a strong wind. This is no joke if it hits someone. No, it has already hit someone, or would have if I hadn¡¯t bumped into it by chance.¡±


    ¡°This won¡¯t do. We must go up and talk to them about it,¡± she said, rolling up her sleeves and trying to pull Bai Yi to go upstairs and find the people. ¡°You¡¯re also almost a victim who nearly got hit. Even if nothing happened and we can¡¯t ask forpensation, we should at least remind them to be careful next time¡­¡±


    But Bai Yi, whom she tried to pull, remained motionless. Xia Jiajia, who had just taken a step, didn¡¯t realize what it meant that she couldn¡¯t move this seemingly frail high school student at all. She turned back in surprise and urged, ¡°Let¡¯s go! We¡­¡±


    ¡°No need, there¡¯s probably no one home.¡±


    ¡­ For several consecutive days, there had been no spiritual pollution from that room on the ninth floor next door, obviously because no one was home.


    Of course, he couldn¡¯t say this reason. Bai Yi casually offered an exnation. ¡°I saw them leave a few days ago, and it seems they haven¡¯te back yet. Let¡¯s remind them when they return.¡±


    ¡°More importantly,¡± his gaze turned to Xia Jiajia, scanning over the leg that had just kicked the flower pot away, ¡°Sister Jiajia, since when did you have such quick reflexes and strength?¡±


    ¡­ She used to be just an ordinary homebody.


    Since no one was home, there was nothing they could do. Xia Jiajia also switched topics in an instant, showing a ¡°so you finally noticed¡± expression, and smiled mysteriously. ¡°After a brief separation, one should look at a person with new eyes. I¡¯m not the same person I used to be.¡±


    ¡°So, has Sister Jiajia also started practicing martial arts?¡±


    The two casually sat down on the steps in front of Xia Jiajia¡¯s door.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s not just you high school students who have martial arts sses now. Although our university was a bitter than you, it wasn¡¯t by much,¡± Xia Jiajia sat on the steps, resting her chin on one hand, and spoke with a smile.


    ¡°However, university is different from high school. They didn¡¯t open a specific martial arts course, but instead created a martial arts club. It¡¯s not mandatory for everyone to learn martial arts, only those with talent are recruited as official members. Of course, those who are interested can also learn, but the treatment isn¡¯t the same as official members.¡±


    Bai Yi nodded thoughtfully. ¡°I understand. University students have actually passed the best age for martial arts training. There¡¯s no need for people without much talent to invest too much in practicing martial arts, as it might not be worth it. After all, they¡¯ve already been admitted to university and chosen their majors, so it¡¯s perfectly fine to continue with their original life ns. High school students are different. They¡¯re at a more suitable age for martial arts training, and if they¡¯re not good at studying, it gives them another path to follow. I think the authorities probably made this decision based on such considerations?¡±


    ¡°I guess so too,¡± Xia Jiajia agreed, and she didn¡¯t have much toin about. ¡°So, currently, junior high school students receive the most martial arts resources and training, followed by high school students, and then university students. For talented ones like me, learning in the martial arts clubes with certain benefits and free resources. For students without talent but interested, the club teaches basic knowledge for free, but beyond that, they have to pay.¡±


    ¡°¡­ As for working adults in society, I heard that martial arts training sses will be opened to the publicter, but it might take some time. After all, there¡¯s not enough manpower right now, and the first batch of martial arts practitioners have basically all been assigned to schools as teachers.¡±


    At this point, she showed a brilliant smile. ¡°So, we¡¯re really lucky. If it had been just a year or twoter, we wouldn¡¯t have the same treatment we have now.¡±


    Xia Jiajia solemnly sped her hands together, even closing her eyes and bowing seriously three times: ¡°Yes, thanks to the Lord of the Heavenly Capital choosing this time to return!¡±


    When she opened her eyes, she saw the young man beside her also smiling, his pure ck pupils, more pristine than cat¡¯s eye gems, reflecting the burning light of dusk. He spoke softly.


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re truly fortunate.¡±


    ¡°¡­ However, the Lord of the Heavenly Capital probably wouldn¡¯t like being called ¡®old man¡¯.¡±


    Xia Jiajia was stunned for a moment, then waved her hand. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. The Lord of the Heavenly Capital won¡¯t hear me call him that anyway.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that right? Could he really sense the entire world with his divine consciousness like in fantasy novels? Hmm¡­ that can¡¯t be, can it?¡±


    Xia Jiajia suddenly recalled the legends about the Twelve Cities of the Heavenly Capital. They were able to create even the Sword Realm, a blessednd within a cave. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to call them immortals. Could the Lord of the Heavenly Capital really be capable of such a feat?


    She appeared to be strongly shocked.


    ¡°I¡¯m going home for dinner first. As for the answer to this question¡­¡± Bai Yi slowly got up from the steps and walked towards the stairway. His voice floated softly from the dark corridor.


    ¡°Well, who knows?¡±


    ****


    <em>[Who knows what these guys are thinking? The Yao Country has already publicly announced ns to poprize martial arts throughout the country, with clear ns for all stages from schools to society. Neighboring countries in the east like the Sang Country and the Ind Alliance, which share the same cultural sphere as Yao, have also been influenced and implemented policies to spread martial arts, mainly in the form of opening martial arts schools and dojos. But what about our Chenxing Empire? There¡¯s been absolutely no movement!]</em>


    <em>[It¡¯s ridiculous, truly ridiculous! Previously, they blocked information about extraordinaries on the inte, and I even tolerated when they pushed news about martial arts as fake rumors spread by Yao Country. But now that the whole world knows the truth, the imperial upper echelons are still burying their heads in the sand, ying deaf and dumb. A month has passed without the slightest movement. That¡¯s enough! Do they really think we¡¯re all so easily fooled and manipted?]</em>


    <em>[No way, right? You people of the Chenxing Empire don¡¯t actually believe that the bigwigs in the imperial upper ranks are necessarily smarter, more rational, and more visionary sages, do you? To be honest, sometimes those sitting in those chairs up there might just be a bunch of apes. All the orders they issue are just to protect their bananas and plunder more bananas from others.]</em>


    <em>[¡­Anyway, many people are now very dissatisfied with the deception from the upper ranks. My friends and I have agreed to join the parade three dayster to protest against the empire¡¯s arbitrary policies. We have the right to know the truth, we have the right to obtain the key to the extraordinary. This is a right granted by the empire to every citizen!]</em>


    <em>[I don¡¯t think protests will do any good. It¡¯s just another way for the imperial upper ranks to fool people. To hell with the parliament, to hell with the cab, to hell with the emperor! I¡¯ve figured them out!]</em>


    Due to the influence of the Rhythm of All Things, Bai Yi deliberately waited at school until the crowds thinned before leaving. After being dyed by Zhang Yun and Xia Jiajia, he returned to the second floor of the apartment muchter than his usual dinner time.


    Toozy to bother cooking, he simply boiled a pot of water, then flopped onto the sofa. Taking advantage of the time while the water was boiling, he scrolled through his phone. ¡°It¡¯s decided, tonight¡¯s dinner will be in noodles in clear soup!¡±


    The Extraordinary Forum was particrly lively again today. This forum, which had no confidentiality requirements, had long since be a widely recognized gathering ce for extraordinaries as martial arts spread.


    There were all sorts of discussions ¨C people exchanging information, searching for clues about the extraordinary, discussing world situations. But of course, most of the discussions were rted to Yao Country¡¯s nationwide martial arts training policy.


    Naturally, people from Yao Country were discussing enthusiastically. Students who had already started practicing martial arts were posting experience threads, threads about finding masters, and learning exchange threads almost every minute. Countries like the Sang Country that were closely following Yao in promoting martial arts were the same. Those who had devoted themselves to martial arts practice were surprisingly harmonious in their exchanges. There were also many people from other countries frantically praising these countries, seemingly desperate to change their nationality on the spot to receive instruction.


    In contrast, the group of stubborn countries led by the Chenxing Empire were being harshly criticized.


    Foreigners were better off, their minds focused on practicing martial arts, paying attention to their own progress in martial arts cultivation, at most asionally gossiping andughing at the jokes about the Chenxing Empire¡¯s circle. The natives of the Chenxing Empire and its surrounding countries were the main force of critics, especially as they watched the eastern region promoting and poprizing martial arts while their government did nothing, apparently determined to keep ying blind. The public, feeling they were being treated like fools, had almost exploded.


    ¡ª If it weren¡¯t for the fact that the countries in that circle still followed ancient traditions, not only retaining the noble ss but also having most of the country¡¯s military power in the hands of the nobility, leaving ordinary people temporarily without the power to contend with them, it wouldn¡¯t just be arguments on the inte and a few rounds of street parades.


    <em>Bubble bubble. Bubble bubble bubble.</em>


    The sound of boiling water came from the kitchen. Bai Yi lifted the pot lid and gazed at the bubbling water through the wisps of white steam.


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s starting to boil.¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 91

    Chapter 91


    <em>[It feels like a dream even until now, so unreal! The revival of spiritual energy, the return of the extraordinary experts, the path of the extraordinary unfolds at the feet of every person, the ordinary world is about to experience a magnificent upheaval. Can an ordinary person like me really have such a dream?]</em>


    <em>[Another point. Just now, when I heard the news about the return of the Lord of the Heavenly Capital and the nationwide promotion of the martial arts, I almost thought I had crossed over to another world in my sleep. The arrival of the extraordinary, the cultivation of martial arts by the entire poption ¨C isn¡¯t this the backdrop of urban spiritual revival novels? Next, should there be a beast tide invasion? And then the contract of extraordinary spirit pets, bing a summoner overnight! I can do it, I really can! I couldn¡¯t help but hug my dog and let my imagination run wild¡­]</em>


    <em>[The person above, don¡¯t even think about it. If your dog could transform, it would surely be the master before you. My cat master hasn¡¯t even transformed yet, but it¡¯s already out of control.]</em>


    <em>[Cat-eared girl, I can do it!]</em>


    <em>[No, you¡¯re all thinking too far ahead. ording to the official exnation, the current level of spiritual energy revival is not enough to support the emergence of extraordinary animals. ording to the research of the scientists, at most, it will just make some small animals a bit smarter than before, maybe raising their intelligence to the level of a 3-year-old child.]</em>


    <em>[I think this is fine. It¡¯s a bit selfish, but it¡¯s better if the extraordinary ability is only possessed by us humans. If animals also have the opportunity to evolve, the food chain will be overturned. We humans have worked hard to evolve to the top of the food chain, and I don¡¯t want to have topete with a group of extraordinary animals again in the future!]</em>


    <em>[Exactly, nothing canpare to the ¡°Martial Arts ssic¡±! Isn¡¯t the ¡°Martial Arts ssic¡± delicious? Who needs cat girls! This is a cultivation method passed down by that expert who opened up a heavenly realm! When I first heard that everyone has the chance to be a martial arts practitioner, I was so excited that I ran fiveps in the cold wind at midnight!]</em>


    <em>[Who wouldn¡¯t be? I just graduated from universityst year. Can I reapply to go back and repeat a year? I¡¯m so envious of the younger students still in school! I wonder how long we have to wait for the social martial arts training sses to start? I can¡¯t wait.]</em>


    <em>[Don¡¯t even mention it! My brat of a son just started middle school, and his grades aren¡¯t that great, but he¡¯s been a martial arts fan since he was little. His martial arts talent was recently tested and found to be excellent, which has really gone to his head. Before, he would lie in bed every morning and I had to call him to get him to go to school, but now he doesn¡¯t need any prompting and gets up an hour early! I can see it, his enthusiasm for studying martial arts is incredibly high. He not only practices at school, but alsoes home to spar, oh, he¡¯s quite the show-off! Seeing my rabbit son¡¯s smug look, I just want to ask when the social martial arts training sses will start? If he doesn¡¯t train soon, and if he messes up again in the future, I¡¯ll grab a huge fist ¨C but wait, my rabbit son¡¯s fist is even bigger than mine¡­ Can I still maintain my authority as a father?]</em><em>[Add 10086, urgently request for the martial arts training sses to start soon. I¡¯m not married, but I have younger siblings and nieces/nephews. Just thinking that they might surpass me in the future really makes me feel hopeless.]</em>


    <em>[You Yao people shouldn¡¯t¡­ How should I put it, you¡¯re ungrateful for the blessings you have! The government is actually willing to teach martial arts to everyone, giving everyone the opportunity to be a martial arts practitioner, so what¡¯s a few more days of waiting?]</em>


    <em>[Exactly. I envy you all so much, the doors to the extraordinary just opened up without you having to do anything. On our Sang side, though the government also wants to promote martial arts, if you want to practice martial arts, you can only go to the designated dojos ¨C everyone knows the powerful backers behind them. These despicable people rely on their influence and money to recruit the lucky ones who went to the Sword Realm before, and many details of cultivating martial arts techniques can only be learned from their guidance. Even if we obtain the techniques, without the professional guidance of the dojos, we don¡¯t dare to practice blindly, and the dojos that control the correct methods hold our lifelines, wishing we would put them on a pedestal!]</em>


    <em>[¡­Exactly! If the government hadn¡¯t emphasized the promotion of martial arts, trying to let more people embark on the cultivation path, I have no doubt those people would charge sky-high fees, which only the big aristocrats and tycoons could afford, monopolizing the cultivation methods for the upper ss. Now the fees are still very expensive, but we can scrape together the money as a family. After all, it¡¯s an extraordinary opportunity!]</em>


    <em>[My sister¡¯s talent was just tested out to be very high, so my family directly sold a set of houses to send her to the best dojo in Jingdu, making her one of the core disciples with the best treatment. Although our family¡¯s living conditions have decreased a lot now, as long as I think about my sister¡¯s future sess, bing a respected martial arts master, perhaps the dojo will evene to revere her¡­ Not only that, if my sister has the chance to stand before that ¡°Martial Arts God¡± in the future, to follow that extraordinary figure in the world¡­ Thinking about that bright future fills me with the feeling that all the sacrifices are worth it.]</em>


    <em>[Ah, what? Sell houses??? You Sang people are terrifying!]</em>


    <em>[What¡¯s the problem? I reiterate, this is an extraordinary opportunity! It¡¯s a chance to change one¡¯s destiny that many people wait their entire lives for, what¡¯s a house worth? If there¡¯s a chance to be an extraordinary person, I¡¯m willing to give up everything!]</em>


    <em>[Indeed, it¡¯s nothing. If there¡¯s a chance to follow that ¡°Martial Arts God¡±, I can abandon everything I have! Even if it¡¯s just being a small servant by that great person¡¯s side! I believe the people in our Sang Country who think this way are not in the minority! The weak following the strong, isn¡¯t this the natural order of things? Now, when the weak have the chance to be the strong and change their destiny to be superior beings, of course they should be willing to give up everything to strive for it!]</em>


    <em>[??? I¡¯ve long heard that Sang people are extremely worshipful of the strong, and now I¡¯ve witnessed it firsthand! Too crazy!]</em>


    <em>[While traveling in Sang, I¡¯ve experienced their craziness. They even established a fan club or worship organization for the Lord of the Heavenly Capital? Anyway, there are too many of them to count, every citizen seems to be a fanatical fan of the Lord of the Heavenly Capital¡­ They even gave themselves a title, calling themselves the ¡°Sworn Sword Followers¡±, which is just so absurd.]</em>


    <em>[This makes sense. Everyone knows the history of the Sang Country ¨C it was established by roaming pirates who took over the South Sea, together with their captives. The emperor and the nobility are the descendants of those pirates, while themoners are the descendants of the former ves. Even if they don¡¯t openly admit it, like every feudal ruler, they try to beautify and cover up their origins. But this origin has determined their mindset to be different from ours, their worship of the strong has been ingrained in their very blood.]</em>


    <em>[The analysis from the person above has really got me thinking. Reasonable suspicion is the forte of history professionals. I didn¡¯t think that much, my mind is just full of this: we Yao students get to cultivate martial arts for free, does that mean each of us gets a free house from the state?]</em>


    <em>[LOL, the state giving out free houses? Really?]</em>


    <em>[To be honest, the policies of our Yao Country are the friendliest towards themon people. I heard that the Ind Alliance and the surrounding other countries, although they also opened up martial arts cultivation policies, just like Sang, the thresholds are not low, not very friendly to themon people.]</em>


    <em>[The people of the Ind Alliance agree. Butpared to the Western countries around the Chenxing Empire, our sense of happiness immediately rises. On their side, they didn¡¯t even leave a threshold, they directly blocked the wall.]</em>


    <em>[Laughing to death! Thinking about how the Chenxing Empire originally spread rumors and maliciously ndered that it was Yao who deliberately raised the national culture, those idiots actually believed it, and now I can¡¯t help butugh.]</em>


    <em>[Didn¡¯t they say they were going to protest? Didn¡¯t it work?]</em>


    <em>[Possibly, maybe, it worked? Anyway, it¡¯s different from what we initially thought. While in the Chenxing Empire, live broadcast, the Chenxing Empire¡¯s upper echelons just made a response, but it¡¯s not to promote martial arts, but to bring out a strange scientist, called Dr. Wells or something? ording to this doctor, martial arts is the specialty of Eastern civilization, and it¡¯s notpatible with Western culture, so even if Westerners cultivate martial arts, they can¡¯t catch up to the East.]</em>


    <em>[Hmm, that does sound reasonable. I see the people of the Chenxing Empire also seem to ept this rhetoric ¨C they have always seen themselves as the mightiest empire, how could they ept being defeated by other countries, especially us Yao? So promoting martial arts as an extraordinary system nationwide is definitely not eptable!]</em>


    <em>[So what? Just because they can¡¯t catch up to us on this path, they¡¯re going to give up and go into decay?]</em>


    <em>[Of course not! They said they will persist on the scientific development path! ording to Dr. Wells, they have been researching the subject of human gic evolution. Now with the revival of spiritual energy, their research is about to seed, the evolutionary factors contained in the spiritual energy are the key to their sessful research. By then, the people of the Chenxing Empire won¡¯t need to cultivate any martial arts, they just have to wait for the research to seed, and they can achieve gic evolution, overtaking us country bumpkins who painstakingly practice martial arts ¨C cough, anyway, that¡¯s the implication of his words.]</em>


    <em>[In short, they¡¯ve temporarily pacified the people. Now the people of the Chenxing Empire are all waiting for the experiment to seed, everyone transforming into superhumans!]</em>


    <em>[¡­It sounds reasonable, but I still feel like they¡¯re just making empty promises. Is such an experiment really that easy to seed? Spiritual energy has just emerged, it¡¯ll probably take at least ten or eight years to explore, right?]</em>


    <em>[That¡¯s uncertain, wemon folk really don¡¯t understand the world of genius scientists. Maybe they can actually do it.]</em>


    <em>[The more I think about it, it feels like we¡¯re overlooking something?]</em>


    <em>[Ah, you must be talking about the Holy Federation! It seems we¡¯ve never seen anyone iming to be from the Holy Federation on the forums, at least no one has admitted it. And now with the chaos caused by the emergence of the extraordinary around the world, howe we haven¡¯t heard any news from the Holy Federation?]</em>


    <em>[Oh, they are currently wholeheartedly preparing for the festival of the Temple of the Sun, a traditional program of the Temple of the Sun? But this year they¡¯re making it exceptionally grand, starting the preparations three months in advance, probably because¡­ they want to truly wee the descent of the Sun God? After all, extraordinary abilities have emerged, and the Lord of the Heavenly Capital, a living extraordinary being, has appeared, it¡¯s unthinkable that the Sun God doesn¡¯t exist ¨C anyway, that¡¯s probably what the Holy Federation people are thinking.]</em>


    <em>[Should I say they are the only religious country? When everyone else is shaken by the emergence of extraordinary abilities like martial arts, their faith in the Sun God has be even more pure?]</em>


    <em>[My Lord created the world, nurtured all things, the one you call the Lord of the Heavenly Capital is but one of His creations, a child of the Lord, the Lord bestowed him with inspiration, and that¡¯s how martial arts came into being. Why should we abandon the Godly Path and pursue martial arts, forsaking the fundamental for the superficial?]</em>


    <em>[Capturing a Federation person. Bestowing inspiration, how generous.]</em>


    <em>[Well, you guys are great, the grand festival three months from now, the birthday of the Sun God, I bet you¡¯ll receive the descent of the deity!~]</em>


    Yao, Sang, Ind Alliance, Chenxing Empire, Holy Federation¡­


    Awe, curiosity, surprise, wariness, worship, hostility¡­


    In a very short time, that figure whom some revere as the ¡°Martial Arts God¡±, the Lord of the Heavenly Capital, has be renowned throughout the world due to the spread of martial arts. His name has be a mysterious embodiment in the hearts of countless people, stirring the winds of change across the entire world.


    Yao Country, a residential building in the old city area.


    The intangible legendse from all directions, the young man by the window unfolds a virtual card, emitting a faint golden glow.


    He gazes at the figure in white robes on the card.


    ¡°Is this¡­ considered a jackpot?¡±


    [The Lawless One]


    [The Ancestor of Martial Arts, the Nemesis of the Immortal Path]


    [The False Inheritor of the Heavenly Mandate, the True Source of All Evil]


    [Without Law, Without Heaven, Without Sentient Beings, the Great Way is Mine]


    [Click to expand details, view the card¡¯s skills.]


    1. The Number One Under Heaven Lv???


    Description: Emanates an aura of dominance. You have opened the path of martial arts for this world, you are the source of the myriad martial arts. Before all martial arts cultivators, you possess an undefeatable, constant buff ¨C you are the Number One under Heaven, unrivaled.


    Remark: The four words ¡°Number One under Heaven¡± exin everything. Is there a need for further boration?


    2. Martial Ancestor Lv10


    Description: You have mastered the quintessence of various martial arts, you are a walking martial arts encyclopedia. Any weapon in your hands will be as effortless as moving your own limbs, you automatically possess maximum proficiency. When using sword techniques, you gain a 120% bonus.


    Remark: The title ¡°Sword Master¡± says it all.


    3. Schr?dinger¡¯s Inheritor of the Heavenly Mandate Lv???


    Description: Sacrifice your own auspices, annihte the enemy of a single path.


    ¡ªYou can repeatedly jump between the paths of martial arts, immortal cultivation, and other ways. When you choose a certain path as your enemy, you will be the most terrifying demonic lord of that path, delivering a devastating strike to all the cultivators on that path, causing them to be beset by inner demons, shattering their cultivation, making them doubt their lives, even abandoning their path to join the enemy.


    And you will also suffer a great diminishment of your own auspices for a period of time, this is the bacsh that must be endured by those who cultivate on that great path, it is also the price you must pay for activating this skill.


    Once sessful, and after weathering the short-term auspice bacsh, you willpletely devour the auspices of all the cultivators who have fallen into confusion under your influence, for a period of time you will be the Inheritor of the Heavenly Mandate blessed with unparalleled fortune, and that great path will plunge to the lowest point in history, with no hope of revival.


    Remark: As an inherentlywless person, the reason you have be the Ancestor of Martial Arts and the Nemesis of the Immortal Path is not because you love martial arts and are hostile to the Immortal Path. It is only because the Immortal Path has rejected you, so you decided to be its enemy. And martial arts has favored you, so you¡¯ve made martial arts flourish.


    Any path can be like this. You can be the glorious Inheritor of the Heavenly Mandate, or you can be the source of all evil that annihtes a path.


    ¡ªYour choice will determine the rise and fall of the paths.<hr>


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 Chapter 92

    Chapter 92


    As the game waspleted, the entire instance world shattered into pieces.


    Bai Yi fell through the cracks of the crumbling world. Surrounded by deep, intense darkness, his consciousness kept sinking, sinking, sinking, until that familiar sensation of suffocating in the deep sea emerged¡­


    He sank into the deep sea he encountered in every dream. In the pitch-ck, profound waters floated fragments of stars.


    However,pared to when Bai Yi first entered the nightmare, the number of starlight fragments floating around had significantly decreased.


    He still remembered when he first gained consciousness as a child, opening his eyes in the ¡°deep sea¡± for the first time. Countless star fragments filled the ocean, enough to make anyone with trypophobia scream in terror.


    It was like the remnants of fallen stars from the sky, burying him in this starry graveyard beneath the sea.


    Now, without the density that could make one scream, the star fragments floating in the deep sea were spaced just right, like stars scattered across the sky. The starlight shone through the gaps between them, illuminating the surrounding lightless waters.


    Bai Yi swam upwards with all his might through this starlight.


    The moment he broke the surface, he saw the pitch-ck sky above. In that sky hung a single star.Bai Yi gazed at it silently.


    This once-empty ck curtain he had seen hundreds of times before ¨C hollow, ugly, and void, as if nothing existed in that ck hole ¨C had imperceptibly gained a mysterious star.


    This was the biggest change in the depths of the nightmare in seventeen years.


    His gaze was inevitably drawn to it, staring intently.


    Before Bai Yi could investigate further, having only glimpsed the mysterious star for a moment upon surfacing, the surrounding scene began to rapidly dissipate. The starlight faded from his eyes.


    ¡°Ah, it seems it¡¯s time to wake up,¡± he thought.


    With that thought, he opened his eyes.


    The next instant, the light from the incandescentmp in his room filled his vision,pletely dispelling the dreamlike illusion.


    Bai Yi couldn¡¯t help but wear a contemtive expression.


    ¡°What does that star represent?¡± he wondered.


    In the past, Bai Yi had never encountered such an anomaly. Usually, the nightmare would end the moment he struggled to surface from the deep sea. And there was nothing to see in the lightless sky above the ocean.


    But recently, he would asionally face this scene ¨C in the instant of surfacing, in the moment before waking, he would see a star suspended high above the sea.


    Even after returning to reality from the nightmare, Bai Yi could still subconsciously sense a faint, almost imperceptible stirring, as if in some mysterious way, he had formed a hidden connection with that star deep in the nightmare.


    Its intangible starlight seemed to still illuminate his soul.


    ¡°What exactly is this¡­¡± he mused.


    ¡°If I remember correctly, this anomaly started appearing a few days ago¡­ It seems to be rted to Pei Hefeng¡­¡±


    Feeling an unusual reaction from a certain character card, Bai Yi¡¯s motionless eyshes suddenly trembled slightly as he pondered.


    He murmured in an almost inaudible voice.


    ¡°The Ancestor of Martial Arts¡­¡±


    ¡°Martial arts, huh¡­?¡±


    The snow-white quilt nearly covered his chin, revealing most of the young man¡¯s face that looked pale yet docile. Lying in bed, his pupils were unfocused, his mind seemingly still immersed in that mysterious starlight illuminating the sea¡¯s surface.


    The gamepletion prompts slowly scrolled across Bai Yi¡¯s vision.


    [Sessfullypleted nightmare fragment [Innocent Person]]


    [Instance level: ¡ï¡ï]


    [Completion rating: S]


    [Points earned: 20]


    [Achievement unlocked: [Clearing One¡¯s Name is an Art]


    [Description: As everyone knows, without evidence of guilt, there is no crime.]


    [Beginning special reward draw.]


    [You have obtained a special drop: Nightmare Crystal (Green) x5.]


    ¡°So it¡¯s cleared¡­¡± Bai Yi slowly blinked, finallying back to his senses. ¡°Hmm, another instance taken care of. As expected, no character card drops this time either¡­¡±


    He thought to himself that character card drops after clearing an instance were extremely rare urrences, and he had gotten used to results like this by now.


    Just as he was thinking this, another line of text refreshed before his eyes.


    [¡­You have obtained ¡°Principle of All Things¡± fragment x1.]


    ¡°¡­?¡± Bai Yi was stunned at first, then sat up in bed, reaching out to catch the invisible fragment falling from midair. His eyes suddenly zed with an exceptionally bright light. ¡°Oh my, what a pleasant surprise!¡±


    ¡°For such a high-level reward to be drawn from an ordinary game instance, System, you didn¡¯t adjust the probabilities, did you?¡± he sincerely doubted, though the corners of his mouth were rising uncontrobly. ¡°¡­If you did make such an adjustment, please feel free to do so more often.¡±


    [The system does not have the function to autonomously adjust probabilities.]


    [Considering the number of instances the yer has cleared, and the number of draws earned afterpletion, drawing three ¡°Principle of All Things¡± fragments from random rewards is within reasonable probability.]


    [Not counting the fragment obtained from the newbie gift package, and the second fragment obtained from deciphering the world view, this is the first time the yer has drawn a ¡°Principle of All Things¡± fragment through random rewards.]


    Bai Yi: ¡°???¡±


    ¡­So you¡¯re saying I¡¯ve just been unlucky?


    I have reason to suspect you¡¯re mocking me, but I have no proof.


    Hmpf!


    Suddenly, Bai Yi grasped the key point. ¡°¡­It¡¯s not that you don¡¯t have the function to adjust probabilities, but that you can¡¯t do it autonomously? So, does this mean you can adjust the draw probabilities, but you must receive instructions or have certain permissions activated?¡±


    ¡­Sharp observation!


    Sure enough, new text slowly appeared in midair.


    [After the Nightmare Game version update, the system will also upgrade, and the yer will unlock creator permissions. This includes, but is not limited to, certain adjustments to draw probabilities.]


    ¡°Version update?¡± This phrase sounded familiar. Bai Yi thought for a moment and immediately recalled the rted memory.


    At that time, he had asked the system about the purpose of game points. If he remembered correctly, the system¡¯s answer was like this¡ª


    [Game points have two uses. One, to purchase items produced by certain special instances. Two, when game points umte to a certain level, the yer can choose to update the version.]


    ¡°umte to a certain level? What a vague statement.¡±


    Bai Yi couldn¡¯t help but pull up his basic stats panel.


    **


    Name: Bai Yi


    Age: 17 Talent:


    Rhythm of All Things lv20 (20% awakened)


    Life Skills (lv1 and below not shown):


    Bewitch lv8


    [Note: More than enough to be a cult leader.]


    Iron Stomach lv5


    [Note: Able to smile while drinking poison.]


    Personality Mask lv8


    [Note: Lying is as natural as breathing to you.]


    Acting lv10 [Note: Deceiving the whole world is no problem at all.]


    Extraordinary Skills: Dark Cuisine lv5


    The gamepletion prompts continued to scroll across Bai Yi¡¯s vision:


    [Note: Through the ruthless method of feeding cats to gain experience, your Dark Cuisine skill proficiency has greatly increased. You can easily pass as an extraordinary being of a special system.]


    Praise of the Blind lv10


    [Note: Whether blending inconspicuously into crowds or gaining others¡¯ favor, it¡¯s as easy as breathing for you. This passive aura skill level increases over time. Now, even if caught red-handed doing something bad, people can¡¯t help but wonder if you have extenuating circumstances.]


    Web of Thoughts lv20


    [Note: A special skill rted to the Rhythm of All Things talent, leveling up as the talent awakens. Currently able to forcibly link everyone¡¯s thoughts and indiscriminately infuse information.]


    Points: 410


    Card Slots: [Ghost in the Rainy Night¡ï] [Flower Speaker ¡ï¡ï¡î] [Puppet Master¡ï¡ï] [Lawless Person¡ï¡ï¡ï] [Depressing Artist¡ï¡ï¡ï]


    Inventory: Nightmare Crystal (Green) x80, Nightmare Crystal (White) x130, Puppet Master¡¯s Diary


    **


    After reviewing the information disyed on his basic stats panel, Bai Yi¡¯s gaze lingered on the game points and nightmare crystal quantities. He slowly got up from the bed and stretched.


    ¡°Have I really umted this much already?¡± he mused.


    Thinking carefully, it had been four months since the spiritual energy revival, when he had used up all his nightmare crystals to exchange for the [Martial City] scene temte, thus starting the #Lord of the Heavenly Capital Returns# storyline.


    Going back even further to when he cleared the [Artistic Republic] instance and spent all his points on items, it had been more than four months.


    During this long period, Bai Yi hadn¡¯t been idle. He had been unlocking new instances in the nightmare almost daily, clearing each instance in three to seven days. So umting this many points and nightmare crystals wasn¡¯t particrly surprising.


    ¡°So, do I have enough points now?¡± he raised an eyebrow, looking at the text floating in midair. ¡°To choose to perform a version update, that is.¡±


    [¡­Special prerequisite item not yet obtained.]


    ¡°?¡± Another unknown element appeared.


    Bai Yi: ¡°What¡¯s this special prerequisite item?¡±


    ¡­Curious cat.jpg


    [The special prerequisite item must be obtained through a special real-world task. Do you want to spend 100 points to upgrade the system in advance, thereby unlocking the real-world task release permission?]


    Special prerequisite item, special real-world task, real-world task release permission¡­ the amount of information seemed a bit overwhelming.


    The sound of running water passed by his ears, and cool water sshed on his face, instantly dispelling the drowsiness from just waking up.


    ¡°Interesting. So it¡¯s not limited to nightmares, but can also issue tasks in reality? I wonder what the rewards will be?¡±


    Bai Yi slowly raised his eyes, staring at the mirror in front of him.


    The young man in the mirror also looked up at him, streams of water running down the mirror¡¯s surface, fragmenting the youth¡¯s hazy features.


    The curve of his mouth, blurred by the water, grew increasinglyrger.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m so excited!¡±


    ****


    [System partially upgraded. Real-world task release permission unlocked. The system will randomly trigger real-world tasks based on the yer¡¯s stance and inclination, helping the yer correct the direction of the world line and assisting you in winning the final victory of the Nightmare Game.]


    [Real-world taskpletion rewards include points or ¡°Principle of All Things¡± fragments. Distributed ording to the degree of influence on the world line.]


    The moment the system prompt appeared, invisible threads seemed to spread outward along with the distorted text in midair, as if extending and expanding endlessly until they enveloped the entire world.


    Bai Yi suddenly felt a strange sensation in his heart.


    It was as if, the moment he agreed to unlock real-world tasks, he had made some kind of promise, gently nudging an invisible world line. He seemed to have formed a deeper, indescribable connection ¨C or perhaps, a cause and effect rtionship ¨C with this world.


    [You have obtained a special aura buff title.]


    Along with the system¡¯s reminder, Bai Yi¡¯s basic stats panel refreshed, adding a new section below his name and age:


    Name: Bai Yi


    Age: 17


    Title: Pseudo World¡¯s Son / ???


    [Passive Aura: Luck buff]


    [Note: Until you abandon your current stance, you will always have this title¡¯s aura buff, as if you were the world¡¯s spokesperson, gaining the fortune of an entire world.]


    [¡ªAt this moment, the world favors you.]


    ¡°Could this be the legendary protagonist¡¯s halo?¡± Bai Yi couldn¡¯t help but quip. Just after creating a false child of destiny in Pei Hefeng, he himself became the chosen one of the real world? How reasonable was that?


    ¡­Well, it wasn¡¯t too surprising,e to think of it.


    Since the system¡¯s step-by-step guidance was aimed at dealing with the future return to chaos, that is, preventing this world from stepping into destruction¡­ then no matter how much this world invested in him, it would be worth it.


    ¡ª Let alone just a bit of luck, even if the entire world was offered up to him¡­ it was nothing more than the price that should be paid by those being saved!


    In the misty mirror, the youth¡¯s face was clearly marked by the reckless flow of water. His long eyshes were moist with damp fog, making his pitch-ck pupils appear even deeper.


    The next moment, the young man in the mirror blinked.


    The terrifying aura from earlier disappeared like an illusion, reced by a lively and cheerful demeanor.


    ¡°¡­But why ¡®son¡¯ of the world?¡±


    Noticing this odd title, Bai Yi pouted in frustration, expressing his protest.


    He poked his own face in the mirror. ¡°Taking advantage of your lifesaver, aren¡¯t you, world? That¡¯s going too far.¡±


    ¡°Not just taking advantage, but casually adopting someone as a son, and a fake adopted son at that. How stingy!¡±


    Heined with a long, drawn-out tone, then stepped into the living room feeling refreshed after washing up. He curled up on the sofa, motionless. ¡°It¡¯s too much, too much. I¡¯vepletely lost the desire to save the world ¡ª Perish, world!¡±


    As Bai Yi let out this dramatic cry, the entire world seemed to fall silent for a second, as if hearing the sound of some gear turning.


    In midair, a line of distorted text slowly coalesced.


    [Random real-world task triggered.]


    [Please follow the system¡¯s guidance to open your phone and check the task details.]


    ¡°Oh my, is this a brand new task mode?¡±


    Bai Yi curiously looked down at his phone, indeed finding a ghostly arrow pointing directly at it in the space above the screen.


    He opened his phone.


    A small ck arrow, like a child¡¯s simple drawing, moved slightly in midair, urately pointing to the Extraordinary Forum app on the screen.


    Bai Yi clicked on the Extraordinary Forum app with a sense of novelty.


    ¡­


    Following the little arrow¡¯s guidance step by step, Bai Yi, like a child discovering a new toy, tirelessly clicked his way through until he finally reached a certain post.


    The title read: [Seeking a master, seeking like-minded individuals. Chenxing Empire martial arts enthusiast online seeking help. Empire censorship, colleagues don¡¯t believe in martial arts cultivation, no one to talk to, can¡¯t find ways to practice martial arts. Should I find a way to join Yao Country?]


    The post was dated January 30th, about 20 days ago.


    Wondering how this rted to the real-world task, Bai Yi surprisingly opened the post and scrolled down.


    The post wasn¡¯t particrly popr, but not too obscure either. No one had responded to the original poster¡¯s request for a master.


    After all, most people are wary of strangers online, especially when it involves extraordinary powers like martial arts cultivation.


    Instead, newbies who, like the original poster, aspired to martial arts, were activelymenting. They had beenmunicating with the poster during this time.


    Skipping some meaningless replies, Bai Yi picked out potentially valuable clues:


    About a week after posting, the original poster excitedly told fellow enthusiasts that they had met a real martial arts practitioner in real life, also from the Chenxing Empire. This person was kind and willing to teach them martial arts.


    Immediately, other martial arts enthusiasts became envious and asked for more details. The poster revealed some information bit by bit, though they were careful not to disclose the person¡¯s identity in too much detail.


    Although many parts were vague and hard to verify, it wasn¡¯t difficult for Bai Yi to guess. After summarizing and specting, he gathered:


    The poster had a car ident in a remote area and was nearly killed, but was saved by a passerby.


    This person almost ripped off the car door barehanded and smashed the window with one punch, disying superhuman strength that the sharp-eyed poster noticed. Seeing that concealment was futile, the person revealed their identity as a martial arts practitioner. The poster promised to keep it secret, and the person agreed to teach them after persistent pleading.


    ¡ª This person was R.


    As Bai Yi scrolled to the bottom of the dense text, a line caught his eye.


    Posted ten minutes ago:


    M (Original Poster): Help! Something happened to R, they¡¯ve disappeared!


    Others chimed in asking what happened, some guessing that R no longer wanted to teach the poster, others suggesting calling the police.


    M (Original Poster): No, we just arranged to meet yesterday. They wouldn¡¯t disappear without reason. They mentioned feeling uneasy before. They¡¯ve been hiding well, it must be because they saved me¡­ I don¡¯t dare call the police or tell anyone else¡­ I suspect their disappearance is rted to the Empire!


    At the same time, the real-world task finally refreshed before Bai Yi¡¯s eyes:


    [Beneath the dawn of the extraordinary, darkness surges. The hope you brought has instead brewed misfortune for some.]


    [¡ª To abandon or to save, that is the question.]<hr>


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 Chapter 93

    Chapter 93


    <em>Drip. Drip. Drip.</em>


    ¡­What¡­ sound?


    ¡­Where¡­ where am I?


    Consciousness was hazy, as if a stick had been stirring endlessly inside his head. Intense dizziness and an almost numb pain washed over him. Countless fragmented memories swirled back and forth, gradually pulling his nearly dormant consciousness back from the brink of death.


    <em>Whoosh¡­</em>


    In the sealedboratory, a pair of eyes slowly opened. Lingering confusion and fear remained in the depths of those pupils.


    The blindingly bright white light pierced his eyeballs.


    Along with the involuntary tears that welled up in the corners of his eyes, the confusion and fear in their depths were gradually devoured by surging despair, anger, and resentment.


    ¡°Huff¡­ I¡­¡± Am I still alive?The moment Leiyin realized this fact, there wasn¡¯t a shred of joy in his heart. Instead, he was engulfed by a deep darkness, his entire being sinking slowly into an abyss.


    The experiences of the past three days had taught him one thing.


    Sometimes, being alive isn¡¯t necessarily luckier than being dead.


    Perhaps dying would have been a form of release?


    But some inexplicable obsession that even he couldn¡¯t understand had forcefully sustained him, allowing him to pull through from the edge of death time and time again.


    ¡°The third round of experiments begins. The test subject shows no signs of rejection for now.¡±


    A cold, calm voice sounded faintly in his ears.


    In Leiyin¡¯s blurred sense of time, it seemed like the next moment when he heard that voice continue: ¡°The experiment will proceed.¡±


    Icy liquid surged through his blood vessels. Leiyin felt as if he were submerged beneath a cier, his entire body frozen by that coldness.


    Then came a searing pain like mes.


    His wavering consciousness began to sink again.


    ¡°The test subject¡¯s vital signs are about to disappear!¡±


    [Sleep, sleep, never wake up again¡­]


    [Find release¡­]


    The light from the incandescentmp grew increasingly blurry. Large patches of darkness gradually filled his vision. A voice from the depths of his heart emerged, enticing him towards the deepest darkness.


    [Just die like this, end all the suffering¡­]


    That voice whispered seductively in his ear, like invisible gentle arms wrapping around his body, trying to drag him into the abyss of death. He saw the gates of hell opening before him, ck mes spreading across his vision, and ghosts reveling before his eyes.


    Was it the effect of the drugs? Or hallucinations on the brink of death?


    Leiyin had no energy to distinguish these things at the moment. In the depths of the mud-like darkness, he suddenly began to struggle fiercely.


    [Indeed, still unwilling to give up¡­]


    The burning ck fire, the wailing ghosts, the mud-like darkness ¨C the man climbing out of the mire tore at the bindings enveloping his entire body in a manner that seemed determined to destroy both. Like a demon crawling towards the human world even if it meant shattering the gates of hell.


    But increasingly surging ck sludge came from all directions, refilling the gaps he had struggled to tear open.


    ¡°Resuscitation failed. Test subject confirmed dead¡ª¡±


    <em>[No¡­]</em>


    The sludge spread over his entire body, covering his nose and mouth.


    [Not willing not willing I¡¯m absolutely not willing aaaaah!]


    [¡ªThe one who should die was never me! I absolutely won¡¯t ept this fate! I don¡¯t ept it¡ª]


    <em>Hum¡­</em>


    Just as he was about to bepletely swallowed by darkness, a gentle beam of light suddenly appeared, tearing open a gap in the darkness.


    Then,rge swaths of darkness began melting away around him.


    Leiyin finally seized the opportunity to crawl out.


    Like a diator who had endured countless hardships in battle, hey on the ¡°ground¡± covered in wounds and utterly exhausted. He opened his eyes and curiously looked towards the source of the light¡ª


    Flowers,rge blooming flowers, flowers of every color.


    Countless blossoms instantly filled his vision.


    Deep in the darkness, there was actually a sea of flowers growing. A small shop seemed to be nestled within that flower sea.


    By the time Leiyin came to his senses, he had already walked into the flower shop.


    Inside, a young man was lying on a rattan chair reading a book. Upon Leiyin¡¯s arrival, he simply smiled faintly.


    ¡°Wee, guest who has arrived by fate. What can I do for you?¡±


    ¡°¡­Where is this?¡± Leiyin¡¯s voice was a bit hoarse. ¡°Could this be heaven that one can only reach after death?¡±


    He had never been a religious person, but the scene before his eyes was so shocking that he couldn¡¯t help but think that way.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± the flower shop owner smiled slightly.


    He had a face that seemed ordinary yet strangely pleasing to look at, making one instinctively feel close to him. When he looked over with eyes as tolerant as an elder¡¯s, even Leiyin, who was now full of resentment, couldn¡¯t help but let down his guard and defenses.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if heaven exists, but even if it does, you certainly can¡¯t go there now, because you¡¯re not dead yet.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m not dead?¡± Leiyin repeated nkly.


    Everything happening now was beyond hismon sense. He looked around at his surroundings in utter confusion. In his chaotic mind, crucial information shed by like lightning.


    He suddenly realized something.


    ¡°Flower shop, shop owner¡­¡± The mysterious existence he had once heard about on the Extraordinary Forum and stories of him saving unfortunate people shed through his mind. Leiyin looked at him in disbelief, ¡°You, are you the ¡®Flower Speaker¡¯, the ¡®Wish Granter¡¯?¡±


    The other person smiled slightly, seemingly confirming it.


    The moment he realized this fact, sudden wild joy swept through his heart. Leiyin¡¯s entire body trembled with excitement. Without hesitation, he fell to his knees, pleading as if grasping at thest straw of hope. ¡°Please save me! Only you! Only you can save me now! I¡¯m willing to give everything I have to repay you!¡±


    The person on the rattan chair put down his book and stood up.


    ¡°Repayment, you say?¡±


    Leiyin heard a soft sigh.


    The footsteps slowly approached and stopped in front of him. Leiyin heard the owner of those footsteps speak softly¡ª


    ¡°In fact, this ce isn¡¯t heaven. It¡¯s closer to hell¡ªbecause this is the deepest part of despair.¡±


    ¡°However, in the most unfortunate soil, there¡¯s a chance to nurture the flowers of hope.¡± The young shop owner¡¯s voice was unhurried, yet it was like a breeze dispersing the negative emotions in his heart. ¡°When you came before me, crossing this deste in of despair with a body covered in the mud of misfortune, you had already brought the best repayment¡ª¡± At this point, the shop owner reached out his hand.


    ¡°So, do you want to make a trade, possessor of misfortune?¡± In his open palmy an unremarkable flower seed. ¡°Use all of your despair and misfortune as payment, in exchange for a seed of hope and luck.¡±


    ****


    The moment the flower seed fell into his hand, the ck sludge entwining his body rushed eagerly towards his palm. Leiyin watched as the unremarkable seed quickly germinated, sprouted, and bloomed in the sludge.


    A snow-white flower blossomed in the darkness, seemingly flickering with the radiance of wless hope. This light gradually filled Leiyin¡¯s entire vision, making his soul tremble.


    Thump, thump, thump.


    He seemed to hear his own heartbeat.


    ¡°Resuscitation failed, test subject confirmed dead¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wait, there¡¯s still hope! The heartbeat has returned!¡±


    ¡°Third round of experiments passed, begin recording data changes¡­¡±


    The light of the incandescentmp spread before his eyes again, and blurry white figures swayed back and forth on his retina.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m alive?¡±


    As this thought appeared, Leiyin recalled the dreamlike experience on the brink of death. His heart, which had been filled with despair and numbness, trembled with incredulity.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a dream¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Great deity!¡±


    That ¡®Wish Granter¡¯ who helped him survive must be a great deity! If it¡¯s a great deity, surely he can¡­


    ¡°I can definitely leave this ce!¡±


    Leiyin closed his eyes, hiding the overly fervent light within them.


    Hope¡­


    After three days in this white hell, this word appeared in his heart for the first time. So devout, so certain.


    Along with this elevated emotion, Leiyin felt as if the blood in his body was boiling. Beneath his muscles, an invisible force seemed to be transforming from a stream into a river, about to burst forth. His heart began to beat heavily.


    He heard the familiar voice of wild joy¡ª


    ¡°The experiment seeded! The test subject¡¯s physical data is continuously climbing, already surpassing the limits of ordinary people¡­ Wait, the data changes are exceeding expectations, it might¡­¡±


    Just then, theboratory¡¯s fluorescent tubes made a hissing sound.


    Subsequently, the entireboratory was enveloped in darkness.


    Amotion arose in the darkness.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? How did theb suddenly lose power¡­¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s the backup power? Why hasn¡¯t it activated¡­¡±


    ¡°Damn it, my experiment was all for nothing!¡±


    The consequences of the power outage threw theboratory into chaos. Some people were searching for the cause, some were trying to salvage the copsed experiment, others were checking the equipment. Shadows moved back and forth everywhere.


    ¡°Crack¡ª¡±


    Amidst the mor, a strange sound was mixed in.


    In the darkness, it seemed as if a fierce beast had broken free from its chains.


    The surging blood burned like mes in his veins, a certain power spreading throughout his body with each heartbeat. Apanied by several brutal snapping sounds, the special metal rings restraining Leiyin¡¯s wrists and ankles were directly torn apart by a terrifying force. He forcefully pulled with both hands, simrly ripping apart the restraining bands around his body.


    Leiyin leapt up from the operating table!


    His eyes, burning with anger, seemed to glow in the darkness.


    <em>Whoosh!</em>


    Torrential rain poured down, like a flood cascading from the sky to the earth. Amidst the sound of the downpour, rumbling thunder resounded. Silver-white lightning, like a de of light shing across the sky, suddenly pierced through the curtain of rain.


    The light of the lightning illuminated the wide-open gates of the research facility.


    It also illuminated a figure sprinting out wildly.


    And close behind him, nearly a hundred fully armed soldiers.


    A sudden thunderstorm struck the imperial capital of the Chenxing Empire, unexpectedly causing a power outage at the suburban research facility.


    This kind of ident should have been impossible at a top-secret national research facility.


    Yet this once-in-a-decade mishap had urred.


    At that very moment, in theboratory, the test subject who should have died from a failed experiment miraculously survived. It seemed he had stumbled upon the 0.01% chance of sess.


    Coincidentally, it was just 5 PM, the time when the soldiers responsible for the facility¡¯s security were changing shifts ¨C the moment when the entire research center¡¯s security was at its weakest.


    The two and a half minutes from the power outage to its restoration were enough for this test subject, who appeared to have undergone an astonishing transformation from the experiment, to push open theboratory doors and escape the facility amidst the chaos.


    A series of ¡°coincidences¡± had forged his luck.


    The darkboratory grew increasingly distant behind him.


    Leiyin ran towards the light, heedless of all else.<hr>


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 Chapter 94

    Chapter 94


    Over the past 25 years of his life, Leiyin had always been an ordinary person.


    He came from an ordinary family, had ordinary grades in school, attended an ordinary university, and after graduation only found an ordinary job as an ordinary intern reporter at an ordinary newspaper.


    He lived like any other ordinary person under society¡¯s order, maintaining that order while being maintained by it.


    Until six months ago, when his parents died unexpectedly in a car ident. Leiyin made the first decision of his life that didn¡¯t conform to what most ordinary people would do ¨C he impulsively quit the job he had just been made permanent in, left his hometown alone, and departed from his native country. With his meager savings, he embarked on a journey to foreignnds.


    After traveling abroad to clear his mind, his savings were nearly exhausted. Just as Leiyin was preparing to return home and continue being a wage ve, on the first day he arrived at his nned final tourist destination in the Ind Alliance, an ident urred.


    The spiritual veins of the Five Domains trembled, causing a surge of spiritual energy. Hundreds of people around the world disappeared, and he became one of the missing.


    It was hard to say whether this ident was fortunate or unfortunate.


    After being swept into the mysterious Sword Realm, hended in a hidden vige. Not encountering any ¡°fellow Blue Star natives¡±, Leiyin naturally assumed he had identally crossed over to another world, just like the protagonists in those web novels.


    However, without any protagonist¡¯s halo, he happened to cross over to a world with a cultural background simr to the East. His simr hair color meant Leiyin wasn¡¯t immediately rejected, but his distinctly blue eyes made it difficult for him to gain eptance from the local residents. It was a challenging start from the beginning.After experiencing a dreamlike ¡°three years¡±, Leiyin finally put down roots in this vige. His diligence and willingness to work hard impressed a powerful martial artist, who took him on as a disciple.


    At this point, he was finally fortunate enough to learn about this world¡¯s unique extraordinary power and stepped into the threshold of martial arts cultivation.


    From the moment he learned about the existence of martial arts, Leiyin, who had thought of himself as ordinary, developed an extreme sense of crisis. To him, the martial arts experts walking around everywhere in this world were like dangerous individuals constantly carrying loaded guns with the safety off. Who knew if he, a fragile ordinary person, might offend some powerful martial artist with a careless word, or just happen to pass by when two martial artists started fighting, and end up dead on the spot?


    Feeling the danger of this other world, Leiyin, who had crossed over, was determined not to leave the vige until he had learned good martial arts. Thus, he stayed low in the vige for three years.


    After all, without family or friends, he didn¡¯t miss his original world much. Being able to start a new life in a new world was perhaps a good thing for him.


    Until one night, he woke up startled from his sleep and saw everything around him dissipate like a dream.


    He ran out of the house, and the world within his sight was like a pencil drawing being erased. The familiar houses, the familiar vige, the familiar vigers, and that stern-faced teacher were all easily erased. They only had time to reveal a final bewildered smile, as if understanding something in theirst moments of disappearance.


    Facing the torn night sky, bathed in the infinite light shining through the cracks, Leiyin stood dazed on the spot.


    He had no idea what had happened, nor did he know whether he was crying orughing at that moment. He only knew that when he came to his senses, he had returned to the ce where he had crossed over.


    ¨COn a remote ind in the Ind Alliance.


    The moment before he was enveloped by the mist and transported, he had been sitting on a rock by the beach, contemting life.


    When he reappeared on the now-deserted beach, breathing in the salty sea air, Leiyin¡¯s emotions were suddenly veryplex.


    He was back¡­


    But the family he had finally regained was lost again in a single night. Once more, he was alone.


    Leiyin fell into a deep depression, nearly sumbing to itpletely.


    In his poor mental state, he returned to his home in the Chenxing Empire.


    Perhaps because his decision to go to that remote ind to contemte life had been spontaneous, with virtually no social connections, no friends or rtives had reported him missing when he disappeared. As a result, he had never even made it onto any country¡¯s list of missing persons.


    Therefore, Leiyin¡¯s return from his normal overseas trip didn¡¯t attract any attention.


    In his depressed state, he couldn¡¯t spare any energy to notice the changes in the outside world, spending his days shut in at home. To outsiders, it seemed he was still unable to move past his parents¡¯ deaths.


    By the time Leiyin finally adjusted his mood, he discovered that in just a few months, the entire world had changed!


    The revival of spiritual energy, the return of the Lord of the Heavenly Capital, even the neighboring country had begun to fully promote martial arts¡­ Despite being one of those who had ¡°transmigrated,¡± he ended up learning the truth about the ¡°transmigrating¡± just like many ordinary people. He hadn¡¯t even managed to participate in events like #SeekingTheHeavenlyCapital,WitnessingTheReturnOfTheLord#. Was he the real loser here?


    However, perhaps because of this, he had sessfully been overlooked by the authorities, bing an unregistered martial arts practitioner?


    ¨CThe fact that the Empire seemed to be controlling martial arts practitioners was something he learned from his new friend Matthews, a car ident survivor whom Leiyin had identally rescued. Matthews was incredibly passionate about martial arts.


    Through Matthews, Leiyin gained ess to the Extraordinary Forum. He learned that the ¡°transmigrators¡± in the Chenxing Empire had all gone silent after returning, unlike their counterparts in neighboring countries who were active online. It was suspected that the Empire¡¯s upper echelons had ordered them to keep quiet or ced them under special control.


    ¨CThis made him extremely cautious!


    However, despite Leiyin¡¯s careful efforts to conceal his ¡°trangmigrator¡± secret and his identity as a martial arts practitioner, living in an information age where personal information was difficult to keep 100% confidential, his secret was somehow exposed to the vast empire without his knowledge.


    Even when he woke up to see the ceiling of theboratory, he didn¡¯t know how he had been exposed or captured.


    The nightmare began at that moment.


    From the fragments of conversation among the experimental staff, Leiyin learned that this research institute was likely conducting some kind of human evolution experiment. Martial arts practitioners like him, whose physical data differed from ordinary people, were viewed as half-finished samples that had already begun to evolve. Whether for extracting blood and cells as experimental materials to inspire researchers, or as subjects for further enhancement experiments, they were considered highly valuable.


    While he wasn¡¯t the only one chosen for such purposes, many martial arts practitioners were on the ¡°missing persons¡± list and had returned under public scrutiny. Many eyes were still watching them, and if they suddenly ¡°disappeared¡± again, it could cause trouble.


    This made the research institute cautious about arbitrarily capturing people; at most, they would take blood samples under the guise of official check-ups.


    In contrast, Leiyin, a ¡°wild¡± martial arts practitioner with almost no social connections, could disappear suddenly without arousing any investigation.


    Therefore, most of the institute¡¯s test subjects were ordinary death row inmates from prisons, with very few martial arts practitioners. Those few had been secretly captured after careful selection by the institute.


    This also made them extremely precious in the eyes of the researchers, who couldn¡¯t afford to waste them carelessly.


    But this certainly didn¡¯t mean they were lucky.


    The longer one survives in hell, the more pain umtes!


    As these memories of the past few days involuntarily surfaced in his mind, Leiyin¡¯s body unconsciously trembled.


    From the moment he woke up here, every drop of his blood, every cell, every organ no longer belonged to him, but became tools for devils to y with.


    ¡ªBut now, all of that was over!


    The downpour washed over everything as gunshots rang out in the rain.


    Leiyin sprinted through the rain, his fists and feet like the coldest weapons in the world. Any obstacle blocking his path to freedom was mercilessly torn apart and destroyed.


    The sounds of violent collisions, agonized wails, bones breaking, and continuous gunfire erupted in session.


    Then, they turned into a bloodstain that even the heavy rain couldn¡¯t wash away.


    Huff¡­Huff..


    The free wind outside theboratory blew past Leiyin¡¯s face as the world in his vision was covered byrge patches of blood red.


    Who could have imagined that after breaking out of the underground research facility, he would be greeted by so many obviously military-trained armed soldiers? It seemed an entire unit was stationed nearby.


    The implications were chilling.


    This only fueled the fire of hatred in his heart.


    Rainwater mixed with blood dripped from his sleeves, which were also stained with unidentifiable human tissue fragments. The man, now dyed ck and red, stood in a pool of bloody mud, ring at everyone surrounding him with eyes that seemed capable of tearing everything apart.


    Surrounded at the center, clearly unarmed and covered in wounds, heughed madly in the pouring rain. Yet the heavily armed enemies around him were pale-faced with unfocused eyes. Every cautious step they took towards him seemed like a step into hell.


    ¡°¡­Devil!¡±


    He heard someone¡¯s trembling voice.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the ones who turned me into a devil?¡± Leiyin found it amusing, and he actuallyughed out loud. ¡°This terrifying body is thanks to you!¡±


    ¡°I really should repay you properly!¡±


    In his current condition, dealing with such an elite armed unit was still quite difficult. This was only because they had been avoiding his vital areas when shooting, aiming to capture rather than kill.


    More reinforcements could arrive at any moment.


    Leiyin¡¯s eyes darkened.


    Even if he couldn¡¯t escape in the end, he absolutely wouldn¡¯t let these bastards take him back. At worst, they would all die together!


    The only regret was¡­


    ¡­He might have to disappoint the divine one.


    Just as Leiyin was preparing for mutual destruction¡ª


    <em>Bang!</em>


    A gunshot rang out, and someone in the encirclement fell.


    Before the others could react.


    <em>Bang bang bang bang bang bang!</em>


    Continuous gunfire rose and fell like piano keys, mixing with the sound of the downpour to form a unique melody.


    ¡°Get down! Get down! There¡¯s a sniper!¡±


    Someone shouted, and everyone began to hit the ground or seek cover. Of course, even more of them fired back in the direction of the gunshots, trying to take out the sniper.


    In an instant, the scene descended into chaos.


    This research facility was built in the outskirts of the Chenxing Empire¡¯s capital, Star City, with no inhabitants for hundreds of meters around. On normal days, any stranger approaching would be immediately detected by hidden sentry posts or captured on surveince cameras.


    But now, in the heavy rain and shing lightning, visibility was greatly impaired. Their attempts at counter-sniping and searching yielded no results. Instead,rades would asionally fall, hit in the brain or heart by bullets from an unknown direction, while the enemy remained as elusive as a ghost¡­ In such a situation, even well-trained soldiers couldn¡¯t help but be psychologically shaken.


    Especially concerning was the escaped test subject who was also on a killing spree nearby, turning the surroundings into a scene of carnage. They had to be cautious not to fatally harm this subject.


    <em>Bang bang bang bang bang bang!</em>


    ¡°Ahahahaha¡­¡±


    The continuous gunfire, the maniacalughter of a test subject, the sttering blood and brain matter¡­ If anyone survived this, it would surely be a nightmare haunting them for the rest of their lives.


    Fortunately, reinforcements were about to arrive. The test subject also seemed to be swaying from injuries and exhaustion. The remaining people swarmed in¡ªafter all, capturing the test subject was their mission. Others were surrounding the sniper hidden in the shadows.


    Was it enough?


    ¡­ It should be enough.


    As an overwhelming fatigue washed over his mind, Leiyin was about to take himself out along with the people rushing towards him. Through his blood-stained vision, he seemed to glimpse a shadow flitting by in the heavy rain.


    A ck trench coat, a ck umbre¡ªlike a ghost of the rainy night, he instantly traversed an unknown distance. In a moment, he appeared before Leiyin. One handnded on Leiyin¡¯s shoulder while the other raised the pitch-ck umbre forward.


    <em>Bang¡ª</em>


    Leiyin suddenly woke up from his dream, abruptly sitting up straight.


    ¡°Hiss¡ª¡±


    This violent movement aggravated the wounds on his body that had not fully healed, causing even his facial muscles to twitch in pain.


    Bright light from outside the window shone on his face, apanied by that intoxicating scent of freedom.


    The horrific scenes from theboratory in his dream and the vast expanses of blood red seemed to silently fade away. He let out a soft sigh.


    No, that wasn¡¯t a dream!


    That was what had actually happened to him!


    Though only a day had passed, it felt like a lifetime ago.


    Leiyin looked at his body, now full of strength, and the bandages and gauze wrapped around various parts. He tugged at the corner of his mouth, his eyes turning terrifying for a moment.


    ¡°Are you alright, buddy?¡± Someone gently knocked on the door and entered with a breakfast tray, setting it down beside the bed. They reminded him, ¡°Hey, you¡¯re pretty badly injured, don¡¯t move around too much.¡±


    ¡°When Mr. K brought you here, I really didn¡¯t think someone with such severe injuries could survive. It¡¯s a miracle!¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 95

    Chapter 95


    ¡°Mr. K?¡±


    That name made Leiyin pause for a moment. Then he realized, a possible candidate popping into his mind. ¡°Ah, you mean¡­ that Skywalker?¡±


    ¡°Skywalker?¡± The other person was visibly stunned, then burst outughing, bending over and covering their mouth, gasping for air betweenughs. ¡°Hahaha, has that title spread so widely now?¡±


    ¡°?¡± Leiyin waspletely confused.


    In the past, he might have been at a loss or even apologized reflexively, thinking he had said something wrong. But now, without even realizing it himself, his personality had undergone a subtle transformation from the inside out.


    So, he just gave a cool nce and frankly expressed his confusion. ¡°Is there a problem with calling him that?¡±


    ¡°No, no, no problem at all. It¡¯s just that he himself doesn¡¯t really like being called that.¡± The person who had beenughing heartily seemed to finally catch their breath, straightening up bit by bit.


    They looked at Leiyin matter-of-factly and exined, ¡°It¡¯s probably like, having a viinous persona but being given a heroic title by people who don¡¯t know the truth. That kind of subtle difort, you know?¡±


    As they spoke, the smile on their face seemed uncontroble, the corners of their mouth stretching upwards to an exaggerated degree.Leiyin finally got a clear look at this person¡¯s true appearance.


    Dressed in a clean white coat, with neatlybed short dark brown hair, and a face that looked inherently reliable, appearing inside this clean and tidy clinic, they gave off the image of a serious, dependable, and responsible doctor.


    But their overly exaggerated smile, and the misty look in their dark brown eyes fromughing so hard, gradually chipped away at that serious and responsible image, turning it into something more frivolous and unreliable.


    Leiyin frowned instinctively, leaning back slightly. Although he forced himself to stop this movement the next second.


    But the other person noticed even this tiny detail. ¡°You seem to have some aversion to me? No, not me, is it the clothes I¡¯m wearing that¡¯s making you ufortable? Well, can¡¯t be helped, this identity happens to be a doctor after all.¡±


    Leiyin: ¡°¡­¡±


    Although he hadn¡¯t gotten a clear look at this person¡¯s face when he first woke up, he felt that their current demeanor was subtly different from the moment they first came in with breakfast.


    However, now was not the time to dwell on this.


    As someone who had just been rescued with severe injuries, Leiyin could still prioritize. He smoothly ignored the previousments and continued with the original topic: ¡°So, the person who saved mest night was this Mr. K?¡±


    ¡°Of course, who else would be so free to go out in the pouring rainte at night and wander near a top-secret national research institute?¡± The unnamed doctor replied with a smile. ¡°But it wasn¡¯tst night, it was three days ago. It¡¯s been exactly three days since you were rescued and brought here.¡±


    ¡°Three days?¡± Leiyin was stunned again.


    ¡°Yes, themotion you caused was quite significant. I think you¡¯ve probably guessed¡ªfor these three days, the news of the ¡®Attack on the Empire¡¯s First-ss Research Institute¡¯ has been buzzing everywhere.¡±


    As he spoke, the doctor grabbed the remote from the bedside table and turned on the TV on the opposite wall with a click.


    ¡°¡­Now, you can see rted news on any TV channel. Perhaps watching it firsthand will give you a deeper impression?¡±


    Leiyin¡¯s eyebrows furrowed tightly.


    From the TV screen, the voice of a news anchor floated out¡ª


    ¡°On the night of the 26th, the N-277 National First-ss Research Base in the outskirts of the Empire¡¯s capital, Silver Capital, was attacked. An unidentified group of armed individuals broke into the research base, engaging in intense gunfire with the base¡¯s security forces, resulting in 7 research staff deaths, 47 soldiers killed in action, and 51 injured¡­¡±


    ¡°This was a premeditated terrorist attack! It¡¯s a provocation against the Empire! The Empire will never tolerate such criminal acts!¡±


    ¡°ording to Dr. Wein, the head of Research Base N-277, it is also one of the Empire¡¯s research bases for the ¡®Human Gic Enhancement¡¯ project. Over the past twenty years, it has achieved numerous significant research results, making great contributions in the field of conquering intractable diseases. Recently, it has even obtained new research results, providing an extremely favorable experimental direction for the ¡®Human Gic Enhancement¡¯ project¡­¡±


    ¡°This sudden terrorist attack was likely aimed at stealing thetest research results from Research Base N-277, dying the sess of the ¡®Human Gic Enhancement¡¯ project. They are attempting to destroy the future of the Chenxing Empire¡­¡±


    ¡°The attack on Research Base N-277 is a provocation against the entire Chenxing Empire. Dr. Wells, the overall head of the ¡®Human Gic Enhancement¡¯ project, stated that they are engaged in a great cause beneficial to all humanity, for the enhancement of all mankind. No matter what despicable means the enemy uses, they are doomed to fail¡­¡±


    ¡°Terrorist attack? A great cause beneficial to all humanity¡­¡± Leiyin mumbled, repeating their words. His body trembled and hunched over, his lowered face almost touching the nket covering him. Word by word, he spoke through gritted teeth, ¡°Ha! They really can say such things!¡±


    ¡°¡ªThese bastards spewing bullshit!¡±


    His body seemed to tremble with excessive anger, making his suppressed voice sound like it contained a volcano about to erupt. Leiyin¡¯s bent back straightened again, his lowered head slowly lifting, a pair of eyes burning with anger staring directly at the TV screen on the opposite wall.


    But his voice gradually regained its calm.


    He spoke in an icy, emotionless tone. ¡°¡­To be able to say such things, I really underestimated their shamelessness in the past. Perhaps this is what politicians are like.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s a scary look, buddy!¡± The other person in the room let out a slightly exaggerated exmation. The doctor reminded him in a teasing voice, ¡°You¡¯d better hide that when you go out. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be reported as a wanted fugitive the moment you step out of the clinic.¡±


    ¡°¡­And I¡¯d be an unscrupulous ck market doctor harboring a wanted criminal.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like thatst part is what you¡¯re really concerned about?¡± Leiyin, havingpletely suppressed his emotions, tried to joke back in the same tone. ¡°What great sympathy, doctor.¡±


    He half-reclined on the bed, covered with ayer of snow-white nket. Almost all exposed parts of his body were wrapped in bandages, including his face. Only a pair of eyes with a faint blue glow peeked out from the gaps in the bandages, with barely perceptible vignce and wariness in their depths. Like a wild beast rescued by humans in the wilderness, even with all its wounds bandaged, it was still hard to trust humans easily.


    Leiyinughed self-mockingly. ¡°If I leave now, even if I¡¯m not reported as a wanted criminal, I¡¯ll be caught by the empire¡¯s ubiquitous surveince system and arrested as a member involved in terrorist attacks. At that point, I suppose no one would care if I ended up on an experiment table with full justification.¡±


    If the empire¡¯s news and public opinion had maintained the same nt on TV for the past three days, reversing the roles of victims and perpetrators, Leiyin could guess without checking his phone how many angryments cursing terrorists were online now. In the past, he might have been one of them.


    But after experiencing so much, the imperial government had lost all credibility in Leiyin¡¯s eyes. It was utter garbage!


    As a direct participant in this incident, the vast difference between reality and the news was enough to make Leiyin question how many events hidden in darkness had urred in his past twenty-plus years of life in this empire, only to be covered up by lies like ¡°terrorist attacks¡± in the end. And how many times had the empire¡¯s ordinary citizens been misled and deceived like they were now?


    Did truth, justice, and righteousness still exist in this country? These intangible things seemed so elusive.


    He had reason to believe that if themotion that night hadn¡¯t been too big to cover up perfectly, there wouldn¡¯t even be news reports of terrorist attacks on TV now. Everything would have passed without a ripple, and no one would know that a bloody battle had taken ce in the suburbs of Silver Capital.


    And he would be secretly arrested in the near future, losing his freedom once again, lying on a cold experiment table.


    After living as a good citizen for nearly thirty years, Leiyin¡¯s trust in this country waspletely shattered.


    In less than half a year, his world had been repeatedly shattered and reassembled, then shattered and reassembled again.


    First, he was forced to ept the sudden death of his parents, bing a lonely ind in this world, dazed and directionless. Then he unexpectedly gained a mysterious encounter, bing one of those with mystical powers, and regained loved ones and friends, starting a new life¡­ But just when his life seemed to be getting back on track and he thought he had found happiness again, everything vanished like a dream bubble. He not only lost the loved ones and friends he briefly had, but also lost his own freedom, bing a pitiful prisoner, a mouse in a cage.


    Having finally escaped, he faced the truly dark side of this country on a blood-red rainy night.


    Behind that underground research facility was the Chenxing Empire.


    The hell that shattered his dignity and freedom as a human being, attempting to strip him of everything, was created by the empire that was supposed to protect him. Even though he had temporarily escaped, they wouldn¡¯t let him go.


    Whether it was due to their relentless pursuit, for the purpose of self-protection, or to vent the anger in his heart that had nowhere else to go, out of the most basic desire for revenge, he had to do this. For the rest of his life, he must be an enemy of this vast empire.


    This was something that could make one feel desperate.


    Even though he now possessed power beyond ordinary humans, how could he, in his weakness, stand against an empire? This wasn¡¯t some childish novel where a few words could make it happen.


    Because his enemy was a country constructed by countless people, one of the most powerful countries on this.


    Even now, when he had seemingly been rescued by a mysterious extraordinary known as the ¡°Skywalker,¡± who likely had a special organization behind them ¨C an organization powerful enough to help him avoid the Chenxing Empire¡¯s first wave of arrests, allowing him to temporarily not worry about his safety ¨C hope was still dim. Leiyin could only see darkness ahead.


    Unless¡­


    ¡°Can I join you?¡±


    The man on the hospital bed raised his head after a brief silence.


    ¡°Or rather, what do I need to do to join you?¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 96

    Chapter 96


    ¡°Has the person not been caught yet?¡±


    At the tenth floor of the Central Building in the Silver Capital of the Chenxing Empire, a special meeting was taking ce. Participants included representatives from the royal family, cab, and parliament. Also present were the renowned Dr. Wells and Chandler, the director of the newly established ¡°Special Affairs Management Bureau.¡±


    In the midst of silence, Dr. Wells, known for hisck of tact, hastily spoke up. ¡°It¡¯s been three days already. How have they not captured him yet? This test subject is extremely important. He¡¯s the only sessful subject of the Transcendence Project so far. We absolutely cannot allow him to roam free or fall into the hands of other countries.¡±


    ¡°Rest assured, we¡¯ve covered up the details of this incident with the ¡®terrorist attack¡¯ story. Even our own people believe they¡¯re just hunting terrorists. Foreign intelligence agents won¡¯t learn the truth so quickly, unless someone among us betrays the empire.¡± The speaker¡¯s gaze swept across the room as he gently tapped the table. ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone here is that foolish.¡±


    The so-called ¡°Transcendence Project¡± had begun over a decade ago. Its main objectives were to promote human gic evolution, break through the limitations of natural lifespan, and cultivate so-called super soldiers.


    However, progress had been slow over the past few years. Even the imperial higher-ups who initially championed the project had grown increasingly indifferent. In the past two years, research funding had dwindled pitifully. If it weren¡¯t for Dr. Wells¡¯s unwaveringmitment, the project would likely have been terminated long ago.


    Until the resurgence of spiritual energy, the Transcendence Project finally saw a turning point.


    Dr. Wells, who had invested over a decade in this project and seemed almost manic in his devotion, actually managed to produce some results that gave the imperial leadership hope.


    Moreover, with the Yao Country actively promoting martial arts, the Chenxing Empire couldn¡¯t sit idly by. Thus, the Transcendence Project, which aligned more closely with the Chenxing Empire¡¯s approach, became their choice.Despite this, not everyone was in agreement. Among the leadership, there were supporters, opponents, and neutrals, each holding significant sway.


    The opposition hadpelling reasons ¨C martial arts, as an extraordinary system developed over hundreds of years, had been perfected through countless experiences and was already quite mature. The Transcendence Project, on the other hand, was entirely new. They were pioneers on this path, and no one knew if it would seed or how far it could go. Why abandon a proven path to ze apletely unknown trail? It was like gambling the empire¡¯s fate!


    Therefore, the Transcendence Project faced considerable resistance. Even though Dr. Wells was now being highly praised, he was actually just being pushed to the forefront by the leadership deliberately.


    If the Transcendence Project failed and couldn¡¯t deliver on the promises made to the imperial citizens, this ¡°genius scientist¡± who had been put on a pedestal would likely be the first to be sacrificed.


    As for the martial arts system, although the Chenxing Empire seemed to disregard it, they had long been secretly training martial artists. They simply didn¡¯t want extraordinary powers to spread among themon people.


    This was the empire¡¯s way of hedging their bets. As the opposition put it, just in case the Transcendence Project didn¡¯t work out, they wouldn¡¯t bepletely overwhelmed by other countries in the age of the extraordinary, thanks to their secretly trained martial artists.


    Until the appearance of Leiyin, the sessful test subject!


    His emergence proved that the Transcendence Project wasn¡¯t just a pipe dream, but a genuinely achievable endeavor.


    Compared to martial arts, which originated from Eastern culture and became uncontroble once the techniques spread, the Transcendence Project not only aligned more closely with the Chenxing Empire¡¯s technological civilization and ideological concepts, but more importantly, its source was in the hands of the imperial leadership. They could decide who would be extraordinary.


    ¨CThis was undoubtedly the best choice for them!


    The meeting hadsted a full two hours. The royal family, cab, parliament, opposition, supporters, and neutrals all argued fiercely, each pushing for their own interests. Despite the back-and-forth, on the matter of the Transcendence Project, ignoring the few ineffective opponents, most people finally reached a consensus¨C


    To fully support the expansion of the Transcendence Project.


    This included capturing the only sessful test subject who had escaped.


    ¨CScientific research involves chance. The emergence of one sessful case doesn¡¯t mean it can be replicated on arge scale. They hadn¡¯t yet been able to replicate a second sess. Therefore, they had to first capture that identally sessful case to study the necessary factors for experimental sess.


    ¡°Your Highness Fina, what¡¯s the result?¡±


    Emerging from the stuffy atmosphere of the meeting, Princess Fina Andre, the youngest daughter of Emperor Andre II and the eleventh princess of the Chenxing Empire, let out an almost imperceptible sigh.


    The approaching aide immediately took the documents from her hand and spoke in a low, unnoticeable voice.


    ¡°It didn¡¯t go well,¡± the princess, the only one among her sisters to gain political participation rights, shook her head. ¡°Not only did we fail to stop the cruel human experiments, but the Transcendence Project also sessfully gained support from the royal family, cab, and parliament. I think this project will receive even more experimental resources in the future.¡±


    Her tone became grave. ¡°Such an anti-human experiment shouldn¡¯t exist at all-¡±


    As someone seemed to pass by, the princess stopped speaking at her aide¡¯s prompt. After a moment¡¯s thought, she had another idea. ¡°Although we can¡¯t stop the progress of the Transcendence Project, as long as that sessful test subject doesn¡¯t fall into Wells¡¯ hands, we can at least dy it for a while. Maybe this sess was just a fluke. If there¡¯s no progress after a long time, perhaps Father and the others will choose to give up.¡±


    She gave a low order. ¡°¡­Have our people ¡®help out¡¯ a bit with the capture of the terrorists, but don¡¯t draw attention.¡±


    As for whether it was positive or negative help¡­


    ¡°Understood,¡± the aide responded quietly.


    ¡°That person¡­ his name is Leiyin, right¡­¡±


    ****


    Leiyin was still unaware that his name had reached the desks of the imperial leadership. He was currently striving to join an underground organization.


    ¡°You want to join us?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Leiyin looked at the doctor in front of him earnestly. ¡°Mr. K saving me at least shows that I have some value to you, right?¡±


    The other party neither confirmed nor denied, but smiled and said, ¡°You might have misunderstood. K saved you simply because he wanted to. Just as if he had chosen to stand on the other side and kill you at that time, I wouldn¡¯t have been surprised.¡±


    Leiyin was stunned.


    Just as Leiyin thought he was being rejected, the unnamed doctor suddenly changed his tone.


    ¡°Of course, you¡¯re right too. In this world, there¡¯s no one without value. It¡¯s just a matter of how much value they have.¡±


    He wagged his index finger.


    ¡°If the value is sufficient, not only can we ept you into the organization, but we can even help you seek revenge, no problem.¡±


    Through the waving finger, Leiyin saw a shadowy gloom seeming to spread in those deep brown eyes. ¡°So, the question now is, what price are you willing to pay?¡±


    ****


    Leiyin regained his mobility on the third day after waking up, although this recovery speed was already abnormally fast.


    It wasn¡¯t until he limped to the window of the clinic with a crutch and saw the deep, winding alleys outside that he vaguely recognized where he was. ¡°¡­King District?¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t this supposed to be the Cleaner¡¯s territory?¡±


    Even as a former ordinary person, he had vaguely heard rumors about gang fights in the King District, with the Cleaner emerging as the final victor.


    ¡°That¡¯s because the Cleaner has long since be a member of the Shadow Council,¡± another voice answered him.


    Leiyin was startled and turned around warily.


    He saw arge, burly man who looked like a brown bear wrapped in a suit, even in formal attire.


    ¡°Just call me Joe, buddy,¡± the man lit a cigarette and sat down in the chair by the bed. ¡°No need to be so tense, everything is under the Shadow¡¯s control.¡±


    Leiyin seemed to rx. ¡°So it¡¯s you. The doctor mentioned your name. I¡¯ll be troubling you for the next while.¡± After joining this mysterious underground organization, he had learned that it was called the Shadow Council and supposedly had quite a few extraordinary members.


    ording to the doctor who had disappeared after the first day, the clinic he was in was under the influence of a member named Joey. Which meant¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re the leader of the Cleaner?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Joe admitted frankly. His gaze towards Leiyin was somewhat special, but without malice, rather friendly. ¡°You¡¯re the neer the doctor brought into the organization?¡±


    ¡°I suppose so¡­¡±


    In fact, he wasn¡¯t sure what the doctor¡¯s deal was. It felt like after that conversation, the doctor had reverted to his initial state, as if he had be a different person.


    With both of them willing to get acquainted, the two soon fell into animated conversation. Leiyin took the opportunity to learn from this senior about the basic knowledge of the Shadow Council and the underworld.


    As the topic deepened, Leiyin casually asked, ¡°By the way, can you tell me about our mysterious president? I still don¡¯t know what kind of person the president is.¡±


    ¡°President?¡± Joe was taken aback by the question.


    He shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Leiyin was surprised. No matter how mysterious the leader of the Shadow Council might be, surely that was only towards outsiders? It couldn¡¯t be that even members were in the dark.


    ¡°You¡¯re not worried I might go and inform on you, are you?¡± Leiyin joked, raising his bandaged left hand. ¡°We¡¯re on the same side now. As a member of Shadow, I can neither escape with my bandaged leg to inform, nor can I inform the empire. Moreover, with my identity, if I were to inform, I¡¯d be the first one arrested!¡±


    Joeughed along. ¡°I believe that. If you were to inform, you¡¯d be sacrificing yourself for the empire¡¯s sake. You¡¯d definitely deserve the empire¡¯s Purple Violet Medal ¨C I¡¯d even vote for you!¡±


    The Purple Violet Medal he mentioned was the Chenxing Empire¡¯s highest honor, only given to those who made significant contributions or had a major impact on the empire.


    After the joke, Joe changed his tone. ¡°But I really don¡¯t know the answer you¡¯re looking for.¡± He shrugged helplessly. ¡°In fact, you might not believe it, but our mysterious president exists only in legend for me. I¡¯ve only seen him once from afar recently through some incredibly miraculous means. I couldn¡¯t even make out his age or appearance.¡±


    He was referring to the time when the Puppet Master card manifested, pulling many Shadow Council members into the Shadow Realm.


    That incredibly miraculous experience had filled every Shadow Council member with confidence in their organization, as their president possessed mysterious powers beyond imagination. They were simply notparable to ordinary underground organizations.


    Hearing the sincerity in Joe¡¯s words, Leiyin didn¡¯t press further. He truly had no ulterior motives, only an urgent desire to climb higher in the Shadow Council and gain the power for revenge.


    He didn¡¯t pursue the topic, but sighed regretfully. ¡°I¡¯m just so curious. To be able to establish such an unfathomable extraordinary organization as the Shadow Council, eluding the empire¡¯s eyes and ears, and even having someone as formidable as Mr. K submit to hismand¡­¡±


    ¡°Submit? That¡¯s not a very funny joke.¡±


    Another voice interrupted Leiyin¡¯s musings.


    Leiyin turned his head towards the voice and saw a familiar figure entering through the door. Joe, who had been sitting beside him moments ago, quickly stood up, bowing his head respectfully and speaking with unprecedented gentleness. ¡°Good afternoon, Mr. K. As soon as Leiyin was brought here, we immediately arranged for surgery. Given his recovery rate, he should be fully healed in about a week.¡±


    Leiyin even sensed a hint of fear from him, as if he was deeply afraid of the man before them.


    However, this attitude wasn¡¯t surprising.


    Leiyin¡¯s astonished gaze fell on the man, from his ck long coat to his shoulder-length light blonde hair, to his deep green eyes as gentle as ake.


    Who could have imagined that this elegant man, reminiscent of a painter or pianist at first nce, was actually a cold-blooded killer wanted by two countries? In the presence of such a ruthless figure, who wouldn¡¯t maintain respect and feel fear from the depths of their heart?


    Even Joe, the once-renowned leader of the ¡°Cleaner¡± gang in King District, was no exception.


    Before a criminal like K, a mere gang leader like the Cleaner was as helpless as a wild duck facing a vulture.


    ¡°This has nothing to do with me,¡± K¡¯s gaze towards Leiyin was like examining some novel toy, though his tone was gentle and elegant. ¡°Now, he¡¯s someone personally chosen by the president.¡±


    For some reason, Leiyin felt he detected a hint of sarcasm, but then thought it must be his imagination.


    ¡°Chosen by the president?¡± Leiyin looked bewildered.


    ¡°Yes, haven¡¯t you met him? That president you admire and think about so much,¡± K¡¯s eyes held a strange gleam. ¡°Someone who only hides in the shadows, never knowing when he¡¯ll appear to whom.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the one who chose you, seemingly believing you could be a suitable candidate for one of the pirs.¡±


    Leiyin¡¯s mind shed to the image of the ¡°doctor,¡± recalling his inconsistent demeanor and words.


    But¡­


    ¡°What are these pirs?¡±


    ¡­Why were the questions piling up?


    ¡°That¡¯s not something a neer needs to know right now,¡± K showed no intention of answering the question. He seemed to have achieved his purpose just by seeing Leiyin and was preparing to leave. ¡°I was just curious about what qualities made you be chosen. May I ask how you joined this organization?¡±


    This was something Leiyin himself didn¡¯t know. Many thoughts shed through his mind before he answered honestly.


    ¡°That doctor asked me what price I was willing to pay to join the organization and even seek revenge. I just answered him¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m willing to give everything, including my life and loyalty.¡±


    K smiled slightly. ¡°Interesting. Looking for a mad dog with amoner¡¯s courage? It¡¯s quite fitting.¡±


    His deep green eyes seemed to ripple with light.


    ¡°In that case, if you want revenge, perhaps I can offer you a bit of advice.¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 97

    Chapter 97


    ¡°Is this the ¡®Transcendence Serum¡¯ that achieved great sess on that escaped test subject?¡±


    At the N-277 Research Facility in the Chenxing Empire.


    Just days after the meeting to strongly promote the Transcendence Project, this underground research facility weed several distinguished guests.


    Those behind them represented the royal family, cab, and parliament ¨C these three forces united unprecedentedly, symbolizing the will of the entire upper echelon of the Chenxing Empire.


    Dr. Wells, the person in charge of the Transcendence Project, apanied them.


    The sudden arrival of this team both surprised and delighted Alvin, the facility¡¯s director.


    Given his position, he wasn¡¯t qualified to participate in high-level meetings. In his view, it was clear that Leiyin¡¯s terrifying achievements had thoroughly shaken those big shots behind the research institute. The long-neglected ¡°Transcendence Project¡± was finally about to take off.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, this is it! This is just Transcendence Serum No. 1. As a product of the Transcendence Project, it can elevate an ordinary person¡¯s potential in various aspects to the limit in a short time,parable to the results of over ten years of normal martial arts training. If used by a practitioner who already has a foundation in martial arts, it can have an even greater effect¡­¡±


    Gazing at the deep purple test tube twisting with crystalline brilliance under the light, Alvin¡¯s eyes softened incredibly.The facility director added with a tone of regret. ¡°Unfortunately, the only sessful test subject escaped during an idental power outage at the research institute. Due to the power failure, the institute¡¯s surveince didn¡¯t manage to record his incredible performance ¨C but the traces he left behind are the best evidence. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve all witnessed it. To say it was like a king of beasts running out of the forest would be an understatement ¨C it was more like a humanoid fierce beast. That¡¯s the terrifying power of the Transcendence Serum!¡±


    At this point, the others¡¯ expressions changed slightly, seeming quite apprehensive.


    Although many present hadn¡¯t been at the scene, they couldn¡¯t help but feel a deep, indescribable chill from the core of their being when they saw the photos and videos of the blood and flesh quagmire filled with fresh blood and shredded flesh that wereter handed to them.


    This was also one of the important reasons why the empire¡¯s upper echelons were willing to ce their hopes on the Transcendence Project.


    They were thus sent as supervisors for this project, to monitor the experimental progress, judge its prospects, and help the project team apply for necessary resources from the higher-ups when needed.


    Barring any unexpected issues, if the ¡°Transcendence Serum¡± proved sessful, it would soon be used on those in the empire¡¯s upper echelons as well. It would allow them to gain powerful bodies and longevity without having to go through arduous martial arts training.


    Especially for the older members of the upper echelons, martial arts cultivation methods were too difficult. The Transcendence Project was undoubtedly a shortcut.


    Given this, it wasn¡¯t excessive for these people to attach such importance to it.


    Knowing that these supervisors were key figures in obtaining research resources from the ¡°sugar daddies,¡± Alvin enthusiastically praised every aspect of the Transcendence Serum. Combining it with themotion caused by Leiyin, he fervently incited.


    ¡°¡­Although we¡¯ve paid the price with injuries and deaths of many excellent members, the prospects demonstrated by the Transcendence Serum on Test Subject R are undoubtedly full of surprises. Everything we¡¯ve invested so far has been worth it!¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± someone from the team of supervisors calmly questioned. ¡°But from what I see, the current Transcendence Serum is far from achieving the expected effects, or rather, there seem to be significant problems. Up until now, besides the one previous sess, we haven¡¯t seen a second sessful experiment¡­¡±


    As he spoke, the person casually pointed forward, ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re conducting your current experiment, right?¡±


    At this moment, everyone was in a special conference room in the underground research facility. The direction the speaker pointed to was a transparent wall, simr to one-way ss, allowing those in the conference room a clear view of everything in the adjacentboratory.


    In the neighboringb, an experiment was in progress. The deep purple liquid held by the white-coated researcher was the legendary ¡°Transcendence Serum.¡±


    On the experiment table before themy a death row inmate secretly transferred from prison by the research institute.


    In the conference room, everyone was reviewing the experimental data Alvin had provided, listening to him describe the prospects of the Transcendence Project with fervent enthusiasm while silently observing the experiment next door.


    ¡°After injecting the Transcendence Serum, based on experience, we usually have to wait about forty minutes to see results¡­¡±


    As the purple liquid was pushed into the test subject¡¯s veins, Alvin exined the relevant principles inyman¡¯s terms, not forgetting to defend. ¡°Although so far only Experiment R has sessfully passed the test, with the first case, there will eventually be a second. The Transcendence Project has gathered elites from across the empire. With sessful experience, everyone will surely quickly figure out the key¡­¡±


    Before he could finish, someone next to him involuntarily stood up, staring at the adjacentboratory with a slightly pale face.


    Alvin paused, turning his gaze to this uninvited VIP mixed in with the supervisory team. ¡°Your Highness Fina?¡±


    Seemingly unaware of her impropriety, the girl who had just stood up involuntarily took a deep breath. She pointed at the neighboringboratory. ¡°It seems there¡¯s a problem with the experiment¡­¡±


    Following the direction of her finger, the test subject who had been lying quietly on the experimental table was now struggling frantically. On his exposed body, blood vessels and tendons were bulging, as if worms were writhing crazily under the skin.


    The person¡¯s limbs were convulsing, visible white steam was evaporating from his body, and his features were contorted. He seemed to be screaming ¨C but due to the excellent soundproofing, nothing could be heard on this side.


    However, the painful struggle was visible to the naked eye.


    Alvin only nced once before looking away. He exined with a smile. ¡°Your Highness needn¡¯t worry, this is normal. The current Transcendence Serum No. 1 has a bit of a difficult process after injection, we¡¯re still working on improving this aspect.¡±


    ¡°¡­But, it looks like he¡¯s about to give out?¡±


    ¡°So far, only Test Subject R has made it through the final round. This subject has already held on quite well to reach this point,¡± Alvin¡¯s tone held a strange sense of satisfaction, ¡°This shows that in just a few days, our Transcendence Serum No. 1 has improved considerably.¡±


    ¡°???¡±


    <em>Is this what I meant to express?</em>


    Fina was momentarily speechless.


    Although the well-soundproofed wall blocked all sounds from next door, she still felt as if those agonized screams were continuously reaching her ears.


    The strong difort and pity she felt seeing a fellow human being ced on an experimental table made the imperial princess unable to hold back. ¡°No, what I mean is, don¡¯t you think human experimentation is too¡ª¡±


    ¡°Your Highness!¡± someone interrupted her unfinished words, reminding her in a calm voice, ¡°If you recall, His Majesty agreed to let you visit the research institute, but also said you were merely an observer, without any right to give suggestions or speak out.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ I understand.¡± Fina opened her mouth, then reluctantly closed it under the other¡¯s stern gaze.


    She knew very well that no matter how passionately she criticized, nothing in the research institute would change in the slightest.


    She had tried simr attempts before, not only failing but almost being pushed to the margins of power as a naive little girl. The little power she had gained over the years had nearly been lost.


    This made her realize even more that despite having a status and title unattainable in the eyes ofmoners, she had no say in this matter, let alone the power to single-handedly oppose the empire¡¯s upper echelons. Much of the power she now possessed was built on her status, on the emperor¡¯s favor.


    Fina sat back down, bing a quiet mascot.


    ¡°Test Subject R¡¯s physical constitution was enhanced more than five-fold from its original basis. His speed, explosive power, and other metrics all saw terrifying improvements. ording to aplex algorithm, the Transcendence Serum develops human potential by at least 200%. Even if others can¡¯t achieve results like Test Subject R, it can at least triple physical constitution, and even has life-extending effects¡­¡±


    While observing the experiment next door, Alvin rattled off a series ofplex data, introducing the effects of the Transcendence Serum in great detail.


    His tone was excited. ¡°Once the Transcendence Project achieves great sess, every ordinary person will have the opportunity to break through human limits, and human lifespan will be extended to at least 150 years. Our Chenxing Empire will leave everyone far behind in the biological field, ushering in a new era of change!¡±


    Perhaps every researcher has this special skill of vying for funding and resources. Alvin painted a grand picture for the group before him with a highly provocative tone. He dered solemnly. ¡°The future is in our hands, and human wisdom is always the most powerful. We canpletely rely on our own intelligence to break through the shackles of innate talent, rather than pinning our hopes on supernatural beings!¡±


    He clearly understood the mindset of the empire¡¯s upper echelons.


    The existence of the Lord of the Heavenly Capital, which was beyond the norm, had brought a strong threat to the empire¡¯s upper echelons, making them full of vignce and wariness, and also giving them an unprecedented desire for the sess of the Transcendence Project.


    Sure enough, someone immediately nodded in approval. ¡°Well said, we humans are the most powerful. It¡¯s ridiculous how the Holy Federation pins their faith on the vague Sun God. And the ostentatious Yao Country, with their so-called martial arts cultivation methods, is full of Eastern foolish ideas. In today¡¯s era, the power of science is the strongest and most suitable for us.¡±


    The return of the Lord of the Heavenly Capital and the spread of martial arts had caused an impact on the entire world that had yet to subside. Some marveled and rejoiced, pursuing supernatural powers and viewing them as the hope of a new era. Others were suspicious and wary, seeing them as wolves and tigers.


    The upper echelons of the Chenxing Empire basically held the second view.


    Especially the fact that the Lord of the Heavenly Capital was from Yao Country undoubtedly made them more wary of the martial arts cultivation methods flowing from his hands.


    In fact, many countries suspected that Yao Country had likely already made secret contact with the elusive Lord of the Heavenly Capital, obtaining higher-level cultivation methods or other unknown benefits from him. They justcked evidence.


    This made the Chenxing Empire, which had always been at odds with Yao Country, even more urgent. Following the same path of martial arts cultivation, they would only fall behind Yao Country, which had the guidance and help of the Lord of the Heavenly Capital. To overtake them, their only option was to ze a new trail with the Transcendence Project.


    Moreover¡ª


    They never hesitated to make the worst assumptions about Yao Country. ¡°Yao Country is so actively promoting martial arts, who could believe there¡¯s no conspiracy? Perhaps that Lord of the Heavenly Capital has left some backdoor in the martial arts cultivation method. When the timees, all martial arts practitioners might be under his control. If he has reached some agreement with Yao Country, doesn¡¯t that mean¡­ in the future, all martial arts practitioners¡­ would be under Yao Country¡¯s control?¡±


    Alvin was saying exactly what he wanted to say. Dr. Wells nodded frequently as he listened, his voice bing excited.


    As long as the Transcendence Project achieved great sess, they would let everyone know that in the face of human wisdom, in the face of technological brilliance, so-called supernatural beings were nothing more than people with stronger powers¡­ and they could artificially create supernatural beings!


    ¡°Therefore, the birth of the Transcendence Project was never for personal gain, but for the entire empire, for all of humanity!¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 98

    Chapter 98


    While excited and enthusiastic voices surrounded her, Fina lowered her eyelids, her gaze fixed unwaveringly on the adjacentboratory.


    The white light shining through the transparent wall cast a distorted, terrifying shadow of the struggling figure on the experiment table.


    She watched as the convulsing hands on the table gradually became still, and the person who had been twisting and struggling like a worm also slowly calmed down, seemingly falling into a deep sleep.


    On the screen not far from the experiment table, the line showing the heart rate gradually ttened under her gaze.


    She watched as white-coated researchers hurried back and forth in theboratory, using various instruments she couldn¡¯t name, until they confirmed resuscitation was impossible. They then lifted the body off the experiment table, treating it like a failedb rat.


    Their movements were calm and practiced.


    In the conference room just a wall away, no one paid attention to what had happened in theboratory. They were envisioning a future where the Transcendence Project seeded, engrossed in pleasant conversation about their shared goal.


    ¡°Then we look forward to witnessing the sess of the Transcendence Project.¡±


    ¡°It will definitely seed. The future surely belongs to us.¡±Having sessfully secured the resources he hoped for and gained the approval of Dr. Wells, the project¡¯s overall director, Alvin couldn¡¯t stop smiling as he rose to see the group out.


    Fina felt like a senseless puppet, utterly unable to empathize with theughing people. She stood up with those around her and followed them out.


    Her gaze fell upon faces full of satisfaction, eyes brimming with light of expectation and hope, as if a beautiful future full of flowers was unfolding before everyone. They saw the bright prospects they infinitely yearned for, ignoring the blood and darkness paving this path.


    A faint chill spread through Fina¡¯s veins.


    She shivered imperceptibly.


    Just as they were about to exit, the distracted Fina vaguely heard Dr. Wells urging others. ¡°Oh right, we must quickly send people to capture that escaped test subject. Without him as a sessful sample, the progress of the Transcendence Project will be dyed significantly, and some experiments will have to be scrapped and redone¡­¡±


    ¡°Rest assured, we won¡¯t forget about him,¡± someone promised solemnly, then added helplessly, ¡°However, it might take a bit longer. That fellow is just too good at hiding. There must be some force helping him erase his traces, at least a top-notch hacker assisting him¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Fortunately, the Chenxing Empire is our home turf. No matter how strong the forces behind him are, they can¡¯t be stronger than the empire, let alone openly oppose it. As long as we¡¯re willing to invest time and effort, setting up an inescapable, we¡¯ll catch him sooner orter. The fear is that he might have been smuggled out of the country the very night he escaped, and will hide for the rest of his life without surfacing ¨C once he¡¯s left the empire¡¯s borders, finding one person in the vast sea of humanity bes much more difficult.¡±


    ¡°Surely not? Didn¡¯t they check the exit records for these days? Could the people behind him really smuggle him out under our noses?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m just stating the worst-case scenario. I don¡¯t think anyone could smuggle someone out under the empire¡¯s watchful eye. Besides, experts have analyzed Test Subject R¡¯s psychological changes and judged that he wouldn¡¯t simply flee, but is more likely to hide in the shadows, waiting for a chance to take revenge.¡±


    ¡°Given his hatred for the Transcendence Project team, and with you, Dr. Wells, frequently making high-profile appearances in the news recently, you should be careful. Who knows, you might already be on his revenge list.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Take revenge on me?¡± Dr. Wells, suddenly singled out, was first taken aback, then burst intoughter. His eyes revealed a chilling eagerness that made one¡¯s hair stand on end. ¡°I always have specialized security personnel following me discreetly, and in my eyes, the current Transcendence Serum No. 1 isn¡¯t wless. I¡¯ve been researching how to counter him since Test Subject R escaped¡­ If he reallyes to deliver himself into our hands, I couldn¡¯t ask for more. It would be perfect to see how a sessful test subject of Transcendence Serum No. 1 performs.¡±


    ¡°¡­I think you can see the research results now.¡±


    Someone suddenly spoke up, their voice trembling imperceptibly.


    ¡°What?¡±


    The speaker pointed ahead with a shaking hand, drawing everyone¡¯s attention in that direction.


    Their gaze fell upon a figure that had unobtrusively passed by the group just half a minute ago¡ª


    The person wore a clean white coat, half their face covered by a mask, with a stack of documents tucked under their arm. They walked hurriedly with their head down, looking much like any other researcher.


    At that moment, the person had just reached the corner of the long corridor. At the end of another path was the research institute¡¯s main entrance.


    From their angle, they could see half the face of the person who had just turned the corner. Although the lower half waspletely hidden by the mask, through the scattered hair, they could vaguely see piercing blue eyes.


    These exposed eyes held a frozen blue like melting ice crystals, with a cold sharpness that seemed impossible to conceal no matter how hard one tried, as if they could mercilessly tear apart anything they faced.


    The person who spoke began to tremble all over.


    These eyes were all too familiar to him.


    On that blood-soaked rainy night, he had watched helplessly as the owner of those eyes ughtered his colleagues, friends, and even a woman he deeply cared for, as if they were nothing more than chickens or dogs.


    As one of the lucky few who escaped, he had woken up countless times from nightmares where he was torn to pieces by those eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    For those present, the escaped Test Subject R was no stranger. Some had even seen his photo hundreds of times. Once alerted, someone immediately realized the person¡¯s identity.


    They couldn¡¯t believe it.


    ¡°That guy really came back to turn himself in?!¡±


    Focused on by so many gazes, the person ahead seemed to realize their identity had been discovered. No longer moving slowly in disguise, they burst into a sprint like an arrow released from a bow. As they kicked off the ground, they swiftly pulled several scalpels from the white coat¡¯s pocket and threw them behind.


    The scene instantly descended into chaos.


    ¡°¡­Quick, dodge! Ah¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡­How did this guy sneak in here!¡±


    ¡°Infiltrating the research institute in secret, what exactly is he trying to do¡­¡±


    <em>Beep¡ª!</em>


    The research institute¡¯s rm suddenly red, signaling to the stationed security forces that they were under attack and had been infiltrated.


    The group that had been so proud and spirited just moments ago was now inplete disarray. Having witnessed the inhumanbat prowess of the subject through the gruesome ¡°crime scene¡± before, these civilians with no fighting ability had no intention of stepping forward to capture him.


    ¡°It¡¯s not safe outside anymore, let¡¯s find a ce to hide!¡±


    Taking advantage of the security personnel rushing forward, Dr. Wells gave a warning and was the first to turn tail and run! With the speed of a 100-meter sprint, he dashed into the conference room they had just left, quickly shut the door, and activated the first, second, and third defense systems.


    Only after arranging all possible defense measures did Dr. Wells, who despite his age had outrun the younger people, finally exhale deeply and slowly sit down on the floor.


    At this point, he no longer had the confident, well-dressed appearance of earlier. His clothes were wrinkled and soaked with sweat, his forehead also drenched.


    However, the others nearby weren¡¯t in any better shape.


    These elite individuals who had been nning the empire¡¯s future in the conference room were now sprawled on the floor or sofas, gasping for breath, their legs weak.


    To be frank, as impressive as they had looked earlier pontificating from on high, they now looked just as pathetic, having started running before even clearly seeing the person 800 meters away.


    A few unfortunate ones hit by the scalpels were frantically rummaging through the conference room, clumsily bandaging their wounds.


    Fina sighed, trying to hide in a corner.


    ¡°Cough.¡± Dr. Wells cleared his throat, pretending nothing had happened. He gestured with his eyes towards Alvin, the research facility director. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m sure the situation outside will be resolved soon. Don¡¯t doubt the institute¡¯s capabilities. Last time was an unexpected power outage that caught us off guard. We underestimated Test Subject R¡¯sbat ability and didn¡¯t anticipate sudden helpers appearing. Multiple factors allowed him to escape. Now, with the institute fully prepared on all fronts, we¡¯re not afraid of a mere test subject, or even a special ops team. This is a perfect opportunity to show everyone the effects of Transcendence Serum No. 1.¡±


    Understanding, Alvin pressed some hidden switch. The gray wall where the conference room door was located seemed to peel away like ayer of paint, revealing a transparent wall identical to the one-way ss on both sides.


    This allowed them to easily see the scene outside.


    Beyond the conference room was the institute¡¯s snow-white corridor. At the end of the corridor, the blown-open main entrance was blocked by a group of people engaged inbat. On one side was the security team, fully armed and looking ready for a futuristic sci-fi film. On the other side was the lone man who had broken into the research institute.


    A severely mismatched battle unfolded before everyone¡¯s eyes, as if they were watching a real-life sci-fi fantasy blockbuster.


    One side, though greater in number, aimed mainly to capture rather than kill. The other side, though just one person, was well-suited to the institute¡¯s confined space with his superhumanbat ability, coupled with a fighting style that showed no regard for his own life.


    However, as Dr. Wells had said, the test subject¡¯s previous escape was purely due to abination of coincidental factors. Under normal circumstances, it would be easy for the institute to capture an intruder, even one with physically enhanced abilities beyond human limits.


    Therefore, it didn¡¯t take long for the tide to turn decisively in favor of the security team. The person trapped in the middle had at some point shed his tattered white coat, and the mask on his face had fallen off during the fight, revealing a face familiar to everyone.


    Theypletely rxed. ¡°It¡¯s just the desperate struggle of a cornered beast!¡±


    Perhaps because their earlier unhesitating flight had been too embarrassing, seeing the culprit in such a sorry state now gave everyone a sense of satisfaction. They resumed their previous posture of armchair generals.


    ¡°The effects of Transcendence Serum No. 1 are truly amazing,¡± someone ttered. ¡°Dr. Wells, if your Transcendence Project is open to private investment, please consider me first¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t wait to see the finished product of the Transcendence Serum! This must be a miracle in the field of life sciences!¡±


    ¡°Just based on the achievements of the Transcendence Project, I think you should win next year¡¯s World Biological Science Award!¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, no, the current experimental results are not yet perfect¡­¡± Dr. Wells smiled broadly. He looked at the trapped Test Subject R, his gaze like that of someone admiring a precious treasure.


    He didn¡¯t forget to point out the subject¡¯s ws in real-timementary based on the ongoing battle outside:


    ¡°The speed of wound healing barely meets the target, but there are still endurance issues. Moreover, while Transcendence Serum No. 1 enhances physical constitution, speed, and explosive power, it seems to cause some damage to the brain¡¯s neural system, resulting in overly impulsive emotions and difficulty staying calm duringbat¡­¡±


    As he spoke, the others listened attentively, like a group of studious students listening to a teacher¡¯s lecture.


    Especially towards the end, someone pped their thigh. ¡°That¡¯s so right! If it weren¡¯t for brain problems, why would this test subjecte back and turn himself in? After all, he had such a hard time escaping before, right?¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 99

    Chapter 99


    The urgent phone call came like a bolt from the blue.


    ¡°Silver Capital TV station¡­ live broadcast?!¡±


    The middle-aged man¡¯s face instantly turned ashen.


    ¡°W-what does this mean?¡± he stammered. ¡°No, it can¡¯t be. I must be mistaken¡­¡±


    His pupils quivered violently, his hands trembling as he fumbled to open the news app on his phone. With a sliver of hope, he essed the Silver Capital news channel.


    It was time for the Chenxing Empire¡¯s midday news broadcast. As a crucial program on Silver Capital TV, it was not only televised across the entire Chenxing Empire but also ryed to multiple countries.


    Almost simultaneously, everyone else¡¯s phones rang. Upon answering, their faces changed dramatically.


    Sensing something was amiss, they all instinctively opened the Silver Capital TV news channel on their phones.


    Instead of the familiar news anchors, they saw their own faces on the screen. The on-screen versions of themselves were looking down at their phones, as if gazing into a mirror at another self.Surrounding them were armed security personnel, metal walls bearing traces ofbat and bloodstains, and Wells, lying motionless on the ground like a dead fish. The only person not in frame was likely Leiyin, who was leaning against the research facility¡¯s main door with folded arms, watching them with an enigmatic smile.


    ¨CFrom the camera angle, it was clear that only he could have captured them all in frame.


    At that moment, everyone had a sudden realization.


    ¨CThis was Leiyin¡¯s true objective!


    Not revenge against Wells, not theft of experimental data, but to expose everything to the public in the most irrefutable manner.


    What mortified them most was that they had divulged everything themselves ¨C from the Transcendence Project involving human experimentation to the agreement sealed with the Purple Violet Medal¡­ All the dark secrets that were never meant for the empire¡¯s citizens to know were nowid bare before everyone!


    As this realization sank in, a chill ran through their blood. The middle-aged man who had single-handedly brought about this situation, exposing all the secrets the higher-ups had tried so hard to conceal, fell to his knees with a thud, his face a picture of despair.


    ¨CHe was finished.


    Why had ite to this? How could things have gone so terribly wrong?


    The others were in no better state, their faces ashen. Their confused minds were filled with questions.


    What had happened? How could Silver Capital TV station be so easily manipted by an outsider to broadcast content that was clearly detrimental to the empire? More importantly, how long had they been live ¨C ten minutes, half an hour, or an hour? Why hadn¡¯t the empire intervened during all this time? Why were they only notified now?


    Who could have imagined that even in a top-secret research facility, they couldn¡¯t speak freely and had to be wary of being broadcast live?


    Ultimately, Silver Capital TV station was the most culpable. They were the innocent victims! If someone had warned them in time, they wouldn¡¯t have made such a grave error!


    ¡°What a bunch of ipetents!¡± they thought.


    In dire situations, only a few can remain strong. Most people choose to me others. At this moment, those present were filled with confusion and resentment.


    Even as their chaotic minds settled, they were at a loss for what to do next.


    Should they order security to arrest Leiyin?


    They hated this troublemaker so much they wanted to execute him on the spot. But now, under global scrutiny, who dared to give such an order? Arresting or killing an innocent civilian, a victim of human experimentation, a hero who single-handedly infiltrated the facility to expose the empire¡¯s dark secrets?


    Issuing such an order publicly would be tantamount to admitting, ¡°Yes, the empire is this corrupt¡± and ¡°Everything you¡¯ve seen is true.¡± It would leave no room for whitewashing or excuses, inviting public outrage, me from superiors, and possibly even criminal charges.


    But could they just let him leave?


    They couldn¡¯t ept that either. He had not only fooled them but challenged the entire upper echelon of the empire. Letting him go scot-free would displease their superiors. Moreover, who knew what other crazy stunts he might pull if released?


    Given Leiyin¡¯s disyed hostility and terrifying potential, he was an enemy that had to be eliminated!


    So, the group was at an impasse.


    They couldn¡¯t arrest him, couldn¡¯t let him go, and certainly couldn¡¯t kill him.


    Moreover, the TV broadcast was still ongoing. Should they try to defend themselves, whitewash their actions, at least deny the human experiments? That would require persuading Leiyin to cooperate¡­


    As they frantically brainstormed for a perfect solution, the video on their phone screens suddenly began to stutter, as if experiencing signal issues. The live broadcast seemed about to cut off.


    Everyone rejoiced momentarily. The middle-aged man seized the opportunity and pointed at Leiyin, ordering, ¡°Arrest hi¡ª¡±


    His words were cut short as his eyes widened in shock.


    The bright lights from the facility¡¯s dome cast arge shadow at Leiyin¡¯s feet. That shadow had somehow melted, bing a dark, eerie swamp.


    Just as the broadcast went dark, Leiyin suddenly sank. His figure dissolved into the shadowy vortex.


    <em>Bang!</em>


    Only the sound of a gunshot hitting empty air echoed in their ears.


    ¡­..


    ¡°You know, don¡¯t you? When your enemy is a nation, even if you just want to reveal the truth, it¡¯s incredibly difficult.¡±


    ¡°¡­They have enough power to cover others¡¯ eyes, to invert ck and white, to alter truth and lies.¡±


    ¡°Especially when you¡¯re burdened with thebel of a terrorist.¡±


    ¡°¡­Choosing who to believe between an ¡®evil terrorist¡¯ and a ¡®righteous empire¡¯ requires no thought for most people.¡±


    ¡°So, you must lure them into admitting their crimes in front of everyone, making it impossible to deny.¡±


    ¡°Make it so they can¡¯t use any excuses to evade or quibble.¡±


    ¡°Then, wait for the voices of countless people to overwhelm them.¡±


    Leiyin continued to descend into the shadows.


    Endless shadows surrounded him as his senses blurred. He seemed to pass through an invisible shadow barrier, vaguely seeing upside-down buildings.


    Above was a ¡°ground¡± made of shadows, below an boundless ¡°sky.¡± Countless inverted buildings formed an upside-down city. As he fell through this city, he seemed to hear again the man¡¯s guiding voice from before.


    At some point, his descent stopped. Leiyin found himself standing at the top of an inverted building, his feet firmly attracted to it as if by a ma.


    In this inverted perspective, the world appeared normal again.


    Looking around, he realized the building he was on formed a cross shape with three others, surrounding a central ¡°tower.¡±


    On that tallest ¡°tower¡± was a shadowy, blurred figure. Shadows spread from beneath the figure, like dark paint on a canvas, covering almost the entire space, including beneath Leiyin¡¯s feet.


    He vaguely felt a connection with the figure.


    A strange power spread through his body. His blood boiled, giving him an inexplicable feeling of continuous improvement.


    He instinctively looked up at the person.


    But the figure merely nced at him, said nothing, and slowly faded, disappearingpletely into the shadows.


    It was as if their only purpose had been to pull him into this shadow space, and having achieved that, they left.


    At that moment, a voice interrupted Leiyin¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡°Congrattions on passing the Four Pirs candidate trial.¡±


    ¡°This is the President¡¯s domain, a Shadow Realm that only the Four Pirs can be physically pulled into.¡±


    From the top of the left building, a calm male voice spoke. ¡°Wee to the Shadow Council officially.¡±


    From the right building, a cheerful female voice followed. ¡°As the symbol of ¡®Brute Courage¡¯ and the council¡¯s strongest individual, please don¡¯t hesitate to lend your strength to the many missions requiring physical support!¡± She cheered in an overly excited tone, ¡°Only the President canmand that guy K, but with your joining, I finally have a super-powered force I can direct!¡±


    ¡°?¡± Leiyin listened, feeling dizzy. ¡°Wait, what do you mean by one of the Four Pirs? What test? I feel a very strong power has appeared in my body, is it rted to this?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you have an ount on the Extraordinary Forum, right? We¡¯ll send you this basic information through the forumter,¡± the female voice exined with augh. Although he couldn¡¯t see her face clearly, her sweet tone made one guess that the owner of the voice must be a girl with a lovely smile.


    She reminded him in that honey-sweet voice. ¡°As for the changes in your body, that¡¯s the special power bestowed upon one of the Four Pirs by the President. As long as the President wishes, it can be easily taken back. So, never, ever, ever betray the President, okay?¡±


    Her sweet voice suddenly took on an ominous tone.


    ¡°¡­Everything you possess ¨C your wonderful freedom, the satisfaction of revenge, your immense power ¨C alle from the President. If one day you make the wrong choice, not only will all of this be taken back a thousand times over, I guarantee you¡¯ll experience what true hell is like!¡±


    ¡°!¡± Leiyin was a bit frightened.


    It wasn¡¯t because of her threat, but rather the speed at which this girl¡¯s demeanor changed. After all, he hadn¡¯t thought about betraying anyone.


    ¡°Hahahahaha, just kidding,¡± the gloomy voice suddenly returned to its initial liveliness. She asked in an enthusiastic tone, ¡°You weren¡¯t scared, were you?¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Leiyin responded calmly.


    Having been in and out of the research facility several times, he had developed quite a thick skin. He wasn¡¯t easily intimidated by such harmless threats. At most, he had gained insight into the Shadow Council President¡¯s overwhelmingly strong charisma. This must be a devoted fan, right? It must be!


    While internally critiquing, he didn¡¯t forget to ask the question he was most concerned about. ¡°What happened at Silver Capital TV Station?¡±


    Initially, K had only told him that the Shadow Council could help him get revenge, and provided him with a pinhole camera for live streaming, instructing him to stall for time and lure the research facility staff into exposing themselves.


    Leiyin hadn¡¯t actually ced all his hopes on the Shadow Council. From the beginning, he had gone in with the intention of either sessfully stealing data from the research facility or perishing in the attempt.


    Unexpectedly, with the help of that mysterious hacker expert he knew nothing about, he had actually managed to enter the research facility smoothly.


    At this point, Leiyin¡¯s n was to leave with the stolen data if he wasn¡¯t discovered. Unfortunately, he was caught before he could get out.


    So, he began to execute the Shadow Council¡¯s n ¨C to stall for time and induce those people to expose themselves.


    But Leiyin had only thought the Shadow Council would at most record everything in the research facility through the camera. He never imagined they could remotely control a live broadcast on Silver Capital TV Station!


    This made him extremely curious.


    Faced with Leiyin¡¯s question, the calm male voice chuckled and said, ¡°Not long ago, we received information that a certain anti-empire terrorist organization was nning to raid Silver Capital TV Station. Following the President¡¯s instructions, I intervened in my capacity as a crime consultant, helping them achieve their goal without fighting. The leader of that organization was very satisfied with our service and even proposed future coboration. I learned this kind of operation from our President. As expected of the President!¡±


    Leiyin couldn¡¯t help but admire this President a little, and he grew more curious. ¡°Then what about the live broadcast?¡±


    ¡°¡­Since we¡¯re partners now, it¡¯s only natural for us to add a little of our own agenda to their n, right?¡± The male voice exined in a calm, matter-of-fact tone.


    ¡°¡­Of course, although they were unaware beforehand, the content you broadcasted was also something they were pleased to see. So, they went all out to help us intercept the military police the empire sent to the TV station, allowing everything to proceed smoothly.¡±


    Leiyin listened in astonishment.


    ¡°¡­Then, what about the people from that organization?¡±


    ¡°They were arrested, of course,¡± the female voice said with a giggle. ¡°Imagine nning a terrorist attack, installing bombs within the empire, and trying to intimidate ordinary civilians through the TV station¡­ What a bunch of unforgivable viins!¡±


    ¡°¡ªTo associate with such people would tarnish the President¡¯s spotless reputation! Unforgivable!¡± Towards the end, her tone revealed a murderous intent.


    ¡°???¡±


    Leiyin almost thought the Shadow Council had be allies of justice. For a moment, he didn¡¯t know whether it was his thinking that was problematic or theirs.


    ¡°Anyway, before you left, we reported them, including the locations of the bombs they installed and all their ns. It was perfect timing to let them serve their remaining value by diverting the empire¡¯s upper echelons¡¯ attention away from you,¡± the male voice summarized concisely.


    Seeing Leiyin speechless, he didn¡¯t forget to add. ¡°No need to thank us, consider this a small gift for our newpanion.¡±<hr>


    We are currently recruiting. CN/KR/JP Trantors/MTLers are wee!


    Discord Server: https://discord.gg/HGaByvmVuw

 Chapter 100

    Chapter 100


    The urgent phone call came like a bolt from the blue.


    ¡°Silver Capital TV station¡­ live broadcast?!¡±


    The middle-aged man¡¯s face instantly turned ashen.


    ¡°W-what does this mean?¡± he stammered. ¡°No, it can¡¯t be. I must be mistaken¡­¡±


    His pupils quivered violently, his hands trembling as he fumbled to open the news app on his phone. With a sliver of hope, he essed the Silver Capital news channel.


    It was time for the Chenxing Empire¡¯s midday news broadcast. As a crucial program on Silver Capital TV, it was not only televised across the entire Chenxing Empire but also ryed to multiple countries.


    Almost simultaneously, everyone else¡¯s phones rang. Upon answering, their faces changed dramatically.


    Sensing something was amiss, they all instinctively opened the Silver Capital TV news channel on their phones.


    Instead of the familiar news anchors, they saw their own faces on the screen. The on-screen versions of themselves were looking down at their phones, as if gazing into a mirror at another self.Surrounding them were armed security personnel, metal walls bearing traces ofbat and bloodstains, and Wells, lying motionless on the ground like a dead fish. The only person not in frame was likely Leiyin, who was leaning against the research facility¡¯s main door with folded arms, watching them with an enigmatic smile.


    ¨CFrom the camera angle, it was clear that only he could have captured them all in frame.


    At that moment, everyone had a sudden realization.


    ¨CThis was Leiyin¡¯s true objective!


    Not revenge against Wells, not theft of experimental data, but to expose everything to the public in the most irrefutable manner.


    What mortified them most was that they had divulged everything themselves ¨C from the Transcendence Project involving human experimentation to the agreement sealed with the Purple Violet Medal¡­ All the dark secrets that were never meant for the empire¡¯s citizens to know were nowid bare before everyone!


    As this realization sank in, a chill ran through their blood. The middle-aged man who had single-handedly brought about this situation, exposing all the secrets the higher-ups had tried so hard to conceal, fell to his knees with a thud, his face a picture of despair.


    ¨CHe was finished.


    Why had ite to this? How could things have gone so terribly wrong?


    The others were in no better state, their faces ashen. Their confused minds were filled with questions.


    What had happened? How could Silver Capital TV station be so easily manipted by an outsider to broadcast content that was clearly detrimental to the empire? More importantly, how long had they been live ¨C ten minutes, half an hour, or an hour? Why hadn¡¯t the empire intervened during all this time? Why were they only notified now?


    Who could have imagined that even in a top-secret research facility, they couldn¡¯t speak freely and had to be wary of being broadcast live?


    Ultimately, Silver Capital TV station was the most culpable. They were the innocent victims! If someone had warned them in time, they wouldn¡¯t have made such a grave error!


    ¡°What a bunch of ipetents!¡± they thought.


    In dire situations, only a few can remain strong. Most people choose to me others. At this moment, those present were filled with confusion and resentment.


    Even as their chaotic minds settled, they were at a loss for what to do next.


    Should they order security to arrest Leiyin?


    They hated this troublemaker so much they wanted to execute him on the spot. But now, under global scrutiny, who dared to give such an order? Arresting or killing an innocent civilian, a victim of human experimentation, a hero who single-handedly infiltrated the facility to expose the empire¡¯s dark secrets?


    Issuing such an order publicly would be tantamount to admitting, ¡°Yes, the empire is this corrupt¡± and ¡°Everything you¡¯ve seen is true.¡± It would leave no room for whitewashing or excuses, inviting public outrage, me from superiors, and possibly even criminal charges.


    But could they just let him leave?


    They couldn¡¯t ept that either. He had not only fooled them but challenged the entire upper echelon of the empire. Letting him go scot-free would displease their superiors. Moreover, who knew what other crazy stunts he might pull if released?


    Given Leiyin¡¯s disyed hostility and terrifying potential, he was an enemy that had to be eliminated!


    So, the group was at an impasse.


    They couldn¡¯t arrest him, couldn¡¯t let him go, and certainly couldn¡¯t kill him.


    Moreover, the TV broadcast was still ongoing. Should they try to defend themselves, whitewash their actions, at least deny the human experiments? That would require persuading Leiyin to cooperate¡­


    As they frantically brainstormed for a perfect solution, the video on their phone screens suddenly began to stutter, as if experiencing signal issues. The live broadcast seemed about to cut off.


    Everyone rejoiced momentarily. The middle-aged man seized the opportunity and pointed at Leiyin, ordering, ¡°Arrest hi¡ª¡±


    His words were cut short as his eyes widened in shock.


    The bright lights from the facility¡¯s dome cast arge shadow at Leiyin¡¯s feet. That shadow had somehow melted, bing a dark, eerie swamp.


    Just as the broadcast went dark, Leiyin suddenly sank. His figure dissolved into the shadowy vortex.


    <em>Bang!</em>


    Only the sound of a gunshot hitting empty air echoed in their ears.


    ¡­..


    ¡°You know, don¡¯t you? When your enemy is a nation, even if you just want to reveal the truth, it¡¯s incredibly difficult.¡±


    ¡°¡­They have enough power to cover others¡¯ eyes, to invert ck and white, to alter truth and lies.¡±


    ¡°Especially when you¡¯re burdened with thebel of a terrorist.¡±


    ¡°¡­Choosing who to believe between an ¡®evil terrorist¡¯ and a ¡®righteous empire¡¯ requires no thought for most people.¡±


    ¡°So, you must lure them into admitting their crimes in front of everyone, making it impossible to deny.¡±


    ¡°Make it so they can¡¯t use any excuses to evade or quibble.¡±


    ¡°Then, wait for the voices of countless people to overwhelm them.¡±


    Leiyin continued to descend into the shadows.


    Endless shadows surrounded him as his senses blurred. He seemed to pass through an invisible shadow barrier, vaguely seeing upside-down buildings.


    Above was a ¡°ground¡± made of shadows, below an boundless ¡°sky.¡± Countless inverted buildings formed an upside-down city. As he fell through this city, he seemed to hear again the man¡¯s guiding voice from before.


    At some point, his descent stopped. Leiyin found himself standing at the top of an inverted building, his feet firmly attracted to it as if by a ma.


    In this inverted perspective, the world appeared normal again.


    Looking around, he realized the building he was on formed a cross shape with three others, surrounding a central ¡°tower.¡±


    On that tallest ¡°tower¡± was a shadowy, blurred figure. Shadows spread from beneath the figure, like dark paint on a canvas, covering almost the entire space, including beneath Leiyin¡¯s feet.


    He vaguely felt a connection with the figure.


    A strange power spread through his body. His blood boiled, giving him an inexplicable feeling of continuous improvement.


    He instinctively looked up at the person.


    But the figure merely nced at him, said nothing, and slowly faded, disappearingpletely into the shadows.


    It was as if their only purpose had been to pull him into this shadow space, and having achieved that, they left.


    At that moment, a voice interrupted Leiyin¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡°Congrattions on passing the Four Pirs candidate trial.¡±


    ¡°This is the President¡¯s domain, a Shadow Realm that only the Four Pirs can be physically pulled into.¡±


    From the top of the left building, a calm male voice spoke. ¡°Wee to the Shadow Council officially.¡±


    From the right building, a cheerful female voice followed. ¡°As the symbol of ¡®Brute Courage¡¯ and the council¡¯s strongest individual, please don¡¯t hesitate to lend your strength to the many missions requiring physical support!¡± She cheered in an overly excited tone, ¡°Only the President canmand that guy K, but with your joining, I finally have a super-powered force I can direct!¡±


    ¡°?¡± Leiyin listened, feeling dizzy. ¡°Wait, what do you mean by one of the Four Pirs? What test? I feel a very strong power has appeared in my body, is it rted to this?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you have an ount on the Extraordinary Forum, right? We¡¯ll send you this basic information through the forumter,¡± the female voice exined with augh. Although he couldn¡¯t see her face clearly, her sweet tone made one guess that the owner of the voice must be a girl with a lovely smile.


    She reminded him in that honey-sweet voice. ¡°As for the changes in your body, that¡¯s the special power bestowed upon one of the Four Pirs by the President. As long as the President wishes, it can be easily taken back. So, never, ever, ever betray the President, okay?¡±


    Her sweet voice suddenly took on an ominous tone.


    ¡°¡­Everything you possess ¨C your wonderful freedom, the satisfaction of revenge, your immense power ¨C alle from the President. If one day you make the wrong choice, not only will all of this be taken back a thousand times over, I guarantee you¡¯ll experience what true hell is like!¡±


    ¡°!¡± Leiyin was a bit frightened.


    It wasn¡¯t because of her threat, but rather the speed at which this girl¡¯s demeanor changed. After all, he hadn¡¯t thought about betraying anyone.


    ¡°Hahahahaha, just kidding,¡± the gloomy voice suddenly returned to its initial liveliness. She asked in an enthusiastic tone, ¡°You weren¡¯t scared, were you?¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Leiyin responded calmly.


    Having been in and out of the research facility several times, he had developed quite a thick skin. He wasn¡¯t easily intimidated by such harmless threats. At most, he had gained insight into the Shadow Council President¡¯s overwhelmingly strong charisma. This must be a devoted fan, right? It must be!


    While internally critiquing, he didn¡¯t forget to ask the question he was most concerned about. ¡°What happened at Silver Capital TV Station?¡±


    Initially, K had only told him that the Shadow Council could help him get revenge, and provided him with a pinhole camera for live streaming, instructing him to stall for time and lure the research facility staff into exposing themselves.


    Leiyin hadn¡¯t actually ced all his hopes on the Shadow Council. From the beginning, he had gone in with the intention of either sessfully stealing data from the research facility or perishing in the attempt.


    Unexpectedly, with the help of that mysterious hacker expert he knew nothing about, he had actually managed to enter the research facility smoothly.


    At this point, Leiyin¡¯s n was to leave with the stolen data if he wasn¡¯t discovered. Unfortunately, he was caught before he could get out.


    So, he began to execute the Shadow Council¡¯s n ¨C to stall for time and induce those people to expose themselves.


    But Leiyin had only thought the Shadow Council would at most record everything in the research facility through the camera. He never imagined they could remotely control a live broadcast on Silver Capital TV Station!


    This made him extremely curious.


    Faced with Leiyin¡¯s question, the calm male voice chuckled and said, ¡°Not long ago, we received information that a certain anti-empire terrorist organization was nning to raid Silver Capital TV Station. Following the President¡¯s instructions, I intervened in my capacity as a crime consultant, helping them achieve their goal without fighting. The leader of that organization was very satisfied with our service and even proposed future coboration. I learned this kind of operation from our President. As expected of the President!¡±


    Leiyin couldn¡¯t help but admire this President a little, and he grew more curious. ¡°Then what about the live broadcast?¡±


    ¡°¡­Since we¡¯re partners now, it¡¯s only natural for us to add a little of our own agenda to their n, right?¡± The male voice exined in a calm, matter-of-fact tone.


    ¡°¡­Of course, although they were unaware beforehand, the content you broadcasted was also something they were pleased to see. So, they went all out to help us intercept the military police the empire sent to the TV station, allowing everything to proceed smoothly.¡±


    Leiyin listened in astonishment.


    ¡°¡­Then, what about the people from that organization?¡±


    ¡°They were arrested, of course,¡± the female voice said with a giggle. ¡°Imagine nning a terrorist attack, installing bombs within the empire, and trying to intimidate ordinary civilians through the TV station¡­ What a bunch of unforgivable viins!¡±


    ¡°¡ªTo associate with such people would tarnish the President¡¯s spotless reputation! Unforgivable!¡± Towards the end, her tone revealed a murderous intent.


    ¡°???¡±


    Leiyin almost thought the Shadow Council had be allies of justice. For a moment, he didn¡¯t know whether it was his thinking that was problematic or theirs.


    ¡°Anyway, before you left, we reported them, including the locations of the bombs they installed and all their ns. It was perfect timing to let them serve their remaining value by diverting the empire¡¯s upper echelons¡¯ attention away from you,¡± the male voice summarized concisely.


    Seeing Leiyin speechless, he didn¡¯t forget to add. ¡°No need to thank us, consider this a small gift for our newpanion.¡±<hr>


    We are currently recruiting. CN/KR/JP Trantors/MTLers are wee!


    Discord Server: https://discord.gg/HGaByvmVuw

 Chapter 101

    Chapter 101


    As March had just begun, a major news story broke in the Chenxing Empire.


    <em>Boom!</em>


    It was as if an atomic bomb had been dropped over the Chenxing Empire, with the terrifying shockwave hitting everyone. As Silver Capital TV Station¡¯s noon news broadcast aired, the Chenxing Empire exploded.


    #TrueNatureOfTranscendenceProject#, #EmpireScandalsExposed#, #EvilBehindTheLight#, #hicalHumanExperiments#, #VioletMedal:HonorOrBribery#¡­ In the blink of an eye, these rted topics shot to the top ten trending searches. The explosion of public opinion and the intense outrage of the masses were so severe that even if the empire¡¯s upper echelons wanted to forcefully control thements, they had to think twice.


    The Shadow Council, silently manipting everything, had merely tossed a small pebble, yet it had caused a tidal wave!


    The live broadcast from Silver Capital TV Station wasn¡¯t a pre-recorded video that could be exined away with excuses of photo maniption. What appeared on screen was the interior of a research facility that looked highly advanced, security personnel engaging in a real armed arrest operation¡­ If so much manpower and military resources were mobilized just to put on a show for the whole world, to frame the Transcendence Project and the empire¡¯s higher-ups behind it, wouldn¡¯t that require an enormous amount of energy?


    At this point, even the most foolish person would find it difficult to be deceived by the lies fabricated by the empire.


    Moreover, many of the people who appeared on camera were familiar faces who asionally showed up on TV and in newspapers. Their faces were not unfamiliar to the people of the Chenxing Empire.


    After all, even the lowest-ranking researchers involved in the Transcendence Project were likely top-tier figures in the scientificmunity of the Chenxing Empire. In this era of advanced inte, even if some of their research needed to be kept confidential, their personal identities were still public. Anyone who cared to search online could find a host of renowned scientists, schrs, or promising young talents.Now, these celebrities had all appeared on camera.


    Not to mention, there were also assistants, secretaries, and direct subordinates of certain high-ranking officials, as well as an imperial princess.


    Afterwards, cleverizens directly annotated the figures who appeared on camera with golden text, even for those who shed by in the corners. Those glittering titles and identities were disyed above their heads, forcibly educating even those who originally didn¡¯t recognize them.


    On this day, countless citizens of the Chenxing Empire fell into a daze.


    <em>[Is this all true? I can¡¯t believe the Transcendence Project involves such inhumane experiments.]</em>


    <em>[I¡¯ve long heard that our neighbors were promoting martial arts, and I¡¯ve been eagerly waiting for the Transcendence Project to seed. But if this is the true face of the Transcendence Project, I can only say I¡¯m disappointed. Research results obtained through human experimentation are not what we want, no matter what!]</em>


    <em>[Is this the evil scientist viin from movies appearing in reality? I used to admire Dr. Wells so much, I never imagined he would be this kind of person¡­]</em>


    Just as emotions were running high in the Chenxing Empire, and while the world was either showing support or engaged in heated discussions, the imperial authorities suddenly issued an announcement.


    ¡ªIt was an announcement regarding the upation of Silver Capital TV Station.


    The announcement solemnly exined the course of events, stating that the culprits were members of a terrorist organization that had nted bombs across the empire and upied the TV station in an attempt to intimidate the empire. Currently, the organization had been apprehended, with a few members still atrge. At the end of the announcement was a list of wanted individuals and an emotionless official summary, which essentially meant:


    After their arrest, members of the terrorist organization confessed that there was another person behind this case who had provided them with strategies. The sudden broadcast from the research facility after upying Silver Capital TV Station was not part of their n. Therefore, the authorities reasonably suspected that Leiyin was a member of another criminal group cooperating with the terrorist organization.


    The subtext was clear: Anyone who could conspire with a terrorist organization nting bombs across the empire must be extremely evil. As a member of such a group, what good could Leiyin possibly be?


    This announcement was clearly an attempt to take the moral high ground and discredit Leiyin first, just as they had initially wanted him as a terrorist attack suspect. If someone could coborate with terrorists, would others still see him as a hero exposing darkness? Was the empire he attacked really that dark?


    Once the announcement was made, coupled with the authorities¡¯ subtle damage control, public opinion on the inte indeed began to shift. Many people who had nearly been killed by the bombs immediately focused their attention on the terrorists, their hatred firmly locked in ce. As for Leiyin himself, no longer being seen as a perfect victim, he indeed attracted scrutiny and discussion from various perspectives, with voices of doubt constantly emerging.


    The empire, manipting public opinion behind the scenes, continued to exert pressure. They repeatedly portrayed Leiyin as a criminal, a spy recruited by other countries to deliberately smear the empire, an anti-social person who hated the empire, or a narrow-minded individual who practiced martial arts and didn¡¯t want to see ordinary people have the chance to enter the extraordinary realm, thus deliberately sabotaging the Transcendence Project¡­


    This overwhelming public opinion offensive was undoubtedly effective. Many voices can melt gold, and even though many people could still maintain rational judgment, a small portion of people without the ability to discern right from wrong could easily be swayed by online public opinion. At the very least, public opinion was no longer unanimously bombarding the empire.


    However, a live broadcast is a live broadcast, not some fake video. Everything that happened in the research facility was real, and there was no doubt that the Transcendence Project¡¯s use of human experiments was a hammered fact. On this point, even the most eloquent person could not refute it.


    Therefore, after pushing Leiyin off his position as a perfect victim and tarnishing his image, causing some people to even think #CriminalsDon¡¯tDeserveSympatheticTreatmentNoMatterWhat#, another voice began to emerge:


    <em>[¡­Has no one noticed thebat ability R disyed? Although we don¡¯t know his real identity yet, and the camera angle couldn¡¯t capture his fighting scenes, we can tell from the security personnel fighting him that hisbat power is way off the charts. Is this the effect of the Transcendence Serum No. 1 they mentioned?]</em>


    This topic sessfully diverted others¡¯ attention.


    <em>[Although it feels wrong to say this, has the Transcendence Project made progress? Will we be able to be that strong in the future? It seems the empire wasn¡¯t lying when they were promoting the effectiveness of the Transcendence Project recently. When will it be fully implemented? I can¡¯t help but feel a bit excited.]</em>


    <em>[¡­Me too. Although R was experimented on, he also gained great power, it¡¯s a blessing in disguise. If the Transcendence Serum is officially implemented in the future, his contribution will naturally be part of it. He¡¯s like a pioneer for all of us. I think awarding him the Violet Medal isn¡¯t impossible ¨C after all, the original intention of the Transcendence Project was good, it was for the citizens of the empire. Although the researchers¡¯ methods were inappropriate, since the final results will be used on all of us, as future beneficiaries, we should naturally bear the sins born in this process. Whether it¡¯s awarding the Violet Medal, offering better treatment, or seeking understanding in other ways, the bright future is right before our eyes. If we can resolve the grievances in some way, isn¡¯t that a good thing?]</em>


    <em>[What nonsense! If you want to bear the sins, you go ahead. How do you represent us? As for that Transcendence Serum, I will absolutely never use it, how did I be a future beneficiary? You¡¯re quite skilled at moral kidnapping!]</em>


    <em>[That¡¯s just the reality. When the Transcendence Serum is released in the future, how many people will refuse to use it? Now you¡¯re self-righteously condemning Dr. Wells, but will you be able to refuse with a clear conscience in the future? Human experiments are indeed wrong, but since it has already happened, and the Transcendence Project isn¡¯t for anyone¡¯s personal desires, but for the benefit of more people, for the strength of the entire empire. What we need to do now is not to condemn anyone or oppose the Transcendence Project, but to ept the facts that have urred,pensate the victims, and prevent human experiments from happening again in the future, right?]</em>


    Simr rhetoric emerged endlessly, having a good brainwashing effect on those with weak willpower, but some people didn¡¯t buy it.


    <em>[You start by kidnapping the whole empire, dragging everyone down, with your fancy words. I reasonably suspect you¡¯re an official water army. Wait, will my ount be gone soon?]</em>


    <em>[The water army content is off the charts. You keep trying to distribute the consequences of your actions to all of us. Are you trying to make everyone think ¡®The human experiments in the Transcendence Project were also for us, we shouldn¡¯t be ungrateful¡¯? This PUA is obvious. Now the officials are whitewashing everywhere, even digging up old entertainment news to trend. Who are you trying to fool? I guess the next step is to limit the flow of information, only leavingments favorable to you, and blocking all unfavorable ones?]</em>


    <em>[The previousment only existed for a second before disappearing, and my ount is gone too. I suspect no one saw it at all. This is a burner ount now, I won¡¯t say much, just sharing an address. Those who see this, remember to forward it. Only there can we speak freely.]</em>


    Someone shared the address of the Extraordinary Forum all over the inte, and in a very short time, arge number of new users flooded into the Extraordinary Forum, making it explode with activity in just three minutes.


    At this time, the Extraordinary Forum was discussing this very topic. On this forum that even various official governments couldn¡¯t control, people using anonymous identities spoke even more unrestrainedly.


    <em>[What kind of monsters are those people from the Chenxing Empire? I reasonably suspect someone is stirring up trouble online, guiding public opinion, speaking with such rehearsed rhetoric¡­]</em>


    <em>[Isn¡¯t the most popr argument there now moral kidnapping, portraying human experiments as a sacrifice made for the entire empire, saying everyone has a ¡°responsibility¡±? If you condemn human experiments and oppose the Transcendence Project, you should first swear that you¡¯ll never use the Transcendence Serum to be an extraordinary in the future? This argument seems quite marketable, I see many people don¡¯t know how to respond. After all, the Transcendence Serum is so effective, many people would definitely be willing to use it if given the chance in the future.]</em>


    <em>[Aren¡¯t Chenxing Empire people always hypocritical? We should be used to it by now. They clearly have the martial arts cultivation method generously given by the Lord of the Heavenly Capital, yet they insist on stubbornly pursuing this Transcendence Project. That¡¯s not all, they keep ndering our Yao Country, alwaysing up with conspiracy theories, constantly suspecting there are traps in the martial arts cultivation method. But it turns out their own Transcendence Project is the real problem. This is what you call asking for trouble!]</em>


    <em>[The abovement is too much of a generalization! What does character have to do with nationality? Some individuals can¡¯t represent our entire Chenxing Empire. At least I will absolutely not use the Transcendence Serum. I thought the Transcendence Project was for humanity¡¯s bright future, to give every ordinary person the special power to transcend the ordinary. But if the Transcendence Project has to trample on the flesh and blood of test subjects, then this project never had a bright side from the beginning, and I absolutely cannot ept it!]</em>


    <em>[Hmm, to be honest, it¡¯s hard for me to confidently promise to reject the Transcendence Serum. If there really is an opportunity to be stronger in the future, I¡¯m afraid it would be hard to give up. I can understand sacrificing some people for the benefit of the empire, but only if those sacrificed are scum. Now they¡¯re saying R is a criminal, mixed up with terrorist organizations, but that¡¯s because the research institute was wrong first. As an ordinary person, how else could he get the power to take revenge and expose the true face of the research institute without joining criminals? ording to their conversation in the broadcast, R was clearly innocent when he was initially captured, right?]</em>


    <em>[I agree. Death row inmates who havemitted heinous crimes are one thing, I¡¯m not very sympathetic to them. But when aw-abiding imperial citizen can be taken away for experiments, what if one day in the future, those scientists decide they need more test subjects, or simply decide that any of us are suitable for experiments? Can they just randomly take any of us to theb? I think this is the main reason why everyone is so angry.]</em>


    <em>[Don¡¯t be ridiculous! This hypothesis is meaningless. Even if the Transcendence Serum reallyes into existence, it won¡¯t be our turn as ordinary citizens. On the contrary, lying on the experimental table and bing the stepping stone for the Transcendence Serum¡¯s creation is more likely to be our fate.]</em>


    <em>[I agree. Humans are always quick to empathize with others, not because of overflowing sympathy, but mainly because of the fear that what happens to others could happen to oneself. When you realize this, even the most cold-hearted person can¡¯t remain indifferent, right?]</em>


    <em>[We need an exnation! We need the truth! Most importantly, we need a guarantee that we don¡¯t have to worry about waking up one day in some research institute¡¯sboratory!]</em>


    Besides the numerous discussions targeting the Chenxing Empire, there was another post on the forum that was rapidly gaining poprity. The poster was none other than Leiyin.


    He publicly revealed his identity information on the Extraordinary Forum and unreservedly shared his past experiences, from secretly practicing martial arts after his fortuitous encounter, to suddenly waking up in aboratory one day, then the days of being experimented on, including hister escape thanks to the blessing of the Flower Speaker, and being taken away by another kind-hearted person. He hardly concealed anything.


    ¡ª Except for the fact that the kind-hearted person was the notorious wanted criminal K, and that he had already joined the Shadow Council.


    Indeed. After all, the Shadow Council was an organization hidden in the shadows. It didn¡¯t need excessive promotion that would draw too much attention.


    His post attracted countless people¡¯s attention.


    Even some martial arts practitioners who had been lurking were stirred up.


    These martial arts practitioners were divided into two groups. Due to the restrictions in the Chenxing Empire, the number of domestic martial arts practitioners was almost countable, mostly those who had gained fortuitous encountersst time. Originally, they had signed confidentiality agreements and were explicitly and implicitly instructed by the higher-ups to keep a low profile. But Leiyin¡¯s identity as a fellow martial arts practitioner suddenly awakened them. The remaining 99% of martial arts practitioners were from other countries.


    Leiyin¡¯s identity made these previously uninvolved people suddenly empathize with the situation, and they all became agitated.


    <em>[Wow! You¡¯re actually a martial arts practitioner too? How did you get caught? You must be really weak. No, just kidding, I mean, the Chenxing Empire is going too far! This is a provocation to all of us martial arts practitioners!]</em>


    <em>[Goodness. I really didn¡¯t expect them to be so outrageous. I¡¯ll be frank, I¡¯m also a martial arts practitioner from the Chenxing Empire, one of those who experienced the Sword Realm back then. After we returned, we were all monitored by the imperial authorities. Besides signing confidentiality agreements, we had to report to the Special Affairs Management Bureau periodically, and some of us had blood drawn. They imed it was because no one had ever practiced martial arts before, and they were concerned about potential hidden risks if we explored cultivation on our own. I believed their lies before, but now I wonder, did they use our blood for experiments?]</em>


    <em>[It must be so! I¡¯m also one of those unfortunate ones who had blood drawn. Now I feel terrible. I can¡¯t believe I trusted them!]</em>


    <em>[¡­Is the environment in the Chenxing Empire really that treacherous? In our country, except for some high-level confidential information that can¡¯t be leaked casually, people of all ages can practice martial arts. We even have martial arts sses for the public, and nothing bad has happened, let alone blood drawing.]</em>


    <em>[Add me to the list of unfortunate blood donors. Should we be grateful that our disappearance and return back then caused such a big stir that everyone recognized us, making it inconvenient for them to directly kidnap us and turn us into missing persons? Otherwise, I fear it wouldn¡¯t have just been blood drawing.]</em>


    The truth revealed by Leiyin ignited the fury of a group of martial arts practitioners. If most of the martial arts practitioners weren¡¯t concentrated in several Eastern countries, there might have been impulsive individuals rushing to the gates of the Chenxing Empire¡¯s imperial pce to cause trouble.


    However, the content shared by these people, one after another, made others even more fearful, especially the people of the Chenxing Empire, who no longer dared to harbor any hope.


    ¡ª If Leiyin, as a powerful martial arts practitioner, was powerless against the imperial machine, wouldn¡¯t ordinary people be even more vulnerable? If the Transcendence Project were allowed to continue, and the evil human experiments weren¡¯t stopped, who knew who the next victim would be?


    A tidal wave of shock instantly stirred up the entire Chenxing Empire.<hr>


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 Chapter 102

    Chapter 102


    While the Chenxing Empire¡¯s reputation plummeted, another figure gained significant attention on the Extraordinary Forum, receiving a flood of exaggerated praise. This figure was none other than the ¡°Flower Speaker.¡±


    Leiyin¡¯s description of his savior was filled with an endless stream of ttery. He spoke of redemption in times of despair, light descending in the darkest hour, and an unnamed deity who bestowed hope and blessings upon the desperate in exchange for their misfortunes. His praise knew no bounds, pouring forth without pause.


    Most importantly, many believed him.


    Previously, there had been rumors about the Flower Speaker on the Extraordinary Forum. Many knew of this mysterious extraordinary being, but few had actually encountered him. Those who hadn¡¯t met him couldn¡¯t fathom the feelings of those who praised him so fervently on the forum, often dismissing their words as exaggerated, false, or fanatical, as if they had been brainwashed by a cult.


    However, this time, the events surrounding Leiyin had captured global attention. His firsthand ount of being rescued from hell by the ¡°Flower Speaker¡± naturally brought fame to this figure worldwide.


    Leiyin¡¯s emotional retelling of his experiences ¨C the despair in theboratory and the sudden hope upon meeting the Flower Speaker ¨C was deeply moving. It was easy for others to empathize with his story. As a result, developing an admiration for this ¡°deity¡± who saved the suffering from despair and misfortune became a natural progression.


    While others were busy condemning the Chenxing Empire in Leiyin¡¯s thread, he was feverishly posting new threads praising the Flower Speaker, voluntarily attracting followers for Him.


    His actions left other Shadow Council members perplexed.


    The Extraordinary Forum itself originated from the Shadow Council. Apart from the elusive Council President, the other two administrators were core members of the Shadow Council, or rather two of the Four Pirs. Below the administrators, those responsible for various forum tasks were carefully selected members absolutely loyal to the Shadow Council.Most of these members knew that Leiyin had be part of the Shadow Council, though they were unaware of his status as one of the Four Pirs. Many assumed he was just a newly recruited ordinary member.


    Now, instead of trying to recruit for the Shadow Council, this newly inducted member was neglecting his duties andvishly praising another extraordinary being on the Shadow Council¡¯s ¡°territory.¡± He had effectively cultivated a group of fans for the ¡°Flower Speaker,¡± seemingly poaching potential members from right under their noses.


    After all, as the Shadow Council¡¯s domain, every user on the Extraordinary Forum was a potential future recruit for them.


    Leiyin¡¯s actions were seen as stealing from their own, unmistakably treasonous behavior. He was promptly reported.


    Thus, shortly after logging onto the Extraordinary Forum, Tian Yin received multiple reports from her subordinates about a certain individual poaching from the Shadow Council for someone else.


    She immediately let out a coldugh.


    If she remembered correctly, hadn¡¯t she recently reminded someone to remain loyal to the Council President? Well, well, it seemed he had forgotten her words as soon as she¡¯d uttered them.


    Was there any reason to keep such a person around?


    Eliminate him! Right now!


    She furiously clicked on the forum thread link in the report, already scheming how to deal with this despicable traitor and the one behind him who dared to offend the Council President. Her thoughts had progressed to considering whether to have them captured and cooked, fried, boiled, or eaten alive when she suddenly froze upon seeing the person mentioned in the post.


    ¡°Flower Speaker?¡±


    This unexpected name stirred her memory.


    Wasn¡¯t it because of his blessing that she had been fortunate enough to catch the Council President¡¯s eye and had the opportunity to join the Shadow Council?


    ¡°Hmph, I¡¯ll let it slide this time,¡± Tian Yin withdrew her hand that was about to order the elimination of the supposed traitor. She initially intended to ignore it, but seeing the lines of exaggerated praise and the variousments expressing admiration for the Flower Speaker in response to the ttery, she couldn¡¯t help feeling annoyed.


    If it weren¡¯t for the Council President taking him in, this guy would have been a stray dog by now. Even his chance for revenge against the Chenxing Empire was entirely thanks to the Council President¡¯s help. How could he only remember to thank the Flower Speaker and not the Council President?


    ¡°¡­ Damn it!¡±


    Selectively forgetting that the Shadow Council President didn¡¯t want to expose himself publicly, which was why Leiyin had omitted mentioning him, Tian Yin massaged her temples and suddenly had a good idea.


    She acted on her thought immediately, swiftly sending Leiyin a message. Her previously gloomy face once again broke into a smile.


    ¡­¡­


    Not long after, Bai Yi, enjoying his vacation at home, casually opened the Extraordinary Forum. After browsing the public external forum essible to everyone, he clicked into the internal forum specifically created for the Shadow Council. Instantly, he was bombarded with a flood of posts.


    <em>[Another day of showering the Council President with praise¡­] </em>


    <em>[I¡¯ve never seen anyone as brilliant and mighty as our Council President¡­] </em>


    <em>[Counting down the Council President¡¯s top decisions, part three¡­]</em>


    The forum¡¯s first page was filled with posts whose content could be guessed just from their titles. An outsider might have mistaken it for a fan club dedicated to someone called ¡°Council President.¡±


    Bai Yi: ???


    For an ordinary person, this would have been mortifyingly embarrassing.


    Although Bai Yi¡¯s mental agility and thick skin far surpassed that of ordinary people, he still found it difficult toprehend this outrageous scene. What had happened? He hadn¡¯t logged into the Shadow Forum for just a few days, and the entire forum¡¯s atmosphere had changed?


    He casually scrolled through these posts, discovering that the posters were diverse, epassing everyone from the Four Pirs to ordinary members. The most prolific posters were Leiyin and Tian Yin. Had someone organized some sort of tterypetition while he was away?


    The only two who hadn¡¯t participated were likely Song Chi and K, thetter being his own alias. So strictly speaking, the former was the only normal person in this dramatically changed forum.


    Bai Yi poked him with mixed feelings.


    Soon, he received a reply.


    <em>[Recently, Leiyin has been frantically praising the Flower Speaker on the forum, attracting many admirers. 02 was very angry about this, so she imposed a rule on him: for everypliment he gives to the Flower Speaker, he must praise you ten times on the internal forum. For every post ttering the Flower Speaker, he must make ten posts praising you on the internal forum. Moreover, 02 herself has posted many simr threads, perhaps to demonstrate how to praise you with the most sincere words? Then, due to their actions, others might have misunderstood something, so in the past few days, they¡¯ve beenpeting to post simr threads¡­]</em>


    Bai Yi: Ah, this? It¡¯s really unnecessary.


    He remarked, ¡°Has the world be so internallypetitive?¡±


    The Flower Speaker and the Puppet Master were both his aliases, were they now going topete for subordinates and followers? ¡­There was really no need topete so earnestly in this aspect.


    At the same time, a question that had urred to him many times before resurfaced ¨C did each of his aliasese with an innate multi-level marketing skill? Why were there always so many people voluntarily bing followers?


    Especially this kind of #I¡¯m poaching from myself but I don¡¯t even know it¡¯s actually the corner activelying or maybe it¡¯s mutual poaching but actually it¡¯s all on the same wall# bizarre operation¡­


    He didn¡¯t understand, but was greatly shocked.


    ¡°Can¡¯t there be more sincerity between people! These praises don¡¯t feel genuine at all!¡± After flipping through all the posts and disappointedlymenting on all posts except Tian Yin¡¯s, Bai Yi exited this internal Shadow Forum filled with lies and returned to the normal Extraordinary Forum.


    The fermentation of public opinion on the forum satisfied him considerably. He summoned the system. ¡°Has this random reality mission beenpleted?¡±


    <em>[The random reality mission has beenpleted. Do you want to settle it now? It is suggested to wait for a while, as thepletion rate will be higher, and the rewards the yer receives will be more substantial.]</em>


    ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s wait.¡±


    Since he hadn¡¯t used the Principle of All Things fragment he had luckily drawn before, Bai Yi wasn¡¯t in a hurry even though he knew this mission reward might contain a new fragment.


    After all, he had done most of what needed to be done. The subsequent developments no longer required much of his intervention.


    In theing days, the Chenxing Empire would experience considerable turmoil, but far from reaching a level that would shake its foundations. In the end, it would likely result in some people being thrown out as scapegoats, some losing a portion of their interests, and others rising to power in their ce.


    A gentle breeze blew outside, and a pair of eyes gazed through the transparent ss window, as if seeing through everything.


    ****


    ¡°Since you knew I wasing back, you should have been more sensible. How dare you continue to deceive people in Yong City?¡±


    ¡°Running into me today must be fate.¡±


    Consciousness rose from the deep sea, seeing daylight again amidst brilliant starlight. These words drifted into his ears.


    When Bai Yi fully awoke, he found himself floating like a ghost above an ancient-style street. People had gathered around, and below him was an imposing red-painted gate with two fierce stone lions crouching on either side.


    In the center of the crowd, at the red gate, two people stood facing each other, seemingly in confrontation.


    The person on the left was tall and thin, appearing to be in his early twenties. He wore a in cyan Taoist robe with unbound long hair cascading down his back. His features were picturesque, fresh and handsome. Just standing there, he exuded an otherworldly Taoist aura, quite impressive in appearance.


    However, his face was slightly pale, with a flickering light deep in his eyes. His posture clearly showed that he had just been driven out from behind the gate. Although he maintained the air of a transcendent master, he was already at a disadvantage in this confrontation.


    The person who had driven him out now stood opposite him.


    Compared to the young Taoist¡¯s ethereal aura, this one was dressed in fine silks and jade, like a wealthy young master. Yet, he carried an air of having long left the mundane world. Although simr in age, his appearance fell far short of the other man¡¯s.


    Looking at the young Taoist who had fallen silent, seemingly thinking of how to quibble, this ethereal yet richly dressed youth shook his head and sighed. However, his words were far from polite.


    He looked around and loudly addressed the onlookers. ¡°Everyone, see clearly, he¡¯s not some divine master or fortune-teller, he¡¯s just a chatan! He¡¯s been deceiving you all for so long with his tricks, and today, I, Su Huaijia, will expose his fraud in public!¡±


    Amidst the crowd¡¯s jeering, Su Huaijia stepped forward, his gaze fixed on the young Taoist before him.


    ¡°¡ª Do you dare to ept the challenge?¡±


    Time seemed to freeze at that moment.


    No, the entire world seemed to be solidified by some magical force, with all people ceasing to move.


    The loading of the instance wasplete. A virtual panel, invisible to others, appeared in mid-air.


    As the basic panel appeared, Bai Yi, who had been floating like a ghost, slowly descended.


    Bai Yi opened his eyes in his new vessel.


    Simultaneously, twisted and blurred words appeared in this frozen world, forming a narration.


    <em>[This world has immortals, gods, demons, and monsters.]</em>


    <em>[They can move mountains and fill seas, capable of anything.]</em>


    <em>[Mortal dynasties suffer from the invasion of demons and monsters, developing under the protection of myriad gods and immortals. Taoist temples and Buddhist monasteries flourish.]</em>


    <em>[Some travel thousands of miles to seek masters and learn the Dao, some return after their studies to y demons and monsters, receiving imperial titles. Some demons and monsters wreak havoc in the countryside disguised as humans, while some transcendent beings hide in the mortal world to y with the lives ofmon people.]</em>


    <em>[¡ª But none of this concerns you.]</em>


    <em>[You are but an ordinary person among the masses, amoner amongmoners, with no earth-shattering mysterious background, nor any miraculous stroke of luck.]</em>


    <em>[You are just an ordinary small Taoist.]</em>


    <em>[Your only skill for making a living is the traditional chatan technique of smooth-talking, honed from traveling far and wide with your fraudulent master since childhood, able to say the right things to both humans and ghosts.]</em>


    <em>[With good self-awareness, you¡¯ve always developed your trade in backward, remote small counties, never going to ces where you might encounter true masters, nor taking on tasks clearly beyond your abilities.]</em>


    <em>[This has allowed you to maintain your chatan business and continue to earn a living by your wits even after your master¡¯s death.]</em>


    <em>[Now, your chatan career is facing a severe crisis.]</em>


    <em>[In this backward, remote small county, a disciple who has returned from studying at a distant immortal sect has appeared!]</em>


    <em>[Even though his aptitude is mediocre and he hasn¡¯t been taught true methods, appearing as a mere novice in the eyes of real immortal masters, he¡¯s still capable of seeing through your pretentious act at a nce.]</em>


    <em>[Faced with his public questioning, you¡¯re left speechless.]</em>


    <em>[The greatest crisis has arrived! Your reputation is on the verge of copse, your image as a profound and mysterious divine master in the eyes of the county residents is about to be destroyed, and your livelihood is hanging by a thread¡­ You¡¯ve reached the most dangerous and crucial moment of your life!]</em>


    The blurry text in mid-air kept changing, and this narration, in Bai Yi¡¯s eyes, became increasingly impassioned, as if a synchronized voiceover was sounding in his ears.


    <em>[¡ª Make your choice!]</em>


    <em>[Will you lie down and ept the mockery, or will you rise up and fight back?]</em><hr>


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 Chapter 103

    Chapter 103


    As the final narration ended, the system panel in Bai Yi¡¯s view refreshed, disying thepletion task for this world.


    <em>[Optional Task One: ¡°I Admit I¡¯m Just a Novice¡±]</em>


    [The difference between immortals and mortals is like a vast chasm! Faced with the forceful exposure by a disciple of an immortal sect, what can you, a mere mortal, do besides epting the mockery? Rather than stubbornly resisting and getting humiliated, why not admit defeat in time? Considering your years of rapport with the county townsfolk and the fact that you haven¡¯t caused any real harm, perhaps the consequences won¡¯t be too severe?]


    [To acknowledge one¡¯s mistakes is the greatest virtue. If you can get through this, with your advanced skills of persuasion and personal charm, you have a high chance of regaining the hearts of the county people, winning over that immortal sect disciple, and turning misfortune into blessing. You might even learn real immortal techniques and be a genuine heavenly master and divine calction!]


    [Go for it, ttery will get you everywhere! Bowing your head now might lead to you bing the masterter. Who knows who¡¯ll be ttering whom in the future!]


    ¡°Howe you can make groveling and cowardice sound so passionate and inspiring¡­¡± Bai Yi couldn¡¯t help but quip as he looked at the task description disyed on the panel. He seriously doubted, ¡°System, are you sure I wrote your core program?¡±


    He puffed his cheeks and moved his gaze downward.


    <em>[Optional Task Two: ¡°Your Father Will Always Be Your Father¡±]</em>


    [Faced with the aggressive questioning from the immortal sect disciple, even if you¡¯re just a powerless mortal, you refuse to submit. You decide to counter with an even stronger attitude, wrapping lies within bigger lies,pletely shattering his doubts, making him realize who¡¯s the father and who¡¯s the son. This will make him question his own judgment, then humbly apologize to you, admitting his mistake and bowing his head.][Although no one knows how a mere mortal like you can prove yourself, you¡¯re determined to let everyone know¡ª]


    [¡ª¡±I¡¯m not a chatan, I¡¯m a heavenly master!¡±]


    [Note: Please choose one of the above optional tasks toplete. Different tasks will lead the character down different fate lines, with final rewards rted to the difficulty of the different tasks.]


    Looking at the bold task description, Bai Yi fell into three seconds of silence. ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Although I don¡¯t know how to prove myself, I¡¯m supposed to just charge in and confront him head-on¡­ System, you¡¯re really frank,¡± he repeated the line from the task description, which seemed to be mocking either the system itself or taking the opportunity to mock Bai Yi.


    He spent a second putting himself in his character¡¯s shoes¡ª


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I earned the title of divine calction through my own abilities, why should I choose to give it up?¡± he muttered, nodding, feeling quite indignant.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it just about predicting good and bad fortune, foreseeing the future, divining fate?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that something you can just make up as you go?¡±


    As the task prompt disappeared, the frozen space around him gradually resumed its flow. The crowd on the street came back to life, with buzzing discussions surrounding him.


    Two figures were still confronting each other in front of the mansion gate.


    Under everyone¡¯s gaze, the young heavenly master, who had seemed to fall into silence earlier, slowly raised his lowered head. It was as if a different soul had been injected into his entire body. His pitch-ck eyes gradually lit up with a different kind of brilliance.


    Su Huajia looked at him in surprise.


    Although it was just a brief moment, the person before him seemedpletely different from the inside out.


    ¡°¡ªI ept your challenge.¡±


    Meeting everyone¡¯s gaze, the young Taoist raised his chin.


    His tone was calm, yet filled with intense confidence.


    ¡®I want everyone to know¡­¡¯


    ¡°¡ªNo one understands divination better than me!¡±


    As he made this forceful deration, the previously noisy crowd fell into silence. It was as if an invisible aura emanated from the young Taoist, leaving everyone in awe.


    ¡ªThe avatar¡¯s inherent aura skill [Praise of the Blind] was now equipped. This ability could be used by any character or alternate identity, whether in-game or in reality. However, on Bai Yi¡¯s true self, it was a passive aura. When he switched to an alternate identity or game character, he could choose whether to equip this skill.


    Praise of the Blind Lv10 [Note: Whether blending inconspicuously into a crowd or gaining others¡¯ favor, it¡¯s as easy for you as eating and drinking. This passive aura skill level increases over time. Now, even if you¡¯re caught red-handed doing something wrong, people can¡¯t help but wonder if you have a good reason.]


    In an instant, the noisy discussions disappeared, and everyone instinctively fell silent. Deep down, they even began to believe involuntarily that Bai Yi could do what he imed.


    But just a moment ago, after Su Huajia, the immortal sect disciple, spoke up, they had strongly wavered and begun to suspect that their once-revered heavenly master was a chatan.


    This intangible shift in ¡°presence¡± surprised even Su Huajia, who cast a doubtful nce at his opponent.


    ¡­Could his judgment have been wrong? Did this fellow actually know some magic, like a charm spell?


    But no matter how he looked at it, this was just an ordinary mortal!


    Su Huajia¡¯s brows furrowed deeply.


    As a native of Yong City, Su Huajia had grown up with the reputation of the ¡°Heavenly Master of Divine Calction¡± since the elderly and young Taoist pair arrived in the city over a decade ago.


    As a child, he too believed in the old heavenly master¡¯s mystical powers, until ten years ago when he left to seek immortality and joined an immortal sect. When he mentioned the famous divine calction heavenly master to his fellow disciples, he wasughed at. After his seniors in the sect enlightened him, he finally realized that the old man was just a fraud!


    This had always been a source of shame for Su Huajia. He was determined that when he returned to Yong City, he would expose the old chatan¡¯s tricks and prevent his family and fellow townspeople from being further deceived.


    Unexpectedly, upon his return ten yearster, the old chatan had passed away, and the young chatan before him, raised by the old one, was ying the same tricks, fooling the people of Yong City and packaging himself as another heavenly master of divine calction!


    Fortunately, he had returned just in time to expose him on the spot!


    Su Huajia¡¯s expression was resolute.


    The incident began with the mansion behind the redcquered gates.


    This was the home of the Zhang family, a well-known wealthy household in Yong City. The Zhang¡¯s young master had always loved studying and traveling. A year ago, after passing the provincial examination and bing a schr, he left for his studies and had yet to return. Moreover, he hadn¡¯t sent a letter home in three months.


    The Zhang couple was worried that something might have happened to their son. As the ¡°Heavenly Master of Divine Calction¡± was famous and well-respected in Yong City, they invited the ¡°Young Heavenly Master¡± Qi Jiu to divine their son¡¯s safety.


    At this time, Su Huajia had just returned to Yong City. As soon as he arrived, he heard that the ¡°Young Heavenly Master¡± had been invited by the Zhang family to divine. Clearly, this was another trick to deceive people, and he couldn¡¯t tolerate such a thing happening. He immediately rushed over and bluntly exposed the fraud.


    Naturally, the hosts believed Su Huajia, the immortal sect disciple, more. In their anger, they kicked out the supposed chatan.


    This led to the opening scene of the nightmare fragment instance.


    Although Bai Yi¡¯s change in presence affected the surrounding townspeople, and even Su Huajia couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit doubtful, he ultimately chose to trust his own judgment¡ªthis was just an ordinary mortal!


    Therefore, meeting Bai Yi¡¯s gaze, he nodded decisively. ¡°Very well! If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m willing to see this through to the end. I want to see how you continue your fortune-telling. Please¡ª¡±


    Speaking thus, Su Huajia made a gesture of invitation, about to step aside to watch how this fellow would put on an act. Those tricks that could fool ordinary people wouldn¡¯t deceive him.


    Unexpectedly, Bai Yi didn¡¯t move. Instead, he calmly shook his head and spoke unhurriedly. ¡°Since you doubt my abilities, I¡¯d like to seek your guidance first¡ª¡± He pointed at the Zhang family¡¯s gate. ¡°As Young Master Zhang¡¯s fate is currently uncertain, why don¡¯t you divine it first?¡±


    ¡°Oh? Are weparing our divination results?¡± Su Huajia looked disappointed. Although his skills were not refined and he hadn¡¯t mastered the profound art of divination, he could still easily determine the fortune or misfortune of an ordinary person¡¯s feng shui and luck.


    Moreover, he didn¡¯t even need to calcte. At a nce, he could see that the Zhang family¡¯s house was shrouded in misfortune, with extremely poor feng shui. The Zhang couple seemed particrly ill-fated, appearing to have a destiny of being childless.


    Despite this, Su Huajia still took out his turtle shell and carefully performed a divination ording to the methods taught by his sect.


    Finally, he put away the turtle shell and spoke, ¡°Young Master Zhang is already dead. Prepare for the funeral.¡±


    After saying this, he ignored the shocked and disbelieving faces of the Zhang couple and turned to look at Bai Yi. ¡°It¡¯s your turn now. Surely you¡¯re not going to just repeat what I said?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Bai Yi had quickly slipped into his chatan persona, even changing his form of address, ¡°How could this poor Taoist be such a person?¡±


    Su Huajia¡¯s expression improved slightly, showing some pride as a disciple of an immortal sect. ¡°I divined first, so I won¡¯t take advantage of you. If you can determine either the cause or the time of his death, I¡¯ll consider it your victory.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± Bai Yi continued to smile and shake his head, ¡°I told you, no one understands divination better than me!¡±


    Under Su Huajia¡¯s confused and puzzled gaze, he looked up slightly and uttered four words. ¡°Load save, start over.¡±


    As Bai Yi¡¯s words faded, everything around them froze for an instant. Quickly, as if chalk writing on a ckboard was easily erased, the world twisted, melted, and then reassembled.


    A new cycle unfolded, and the game restarted.


    The world unfurled like a newly opened scroll. As Bai Yi opened his eyes within his physical form, the familiar transitional dialogue echoed in his ears, with the familiar NPC standing opposite him.


    ¡°¡­You¡¯ve been deceiving everyone with your tricks for so long. Today, I, Su Huajia, will expose your charade in front of everyone!¡±


    ¡°¡ªDo you dare to ept the challenge?¡±


    On the bustling street, the redcquered gates were slightly ajar. Su Huajia, dressed in fine clothes and a jade crown, red at the young Taoist before him, seemingly having delivered his most lethal blow.


    The young Taoist standing opposite him wore flowing blue robes and maintained a silent demeanor, exuding an air of calm transcendence.


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± he said.


    Under everyone¡¯s gaze, he let out a soft sigh and shook his head, about to leave. His movements were unhurried, not like someone fleeing in panic, but rather as if he waspletely ignoring Su Huajia, toozy to argue with him and unconcerned whether others believed him or not.


    That calm andposed demeanor had its own charm.


    As he stepped forward, the crowd inexplicably parted for him, as if infected by some intangible aura.


    The young Taoist thus walked casually through the crowd and drifted away. Only one sentence lingered in everyone¡¯s ears for a long time.


    ¡°Young Master Zhang is already dead. Prepare for the funeral.¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 104

    Chapter 104


    ¡°Young Master Zhang is already dead. Prepare for the funeral.¡±


    ¡°!!!¡± Staring at the figure drifting away, Su Huaijia stood motionless, unable to react for a long time.


    At this moment, he felt as dumbfounded as the onlookers around him.


    More strangely, he felt this statement resonated so perfectly with his own thoughts, giving him an inexplicable sense of agreement.


    ¡­Why? That carefree demeanor looked so infuriatingly cool! How could such a casual remark be so annoyingly appealing to him, practically exuding confidence?!


    ¡­Was this still the chatan he had in mind? What exactly was wrong?


    Yet no matter how he looked, from left to right, up and down, he couldn¡¯t see a single trace of immortal aura on this mortal!


    Could it be that his cultivation wasn¡¯t advanced enough and he had misjudged?


    Unaware that his lines had been stolen, and that more of his lines would likely be stolen in the future, Su Huaijia was now feeling quite unsettled, suddenly beginning to question his life.Before he could dwell on it further, two figures suddenly rushed towards Su Huaijia, falling to their knees with a thud, about to grab his legs, ¡°Immortal master, Immortal master, please help us! Our son was perfectly fine, just a bitteing home. How could he already be¡­ It must be that fraud Qi Jiu talking nonsense! Immortal master, we beg you to be merciful and divine for us once more!¡±


    At this point, Mr. and Mrs. Zhang, absolutely unwilling to ept the ¡°Little Heavenly Master¡¯s¡± divination result, had now be Su Huaijia¡¯s most fervent believers.


    Su Huaijia stepped back in time, avoiding their grasping hands, and frowned at the two people crying on the ground.


    Meeting their pleading gaze, he nodded.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll divine for you.¡±


    Taking out his oracle bones, Su Huaijia¡¯s spirits lifted again.


    ¡­Indeed, although he had seen that this couple was fated to be childless, the time of their son¡¯s death wasn¡¯t necessarily certain. What if that Qi Jiu was just making a wild guess?


    <em>Bang, bang, bang!</em>


    As the oracle bones fell, Su Huaijia fell silent once again.


    Ah, this¡­


    Sorry to disappoint you, but the person really is dead! Perhaps if you go to collect the body now¡­ you might still make it?


    Faced with Mr. and Mrs. Zhang¡¯s expectant gaze, he opened his mouth, almost unconsciously uttering a sentence.


    ¡°Young Master Zhang is already dead. Prepare for the funeral.¡±


    As soon as these words left his mouth, Su Huaijia was stunned.


    ¡­No, this damned mouth of mine, why did it unconsciously imitate that fellow Qi Jiu¡¯s words?


    ¡­But why did this sentence feel exceptionally natural? It was as if it truly came from his heart?


    Although Su Huaijia himself felt that this sentence was truly too natural and slipped out unconsciously, the expressions of the onlookers around indicated that they clearly didn¡¯t think so.


    ¡ªJust a moment ago, you were questioning the Little Heavenly Master¡¯s authenticity, but then you go through all these fancy operations with oracle bones and calctions, only toe up with a result identical to the Little Heavenly Master¡¯s, as if copying the answer, without changing even a single word?


    Good grief, is this what a disciple of an immortal sect is like?


    ¡ªI could do that too!


    At once, the onlookers¡¯ gazes towards Su Huaijia became peculiar. It was as if they were looking at a fake top student exposed as a poor performer.


    Su Huaijia: ???


    This farce that urred at the Zhang family¡¯s door quickly spread throughout the small county town of Yong City. Except for the Zhang family, who had fallen into utter grief, everyone else was reveling in the gossip.


    In such a remote small county town, there weren¡¯t many exciting events to witness, with new happenings urring rarely. Today¡¯s confrontation between the immortal sect disciple Su Huaijia and the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction Qi Jiu was undoubtedly the kind of ¡°top headline¡± that could keep the entire Yong City buzzing and discussing for a long time.


    Su Huaijia could never have imagined that upon his return to Yong City, his attempt to expose Qi Jiu as a chatan would instead reinforce Qi Jiu¡¯s image as a divine calctor in the hearts of Yong City¡¯s citizens, achieving the opposite of his intentions.


    As for Su Huaijia, the returned disciple of an immortal sect who should have been enthusiastically embraced by all themon folk, hisckluster performance in this confrontation undoubtedly lowered everyone¡¯s admiration and worship of him by a notch.


    Although the people still admired this immortal sect disciple, they now seemed to view him as being on par with their familiar Little Heavenly Master.


    Tranting their mindset, it was something like:


    #Even a graduate from a prestigious school is just at this level, about the same as our self-taught Vige Chief Qi#


    #Although the prestigious school graduate is impressive, our Vige Chief Qi can do what he does, so life goes on as usual#


    #Is this legendary prestigious school really not a diploma mill?#


    #Even if it¡¯s a diploma mill, we still have to look up to it, after all, it¡¯s a prestigious school graduate who knows more than us#


    This trend was something Su Huaijia couldn¡¯t tolerate.


    Originally doubting his life choices due to the result of the previous confrontation, Su Huaijia secluded himself at home for a few days. Upon learning of the change in public opinion in the county town, he was both angry and amused.


    He knew his skills were mediocre, merely average within his sect, which was why he was sent away from the mountain after just ten years, cited as cking immortal affinity¡± by his seniors. However, without a doubt, the image of his sect in Su Huaijia¡¯s heart was beyond reproach.


    Not to mention¡­ because of his own mistake, people now looked down not only on him but on his entire sect.


    ¡­No, he couldn¡¯t give up like this.


    ¡­No matter how you looked at it, that Qi Jiu was just a chatan. Back then, his seniors had determined that the old Heavenly Master was just a fraud pretending to be mystic. His seniors¡¯ judgment couldn¡¯t be wrong. How could a fraud pretending to be mystic raise a true Heavenly Master?


    Perhaps Qi Jiu just happened to guess correctly by chance!


    After all, judging whether a person is alive or dead is a simple choice with a 50% chance of being correct. It was normal for Qi Jiu to guess the person was dead when he was in a tight spot and happen to be right.


    ¡ª This made sense.


    Reaching this conclusion, Su Huaijia finally felt logically sound, no longer tormented by the question of #why someone who lookedpletely ordinary could divine correctly#.


    Hmph, even if that guy was lucky¡­


    He might get lucky once, but what about the second time, the third time, the fourth time?


    If this continued, the guy would eventually show his true colors!


    Having made up his mind, Su Huaijia became determined to challenge his opponent. Whenever he heard someone was consulting the Little Heavenly Master for divination, he would immediately rush there, ready to expose the truth ¡ª he refused to believe this chatan could get away with it every time!


    And so, in one event after another.


    The stubborn Su Huaijia charged forward¡­


    The stubborn Su Huaijia fell back.


    The still stubborn Su Huaijia charged forward again¡­


    The still stubborn Su Huaijia fell back again.


    What followed became a series of extremely cruel scenes for Su Huaijia, repeatedly embarrassing moments of social death.


    The first scene ¡ª


    Facing a divination seeker who had recently been gued by bad luck and nightmares, Su Huaijia had just taken out his oracle shells and barely started to arrange them¡­


    The young Taoist gave a casual nce at the person¡¯s face and provided an answer. ¡°Your family¡¯s ancestral grave has been damaged, disrupting the feng shui and geomantic veins. Your good fortune has beenpletely transformed into disasters.¡±


    The quick-footed onlookers ran to and from the ancestral grave, shouting the result as they ran. ¡°The Little Heavenly Master is truly a divine calctor, divine indeed! The Wang family¡¯s ancestral grave really has a problem!¡±


    With this exmation, both the paying client and the other spectators turned into background characters, only capable of cheering, worshipping, and casting admiring nces at Bai Yi.


    Only Su Huaijia, who hadn¡¯t finished his divination, slowly petrified outside the crowd, as if struck by a critical hit.


    ¡°¡­This is impossible!¡±


    Second scene¡ª


    Facing a client who reportedly lost their child, this time Su Huaijia took out his oracle shells even faster. But the young Taoist had already spoken without thinking. ¡°The child isn¡¯t lost, they¡¯ve gone to y at their maternal grandparents¡¯ house in the neighboring vige. They¡¯ll be back tonight.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, the child¡¯s uncle happened to arrive. ¡°Sister, your Hu¡¯er is at our house now. Mom and Dad sent me to let you know, don¡¯t worry¡­¡±


    Watching others sigh in relief, showing expressions of a false rm, and praising the Little Heavenly Master¡¯s uracy¡­


    Su Huaijia¡¯s heart sankpletely.


    Critical hit damage ¡Á2!


    Su Huaijia¡¯s hands holding the oracle shells were trembling.


    He lowered his head.


    ¡°What use¡­ are these oracle shells¡­¡±


    Third scene¡ª


    The client had just invited the Little Heavenly Master, and hadn¡¯t even spoken about their problem, when the young Taoist casually waved his sleeve. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about your mother¡¯s illness. Not only will she survive this crisis, but she¡¯ll live to 80 years old.¡±


    The client¡¯s face lit up with joy.


    Meanwhile, the confused Su Huaijia¡¯s expression gradually became nk.


    ¡°I must be dreaming¡­¡±


    ¡­


    And so, Su Huaijia charged forward again and again, only to be defeated each time, inadvertently helping Bai Yi¡¯s reputation as a divine calctor reach its peak among Yong City¡¯s citizens.


    If Bai Yi were to submit his mission now, he would likely pass directly, although the level ofpletion might not be considered very high since the ¡°Heavenly Master of Divine Calction¡± reputation was limited to Yong City.


    ¡ª Of course, he wouldn¡¯t choose to submit the mission like this.


    After all, there was still plenty of wool to be fleeced.


    With Su Huaijia¡¯s help, the reputation of the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction grew increasingly prominent. The people of Yong City were also happy to have such a divine calctor around, giving them an inexplicable sense of security.


    For a time, everyone was happy, except for Su Huaijia.


    A world where only Su Huaijia was hurt had been achieved.


    Su Huaijia: ¡°¡­¡±


    Don¡¯t speak, he just wanted to be quiet. And don¡¯t ask who Quiet is.


    It¡¯s worth noting that in these repeated attempts to expose the chatan¡¯s true face, Su Huaijia had picked up the divination methods he had previously viewed as heterodox and hadn¡¯t seriously practiced while at the sect. Now he invested unprecedented focus in them.


    In this period of less than half a year, probably due to his frantic dedication, he felt his divination skills had greatly improved. Perhaps even the seniors who had once taught him divination might no longer be his match in this area.


    If at first he had believed the other was just pretending and wanted to expose the chatan¡¯s true face,ter he became certain that the other had real skills. It changed from exposing a fraud to an eagerpetition, a test of skills between fellow practitioners¡­


    However, what Su Huaijia faced was a monster who never used any tools for divination, not even symbolic hand gestures for calctions. It was impossible to tell what method he used for divination.


    It was as if, when that person stood before the client, he could see through their future with just one nce.


    The young Taoist¡¯s eternally carefree gaze even made people suspect whether he could see through everyone¡¯s fate at a nce.


    ¡ª Su Huaijia had never seen such an outrageous divine calctor!


    This made him question his entire life,pletely withdrawing into himself.


    ¡°So¡­ I was the clown all along?¡±


    ¡°¡ªAre you truly the unparalleled Heavenly Master of Divine Calction?¡±


    Looking at the thoroughly convinced Su Huaijia, Bai Yi, who had repeatedly used the ¡°save file cheat¡± to directly copy answers from him, let out a sigh and couldn¡¯t help but show a loving gaze.


    Faced with such an adorable supporter who repeatedly charged forward only to fall back, voluntarily acting as a face-pping tool to help boost his reputation, who wouldn¡¯t be moved?


    ¡°No, the real Heavenly Master of Divine Calction is actually you¡­ You probably don¡¯t even know how talented you are in divination!¡±


    Bai Yi silently answered Su Huaijia in his heart.


    On the surface, the young Taoist in flowing blue robes stood with his hands behind his back, looking up at the sky, appearing indescribably ethereal and lonely.


    ¡°¡ªAnd I am nothing but an ordinary answer-copying machine.¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 105

    Chapter 105


    It was precisely 6 AM in Yuanyang City, Yao Country.


    On the second floor of an apartment in the old town district, Bai Yi awoke from his slumber.


    Previously, he had been constantly refreshing instances, repeatedly loading and restarting¡ªa technical task indeed. Just before leaving the instance, he had nearly maxed out his reputation throughout the entire Yong City.


    Last night was a rare asion when he didn¡¯t enter an instance. Not only did he sleep well, but he also had a dream that truly belonged to him.


    In the dream, he held the severely polluted world in his palm, like a ss marble, and washed it repeatedly under the kitchen faucet.


    He kept washing and washing, singing as he scrubbed the ¡°ss marble,¡± feeling indescribably happy.


    If not for the phone call that woke him, he would have continued washing.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    The dawn light poured in from the window, illuminating Bai Yi¡¯s barely open eyes. He yawned, his vision hazy, the whole world a blur.The phone beside him kept ringing incessantly.


    ¡°Oh my, I seem unable to move,¡± he monotonously read out this line, finally realizing his ¡°precarious¡± situation. He let out a bted cry for help¡ª


    ¡°¡­Help! I¡¯ve been sealed by the nket!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± The second floor of the apartment remained silent.


    Evidently, no one wasing to his rescue.


    So, Bai Yi had no choice but to attempt self-rescue.


    Tightly wrapped up, he wiggled around in the nket like a silkworm, seemingly engaged in an extremely difficult struggle and attempt. Finally, hey motionless in the center of the bed, looking like a salted fish that had lost all hope.


    ¡°Phew¡­¡±


    Hey still, staring at the ceiling, making a reluctant deration.


    ¡°The nket Demon King is terrifyingly strong. The attempt to break the seal has failed miserably!¡±


    ¡°Zzzzzz¡­¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Holidays are meant for enjoying the pleasure of sleeping in. Who would call so early? A phone ringing at 6 AM is pure evil!¡±


    Although Bai Yi thoroughly enjoyed being sealed by the Great nket Demon King, regrettably, the endless ringing of his phone interrupted his sweet dream. The caller¡¯s persistence was so remarkable that even Bai Yi had to admire it.


    Reluctantly, he extended a hand from under the nket and finally picked up the phone, which had already been bombarded with ten missed calls. Yawning, he answered, ¡°Hello?¡±


    He had no recollection of this phone number.


    Very few people knew his number, and acquaintances generally wouldn¡¯t call him at this hour, especially those from the Seventh Hospital. They were all aware of his years of nightmare-ridden, unstable sleep, and thus would never disrupt his rare moments of rest.


    Strangers, evidently, weren¡¯t so considerate.


    From the other end of the phone came a young woman¡¯s voice. ¡°Hello, is this Bai Yi?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me,¡± Bai Yi yawned, his eyes misting over.


    ¡°It¡¯s like this,¡± the voice continued, ¡°we¡¯ve discovered some belongings left behind by your birth mother, Bai Xin, many years ago. We initially intended to return them to her personally, but upon inquiring at the Seventh Hospital, we learned of her passing. You are her only living rtive. We obtained your contact information through the Seventh Hospital. When would you be avable to collect these belongings?¡±


    The voice on the phone sounded somewhat familiar, yet also slightly strange.


    ¡°?¡± Bai Yi suddenly became alert. ¡°Belongings?¡±


    His mother had spent most of her life in the Seventh Hospital and had passed away there. If there were any belongings, they would have been given to him long ago. How could there possibly be new items appearing?


    Wait. There was one other ce¡­


    ¡°Are you from the Xingfu Orphanage?¡±


    The woman¡¯s voice seemed surprised that he had guessed her identity so quickly. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m the new director of Xingfu Orphanage. Your mother, Ms. Bai Xin, was a child at the orphanage over thirty years ago, butter she left for the neighboring Seventh Hospital. Recently, while renovating the orphanage, we found a metal box hidden in the wall of an old dormitory. Inside was a fairy tale book with ¡®Bai Xin¡¯ written on the cover. After checking the orphanage records for past residents of that dormitory, I confirmed it belonged to your mother, Ms. Bai Xin.¡±


    ¡°I see. But is a fairy tale book, which even its original owner might have forgotten about, worth all this trouble to find its owner and return it?¡± Bai Yi found this a bit unreasonable.


    The young woman on the phoneughed softly, her tone tinged with nostalgia. ¡°Because this isn¡¯t an ordinary fairy tale book. I saw my mother¡¯s message on the title page¡­¡±


    ¡°To be honest, since my mother¡¯s birth fifty years ago, my grandfather has supported many orphanages, including Xingfu Orphanage. Many children there were close to my mother. On the title page of this fairy tale book, I saw a birthday wish my mother had written for little Bai Xin.¡±


    This was a precious gift filled with blessings, so when she discovered it, she never thought of simply discarding it. Instead, she wanted to personally return it to its owner.


    This was also something she could do on behalf of herte mother. If her mother were still alive, she would have done the same.


    However, she hadn¡¯t expected that both the gift-giver and the recipient were no longer in this world. After many years, this gift could only be handed over to the recipient¡¯s son as a memento.


    All this trouble just to deliver an outdated fairy tale book ¨C she wondered if the other party would find her meddlesome¡­


    Yuan Yao sighed. After a few moments of silence from the other end, she heard the sleepy voice of the young man speak cheerfully, without any hint ofint.


    ¡°I see. In that case, please leave the item at the Seventh Hospital for now. I¡¯ll collect itter.¡±


    Just before the call ended, she heard the young man¡¯s voice, filled with gratitude. ¡°Thank you very much, Miss Yuan.¡±


    How did he know my surname?


    This thought shed through Yuan Yao¡¯s mind, leaving her momentarily stunned. In the end, she could only assume that since she had mentioned her grandfather and mother who established the orphanage fifty years ago, he must have deduced her identity. After all, the news of the Gong Group¡¯s chairman being imprisoned and his daughter taking over the business had caused quite a stirst year.


    ¡°Are there really such coincidences in this world?¡± Bai Yi couldn¡¯t help but marvel after hanging up the phone.


    If Bai Yi hadn¡¯t helped Yuan Yao inherit the business from her unworthy father, she wouldn¡¯t have had the funds or ability to rebuild the orphanage. And if Yuan Yao hadn¡¯t rebuilt the orphanage, Bai Xin¡¯s belongings left there might never have been discovered, let alone delivered to him¡­


    The wonders of the world were indeed unpredictable.


    ¡°Or is it that my newly added pseudo-Child of the World title is taking effect? Is this what it feels like to be favored by heaven?¡±


    It was hard to say whether it was the cause from back then that led to the present effect, or if the title had bestowed upon him a halo of luck. Bai Yi called the Seventh Hospital, arranging to pick up the book after lunch, then snuggled back into his nket.


    ¡°Since I can¡¯t sleep anymore, I might as well continue with the instance.¡±


    Shortly after entering the instance, he received a system prompt.


    <em>[Due to mission requirements, the instance map has been unlocked.]</em>


    <em>[You have illuminated the first location on the map¡ªYong City.]</em>


    <em>[Your reputation in Yong City has reached ¡®Respected¡¯.]</em>


    <em>[You have be the undisputed Heavenly Master of Divine Calction in the hearts of all Yong City citizens.]</em>


    Along with the system prompt, a ghostly, transparent map appeared in the upper right corner of Bai Yi¡¯s vision. Most of the map was nk, shrouded in mist, with only a small outline in the corner illuminated and glowing. It disyed a line of text: <em>[Yong City: Reputation 100].</em>


    <em>[Please choose to submit the mission, apply for clearance settlement, or continue the mission to illuminate more unknown areas of the map.]</em>


    ¡°Is that even a question? Of course, I¡¯ll continue!¡±


    Bai Yi answered without hesitation. With his save-and-load ability and the cheat sheet provided by his human tool, why wouldn¡¯t he continue?


    This instance was practically a gift to him.


    By now, after multiple ythroughs and reloads, Bai Yi had a thorough understanding of his character, ¡°Qi Jiu.¡±


    Qi Jiu was originally an abandoned baby, found in the mountains by an old Taoist who brought him back to his temple. As he grew up, seeing that Qi Jiu was handsome and clever, the old Taoist took him as a disciple and passed on his knowledge.


    In this world teeming with immortals and gods, the mortal kingdoms were extremely devout in their faith. Taoist temples and Buddhist monasteries were everywhere across the Nine Provinces.


    Thus, although their dpidated temple couldn¡¯tpare to those bustling with worshippers, and the poor folk in the remote areas couldn¡¯t offer much in donations, the fervent faith of the people in this world allowed the master and disciple to barely make ends meet.


    When donations were scarce and they struggled to get by, the old Taoist would take his disciple down the mountain, set up a divination stall in nearby small towns, and con a few wealthy households. The money earned would sustain them for quite a while.


    The master-disciple pair knew their limits. They never ventured to ces where true experts might appear, avoiding exposure. They also refused tasks that clearly involved supernatural elements beyond their abilities, to avoid failing the task and endangering their clients, which could lead to their fraudulent practices being exposed and inviting disaster.


    They mostly chose cases where the clients were simply being overly suspicious. By saying a few auspicious words and using clever rhetoric to provide psychologicalfort, they couldplete their tasks.


    From Bai Yi¡¯s perspective, it was simr to a psychologist providing guidance andfort for mental health issues, just with some mystical mumbo-jumbo added in.


    Since the old Taoist always chose the cases he was most confident in, and declined those he wasn¡¯t sure about with excuses like ¡°heavenly secrets cannot be revealed¡± or ¡°no divination today,¡± their sess rate naturally remained high.


    As a result, as word spread among themon folk, his reputation in the area grew, and he gradually became known as the ¡°Heavenly Master of Divine Calction¡± among the people.


    For instance, when an olddy suspected her daughter-inw of having an unlucky birth chart due to infertility and frequent minor illnesses in the family, the medically knowledgeable old Taoist would determine that the young couple had no physical issues and that minor ailments were normal. Realizing it was all in the olddy¡¯s imagination, he would mysteriously say something like ¡°the fated time hasn¡¯t arrived yet, let nature take its course, and you¡¯re destined to enjoy the blessings of grandchildren.¡± The olddy would then rx and stop pressuring the young couple. When they eventually had a child, the whole family would be grateful and revering¡ªwasn¡¯t this the very embodiment of a Heavenly Master of Divine Calction?


    As simr incidents umted, the old Taoist¡¯s reputation as a divine calctor became increasingly solid in the surrounding counties.


    After the old Taoist passed away, Qi Jiu followed in his footsteps, using the medical and psychological skills he learned from his master to further enhance the reputation of the ¡°Heavenly Master of Divine Calction.¡±


    Until this time when the Zhang family sought him out¡­


    Qi Jiu had no intention of taking this job from the beginning, as it was clearly beyond his abilities. He only nned to visit the Zhang family and use some excuse like ¡°a sudden premonition, today is not suitable for divination¡± to decline. As for why he didn¡¯t simply refuse toe¡­ well, he was running low on food recently.


    Qi Jiu had it all figured out.


    ¡­As the esteemed young Heavenly Master, even if he didn¡¯t do any divination aftering, such a prestigious family wouldn¡¯t let him leave empty-handed. They would surely insist on him staying, at least offering some tea and snacks. Wouldn¡¯t that be a free meal?


    However, what he never expected was that not only did he miss out on the free meal, but he also ran into Su Huaijia, who had just returned to Yong City and nearly demolished his reputation as the ¡°Heavenly Master of Divine Calction¡±!


    ¡°¡­Fortunately, the clever Bai Yi has perfectly resolved everything!¡±


    In the long-neglected Taoist temple, the young Taoist packed his belongings and tied them to the temple¡¯s only little donkey.


    Facing the mountain breeze, he struck a pose as if he was about to ascend to immortality and let out a long sigh. ¡°As for this title of Heavenly Master of Divine Calction¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­From now on, I shall bear this burden!¡±


    ¡°?¡± The skinny little donkey stumbled under the weight of the heavy luggage. It tilted its head foolishly, looking at its master beside it, itsrge donkey eyes filled with big question marks.


    Bai Yi tilted his head to look at the little donkey, gently patting its head while wearing a kind smile that seemed to regard it as potential hotpot ingredients.


    ¡°Well, little donkey, do you have any objections?¡±


    ¡­Don¡¯t ask, it¡¯s just an old case of chuunibyou syndrome.


    The mere prospect of bing donkey hotpot didn¡¯t dare to have any objections to Bai Yi. It eagerly followed him down the mountain.


    Before leaving Yong City, the man and the donkey still needed to invite onestpanion (tool).


    ¡°Me? Fellow Daoist, you¡¯re¡­ inviting me to travel with you?¡±


    At the Su family¡¯s old residence, Su Huajia looked at the visitor in astonishment.


    He wore an expression of disbelief, unconsciously opening his mouth wide.


    At this moment, Su Huajia hadpletely lost the demeanor of a disciple from an immortal sect that he had when he first appeared. Instead, he looked more like a fan who had been fortunate enough to get a chance to travel with his idol, his face full of excitement.


    This seemed to indicate the dramatic change in his attitude towards Bai Yi in this short period of time ¨C from initial contempt and mockery to now barely contained admiration. Su Huajia¡¯s transformation was so great that it was shocking. Now, standing before Bai Yi, he was like a rookie looking up to a senior whose expertise far surpassed his own.


    Who could me him? Bai Yi¡¯s seemingly prophetic divinations, achieved through his save-and-load ability, were simply too impressive!


    If it weren¡¯t for Bai Yi¡¯s insistence on addressing him as an equal ¡°fellow Daoist,¡± and the fact that the character ¡°Qi Jiu¡± wasn¡¯t very old and not pretending to be young, Su Huajia would have long since called him ¡°senior.¡±


    Suddenly receiving Bai Yi¡¯s invitation, wasn¡¯t it natural for him to be both surprised and delighted, just like a fan being invited by their idol?


    Ah, this damned passive skill of increasing followers!


    Bai Yi couldn¡¯t help but marvel at his own charisma in his mind.


    Facing Su Huajia¡¯s incredulous gaze, Bai Yi, now in full acting mode, casually brushed his sleeve. His expression remained calm andposed as he nodded and extended the invitation once more.


    ¡°Indeed. For years, I have been in seclusion with my master in the countryside, unaware of the vastness of the world or the principles of the immortal path. My cultivation has also reached a bottleneck, making little progress. Only after meeting you did I realize how narrow-minded I¡¯ve been. It¡¯s rare to encounter a kindred spirit like you. I wish to travel the world, broaden my horizons, and purify my dao heart. Would you be willing to apany me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, of course I¡¯m willing,¡± Su Huajia nodded repeatedly, overjoyed. He couldn¡¯t help but add, ¡°When I was in my sect, I heard the elders say that many cultivators only know that worldly karma is poisonous, and they all want to be recluses far from the mortal world. Little do they know that single-minded cultivation is not the best choice. Walking through the mortal realm, tempering one¡¯s dao heart with countless karmic ties, experiencing worldly affairs without falling ¨C that¡¯s how one achieves a truly rounded dao heart.¡±


    ¡°The great immortal sects are indeed extraordinary,¡± the young Taoist who had just freeloaded cultivation experience smiled faintly. His demeanor wasn¡¯t ttering, but rather as open and frank as a gentle breeze. He continued, ¡°To be honest, I value your background from a great immortal sect. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have many things to learn from you in the future.¡±


    ¡­Tranted, it meant that as the almighty Heavenly Master of Divine Calction, it wasn¡¯t very reliable to always cheat by peeking at the answers. It would be more dependable to truly learn the art of divination from this tool person!


    Hearing Bai Yi say this, Su Huajia actually rxed.


    He also smiled and said, ¡°The feeling is mutual. To be honest, your skill in divination is almost godlike, and I¡¯ve been curious about it for a long time. I was hoping to find an opportunity to ask for your guidance.¡±


    Enlighten him about what? About how to cheat by looking at the answers? That seemed to be his own unique skill¡­ Bai Yi fell silent for a moment, then revealed a mysterious smile. ¡°Some things can only be understood intuitively, and are difficult to put into words. I¡¯m afraid I might disappoint you.¡±


    ¡°I understand, I understand.¡± Su Huajia instantly transformed into a know-it-all. Although even Bai Yi didn¡¯t know what exactly he understood.


    In Su Huajia¡¯s mind, thoughts were already racing.


    There was also an extraordinarily talented senior disciple in his sect.


    Cultivation bottlenecks that were extremely difficult for them to ovee seemed effortless for that senior disciple.


    But when they, the junior disciples, asked that senior for advice on breaking through, the genius senior often wore the expression of a top student facing a group of underachievers. ¡°Huh? This is so simple, isn¡¯t it something anyone with hands can do???¡±


    Perhaps, problems that were difficult for underachievers were always simple for geniuses, so they found it hard to exin their seemingly obvious problem-solving methods to the underachievers? At least, Su Huajia had never understood that genius senior¡¯s experiences.


    So, he fully understood what this young Heavenly Master meant.


    For someone who was practically a deity in the art of divination, it would indeed be difficult to teach a novice like him.


    ¡­Sigh, the gap between them was just too wide.


    Su Huajia silently sighed in his heart.


    Then he thought, in the uing journey together, the young Heavenly Master would have to face him, a thick-headed novice, every day, trying to figure out how to teach him those profound, prophetic divination skills¡­


    At this moment, Su Huajia unconsciously recalled the increasingly irritated expressions of that genius senior in their sect when he failed to teach their group of blockheads no matter how hard he tried.


    ¡­It seemed that every time after leaving the senior¡¯s cave dwelling after asking for guidance, they would hear a couple of dayster that another batch of the senior¡¯s magical tools had been damaged.


    Su Huajia¡¯s gaze unconsciously fell on the young Taoist in front of him, dressed in cyan robes and looking as ethereal as an immortal.


    Just recing the increasingly irritated face of his senior disciple, frustrated from teaching a group of blockheads, with this fairy-like young Heavenly Master¡¯s face¡­


    Su Huajia suddenly felt intensely self-conscious.


    Surely this young Heavenly Master wouldn¡¯t end up like his senior brother, right?


    His talent in divination should be much stronger than his cultivation talent, he felt. Although his cultivation talent, which he used as a reference point, was really not that great, so it couldn¡¯t really be used to gauge how high his divination talent was.


    But still¡­


    The more Su Huajia thought about it, the more self-conscious he felt.


    Compared to his cultivation talent, which his senior had viewed as rotten wood beyond carving¡­


    In the field of divination, perhaps, there was still hope for salvation?<hr>


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 Chapter 106

    Chapter 106


    As the two reached an agreement, an impromptu journey began.


    Along the way, Bai Yi demonstrated with godlike performance #How to Be a ¡°Heavenly Master of Divine Calction¡±#.


    Step one: Find a true Heavenly Master of Divine Calction, namely the fellow written as ¡°Su Huajia¡± but read as ¡°answer sheet¡±.


    Step two: For divination questions that the answer sheet can provide answers to, simply copy from the answer sheet and be done with it.


    Step three: If the question is too difficult, beyond the current divination ability of the answer sheet, then activate the save-and-load divine skill and repeat multiple cycles. Meanwhile, remember to urge the answer sheet to continue improving his abilities.


    ¡ªJust like grinding NPC side quests in a game, as long as you repeat it enough times, there would be nothing unknown and no NPC unfamiliar in this game instance.


    This was also the ultimate state of ¡°prophetic divination¡±.


    Lastly, if the answer sheet¡¯s ability was limited and the improvement speed was slow, unable to provide answers, and he was toozy to keep loading saves to grind NPC side quests, then deploy the final nuclear weapon.


    Namely, the highest level divination skill ¡°Making Things Up¡±.However, this ¡°Making Things Up¡± style of divination was generally suitable for divining bad results, that is, misfortunes.


    ¡ªIn case someone was really stubborn and pestering, adamantly refusing to believe in his glorious status as a Heavenly Master of Divine Calction, insisting on exposing him as a fraud. Then he would have no choice but to unleash his ultimate move: telling them they had a deadly cmitying, even if there wasn¡¯t one.


    After all, as a Heavenly Master of Divine Calction, every word muste true!


    At this point, having developed the #Four Steps to Bing a Heavenly Master of Divine Calction#, Bai Yi could once again proudly proim:


    ¡°¡ªNo one understands divination better than me!¡±


    ¡­


    Time flew by quickly while grinding the instance. By the time Bai Yi had sessfully summarized the #Four Steps to Bing a Heavenly Master#, he had already sessfully lit up three map locations in the instance, including Yong City.


    In other words, the NPCs in these three ces sincerely acknowledged him as an infallible ¡°Heavenly Master of Divine Calction¡±!


    And this joyful experience of grinding the instance, like every previous instance, ultimately transformed into a long and detailed historical record, documented in the hidden game panel.


    <em>[February 3rd, morning: You leave the first lit-up map location amidst the reluctance of Yong City¡¯s citizens, apanied by one person and one donkey.]</em>


    ¡­


    <em>[February 10th, morning: You and your travelingpanion NPC Su Huajia spend a peaceful night in the wilderness. You seek guidance on the art of divination from NPC Su Huajia under the guise of exchanging knowledge.]</em>


    <em>[February 10th, noon: You receive instruction in the art of divination from NPC Su Huajia, gaining initial insight into the path of divination.]</em>


    <em>[Unfortunately, you have no foundation in divination. The brief half-day instruction is not enough for you to grasp the basics. Continuing the exchange would likely expose your shallow knowledge in divination to NPC Su Huajia.]</em>


    <em>[¡­Loading save¡­]</em>


    <em>[February 10th, morning: You and your travelingpanion NPC Su Huajia spend a peaceful night in the wilderness. You, having loaded a save, pretend nothing happened and once again seek guidance on the art of divination from NPC Su Huajia under the guise of exchanging knowledge.]</em>


    <em>[February 10th, noon: You receive instruction in the art of divination from NPC Su Huajia. Divination skillprehension +1.]</em>


    <em>[¡­Loading save¡­]</em>


    <em>[February 10th, morning: You and your travelingpanion NPC Su Huajia spend a peaceful night in the wilderness. You, having loaded a save, pretend nothing happened and yet again seek guidance on the art of divination from NPC Su Huajia under the guise of exchanging knowledge.]</em>


    <em>[February 10th, noon: You receive instruction in the art of divination from NPC Su Huajia. Divination skillprehension +1.]</em>


    <em>[¡­Loading save¡­]</em>


    <em>¡­</em>


    <em>[¡­Loading save¡­]</em>


    <em>[February 10th, morning: You and your travelingpanion NPC Su Huajia spend a peaceful night in the wilderness. You, having loaded a save, pretend nothing happened and for the umpteenth time seek guidance on the art of divination from NPC Su Huajia under the guise of exchanging knowledge.]</em>


    <em>[February 10th, noon: You receive instruction in the art of divination from NPC Su Huajia. Divination skillprehension +1.]</em>


    ¨CWhat a situation! Looking at this string of historical records, it¡¯s like a crazy time loop on the morning of February 10th!


    After this long series of loops, the historical record finally changed¡ª


    <em>[After multiple save-and-load cycles on the morning of February 10th, you have gained a foothold in the art of divination. Although still iparable to NPC Su Huajia, you are no longer an easily exposed outsider. Now, you can casually discuss various theories of divination, with a 1% chance of sessful divination. Combined with your acting skills and persuasion ability, the probability of being exposed by NPC Su Huajia in future exchanges is practically zero.]</em>


    <em>[February 10th, noon: After a morning of exchange, NPC Su Huajia is delighted to discover your astonishing understanding and impressive insight into divination.]</em>


    <em>[¡­Whatever he mentions, you always manage to exin the key points one step ahead, perfectly aligning with his train of thought. You effortlessly point out aspects that might have taken him some time to figure out, bringing him sudden enlightenment.]</em>


    <em>[Your exnations are neither profound nor obscure, but rather precisely at his level of understanding¡ªneither too advanced nor too basic¡ªas if tailored specifically to guide him, and even your approach to instruction aligns with his own style.]</em>


    <em>[NPC Su Huajia is in awe of your talent and deeply grateful for your unreserved guidance.]</em>


    <em>[With your help, NPC Su Huajia¡¯s growth elerates, his divination skill proficiency growth rate ¡Á2.]</em>


    <em>[You¡¯ve acquired one NPC who counts money for you even while being deceived.]</em>


    ¡­.


    <em>[February 13th, noon, heavy rain. You and NPC Su Huajia take shelter in a cave. Having run out of dried rations and not wanting to hunt in the rain, you turn your gaze to the ¡°reserve food¡±.]</em>


    <em>[You decide to eat donkey hotpot.]</em>


    <em>[¡­NPC Su Huajia dissuades you from your depraved behavior, the reserve food is temporarily saved.]</em>


    <em>[February 14th, noon. Tired of wild game, you once again can¡¯t resist the urge to eat donkey hotpot.]</em>


    <em>[¡­Before you can act, the second map location ¡°Yu City¡± appears in the instance, the reserve food escapes danger once again.]</em>


    <em>[You enter ¡°Yu City¡±.]</em>


    <em>[By copying answers, youplete the first divination. Yu City reputation +1.]</em>


    <em>[By copying answers, youplete the second divination. Yu City reputation +1.]</em>


    ¡­


    <em>[By copying answers, you¡­ you discover that this difficult question has no answer, its difficulty exceeds NPC Su Huajia¡¯s divination ability, you have no answer to copy.]</em>


    <em>[¡­Loading save¡­]</em>


    <em>[Save loaded, you now fully understand the details of this divination¡­ you sessfullyplete the divination. Yu City reputation +1.]</em>


    <em>[You fully realize that NPC Su Huajia¡¯s abilities also have limits. To avoid more situations where you can¡¯t copy answers, you begin to urge NPC Su Huajia to practice.]</em>


    <em>[¡­Under the encouragement of you, an aplished expert, NPC Su Huajia realizes his previousziness and dedicates 120% focus to practice.]</em>


    <em>[NPC Su Huajia¡¯s divination skill level +1.]</em>


    ¡­¡­


    <em>[You have illuminated the second map location ¨C Yu City.] </em>


    <em>[Your reputation in Yu City has reached the level of Respect.]</em>


    ¡­.


    <em>[You have arrived at a new map¡­] </em>


    ¡­.


    <em>[! At your urging, NPC Su Huaijia is secluding himself in the inn to cultivate and improve his divination skill level. As you went out alone to perform divinations, you triggered an urgent mission ¨C someone is harassing you and questioning your divinations, even trying to have you arrested. Your reputation as the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction is in grave danger!] </em>


    <em>[You decide to show them the power of your words bing reality!] </em>


    <em>[After the prophecy of bloodshed came true, your reputation as the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction exploded across the new map!] </em>


    ¡­


    After illuminating three map locations, Bai Yi decided not to continue further. Who knew how vast this mist-shrouded instance could be?


    The time spent illuminating these three maps was enough for Bai Yi¡¯s interest in this game instance to bepletely exhausted. He believed there was nothing more appealing left for him in this instance.


    So, after reviewing the historical records from the past period, Bai Yi found the ¡°AFK¡± option on the panel.


    As expected, the system promptly disyed a notification.


    [The main traits the yer has bestowed upon the game character [Qi Jiu] are: [Bewitching] [Deception] [Insight] [Disguise]]


    [Based on the worldview within the Nightmare Fragment instance, the system will extrapte the character¡¯s future destiny.]


    [Do you want to enable AFK mode?]


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    With Bai Yi¡¯s affirmative response, the entire world seemed to freeze for a moment. His consciousness slowly ascended, as if floating up again in a ghostly form.


    The world below unfroze after a moment and began to move again.


    Under the setting sun, the young Taoist nodded slightly to hispanions, then led his little donkey and set off again on his journey.


    Bai Yi¡¯s consciousness slowly sank into darkness, continuously descending into the deep sea where countless star fragments floated.


    As he struggled to surface, he saw that the star hanging high above the sea had grown even brighter than before.


    Amidst the starlight filling the sky, he opened his eyes.


    After activating AFK mode, this instance no longer required his attention. He just needed to submit the quest when the time came.


    His idle mind began to contemte what had happened before entering the instance ¨C Yuan Yao¡¯s phone call and Bai Xin¡¯s belongings.


    From Li Daotian¡¯s words, Bai Yi had already realized that his mother was clearly not an ordinary mental hospital patient. However, her death had been very normal and ordinary, passing away due to organ failure.


    Before her death, she hadn¡¯t left behind anything particrly special, just a bunch of ordinary personal items like any other patient.


    Inparison, this suddenly appearing fairy tale book could be considered special. Although the fairy tale book was just a birthday gift Bai Xin received as a child, and she had left the orphanage at the age of seven, a fairy tale book from before she was seven shouldn¡¯t contain any important information.


    Surely there couldn¡¯t be any secrets hidden in it, right?


    ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t want to think anymore¡­¡±


    Bai Yi gave up on thinking and flopped onto the bed, resembling a cat loaf.


    ¡°My CPU is overloaded¡­¡±


    ¡°Meow! Meow meow!¡±


    Suddenly, a few disgruntled meows came from outside the window.


    He came to his senses and turned his head to look outside.


    There, he saw a ck cat had somehow jumped onto the balcony. It raised its two paws to politely tap on the ss, its round cat eyes staring at the two-legged creature on the bed, as if saying,


    ¡°Foolish two-legged creature, open the window and wee this cat¡¯s arrival!¡±


    ¡ª Of course, this sentence wasn¡¯t actually spoken by the cat. It was Bai Yi dubbing the meows in a serious voice.


    ¡°Meow meow meow?¡±


    The cat looked at him with a head full of question marks.


    ¡°Do you want toe and lie down too? It¡¯s veryfortable.¡± As if he hadn¡¯t just narrated the cat¡¯s thoughts, Bai Yi casually patted the bed, extending an enticing invitation to the cat.


    ¡°Meow~¡±


    The next moment, the window ss was pushed open, and a hand picked up the ck cat, cing it on the soft pillow.


    That hand also took the opportunity to rub its belly.


    The ck cat instinctively started purring, and it could no longer resist sprawling out like a cat loaf on the pillow.


    Bai Yizilyy down again next to the cat, and the human and cat stretched out in identical poses.


    A satisfied smile appeared on his face, expressing the contentment of having a cat and no worries in the world.


    From previously running away at the sight of him to now activelying to visit, this cat had made great progress~


    It must be the effect of his persistent feeding of dark cuisine to enlighten it.


    Before long, understanding the benefits, it might even be willing to actively taste his dark cuisine, right?


    Speaking of dark cuisine¡­


    ¡°Oh right, I recently had a new idea and developed a new dish with fish as the main ingredient¡­¡± Bai Yi suddenly remembered something and tilted his head to look at the ck cat.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re here, you can help taste-test the lunchter.¡±


    ¡°Meow!¡± The cat¡¯s fur stood on end.<hr>


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 Chapter 107

    Chapter 107


    <em>[Idle mode deactivated.] </em>


    <em>[Nightmare Fragment instance time elerated to seven yearster, all maps within the instance have been illuminated.]</em>


    These two system prompts were the first things Bai Yi saw when he awoke in the Nightmare Fragment instance after once again traversing that starry, undting deep sea.


    A breeze wafted over his face from afar.


    Above him stretched a deep yet gentle night sky, with brilliant stars scattered across it like stardust. Below, a winding, prosperous street extended forward, its myriad lights forming a dragon of me dancing in the night.


    This was an incredibly bustling ancient capital.


    The distant murmur of voices reached his ears as the young Taoist leaned against the railing of a high tform, toying with a wine cup in his hand.


    He slowly opened his bleary eyes.


    ¡°Ah, this familiar feeling, this familiar scene¡­¡± Bai Yi immediately shattered the atmosphere upon his arrival. Carelessly tossing the wine cup high into the air and catching it with a dramatic backward lean, he eximed, ¡°Dong Dong, is that you, Dong Dong?¡±Of course, the Puppet Master, inexplicably called out to, couldn¡¯t respond across time and space. Bai Yi raised the wine cup with a look of disappointment.


    Having gone through the experience of Pei Hefeng, Bai Yi¡¯s mastery of force had reached an incredible level. Not a single drop spilled from the cup, the wine merely rippled gently within.


    He threw his head back and drained the cup in one gulp, shaking his head as he let out a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s lonely at the top, truly lonely at the top! Every entrance is either on a high building or a high tform¡­ Could it be that all the characters I ye with a ¡®show-off¡¯ trait? With all of you having such high status, you¡¯re trying to outdo the official with your fan creations!¡±


    ¡°¡­What official?¡±


    Behind him, someone ascended the stairs to the observation tform, their voice filled with deep curiosity and confusion.


    ¡°Could it be another country kinging to seek advice?¡±


    Ah, this short sentence was packed with information¡­ Has my character already reached the level where kings from various countriese seeking my counsel? And I can choose which king to entertain?¡­ Tsk, Xiao Jiu, oh Xiao Jiu, what have you been up to in these years I¡¯ve been away? Have you already evolved into ¡°Qi¡¤Super Evolution¡¤Jiu¡±?


    Despite his lively inner monologue, Bai Yi¡¯s expression remained serious. The young Taoist gave a slight nod to the neer, his movements exuding effortless grace.


    ¡°You¡¯vee.¡± Although he was still unclear about the situation within the instance, he couldn¡¯t let the Heavenly Master¡¯s dignity slip!


    However, upon seeing the person who appeared, all of Bai Yi¡¯s confusion instantly dissipated, reced by sudden understanding.


    ¡­So that¡¯s how it is.


    Seven years have passed, yet this answer sheet hasn¡¯t expired¡­ It seems it¡¯s not Xiao Jiu who¡¯s super-evolved, but the answer sheet.


    Heavenly Master Qi Jiu? Just a little weakling relying on an answer sheet to get by.


    At this moment, Bai Yi mercilessly mocked and ridiculed ¡°Qi Jiu¡± in his mind, seemingly forgetting that all the character¡¯s traits had evolved based on his own actions¡ª


    The false Heavenly Master of Divine Calction: Appears to predict events with godlike uracy, strategizing wlessly, speaking of bloodshed and impending disasters. In reality, nothing more than a cheat sheet copycat, only skilled in physical divination (cursing).


    The true Heavenly Master of Divine Calction: Appears ipetent but is actually a powerhouse, with incredible longevity, not outdated even after seven years, constantly self-improving, single-handedly carrying the cheat sheet copycat, the man standing behind the false Heavenly Master of Divine Calction!


    An illusory game panel slowly unfurled before Bai Yi¡¯s eyes.


    The historical messages since entering idle mode instantly flooded the screen.


    [Idle mode activated, character destiny simtion in progress.]


    [Under the yer¡¯s nurturing and influence, your character [Qi Jiu] has evolved from a mere figurehead Heavenly Master with no real skill into a slightly more substantial one. He¡¯s transformed from a chatan who¡¯d crumble at the slightest touch into a deeply mysterious chatan possessing traits such as [Enchantment], [Deception], [Insight], and [Disguise].]


    [Below the realm of immortals and gods, no one can see through his disguise.]


    [In the first year of your hands-off approach, your character ¡°Qi Jiu¡± sessfully illuminated 1/10 of the instance map. His divination skills improved significantly through constant observation of NPC Su Huaijia.]


    [Your character ¡°Qi Jiu¡± took his first step from chatan to Heavenly Master of Divine Calction, currently at divination skill level 0.]


    [Under your character Qi Jiu¡¯s urging and exploitation, NPC Su Huaijia¡¯s divination skills improved daily, surpassing 80% of diviners worldwide. Divination skill level +1]


    [Your character ¡°Qi Jiu,¡± using his nonsensical divination style of #I create the results of my own divinations#, repeatedly made urate predictions. He created ssic divination results such as ¡°Bloody disaster,¡± ¡°Great cmity approaching,¡± ¡°Not far from death,¡± ¡°Death without life,¡± ¡°Suggest buying a coffin in advance,¡± ¡°Go home and wait for death,¡± ¡°The only thing you need to do is leave a will¡±¡­ All proved urate, his words bing reality. Showing exceptional talent in curses, his divination skill mutated, increasing uracy by 30% when predicting misfortune, gaining the ¡°Words Be Reality¡± halo buff.]


    ¡­


    [In the second year of your hands-off approach, your character ¡°Qi Jiu¡± sessfully illuminated the remaining 1/5 of the instance map. His divination skills improved slightly through constant observation of the answer sheet.]


    [Your character ¡°Qi Jiu¡± took a small step forward on the path of the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction, divination skill level 0.1.]


    Reaching this message, Bai Yi¡¯s finger trembled slightly. What kind of joke is level 0.1? It really was just a small step!


    Looking at the message below, the contrast was stark¡­


    [Under your character Qi Jiu¡¯s urging and exploitation, NPC Su Huaijia¡¯s divination skills improved daily, surpassing 90% of diviners worldwide. Divination skill level +2]


    [Your character ¡°Qi Jiu¡± achieved 100% uracy in curses, gaining double experience in misfortune divination, level +1+1¡­ Your character ¡°Qi Jiu¡¯s¡± uracy in predicting misfortune increased by 50%, ¡°Words Be Reality¡±!]


    [Good fortune divination: lv0.1, uracy 11%.]


    [Misfortune divination: lv10, uracy 150%]


    ¡­


    [In the third year of your hands-off approach¡­]


    [In the fourth year of your hands-off approach¡­]


    ¡­


    [In the seventh year of your hands-off approach, your ¡°Qi Jiu,¡± after daily observation of NPC Su Huaijia, finally improved his divination skill to lv1, achieving a historic breakthrough to be a low-level novice diviner]


    [NPC Su Huaijia, under your character ¡°Qi Jiu¡¯s¡± encouragement, progressed rapidly, bing one of the world¡¯s rare top-tier diviners, truly worthy of being called a divine calctor.]


    [Your character ¡°Qi Jiu,¡± once again through copying answers, predicted the day when rain woulde to the long-drought-stricken Qi Country, gaining reverence from Qi and spreading his fame across the world.]


    [Your character ¡°Qi Jiu,¡± using his nonsensical divination style, ¡°predicted¡± the death of Han Wen, the most brutal rebel leader and man-eater of Wu Country, bing the faith of Wu Country¡¯s people.]


    ¡­


    [¡­ Your character ¡°Qi Jiu¡± received invitations from numerous mortal kingdoms, ultimately epting them all, bearing the seals of seven countries¡¯ national advisors, with unparalleled reputation in the world.]


    [Your character ¡°Qi Jiu¡± sessfully illuminated the entire instance map, achieving maximum reputation across the map. As a low-level novice diviner, he became the world-revered Heavenly Master of Divine Calction.]


    [¡­ Your character ¡°Qi Jiu¡± traveled to Wei Country. The king of Hun Country built an observatory in the capital city of Wei, inviting your character ¡°Qi Jiu¡± to temporarily reside there.]


    [Reached the end of destiny simtion.]


    The deep night sky gradually spread to the horizon, with countless stars shining dimly. On the observatory, a Taoist in cyan robes and a young man in a brocade crown sat facing each other, their wine cups reflecting the clear moonlight.


    Below was a prosperous ancient capital, its lights merging into a sea of brilliance. The sounds of hustle and bustle, along with the aroma of fireworks, wafted up on the evening breeze.


    ¡°Submit the mission.¡±


    As Bai Yi¡¯s words fell, an invisible force seemed to freeze this world in an instant.


    The twinkling stars, the evening breeze from afar, the aroma of fireworks carried on the wind, and Su Huaijia sitting quietly opposite, who had just raised his wine cup and was about to drain it¡­ everything froze in a moment, bing a static painting.


    Bai Yi was the only one who could still move in this frozen world.


    The next second, the system¡¯s narration slowly appeared in mid-air.


    [Achievement system updated¡­]


    [You¡¯ve earned the achievement ¡°No One Understands Divination Better Than Me¡±.]


    [Description: By developing various divination methods such as copying answers, reloading to farm NPCs, and nonsensical divination, you¡¯ve refreshed people¡¯s understanding of divination. You can proudly dere to the world ¡ª No one understands divination better than me!]


    [You¡¯ve earned the achievement ¡°No One Understands the Cultivation of a Heavenly Master of Divine Calction Better Than Me¡±.]


    [Description: If bing a world-revered Heavenly Master of Divine Calction as a low-level novice diviner isn¡¯t miraculous enough, then a novice diviner who instead urges NPC Su Huaijia to improve, causing a major turning point in NPC Su Huaijia¡¯s fate, and ultimately cultivating a true Heavenly Master of Divine Calction in a crazed manner, is truly miraculous.]


    [You¡¯ve single-handedly cultivated two ¡°Heavenly Masters of Divine Calction,¡± proving that no one understands their cultivation better than you!]


    [You¡¯ve earned the achievement ¡°As Long as There Are Saints, There Will Be Great Thieves¡±.]


    [Description: Through almost cheating methods, you repeatedly copied NPC Su Huaijia¡¯s answers, eventually achieving the reputation of a Heavenly Master of Divine Calction, while the true Heavenly Master of Divine Calction, Su Huaijia, was hidden under your glory.]


    [In a sense, you stole everything from him, yet became the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction revered by the world, a mortal saint.]


    [You¡¯ve earned the achievements ¡°Death Diviner¡± and ¡°God of Jinx¡±.]


    [Description: Compared to your absurd good fortune divination level, your misfortune divination level is unparalleled in the world. When you speak of great cmity approaching, even if there isn¡¯t one, you create an artificial great cmity.]


    [You¡¯ve defended the uracy of your misfortune divinations in an alternative way, bing the death diviner in people¡¯s hearts, the infallible God of Jinx!]


    ¡°This system¡¯s level of sarcasm is getting more and more impressive,¡± Bai Yi squinted at the string of achievement evaluations appearing in mid-air. ¡°Feels like it¡¯s learned from me.¡±


    However, getting so many achievements at once, except for the [Realm of Art] instance, this should be the most, right?


    This was something Bai Yi hadn¡¯t anticipated before.


    He didn¡¯t think much about it, just slowly stood up from the table, his gaze sweeping around this instance world about to shatter, finally looking reluctantly at the frozen Su Huaijia opposite him¡­


    Bai Yi shook his head and sighed softly.


    ¡°What a good answer sheet, pity I can¡¯t take it with me. If I could draw a character card from this instance, and if I drew Qi Jiu without the answer sheet, wouldn¡¯t it just be a useless card?¡±


    As he spoke, taking advantage of this frozen world, he mischievously took away the wine cup that the motionless Su Huaijia had just raised to his lips, and tossed it lightly like throwing a pebble¡­


    At the same time, Bai Yi uttered thest four words.


    ¡°Exit the game.¡±


    With a ssh¡­


    The moment the wine cup flew out, the nectar-like wine spilled out, its wildly sshing flow mixing with therge cracks spreading across the world, continuously expanding outwards.


    This illusory world shattered piece by piece before Bai Yi¡¯s eyes.


    When Bai Yi emerged from the star-lit sea water, his consciousness returning to reality, the system¡¯s clearance prompt had already appeared.


    [Sessfully cleared the Nightmare Fragment instance [Heavenly Master of Divine Calction]]


    [Instance Level: ¡ï¡ï¡ï]


    [Clearance Rating: S]


    [Points Earned: 30]


    [Achievements Unlocked: [No One Understands Divination Better Than Me]


    [No One Understands the Cultivation of a Heavenly Master of Divine Calction Better Than Me]


    [As Long as There Are Saints, There Will Be Great Thieves]


    [[Death Diviner] [God of Jinx]]


    [Beginning special reward draw.]


    [You¡¯ve obtained special drop: Nightmare Crystal (Green) ¡Á10.]


    [You¡¯ve obtained specialbination character card [Heavenly Master of Divine Calction ¡ï¡ï¡ï].]


    [Note: This is abination card, formed bybining [Heavenly Master ¡¤ Qi Jiu] and [Divine Calctor ¡¤ Su Huaijia]. If separated, the card level will significantly decrease. Whenbined, it will disy abilities surpassing its star rating.]<hr>


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 Chapter 108

    Chapter 108


    As the floating text indicating levelpletion dissipated in mid-air, an ethereal card gently descended into Bai Yi¡¯s palm.


    On the card, a deep night sky stretched over a young Taoist standing on an observation tform, gazing at the heavens. His blue robes fluttered in the breeze, his expression calm, as if he might ascend to immortality at any moment. The night¡¯s shadows clung to him, while another figure stood diagonally behind him in the shadows, dressed in fine silks and holding a wine cup that reflected the moonlight.


    From the cup, ripples of moonlight spread outward, forming a hazypass rose on the card as a backdrop behind the two figures. The stars of the celestial sphere seemed to illuminate as thepass rotated.


    ¡ª[Heavenly Master of Divine Calction ¡ï¡ï¡ï]


    ¡°So this is a specialbination card¡­¡± Bai Yi mused, curiously examining the card in his hand. His thumb and forefinger at the bottom of the card suddenly made a slight rubbing motion, reminiscent of shuffling a deck of ying cards.


    With a swoosh, an invisible illusion spread from behind the card. Golden ripples appeared in mid-air, and two faint card phantoms ¡°shuffled¡± out as Bai Yi rubbed, neatly arranging themselves on either side of the original card.


    As these two cards floated to the sides, the two figures on the main card seemed toe to life, drifting left and right to settle on the two new cards.


    The central Divine Calction card, now devoid of the two figures, was left with only the dark night sky and the empty observation tform.


    On the two phantom cards that had split off¡­The figure on the left, in robes as blue as rain-washed sky, was casually tossing and catching a wine cup that had somehow found its way into his hand. The figure on the right, discovering his cup ¡°stolen,¡± could only bow his head and idly fiddle with the jade pendant at his waist.


    [Heavenly Master ¡¤ Qi Jiu ¡ï¡î]


    Divination lv1


    [Note: An unremarkable novice diviner. Achieving lv1 is already an incredible miracle. Sess once in a hundred divinations would be rare.]


    Immortal Arts lv10


    [Note: Mastery of any immortal art except divinationes naturally.]


    [Description: After seven years of secretly learning from Su Huaijia, you¡¯ve surpassed the master. Proof that you¡¯re a natural-born prodigy in immortal cultivation!]


    Words Come True lv10:


    [Aura skill, limited to curse-type divinations. Combined with Immortal Arts lv10 to create misfortune, sess rate approaches 100%.]


    [Divine Calctor ¡¤ Su Huaijia ¡ï¡î]


    Divination lv10


    [Note: A born divine calctor, a prodigy among diviners. Your current skill level doesn¡¯t do justice to your talent; your progress is lightning-fast. Failure once in a thousand divinations would be rare.]


    Immortal Arts lv1


    [Note: No talent for any immortal art except divination. Despite years of diligent study, lv1 is your limit. A born failure at immortal cultivation, but a genius in calction!]


    Focus lv10:


    [Aura skill, limited to learning divination. Your cultivation and improvement speed is over ten times that of others.]


    ¡°One¡¯s a prodigy in immortal cultivation but a failure in divination; the other¡¯s a failure in cultivation but a genius in divination¡­¡± Bai Yi remarked, surprised and intrigued as he examined the two cards with their drastically different attributes and levels. He could only marvel, ¡°As expected of the Heavenly Master and Divine Calctor, truly a specialbination card that only shows its full potential whenbined.¡±


    Inparison, the abilities and attributes disyed by thebined [Heavenly Master of Divine Calction ¡ï¡ï¡ï] card were indeed worlds apart.


    His fingertips rubbed together again, and the two phantom cards flew back to the center, merging into one. The two figures that had left the observation tform reappeared on the once-empty tform.


    Bai Yi twirled theplete [Divine Calction] card between his fingers, suddenly pointing it towards the window. He lightly tapped the center of the card face with his finger, and with a swoosh¡ª


    ¡°It¡¯s not yet time for you to take the stage. Stay put for now.¡±


    The card flew out, dissipating into specks of light in mid-air. Bai Yi¡¯s soft murmur followed.


    ¡°Heavenly Master? Divine Calctor? This profession could learn from the Flower Speaker, appearing randomly here and there, at least to gain some Legend Degree.¡±


    Simultaneously, the [Personality Mask] skill on Bai Yi¡¯s interface lit up briefly. In his consciousness, tiny specks of light seemed to float out along the connection with the card.


    After this, Bai Yi browsed through his inventory.


    Invisible ripples formed in the air as the ck-covered [Puppet Master¡¯s Diary] slowly descended from mid-air.


    ¡°The ¡®Divine Calction¡¯ card seems to perfectlyplement the previous script¡­¡±


    ¡°Is this really just a coincidence¡­¡±


    Bai Yi thoughtfully reached out to receive the ck hardcover notebook, cing it on the table. He casually flipped to a fresh nk page and began writing a new script.


    <em>[¡­Since the departure of Pei Hefeng, the Hanguang Sword Master, along with his numerous followers, Blue Star had been devoid of spiritual energy for several hundred years.]</em>


    <em>[Everything rted to the extraordinary had be legend.]</em>


    <em>[Until a century ago, when two friends who had failed the imperial examinations stumbled upon ancient cultivation scrolls from a thousand years past while traveling famous mountains and rivers, thus embarking on the path of immortality.]</em>


    <em>[One friend possessed exceptional talent in divination, while the other was a natural prodigy in immortal cultivation. For a hundred years, they supported each other. The former used divination to help them avoid dangers and seek opportunities left by past extraordinaries in this magic-deficient era. Thetter¡¯s formidable power ensured they didn¡¯t falter in their quest, and he shared cultivation opportunities with the former to prevent him from aging and dying like an ordinary mortal.]</em>


    <em>[Thus, a hundred years passed in the blink of an eye.]</em>


    <em>[Both were naturally indifferent to fame and fortune, content with wandering mountains and rivers, rarely showing off in public. As a result, the world remained unaware that two true immortal cultivators now walked among them.]</em>


    <em>[In their travels, they had saved lives, attempted to take disciples, and searched for other cultivators, but the results were disappointing. Even when they passed on the cultivation scrolls, their disciples couldn¡¯t grasp the basics. In the end, their onlypanions through a century in the mortal realm were each other.]</em>


    <em>[Through ancient texts and fragments collected over a hundred years,bined with Su Huaijia¡¯s masterful divination skills, they gradually pieced together the truth of the past.]</em>


    <em>[Long ago, when spiritual energy was abundant, setting aside other countries, the Yao Country had always regarded the path of immortal cultivation as the fundamental, righteous way. Little did they know how many emperors of old had yearned for eternal life, praying for divine favor, yet remained unworthy of the immortal path.]</em>


    <em>[The immortal path spoke of fate, talent, and destiny. As the saying goes, ¡°Without the right moment in one¡¯s fate, forcing it is futile.¡± Moreover, cultivators often distanced themselves from the mortal world, leading ordinary people to believe immortal cultivation was mere legend. Only those with the right talent, destiny, and opportunity had a chance to encounter an immortal, be epted into their sect, and learn true methods.]</em>


    <em>[In that bygone era of the extraordinary, the immortal path was the absolute righteous way; everything else was considered a side path.]</em>


    <em>[Even the most revered martial arts masters were insignificant before cultivators. The pinnacle they reached after immense effort was merely the starting point for cultivators. Thus, countless people practiced martial arts to their limits, hoping to transition into cultivation and gain the favor of immortals, seeking a chance to cultivate the immortal path.]</em>


    <em>[Then, five hundred years ago, a man appeared out of nowhere.]</em>


    <em>[He possessed unparalleled martial arts talent, quickly dominating the martial world and bing number one under heaven.]</em>


    <em>[At this point, he finally qualified to learn about the existence of the immortal path. Faced with this truly extraordinary power, he, like every predecessor, decided to embark on the immortal path, starting a new life.]</em>


    <em>[But as strong as his martial arts talent was, his aptitude for immortal cultivation was equally poor. Despite his immense efforts, he failed to catch the eye of cultivators. Instead, many martial arts failures he had once looked down upon received immortal opportunities and quickly surpassed him.]</em>


    <em>[Thetter, who prided themselves as noble cultivators, couldn¡¯t tolerate that their former selves had once been beneath a mortal. Some had begged on their knees to escape death at his hands, some had ttered and praised this world¡¯s number one, some had served him¡­ His existence was a stain for all of them, symbolizing everyone¡¯s shameful past.]</em>


    <em>[¡ª This man must disappear!]</em>


    <em>[As people from ater era, Qi Jiu and Su Huaijia didn¡¯t know exactly what happened 500 years ago. They only knew that the former world¡¯s number one had once be everyone¡¯s enemy, like a stray dog. If his enemies hadn¡¯t been mere novice cultivators, he wouldn¡¯t have had a chance to escape. He eventually disappeared for ten years, living in anonymity.]</em>


    <em>[Later generations only knew that when he reappeared after a decade, he had elevated the mortal martial arts, once scorned by cultivators, to another realm¡ªhe had pushed ordinary martial arts beyond mortal limits, creating true ¡°Martial Dao.¡±] </em>(TL: Martial Way/Path)


    <em>[The emergence of Martial Dao changed everything.]</em>


    <em>[He generously spread his martial arts techniques, attracting countless followers to this new path. He also ruthlessly eliminated his enemies who had already progressed far in immortal cultivation, demonstrating that Martial Dao was no weaker than the immortal path.]</em>


    <em>[As Martial Dao flourished, the immortal path began to decline.]</em>


    <em>[Cultivators who couldn¡¯t tolerate mortal martial arts rivaling their path came to challenge him in a battle of great Daos, but were almost all killed. More and more cultivators began to inexplicably die from cultivation deviation, with numbers gradually increasing.]</em>


    <em>[After more than a decade, the immortal path had unknowingly be a thing of the past, reced by Martial Dao. The number of Martial Dao practitioners expanded to thousands within decades. The number of martial arts enthusiasts who hadn¡¯t yet entered the path was countless.]</em>


    <em>[Through clues gathered fromter generations and Su Huaijia¡¯s divinations, the two men had no doubt that if not for the sudden depletion of spiritual energy, the founder of Martial Dao would have led the world into a golden age of Martial Dao, instead of hastily leading his followers to leave this realm.]</em>


    <em>[¡­They finally understood why they had never encountered another immortal cultivator in all these years, and why they had always struggled to teach a satisfactory disciple.]</em>


    <em>[It wasn¡¯t just because of the difficulty of cultivation in this magic-deficient era. It was because someone didn¡¯t allow the immortal path to revive.]</em>


    <em>[Even though that person had left, his influence remained.]</em>


    <em>[As the saying goes, ¡°Heaven conceals one of fifty.¡± No matter how absolute the other¡¯s methods were, the Heavenly Dao would always leave a glimmer of hope for the immortal path. They were that glimmer of hope. This was why they could embark on the path of cultivation in this magic-deficient era.]</em>


    <em>[Having uncovered the past stories, since the other party had long left, the two men treated the history as mere dinner table tales.]</em>


    <em>[However, they had never divined before that hundreds of yearster, as spiritual energy would resurge, those who had long departed would return¡­]</em>


    <em>[At the same time, they saw endless disasters and the impending cmity of the Returning Void!]</em>


    <em>[The two had no intention of reviving the immortal path, and the events that happened to the former cultivators were unrted to them. Surely the Hanguang Sword Master wouldn¡¯t seek to eliminate thempletely. There was no enmity between them, on the contrary, they now had a premise for inevitable cooperation.]</em>


    <em>[Although worried about future natural and man-made disasters, the all-calcting duo wouldn¡¯t lose theirposure. They continued as usual, traveling the world hand in hand, hidden in the bustling mortal world.]</em>


    At this moment, in an unknown, remote small town.


    Apanied by billowing steam, the red oil in the hot pot boiled and bubbled, wafting the aroma of meat far and wide.


    At the entrance of the old, wood-decorated restaurant, an antique deep red banner fluttered in the heat-filled breeze, revealing the ancient characters ¡°Zhang¡¯s Eatery¡± in the undting waves.


    Most tables inside were full. Tourists who hade from afar to taste the famous food used chopsticks to fish out meat from the pot, eatingrge mouthfuls, then gulping down water as the spice hit them. After a few big swallows, they couldn¡¯t help but give a thumbs up, praising repeatedly. ¡°Hiss, delicious, absolutely delicious! Boss, this is the most authentic donkey meat hot pot I¡¯ve ever had! In one word: perfect!¡±


    Other diners around also showered praises endlessly.


    A local proudly exined, ¡°Of course! Boss Zhang¡¯s shop has been passed down for generations. It¡¯s been at least 100 or 200 years now, and even the great war 50 years ago didn¡¯t interrupt the tradition. They say Emperor Mingzong particrly loved this donkey meat and even invited Zhang¡¯s owner to the pce to cook for him. If Emperor Mingzong praised it, we¡¯re essentially eating imperial cuisine!¡±


    ¡°Really? Is there such a legendary story?¡±


    ¡°Just ask around, everyone knows¡­¡±


    Amidst the sounds of diners clinking sses and exaggerating tales, Zhang¡¯s Eatery¡¯s owner sat at the front desk, a faint proud smile on his chubby face.


    He wasn¡¯t boasting; he had never neglected this ancestral skill. When it came to donkey meat hotpot, no one could do it better than him!


    The customers¡¯ enjoyment was his greatest praise!


    Just then, a very light scent of sandalwood wafted in from the door, and the wind chimes under the doorway tinkled softly.


    With the chimes, a figure in blue robes drifted in. He lingered at the entrance, letting out a light sigh.


    ¡°It¡¯s been so long, yet this shop is still here?¡±


    The owner looked up at the sound.


    In the sunlight stood a young man of about 27 or 28, dressed in sky-blue Taoist robes. His appearance was extremely handsome, with a faint and tranquil aura that immediately inspired goodwill.


    In today¡¯s society, being a Taoist or Buddhist monk had be amon profession. Although it was umon to see people dressed as monks walking brazenly on the streets, it wasn¡¯t rare either.


    However, someone with such a perfect aura, who looked like he truly belonged in a Taoist temple, was exceptionally rare.


    ¡­Could he be an actor from some film crew?


    ¡­If today¡¯s celebrities were all this handsome, no wonder his foolish daughter was always supporting her ¡°brothers¡± online.


    These thoughts shed through his mind briefly. Even the barely-educated owner felt inexplicably restrained in front of this young Taoist, as if overwhelmed by his presence.


    ¡°Wee!¡± The owner collected himself and smiled warmly. Imitating TV dramas, he tried to speak elegantly, picking up on the young man¡¯s words, ¡°Taoist master, have you perhaps visited our humble shop before? I, Old Zhang, couldn¡¯t possibly forget a customer like you!¡±


    The young Taoist nodded with a smile. ¡°I have indeed visited before, but at that time, you weren¡¯t the owner here.¡±


    As he spoke, there was a hint of nostalgia in his eyes.


    The slightly plump ownerughed, his chubby cheeks quivering. ¡°Taoist master, you really know how to joke. I¡¯ve been running this shop for almost thirty years now. Young Taoist master, how old are you even?¡±


    As he said this, his gaze turned to another young man who had arrived with the Taoist.


    This person wore a light blue robe with a brocade crown and jade belt. He was also good-looking, dressed like a young noble from a TV drama. As he entered, he looked around with a bright and cheerful smile.


    ¡­So there must be a film crew shooting nearby? It seems this Old Zhang¡¯s deductive skills are not too shabby!


    While making wild guesses in his mind, the owner warmly weed them, ¡°Is it just the two of you? Our donkey meat hotpot is the most authentic here, you must try it.¡±


    Facing the young Taoist, even suspecting he might be an actor, the owner found it hard to rmend donkey meat hotpot due to the man¡¯s ¡°otherworldly¡± aura. However, the other customer seemed much more approachable.


    ¡°Of course, we must have donkey meat hotpot!¡± The second customer indeed seemed more down-to-earth, agreeing without hesitation. He then joked with hispanion, ¡°My good friend here has been craving this taste for years. I¡¯m just here to apany him in satisfying his craving.¡±


    ¡°Apanying me?¡± The young Taoist looked at him silently.


    ¡°Cough.¡± The man who had been joking coughed a few times, straightened his face, and added seriously, ¡°Not just that. I¡¯m also making up for the few meals of donkey meat hotpot I owe you from back then. After all, if it weren¡¯t for me stopping you, you would have eaten the little donkey several times by now.¡±


    As he spoke, he pointed behind him. The owner then noticed that behind the two men, there was actually a small donkey.


    The donkey¡¯s lively eyes were moving around, meeting the owner¡¯s gaze, startling him a bit.


    Bringing a donkey to eat donkey meat hotpot seemed too cruel, even for the donkey. Most people wouldn¡¯t do something so outrageous!


    Although he wanted to criticize, customers were customers. The owner quickly helped them tie up the donkey and weed them into the shop.


    Because this pair was so eye-catching, even after returning to the counter, the owner¡¯s gaze couldn¡¯t help but drift to their table.


    Soon, he saw the young man in Taoist robes pick up the chopstick holder on the table, casually shaking it, causing a few chopsticks to fall onto the table.


    Looking at the ovepping chopsticks on the table, the young Taoist paused, then smiled at hispanion. ¡°I casually did a divination. Can you tell what this hexagram means?¡±


    The other man nced at it without hesitation.


    ¡°Great fortune. Meeting an important person.¡±


    At this, the two men looked at each other, a silent understanding passing between them.


    ¡°It seems we¡¯ll meet that person soon. When the timees, we¡¯ll tell him about the situation. Let him bear the weight of the sky falling.¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 109

    Chapter 109


    A coin was tossed high into the air, then plummeted back down like a shooting star. Bai Yi caught it with his left hand and quickly covered it with his right.


    ¡°Snap!¡±


    He crouched down, smiling at the child standing before him. ¡°It¡¯s your turn. Guess ¨C heads or tails?¡±


    ¡°Tails?¡±


    ¡°Ta-da! Congrattions¡­ you guessed wrong!¡±


    Bai Yi slowly opened his palm, announcing with the excitement of revealing a lottery prize. ¡°It¡¯s heads.¡±


    As the child looked on in disbelief, he casually tossed the coin into his pocket and held out his open palm to the youngster. ¡°A bet¡¯s a bet. Your wager is mine now.¡±


    The child¡¯s eyes widened, suddenly full of reluctance.


    Unwillingly, the child extended his hand, conflicted about cing the candy he was clutching into Bai Yi¡¯s open palm. His fingertips, still gripping the sweet, hesitated to let go. He kept stealing nces at Bai Yi, his round eyes clearly saying, ¡°Really, no take-backs?¡±¡°Nope, no puppy dog eyes allowed,¡± Bai Yi said as he snatched the candy from the child¡¯s fingers with a speed the youngster couldn¡¯t follow. He unwrapped it and popped it into his mouth in one swift motion.


    ¡°Waaah!¡±


    Seeing his candy disappear into someone else¡¯s mouth ¨C a scene almost as cruel as NTR happening right before his eyes ¨C the child could no longer hold back his tears.


    Just as he opened his mouth to wail, Bai Yi suddenly slipped something inside. A sweet taste spread across his tongue, abruptly cutting off his cry.


    His eyes grew even rounder with surprise.


    Those round eyes reflected the smiling face of the young man. Bai Yi stood up, casually ruffling the child¡¯s soft hair. ¡°Just kidding. Do I look like the kind of immature person who¡¯d steal a kid¡¯s candy just to watch him cry?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t just look like it,¡± a voice sounded from behind. Bai Yi turned to meet the neer¡¯s gaze. ¡°You are that kind of person.¡±


    The neer wore casual gray clothes and a baseball cap. The strands of hair visible under the brim were slightly damp, clearly having just returned from a jog. His face was flushed from exercise as he bluntly criticized, ¡°If you didn¡¯t dislike sweets, you definitely would have eaten it. No way you¡¯d have faked it and given it back to him.¡±


    ¡°Ah, while I¡¯d like to honor the bet, sacrificing my taste buds is a bit much,¡± Bai Yi didn¡¯t refute thetter part of the statement, but took issue with the first. ¡°However, it¡¯s not because I find it amusing to see children cry. I just wanted to teach him that carelessly wagering something precious can lead to heartbreak when you lose it.¡±


    At this point, Bai Yi spoke earnestly. ¡°I¡¯ve properly taught the child to stay away from gambling. After this profound lesson, he¡¯ll surely remember it in the future.¡±


    Watching the lucky child he had randomly picked from the street (out of boredom while waiting for others) scamper away, Bai Yi¡¯s gaze held equal parts satisfaction, expectation, and contentment.


    At that moment, he seemed to radiate the light of righteousness.


    ¡°Sounds reasonable,¡± the other person nodded, seemingly convinced by Bai Yi¡¯s philosophy. But in the next moment, he changed tack and continued his criticism, ¡°But after all that talk and grand reasoning, aren¡¯t you just refusing to admit you¡¯re childish?¡±


    As he spoke, something seemed to catch his eye, and his expression turned a bit strange. ¡°What¡¯s this? You¡¯re carrying a fairy tale book? You¡¯re even more childlike than I thought.¡±


    Bai Yi nced down at the fairy tale book tucked under his arm.


    ¡°Oh, this isn¡¯t my book. It¡¯s my mom¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°I see, it¡¯s not yours¡­ Wait, your mom¡¯s?¡±


    The other person¡¯s expression suddenly cracked. He incredulously pointed a trembling finger at the worn fairy tale book.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying this is your mother¡¯s book?!¡±


    Bai Yi narrowed his eyes suspiciously. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s my mom¡¯s book. It was a gift given to her when she was in the orphanage. Why do you look like you¡¯ve seen a ghost?¡±


    ¡°No, no, no, this is even scarier than seeing a ghost!¡± The other person instinctively took a big step back. ¡°You didn¡¯t suddenly contact me just to investigate the origins of this fairy tale book, did you?¡±


    Bai Yi shook his head in denial. ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡±


    Xu Jian breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good.¡±


    Xu Jian, male, 29 years old. Eighteen years ago, he was sent to the Seventh Hospital by his stepmother and father due to mental health issues. He stayed there for seven years before being discharged based on the doctor¡¯s diagnosis.


    In the years since his discharge, he asionally returned to the Seventh Hospital for visits. It was said that he had be a somewhat well-known detective in the shadow world, specializing in cases unsuitable for the police, particrly serving clients whose identities were best left unspoken.


    Before some of Bai Yi¡¯s skills were honed through nightmare instances, he had also hired Xu Jian for some tasks. But starting three years ago, he rarely sought his services anymore.


    With his current hacking skills, as long as there was an inte connection, there was nothing Bai Yi couldn¡¯t find out.


    After all, the tasks he had previously hired Xu Jian for weren¡¯t anything illegal, so he wasn¡¯t worried about what the other might know.


    This time, he suddenly contacted Xu Jian, but it certainly wasn¡¯t to investigate the origins of the fairy tale book¡ªthe book¡¯s history was clear; it was a birthday gift given to Bai Xin by Yuan Yao¡¯s mother years ago.


    In fact, even Bai Yi himself didn¡¯t know exactly why he had asked Xu Jian to meet.


    This was the guidance given to him by the ¡°Divine Calctor ¡¤ Su Huaijia¡± card.


    The moment he obtained the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction card, Bai Yi thought of the fairy tale book he had retrieved from the Seventh Hospital a couple of days ago.


    Although reason told him it should just be an ordinary gift, his subconscious intuition kept reminding him that it concealed unexpected secrets.


    The system also timely reminded him that he had [Obtained 1 Important Clue for a Special Reality Task]. This was a clear hint!


    Bai Yi thought: <em>When in doubt, consult the divination.</em>


    Now that he had the Divine Calctor persona, what was there to worry about? He could simply don Su Huaijia¡¯s shell and perform a divination.


    The result of the divination, after Bai Yi¡¯s professional interpretation, surprisingly pointed towards an acquaintance he hadn¡¯t seen in a long time.


    That was why he had arranged to meet Xu Jian.


    Originally, Bai Yi didn¡¯t know how Xu Jian could be rted to the gift Bai Xin received before she was seven, but now Xu Jian¡¯s overly strong reaction told him there was indeed a connection.


    ¡­As expected of the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction, this card was too powerful.


    Fully experiencing the prowess of his new persona, Bai Yi inwardly marveled while scrutinizing Xu Jian. ¡°So, what kind of trauma did thebination of my mom and the fairy tale book cause you, making you look like you¡¯ve seen a ghost?¡±


    Xu Jian¡¯s expression became indescribable. ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡±


    ¡°Then make it short.¡±


    The two sat side by side on an outdoor bench in a nearby park. Xu Jian took a deep breath before recollecting. ¡°You know, right? When I was sent to the Seventh Hospital back then, I hadn¡¯t even turned twelve. My birth mother had passed away less than a year before, and then my father quickly remarried. My stepmother was even pregnant¡­ Anyway, kids that age are like that, still craving maternal love.¡±


    Gradually sinking into his memories, Xu Jian didn¡¯t notice how soft his voice had be. ¡°Your mom was only eighteen or neen at the time, technically old enough to be my sister, but a woman¡¯s demeanor changes once she has a child. The first time I saw your mom, she was sunbathing in a secluded little garden, her belly already slightly swollen.¡±


    ¡°At that time, she was stroking her belly while telling fairy tales to the little baby inside, her voice so gentle¡­¡±


    At that moment, the child intent on escaping parted the bushes and was immediately drawn in by the woman¡¯s storytelling voice. He saw sunlight falling on the woman¡¯s face and her slightly protruding belly. Her expression held an indescribable tenderness and anticipation.


    It was just like¡­ just like the mother who had left him¡­


    Xu Jian¡¯s voice trailed off, lost in the memory. He continued his story.


    ¡°That strange feeling made me unusually quiet. I even felt an inexplicable envy in my heart. I thought, ¡®If only she were my mother, if only my mother were still here. How I envied that unborn baby¡­''¡±


    A mix of emotions surged within him. Longing, he instinctively parted the bushes, about to approach that person.


    But at that moment, he witnessed an incredible scene.


    As the woman¡¯s gentle voice continued, the fairy tale¡¯s scenes seemed to materialize in reality¡­


    ¡°The rose said, ¡®Please let go, kind little miss. Don¡¯t pluck me from my stem, or I¡¯ll bleed to death¡¯¡­¡±


    Apanying her voice, countless flowers in the garden fell from their stems, as if plucked by invisible hands. Endless streams of blood gushed from the ¡°wounds,¡± flooding the entire garden and engulfing the little boy hidden in the bushes.


    ¡°Have you ever experienced the feeling of suffocating in the deep sea?¡± Xu Jian¡¯s eyes shed with lingering fear. He had truly been traumatized, and to this day he disliked going near the sea and suffered from severe hemophobia. ¡°And it wasn¡¯t just any sea, but a sea of fresh, crimson blood with its metallic smell¡­ I truly experienced that then.¡±


    ¡°But when I struggled to swim out, the suffocating feeling vanished. The sea of blood disappeared. Everything before my eyes became bright, and all the flowers were still blooming nicely on their stems. That person had fallen asleep on the lounge chair¡­ as if everything I had seen before was just my illusion.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it was just my hallucination. Later, I stumbled away and told the doctors and nurses at the hospital about it. They all said it was my imagination and diagnosed that my condition had worsened.¡±


    Xu Jian shook his head with a bitter smile. ¡°Even now, I wonder if it was just a hallucination caused by my mental state at the time. But the psychological trauma was so severe that even knowing it has nothing to do with your mom, I can¡¯t help but panic a little when I recall that incident. So if you want to hire me to investigate anything rted to this, I¡¯m really powerless to help.¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Bai Yi interjected.


    ¡°W-what do you mean?¡± Xu Jian¡¯s face suddenly turned pale. His vivid imagination made him feel uneasy.


    Bai Yi raised his index finger and shook it. ¡°It might not have been a hallucination.¡±


    Xu Jianughed stiffly. ¡°Stop joking. You¡¯re not trying to get back at me for teasing you about being childish earlier, are you?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± With his finger still raised, Bai Yi¡¯s pitch-ck eyes stared silently at him, his gaze inexplicably mysterious.


    The surrounding atmosphere seemed to grow eerie.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t scare me. I¡¯m afraid of this stuff¡­¡±


    ¡°Snap!¡±


    The crisp sound of a coin being flipped rang out. The coin was tossed high, fell heavily, and was caught in Bai Yi¡¯s palm.


    The eerie atmosphere instantly shattered. The corner of the young man¡¯s lips curled up, revealing a mischievous smile. ¡°Haha, of course I was just scaring you.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Xu Jian let out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief.


    ¡°Since nothing in the garden changed, what you saw before must have been your hallucination,¡± Bai Yi said casually, as Xu Jian red at him with a desire to punch him. ¡°It¡¯s not like scenes from the fairy tale materialized in reality and then disappeared instantly due tock of energy, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡ª¡± He sighed deeply, like a father looking at his son who was lost in fantasy and refusing to wake up. In an incredibly annoying tone, he said, ¡°Although the revival of spiritual energy has made the extraordinary no longer a legend, you¡¯re not still a grown man believing in such unreliable fantasies, are you?¡±


    As he spoke, twisted characters silently appeared in mid-air, invisible to Xu Jian.


    They were silently reflected in the young man¡¯s pitch-ck pupils.


    <em>[Obtained 1 Important Clue for Special Reality Task.]</em>


    <em>[Please continue to search for rted clues.]</em>


    <em>[When clues are gathered, a Special Reality Task will be triggered.]</em><hr>


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 Chapter 110

    Chapter 110


    After meeting with Xu Jian, Bai Yi once again came to the eastern suburbs of the city.


    Unlike other areas that were bing increasingly prosperous, this suburb seemed to have hardly changed in the past fifty years. In this rapidly evolving metropolis, it was like an outdatedponent that didn¡¯t fit in.


    Large patches of sand-mixed soil spread across the open wilderness, still bearing traces of past wars. asionally, one could find rusted shell casings and metal fragments when turning over the soil.


    Large areas of trees grew wildly in this neglected wilderness. Beyond theyers of tree shadows, with the grayish-blue sky as a backdrop, one could vaguely see the gray-white walls of the Seventh Hospital.


    Next to it was the Xingfu Orphanage, which was being rebuilt.


    The roads in the suburbs were not easy to navigate. Bai Yi got out of the taxi near the road by the forest. He walked on the forest path he had traversed countless times before. The surrounding trees cast shadows that blocked out all sunlight, creating a particrly deep and chilly atmosphere. At the end of the path, the gray-white walls of the Seventh Hospital, which hadn¡¯t been renovated for many years, appeared in his line of sight.


    He looked up, and the tree shadows fell on his eyshes.


    From his earliest memories, Bai Yi never thought he was particrly special. His birth mother¡¯s identity, his birth at the Seventh Hospital, constantly hovering between dreams and wakefulness since childhood, constantly receiving mental noise from others¡­ All of this, in Bai Yi¡¯s view, was perhaps how every child came into the world.


    For him, the ¡°Seventh Hospital¡± was a microcosm of this world, with all kinds of strange patients, doctors and nurses in snow-white uniforms ¨C they were the normalponents of this world.Therefore, it wasn¡¯t until he was four or five years old and sent to kindergarten that Bai Yi discovered that the world wasn¡¯t actually like this ¨C in the eyes of the public, the ce where he had grown up was actually an abnormal deviation from the norm. He had always been different from other children.


    For adults, even if they had never been to a ¡°mental hospital,¡± just mentioning it would evoke chaotic, disorderly, and various negative evaluations.


    But babiese into this world with a nk te. Good and evil, ck and white, normal and chaotic are indistinguishable in their eyes. They are probably the ones who can view all things most equally.


    If you tell a baby from the beginning that fish fly in the sky, they wouldn¡¯t be surprised and would naturally ept this asmon knowledge. Although the director and the medical staff tried to iste Bai Yi from the patients, his innate gift of sensing the rhythms of all things instinctively allowed him to acquire too much mon knowledge¡± from the patients.


    When Bai Yi first left the Seventh Hospital, his ¡°home,¡± and entered the new environment of the outside world, using what he believed to be mon knowledge¡± tomunicate with other children, the discrepancies between their understanding of the world and mon knowledge¡± quickly made him ¡°abnormal¡± in others¡¯ eyes to a certain extent.


    It was then that the old hospital director realized that Bai Yi, whom they thought had been isted in a safe zone, had still been unconsciously influenced by the patients. The Seventh Hospital, as a growing environment, had greatly hindered the child¡¯s ability to establish correct perceptions consistent with the outside world.


    Under the old director¡¯s forceful correction, Bai Yi finally understood what was incorrect mon knowledge¡± and what was correct mon knowledge,¡± what behaviors were appropriate for a normal child and which were not. He imitated the normal children in kindergarten and quickly integrated into this ¡°normal¡± world.


    But the influence brought by his gift troubled him constantly. When he was in the noisy kindergarten, he ¡°saw¡± the simple yet intense emotions from the surrounding children, like sshes of colorful paint all around. On the way home, he passively sensed the thoughts of passersby, bright or gloomy, passionate or turbid. In the familiar Seventh Hospital, he habitually listened to the ever-changing, chaotic mental fluctuations from the entire hospital¡­ All of this reminded Bai Yi that he was still ¡°abnormal.¡±


    He not only didn¡¯t fit into the normal world outside, but even in the Seventh Hospital, a world considered abnormal by outsiders, he was still the ¡°abnormal¡± one that didn¡¯t fit in.


    So, he had to pretend to be even more ¡°normal.¡±


    This was simple.


    Excellent grades and appearance, along with a well-behaved personality, made Bai Yi a good student in the eyes of teachers from an early age. Although someplications caused by long-term insomnia made this good student seem not well-adapted to the noisy school environment, preferring quiet solitude, and long-term exposure to noisy environments would negatively affect his mental state¡­ For every teacher who received simr diagnoses from psychologists or medical institutions, whether in elementary school, middle school, or high school, it was only natural to feel pity and care for this obedient and well-behaved student, constantly reducing pressure on him and often indulging his requests for leave.


    Growing up in the Seventh Hospital and experiencing a wide variety of patients gave Bai Yi a clear understanding of what kind of behavior would lead psychologists to make the diagnoses he wanted.


    He used this method to carve out an alternative ¡°quiet ce¡± for himself in this ¡°normal¡± world filled with chaos, noise, and pollution. When he needed to, he could temporarily distance himself from all of this and find solitude in a ce where no one could find him.


    The only connection to this world that he couldn¡¯t sever was his mother, Bai Xin, who had been a long-term resident in the depths of the Seventh Hospital.


    Although they were mother and son by blood, Bai Yi had spent less time with her than with the old hospital director.


    Her status as a mental patient meant that her biological son couldn¡¯t stay by her side daily ormunicate with her long-term, as this would go against the universal values of healthy mental and physical development for children.


    In fact, if Bai Xin hadn¡¯t been without any rtives to entrust with her care, if there hadn¡¯t been absolutely no clue about the child¡¯s father¡¯s identity, and if the Xingfu Orphanage where Bai Xin had previously lived hadn¡¯t been right next to the Seventh Hospital, allowing a child to grow up with his birth mother in a mental hospital would have been considered uneptable by many.


    But society¡¯s resources weren¡¯t abundant enough to provide Bai Yi with a more suitable cement, and the old director was already his best option.


    As a result, Bai Yi¡¯s impression of his birth mother wasn¡¯t very deep.


    He had always thought that his mother was no different from other patients, all with thinking that deviated from the norm, forming part of the chaotic side of the worldview he had constructed from childhood.


    During their rare interactions, her health always seemed poor. She spent most of her time resting in bed, quiet and cooperative with the doctors and nurses during examinations, doing whatever she was told, as if she didn¡¯t care about anything in this world.


    She was like someone standing outside a book, watching the characters inside. Or like a game yer facing NPCs with programmed data in the game.


    Only when looking at Bai Yi did her eyes lose that vacant, detached gaze of an outsider. Instead, they became bright, gentle, and full of expectation. But this emotion wasn¡¯t just a mother¡¯s love for her child; it was more like¡­ as if he were one of only two real people in a world of book characters, one of only two yers surrounded by data NPCs.


    No, this expectation seemed even higher than that.


    When he was young, Bai Yi even had the illusion that Bai Xin was like an outsider who had fallen into a book, a yer trapped in a game unable to log out. And he was the author of this book, the GM of the game, the only ¡°god¡± who could help her escape the illusion and return to the real world.


    Moreover, he was a ¡°god¡± worthy of expectation, not yet fully grown.


    A mother viewing her own son as a deity.


    This sounds strange. But from another perspective, it might not be so odd. After all, many parents in this world, when at their lowest point and covered in the muck of a turbid world, often view their children as the hope for their redemption, fantasizing that when they grow up, they will lead them to glorious heights.


    Perhaps Bai Xin¡¯s expectation was that Bai Yi would one day be able to take her out of the Seventh Hospital to have a freer life?


    Whenever they saw Bai Xin¡¯s particrly special attitude towards her son, the doctors and nurses at the Seventh Hospital couldn¡¯t help but think this way.


    Bai Yi¡¯s thoughts were different from theirs.


    Before he could even form memories, he had told his mother about how he often dreamed of bing many different people and entering many different worlds, and about how he couldn¡¯t control his ability to sense other people¡¯s emotions and thoughts.


    For a child who didn¡¯t yet understand most of the world¡¯smon knowledge, he didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong with him. He just thought every child was like this, and that perhaps when they grew up, they would no longer have those dreams or feel those strange emotions.


    Bai Xin told him not to mention these things to others, or else he would be locked up in the Seventh Hospital forever.


    Mental patients aren¡¯t always in a state of illness, and Bai Xin¡¯s warning during a lucid moment was taken to heart by the young child.


    Although at that time, he didn¡¯t think being confined to the Seventh Hospital was such a terrible punishment ¨C this hospital was already a big enough world for him. But having seen patients being taken back to their rooms during episodes, their daily outdoor time limited, and having seen the unappetizing medicine his mother had to take¡­ Bai Yi certainly didn¡¯t want to experience this treatment.


    When he grew a little older and became aware of his own uniqueness, his mother¡¯s gaze, seemingly always full of expectation and hope when looking at him, took on a different interpretation.


    He knew the reason for his mother¡¯s hospitalization: delusional disorder.


    Undoubtedly, Bai Xin, with her delusional symptoms, must have firmly believed in the things he had told her. Perhaps she even saw him as a protagonist with superpowers like in novels, which would exin why her way of looking at the world and at him was so special.


    This was what Bai Yi had always thought.


    It wasn¡¯t until the Nightmare Game system descended that too many overlooked details emerged, and he suddenly realized that perhaps he had missed something, that there were still secrets about Bai Xin that he hadn¡¯t uncovered.


    As for whether or not to uncover the truth, Bai Yi was indifferent at heart. But since the system¡¯s arrival, the hints it had given at certain moments were undoubtedly guiding him towards uncovering the truth.


    So, what harm was there in going along with it once?


    He had already determined that he was the creator of this game system. And in this world, there was no one more trustworthy than himself.


    Casting aside his many doubts, Bai Yi met with the old hospital director as pre-arranged and obtained from him all of Bai Xin¡¯s medical records from nearly thirty years ago, after her admission to the hospital.


    <em>Rustle, rustle.</em>


    Amidst the sound of flipping through medical records, the old director rambled on. ¡°This child seemed to like reading from a young age. When she was at the orphanage, she liked to carry fairy tale books around every day, often believing the stories to be real. Later, she began telling her own fairy tales to the children at the orphanage. They say her stories were particrly vivid, and the children loved listening to them. The teachers at the orphanage even thought she had a talent for storytelling¡­ Butter, everyone realized something was wrong.¡±


    ¡°¡­She started believing her own stories were real.¡±


    ¡°¡­She treated the characters in those stories as her good friends. No, I should say, she treated the entire world in the stories as her friend. She began to be neurotic, constantly saying that her friends were dying, that something bad was happening, that the world in the stories was about to be destroyed. She begged every child, every teacher, every volunteer at the orphanage for help, asking them to save her friends, to save those worlds that were about to be destroyed.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t until then that the orphanage realized something was wrong and sent her here for diagnosis, but it was already toote.¡±


    Bai Yi silently flipped through the medical records, listening to the old director¡¯s narrative with split attention. The director¡¯s summary basically matched what was written in the records, only the records were more detailed and specific.


    The familiar font of the system began to appear in midair.


    <em>[Obtained 1 important clue for the special reality task.]</em>


    <em>[Special reality task has been triggered.]</em>


    Bai Yi blinked gently, lost in thought.


    He recalled that deep sea like thick ink, the star fragments densely filling the deep sea, and that lone suspended star¡­


    ¡°Perhaps, everything she said was true. She was really¡­ begging for help for her friends?¡±


    A fleeting image of his mother¡¯s pale face on the childhood sickbed shed by, followed by those eyes that shone brightly with hope when looking at him. He seemed to understand his mother¡¯s expectations of him for the first time.


    An emotion he had never felt before slowly emerged in his heart, and for the first time, Bai Yi had a thought of wanting to achieve a certain goal.


    ¡°¡­Am I the savior she¡¯s been waiting for?¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 111

    Chapter 111


    <em>[When the stars fall and all thingse to an end, the return to the void descends, countless worlds step into death, and the Principle of All Things withers.]</em>


    Bai Yi clearly knew this was a dream.


    He plunged into that boundless dark sea, yet surprisingly felt no suffocation. Instead, he opened his eyes with ease, seeing countless star fragments in the deep sea converging towards his direction.


    Each star fragment emitted a faint glow, illuminating the pitch-ck ocean with countless specks of light.


    He saw shes of images within the star fragments. They were traces of the lives and deaths of countless beings from innumerable worlds. Even as the worlds returned to the void, remnants of their original existence lingered.


    There were sky-piercing towers connecting earth and heaven, where mages invited far-traveled guests to marvel at magical miracles. They studied, researched, and held gatherings in these towers, while ordinary people lived and worked outside, providing endless resources for the construction of tower after tower. Magical items and research findings from the towers, in turn, influenced the lives ofmon folk¡­


    There was a vast desert continent where extreme surface conditions precluded the survival of living beings. Thriving underground kingdoms developed beneath the continent. In underground tunnels stretching in all directions, steam trains whistled, giving birth to a unique technological civilization system of the underworld¡­


    There was a prosperous dynasty ruling over vast territories, where top generals could single-handedly face thousands of troops, and schrly advisors could calcte astrology and fate with a wave of their fans. The emperor carried the fortune of the nation; in times of prosperity, all evil retreated, and those with ill intentions could not approach. In times of national downfall, when all people under heaven shared their grievances, even the ruler of a nation could not escape death¡­


    There were demonsmanding the world, where all manner of sinister and strange urrences were rampant. Great demons divided up states and prefectures, establishing demonic dynasties and nations, nurturing an alternative form of civilization¡­There were fairy godmothers¡¯ pumpkin carriages traversing the sky, bestowing blessings upon all who harbored good intentions. Elven songs spread across the continent through the wanderings of bards¡­


    There were dark skeletons covering theherworld, with armies of the undead crawling out of the sea of bones to roam the endless territories¡­


    He saw the pinnacle of civilizations flourishing in countless worlds, with all beings walking along their respective paths of destiny.


    Then came the descent of the void, and everything stepped into destruction and death.


    The mages¡¯ towers broke from the sky, underground kingdoms were annihted by gues and floods, countless demons disintegrated into dust under an eerie sunlight, elven songs turned into the most terrifying curses, and the undead armies were devoured by nothingness in the instant theherworld shattered¡­


    Death, death, death, destruction, destruction, destruction¡­


    Bai Yi witnessed the death and destruction of endless worlds.


    ¡°Is that the returning to the void¡­¡± This thought shed through his mind, and he seemed to face the terror brought by the word ¡°void¡± for the first time.


    He seemed to see stars falling in the cosmic sea, with fragments of broken stars carrying the resentment of all beings¡¯ deaths in a world, plunging into the deepest part of the nightmare, turning into a nightmare within a nightmare.


    The lingering obsessions of the dead were still re-enacting their destinies from life in the nightmare,pletely unaware of the truth of their death.


    Immortal techniques, magic, martial arts¡­ The withering Principles of All Things from each world evolved in the illusory nightmare. Even though they had be illusory paths, they were the only remaining roots and imprints of those worlds.


    [The death of all beings does not mean the death of a world, and the destruction of a world does not mean eternal sinking. Only when the Principle of All Things of a world withers awaypletely, without a trace left, can the world be said to have disappeared from its roots, with no chance of reappearance.]


    [As long as the Principle of All Things has not disappeared, the world is not consideredpletely dead, and there is still a possibility of reappearing in the river of time.]


    [Even though returning to the void is the inevitable fate of every world, the inevitable end of this cosmic sea, under thews of heaven, there is always a glimmer of hope. When countless worlds are destroyed, this only world that has not yet entered the void carries the hope from innumerable worlds, giving birth to the sole thread of life.]


    [This is hope born from the deepest despair. It is the desire for life from countless dead beings across countless worlds. It is the final power and blessing transmitted by the innumerable dead worlds as their Principles of All Things wither awaypletely.]


    [Over thirty years ago, in this sole surviving world, there was an ordinary little girl who, due to her extraordinary spiritual sensitivity, heard in her sleep the pleas and desires from countless worlds. She seemed to empathize with the consciousness of innumerable worlds, seeing the shining figures in those worlds embark on their destined paths, witnessing countless worlds from prosperity to destruction¡­ Solitary since childhood, she gradually blurred the line between reality and dreams, regarding every world she saw and every shining person in those worlds as her friends.]


    [The countless dead worlds seemed to foretell the fate of this world ¨C that one day, it too would face destruction and death.]


    [She wanted to save her friends, and also save this world that created her.]


    [For this, she made a decision.]


    [She would be the nurturer of hope.]


    Countless star fragments bloomed in the deep sea. Bai Yi emerged from the depths, and the lone star suspended in the sky seemed to respond, shining infinite radiance upon his face.


    [Special Reality Task Triggered: Bearer of Destiny]


    [As the convergence of blessings and hopes from countless dead worlds, shaped by the final roots of each world, born as thest chance of life in the only surviving world¡­]


    [You are the absolute hope carrying the fate of infinite worlds.]


    [¡ª You are the born savior of this world.]


    [Please carry on with destiny.]


    [¡ª Save thisst remaining world, and awaken the withered Principles of All Things of infinite worlds, giving each dead world a chance to reappear in the river of time.]


    [Current Progress: Awakened the Principle of All Things of one world, and developed a brand new martial arts system.]


    The star in the sky radiated brilliantly. Bathed in starlight, Bai Yi seemed to see a world at the pinnacle of prosperity, with immortal cultivators riding swords through the sky, and celestial cranes drifting among clouds¡­ It was the world that should have progressed from low-level martial arts and spiritual energy revival to the flourishing of immortal cultivation.


    ¡ª The arrival of the returning to the void destroyed everything. All the dead beings repeated their obsessions in nightmares.


    Until Bai Yi entered the obsession of someone who was once the world¡¯s number one, and changed the nightmare ording to their wishes, instead creating a brand new martial arts system. When he recreated martial arts on Blue Star, the supposedly withered Principle of All Things of that world was awakened in the new world, gaining new life from death.


    In the radiance of the star, countless figures flickered, practicing sword techniques, palm techniques, fist techniques, and de techniques. It seemed as if myriad spirits and beings were demonstrating the ultimate martial arts in Bai Yi¡¯s mind. This was the naturally formed image of the awakened Principle of All Things, the essence of the entire martial arts system.


    At this moment, Bai Yi had fullyprehended the essence of the entire path, standing at the pinnacle of the martial arts system.


    He opened his eyes again.


    Everything in the dream receded like a tide.


    The deep sea, starlight, and the remnants of countless worlds trapped in nightmares all dissipated like illusions.


    The morning light gently fell through the window, and unknown birds flew by, creating imperceptible ripples that spread through the air like water waves. Everything within hundreds of meters was as clear in Bai Yi¡¯s perception as if seen with his own eyes.


    He rose from the bed and clenched his fist. A powerful sensation spread from his arm all the way to his heart. Even the sound of blood rushing through his veins sounded like roaring rivers in his ears, filled with an incredible vitality.


    He spread his palm against the sunlight streaming in. His slender fingers were purer than jade. The light shone through the gaps between his fingers onto the youth¡¯s pitch-ck eyes, like illuminating a calm, deep sea. It made Bai Yi¡¯s inhuman qualities even more apparent.


    Even the Rhythm of All Things talent on his status panel had unknowingly evolved, with its awakening reaching 50%.


    ¡°It seems I¡¯ve¡­ transcended again?¡± he thought.


    ¡°Meow~¡± A soft voice interrupted Bai Yi¡¯s contemtion. He concealed his aura, dispersing all his inhuman qualities, and tilted his head to look at the ¡°culprit¡± who had disrupted his thoughts.


    A jet-ck cat crouched on the windowsill, looking down at him.


    It had rained heavily the night before. This free-spirited cat, who made the old town its ¡°home,¡± had gently tapped on the windowsill during the downpour. When Bai Yi opened the window wide in invitation, it had sought shelter in his home.


    Likely due to long-term feeding of exotic cuisine, its fur was now soft and fluffy, its eyes like gemstones ¨C bright and intelligent, gleaming with a wisdom not found in other animals.


    The cat, having developed sentience, clearly knew the source of all this. Without any feline pride, it let out a soft meow and gracefully leapt from the windowsill into Bai Yi¡¯s arms, affectionately rubbing its head against him. ¡°Meow~¡±


    Bai Yi reached out and gently stroked the ck cat¡¯s soft fur.


    The cat offered no resistance, its meows bing even softer, sounding almost like it was coquettishly acting spoiled. Bai Yi couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    ¡°Are you nning to make me your permanent meal ticket?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Meow~¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re quite the little clever one, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    He carried the cat as he walked out, speaking as he went.


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve epted my domestication, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve given you a name yet, have I? What should I call you? Hope? ¡­ Bai Xiaoxi?¡±


    ¡°Meow meow~¡±


    The youth¡¯s amused voice intertwined with the cat¡¯s meows in the apartment.


    ¡°¡­You¡¯ve witnessed the birth of hope firsthand, after all.¡±


    ¡°What birth of hope?¡± On the ground floor of the apartment, Xia Jiajia, who had just returned from her morning exercise, looked up to see the young maning down the stairs with a ck cat in his arms. She asked curiously.


    ¡°Why, this cat, of course!¡± Bai Yi smiled, lifting the ck cat high and waving its paw at Xia Jiajia. ¡°Let me introduce you ¨C this is our hope kitty, Bai Xiaoxi.¡±


    Xia Jiajia¡¯s eyes immediately lit up with stars as she hurried over to admire the cat. No one could resist a cute cat, no one!


    Although the cat¡¯s appearance had changed dramatically, differing greatly from before, Xia Jiajia still recognized it. After all, in this neighborhood where stray cats and dogs kept their distance, the only cat that wandered about freely was hard to miss.


    After observing for a while, Xia Jiajia had a sudden realization. ¡°I was wondering why it looked cleaner and prettier each time I saw it recently. So it was because you adopted it, Bai Yi.¡±


    Xia Jiajia wanted to reach out and pet the cat, but the feline, which had been so well-behaved in Bai Yi¡¯s arms, coldly and mercilessly rejected her. She lowered her hand dejectedly, her eyes full of envy as she looked at Bai Yi. But after a moment¡¯s thought, she came to terms with it.


    This stray cat had been wandering this neighborhood for a long time, and she had seen it many times, but only Bai Yi had chosen to adopt it¡­


    ¡°Bai Xiaoxi? Does it mean ¡®hope¡¯? That¡¯s such a special name. Being able to meet you and be adopted by you, maybe in its heart, you really are the embodiment of hope,¡± she mused.


    TN:


    Bai °×- white, same °× in ¡®Bai Yi¡±


    Xiao С-small


    Xi ϣ-hope<hr>


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 Chapter 112

    Chapter 112


    Facing the ¡°Return to the Void¡± in his nightmare, witnessing countless worlds copse and die, Bai Yi truly understood the terrifying nature of the ¡°Return to the Void¡±.


    Beyond that, he felt no other emotions. No sympathy, no regret, nor any urgent desire to save the world ¨C he had none of these feelings.


    ¡ªHecked the empathy of ordinary people, and even more so the sense of justice that a typical savior should possess.


    But fate works in mysterious ways.


    His birth was a miracle created by infinite worlds, stemming from the most incredible choice made by that unknown girl who spent her life in a mental hospital, all to save the world.


    Although he didn¡¯t consider himself to possess the shining qualities of hope, he was undoubtedly the hope recognized by the infinite worlds and that person.


    ¡ªHe carried the fate of everyone.


    If Bai Yi refused, everything they had done would lose its meaning. Even his own birth would no longer have purpose.


    Basking in the faint glow of the morning sun, Bai Yi casually stroked the docile ck cat in his arms while chatting idly with Xia Jiajia. A faint smile appeared on his face.Cause begets effect; gifts can also be shackles. If one day he could repay all karmic debts, perhaps that would be the moment when all shackles break, and he truly transcends.


    At this moment, a subtle realization dawned in Bai Yi¡¯s mind.


    ¡­No, to call itplete transcendence wasn¡¯t quite urate.


    ¡­It should be described as returning to his original essence.


    Born into this world as a human fetus, formed from the source of infinite worlds and theirst hope, was already a form of degradation. When the fate he carries is fulfilled, perhaps that will be the day he returns to his true nature.


    This must be¡­ what Bai Xin had been hoping to see.


    ¡°Ah, it seems I need to speed things up,¡± Bai Yi summoned the system.


    The current system had changedpared to before. It seemed more responsive and fluid to use.


    ¡°¡­I remember I still have a real-world task to submit, right?¡± He was referring to the Leiyin incident.


    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s submit it now.¡±


    Bai Yi didn¡¯t forget to hint directly. ¡°I heard there¡¯s a chance to obtain a fragment of the Principle of All Things. I¡¯m really looking forward to the reward.¡±


    In mid-air, lines of distorted text appeared.


    <em>[Beneath the dawn of the extraordinary lies surging darkness. The hope you bring has be misfortune for some.]</em>


    <em>[To allow it or to save ¨C that is the question.]</em>


    <em>[Task submitted, confirming progress¡­]</em>


    As the progress confirmation text appeared, Bai Yi suddenly felt dizzy. The entire world seemed toe to a standstill.


    In the next second, he felt his consciousness being pulled upwards by an invisible force, as if suddenly floating out of his body, flying towards the infinite sky until reaching the highest point of the world, where he could look down and survey this vast world with a single nce.


    Countless scenes shed before his eyes.


    They showed the subsequent effects around the world since he helped Leiyin fight back against the empire¡­


    The fates of innumerable people changed because of this.


    The choices they made, the distortions they caused to the reality timeline, could all be traced back to Bai Yi as the source. The changes in their destinies all transformed into Bai Yi¡¯s task progress.


    Scenes from the past appeared before his eyes.


    ¡°Reject human experiments! Oppose the Transcendence Project! Ban all evil research using humans as test subjects!¡±


    ¡°We need true freedom and equality!¡±


    ¡°Let those decision-makers who act recklessly step down!¡±


    On the streets of the Chenxing Empire, the marching crowds roared like the sea.


    ¡­¡­


    The television screens on the street showed news reporters swarming around key figures involved in the research facility livestream incident. Some figures frantically avoided reporters¡¯ questions, hurriedly leaving under the escort of bodyguards. Others dodged inquiries, using the empire¡¯s interests and a bright future as justification for everything. Some righteously dered it all to be a conspiracy by terrorists and enemy nations, refusing to acknowledge any unfounded usations¡­


    Until the imperial princess, who had disappeared for several days, made an appearance. She faced the cameras directly without hesitation. Her rose-like delicate face bore a resolute expression.


    ¡°Yes, everything shown in the livestream footage was real.¡±


    Her tone was sincere, her gaze carrying a hint of shame as she revealed everything she knew, even though her understanding of the Transcendence Project was actually quite limited.


    ¡°I admit that the Transcendence Project indeed involved human experiments that harmed innocent imperial citizens. In fact, I didn¡¯t know about this much earlier than everyone else. But after learning about it, I failed to stop it and instead allowed everything to happen. I¡¯m very sorry for this. I didn¡¯t fulfill my responsibility as an imperial princess and betrayed everyone¡¯s trust in the royal family¡­¡±


    By the time others received the news, it was already toote.


    The interview content had already been released. Using Princess Fina¡¯s revtions as a starting point, reporters conducted a thorough expos¨¦ of the Transcendence Project. Of course, this wasn¡¯t an expos¨¦ of the research content itself, which involved imperial secrets that no one dared to dig into. Rather, it revealed the turbulent undercurrents among the empire¡¯s upper echelons when the Transcendence Project was initially implemented.


    Ordinary people finally learned that the Transcendence Project wasn¡¯t supported by everyone ¨C it was just that the number of supporters overwhelmed the opposition.


    And Princess Fina, who stood out to sincerely apologize, was actually a member of the opposition and didn¡¯t support the implementation of the Transcendence Project.


    She bore undeserved me on behalf of those cowards who should havee out to take responsibility, living up to her title as princess.


    In front of the television screens were faces filled with sudden realization. From anger to understanding toprehension, and even a hint of admiration.


    ¡­¡­


    In the pce of the Chenxing Empire, a heated argument erupted. Or rather, it was the old emperor¡¯s one-sided scolding of his daughter.


    Before the empire¡¯s high-level officials could take action, Princess Fina¡¯s preemptive statement undoubtedly put them in a passive position. All paths were blocked except to follow her narrative.


    The imperial princess hung her head silently until the old emperor tired of scolding. Then she raised her head awkwardly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for causing trouble for Father Emperor. I didn¡¯t think it through at the time. I was just¡­ just frightened by the angry voices of so many citizens¡­ I thought that stepping forward to admit the mistake might make things better¡­¡±


    Towards the end, she furrowed her brow tightly again and advised, ¡°Besides, human experiments are indeed too inhumane. I don¡¯t think we should just let Dr. Willis and the others continue like this¡­¡±


    The old emperor looked at his daughter, whose brow still carried traces of innocence and righteousness. His cloudy old eyes held a hint of contemtion. He couldn¡¯t tell if this choice of hers was an idental misstep or intentional.


    However, he had always known this daughter to have a somewhat inappropriate naivety and soft-heartedness. It was precisely because of this that he was willing to indulge her somewhat, deliberately arranging for her to be in a high-status but practically powerless leisurely department, where she usually had the privilege of sitting in on some important meetings.


    ¡­It should just be an idental misstep out of impulse, right?


    He concealed the scrutiny in his eyes and sighed with the helpless tone of an old father. ¡°In any case, think carefully about how to exin this to the parliament and cab. They¡¯re always looking for ways to grasp onto the royal family¡¯s mistakes and weaken my power as emperor. This time it¡¯s your fault for making public statements without permission. I can¡¯t help you. Be prepared to leave your previous post ande back to ¡®reflect on your mistakes¡¯ for a while.¡±


    In the final scene, the pce doors slowly opened. The imperial princess bowed and retreated from the pce, walking step by step towards the sunlight. The old emperor¡¯s figure melted into the shadows of the pce where sunlight couldn¡¯t reach.


    ¡­¡­.


    ¡°The revival of spiritual energy has just begun. Even if we¡¯re fortunate enough to embark on the path of martial arts cultivation and be extraordinaries, we¡¯re still only limitedly stronger than ordinary people. Instead, we might be prey for those in power with ulterior motives due to our special nature ¨C Leiyin is the best precedent!¡±


    In a hidden abandoned building, a group of people gathered.


    In the unnamed park, a beautiful morning dawned with gentle sunlight.


    A group of elderly people were vigorously exercising, practicing martial arts forms from ancient manuals focused on health cultivation. They moved with more agility than many young people.


    Suddenly, from a nearby tree-lined path, a young woman¡¯s cry rang out. ¡°Thief! Someone¡¯s snatched my bag!¡±


    At the sound, several of the elderly practitioners sprang into action. At the same time, people further away who heard the shout came running.


    With a leap, they nimbly jumped over flower beds. Moving with explosive powerpletely unsuited to their age, they caught up to the thief¡¯s motorcycle in just a few strides. As one foot touched the ground, they used it as a pivot to swing their other leg around in a whip-like kick. Smack!


    The thief was sent flying off the motorcycle. Before he could get up to run, he was surrounded by the group of elderly people. A group of young people who had heard themotion arrived shortly after, staring in amazement at the scene.


    ¡°Wow! The old folks these days are so formidable, they don¡¯t leave any room for us young people to show off!¡±


    ¡°I know! I¡¯ve made great progress in my martial arts training recently and was hoping to test my skills when I heard about the bag snatcher!¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯d you choose to be a thief? Getting cocky after learning a bit of martial arts? Our Yao Country is full of hidden experts now. I heard there¡¯s even a ¡®Martial God¡¯ secretly overseeing things. Think twice next time.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no future in stealing. You¡¯d be better off doing construction work. With basic martial arts training, your physical abilities double. You could easily make several hundred a day doing manualbor. Moreover, if you have decent talent and can establish a martial foundation, the country even provides benefits.¡±


    In Yao Country, the only nation to fully implement martial arts training, martial arts practices had spread from students to the general public. High schools were considering adding martial arts exams alongside art exams and regr entrance exams as another path to university admission. Martial arts sses for the public were flourishing, with office workers habitually attending training sessions after work and on weekends.


    Although there were quite a few who misused their martial arts skills for wrongdoing, these individuals were a minuscule fraction when considering the entire poption. As a result, there were actually more people capable of stopping crime.


    ¡­..


    In the Holy City of the Holy Federation.


    Buildings decorated in white, gold, and red ¨C the colors symbolizing the Sun God Temple¡¯s sacred emblem ¨C lined the streets in an orderly fashion, embodying the holy, magnificent, and solemn beauty described in the Holy Sun Scripture.


    But at some point, amidst this sacred and austere golden-red Holy City, colorful flowers had begun to bloom.


    On the windowsills of buildings, in street corners, under fluttering shop banners, on some pedestrians¡¯ hats andpels¡­


    White, purple, blue, pink, yellow¡­ Flowers of various vibrant hues bloomed all over the city,pletely shattering the purity and solemnity that once belonged to the Holy City. A faint floral fragrance wafted through every street, transforming this sacred city of the Sun God Temple into a city of blossoms.


    Along with these blooming flowers, the faith of the Flower Speaker began to blossom in countless hearts, one by one.


    This incredible scene was also urring in other cities of the Holy Federation, spreading and expanding at an extremely rapid pace.


    ¡ªAs the only theocratic country on Blue Star influenced by divine power, the Holy City where the Sun God Temple was located was the sacred ce in the hearts of all people in the Holy Federation. However, apart from the faith in the Sun God, this country also had various cults, bothrge and small.


    ¡ªSince people believed in the existence of the Sun God, who had never shown any divine miracles, it meant that the people of this country could easily believe in the existence of other gods as well. Just as the Sun God Temple could influence them, other cults could equally deceive them.


    However, those who believed in cults were always a minority, and all religious sects other than the Sun God religion were illegal organizations explicitly banned by the Holy Federation. Once discovered by the authorities, cult members spreading illegal beliefs would all end up in prison.


    Therefore, cults in the Holy Federation didn¡¯tst long. They might be shut down by the authorities just two or three months after being established.


    But during this period, all cults, big and small, were purged. The entity calling itself Samuel seemed to have a deep understanding of these sects, easily infiltrating them and sessfully taking control of various cults,rge and small. He persuaded those cult members to ¡°mend their ways¡± and believe in the Flower Speaker, a real god walking among humans.


    ¡ªThis made the Holy Federation authorities hesitant to take action.


    As a result, an incredible thing happened.


    The Holy Federation, which was supposed to wholeheartedly believe in the Sun God and severely crack down on illegal beliefs, was directly split in terms of faith. The newly emerging ¡°Candlelight Society¡± grew rapidly in a very short time and began to rival the long-established Sun God religion.


    Even in the Holy City, followers of the ¡°Flower Speaker¡± appeared.


    ¡­¡­


    Cities adorned with flowers floated past Bai Yi¡¯s eyes. He saw Samuel, who had previously appeared in various cult hideouts, and the cult followers he had fooled, praying devoutly in the newly established ¡°Candlelight Society¡± churches.


    He incited them with fanaticalnguage: ¡°The omnipotent Sun God is nothing but a false god fabricated by the Sun God Temple! Even the mere candlelight can dispel darkness!¡±


    ¡°My lord is the devourer of misfortune and despair, the radiant god who illuminates the unfortunate with fire in the darkness¡­¡±


    ¡°He selflessly bestows hope upon everyone¡­¡±


    Countless scenes floated before his eyes and then dissipated.


    When Bai Yi¡¯s consciousness finally descended from the infinite heights, he was still immersed in the scenes he had just witnessed, unable toe back to his senses for a long time.


    Was this the highest realm of an evil god?


    Without even having to spread the faith, the sect had been spontaneously arranged. There was a pope, there were believers, and even a name for the sect.


    Bai Yi was greatly shocked.


    However, this wasn¡¯t the focus now.


    He reached out his hand, and something invisible slowly fell from midair.


    <em>[Missionpleted, drawing rewards.]</em>


    <em>[You have obtained 1 Fragment of the Principle of All Things.]</em>


    ¡°As expected,¡± Bai Yi revealed an unsurprised expression. ¡°Well, what needs to be done next is quite simple¡­¡±


    ¡°System, use this Fragment of the Principle of All Things to continue distorting the physicalws of the real world.¡±


    He decisively used the reward he had just received.


    ¡°But this time, I want to specify the direction of distortion¡­¡±


    Bai Yi, who now understood his own origins and the secrets of the Principle of All Things, knew that this was entirely feasible. Or rather, this was the most correct way to use the Fragment of the Principle of All Things.


    In the depths of the nightmare, as Bai Yi¡¯s thoughts moved, a dim star fragment emerged from the deep sea, emitting a faint light.


    Music, poetry, paintings, novels, the shadows of countless timeless works flowed within the star fragment, manifesting the Principle of All Things.


    ¡± ¡ªThis is it.¡±


    ¡± ¡ªI want to awaken another world¡¯s Principle of All Things. Add a new path to the physicalws of the real world.¡±<hr>


    We are currently recruiting. CN/KR/JP Trantors/MTLers are wee!


    Discord Server: https://discord.gg/HGaByvmVuw

 Chapter 113

    Chapter 113


    ¡°Are we there yet? This ce is so remote and far away!¡± A voiceined impatiently from the passenger seat of the ck SUV speeding along the winding mountain road.


    The young man driving responded coldly, shutting down theint. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go, you can get out now.¡±


    The driver wore a simple white crew-neck t-shirt and jeans, with a dark gray hoodie over top. His short, sharp hair stood up distinctly like the quills of an agitated hedgehog. His thick ck eyebrows gave him a somewhat defiant look, and his eyes were exceptionally bright and spirited, giving the first impression that he was not someone to be trifled with.


    Theiner quickly shrank back, but still grumbled. ¡°I was just saying, Shi Cheng. Why are you taking it so seriously? Besides, I¡¯m just worried we¡¯re all being tricked¡­¡±


    As he continued, he grew more self-righteous. ¡°The ce they gave is so remote and far that even GPS can¡¯t find it. We¡¯ve already spent three days just traveling here. Who knows if that person was just making things up to deceive us? Maybe their n was to dy us for a few days and then run off with our money. The reward we offered wasn¡¯t cheap¡­ I invested half a year¡¯s allowance in this!¡±


    The speaker appeared to be in his mid-twenties, wearing a ck coat with a two-finger wide tinum ne. On his left wrist was a silver watch, and on his right a pure gold bracelet. Three of his ten fingers wore rings. From head to toe, he exuded an aura of someone who grew up swimming in money.


    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it, Xue Hao. Our transaction was on the Extraordinary Forum¡¯s trading board, and we specifically requested official notarization from the forum,¡± Ji Nian spoke up from the back seat,ing to the rescue. ¡°Although we¡¯re all anonymous on the forum, it¡¯s widely epted that the people behind the Extraordinary Forum know our true identities. Everyone can guess that powerful extraordinaries are behind the forum. Surely no one would be foolish enough to try to scam us with false information when the forum officials are involved?¡±


    Ji Heng immediately agreed with his sister. ¡°Exactly! Scamming us for money is a minor issue, but affecting the credibility of the Extraordinary Forum is a major problem. The forum would definitely investigate.¡±


    Thinking of the forum points they had to give up to request official notarization, Ji Heng couldn¡¯t help but grimace, looking pained.Those forum points were painstakingly umted bit by bit through daily sign-ins, active participation, andpleting various tasks on the forum!


    The Extraordinary Forum posted all kinds of bizarre tasks. Besides users being able to post and ept tasks for points among themselves, the forum officials also regrly updated the task board. However, the specific details of a task were only known to those who epted it.


    Sometimes they were simple errands, like mailing a package or finding a stranger at a certain time and ce to pass on a message or item. More difficult tasks included short-term protection of a target or rescuing someone from a specific location. As for even more challenging tasks, they weren¡¯t clear on those yet ¨C their current forum levels weren¡¯t high enough to ess them.


    Of all the tasks they had done so far, the most memorable was probably the errand Xue Hao took out of curiosity while traveling out of town half a month ago.


    After arriving in that city, he followed the task instructions to find a box hidden inconspicuously at the base of a wall ¨C he guessed that burying the box there was probably another person¡¯s task, and tracing it back, there might be even more people¡¯s tasks linked together. Then, ording to the real-time updated task details provided by the forum, he urately arrived at a certain cafe and ¡°identally¡± left a photo from the box on a table where he had coffee.


    Since it was his first time doing this kind of errand, Xue Hao didn¡¯t leave the cafe right away but curiously observed for a while outside. In less than a minute, he saw the photo being collected by a waiter, whose expression clearly changed upon seeing it.


    Xue Hao was very puzzled at the time. There were no people or special markers in the photo ¨C it just looked like andscape shot of the wilderness.


    But three dayster, he learned from the news about that waiter¡¯s death. The person had died in a river in the suburbs, with the cause of death ruled as an idental drowning. The scenery around the river in the newspaper was identical to that in thendscape photo.


    Xue Hao: !!


    If he had been an uninformed observer, he would have thought it was just an ordinary ident. After all, even the news only gave it a brief mention.


    But to deliver the photo one moment and have the person die in the river from that photo the next was too much of a coincidence. Others might think the deceased liked the scenery in the area and went for a walk after work, finding an oldndscape photo on them without suspicion. But knowing the truth, Xue Hao was already starting to tremble.


    ¡­He felt like the police mighte to arrest him at any moment.


    Because his suspicious and panicked emotions were too obvious, his buddies who came to hang out at his house soon noticed something was off. Under the interrogation of the brother and sister duo, Xue Hao, who had a bit of a crush on Ji Nian, reluctantly told them about this incident.


    But instead of the sympathetic andforting looks he expected from his friends, he was met with heartlessughter.


    Ji Hengughed so hard he had tears in his eyes, pping Xue Hao¡¯s shoulder repeatedly. ¡°Listen, you should at least study somew. You knew nothing, just happened to get a photo out of curiosity, and identally dropped it at the cafe while having coffee¡­ How could you have predicted someone would pick up that photo, go to the location in it, and then ¡®identally¡¯ drown there? This really has nothing to do with you.¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± Xue Hao waspletely dumbfounded, his mouth agape, looking at his former buddy with an entirely new perspective. Only then did he realize the changes that had urred in the other person. ¡°Legally, that¡¯s true, but that person¡¯s death must be rted to that photo.¡± It was natural for him to feel guilty since he had personally dropped the photo.


    He found it hard to understand how they could be so dismissive of a person¡¯s life and still smile as usual. Even his feelings for Ji Nian becameplicated.


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s because he deserved to die,¡± Ji Nian spoke up, answering Xue Hao¡¯s confusion.


    After their experience in the Sword Realm, even though their familiar acquaintances hadn¡¯t noticed any changes in them and they still appeared as lively and cheerful as ever, asionally even engaging in inappropriate pranks, the siblings were well aware of the changes within themselves.


    Although it was an illusory world, the martial arts-dominated society was far from stable and peaceful. The battles between martial artists could truly result in death. Having witnessed others¡¯ deaths and nearly dying themselves during their ¡°three years¡± there, their values had diverged from those of Xue Hao, who lived in a peaceful society.


    After leaving the Sword Realm, they learned about Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang¡¯s identities and received an invitation from the Special Case Investigation Team.


    Although they didn¡¯t ept it outright, they didn¡¯tpletely refuse either. They were more like frencers who asionally worked for the team: actively providing clues and reporting to the Special Case Investigation Team when they discovered rogue extraordinaries, and not refusing to take on some low-risk tasks issued by the team, running errands and lending a hand.


    The mysterious Extraordinary Forum, suspected to be established by extraordinaries, had caught the attention of various official organizations from the very beginning. Including the Special Case Investigation Team, official supernatural agencies from various countries likely had personnel observing the Extraordinary Forum long-term, with some government agencies even openly active on the forum under official ounts.


    The task board of the Extraordinary Forum was also a focus of their observation.


    There were attempts by Special Case Investigation Team personnel to ept tasks, as well as unrted individuals who wanted to ept tasks and then sell the information to officials, but they were all blocked at the first step.


    It seemed that the Extraordinary Forum administrators had a special screening mechanism. They would assign each task to the most suitable person, and were certain that the person would take the task seriously without causing trouble or directly leaking task information.


    Later, when chatting with Liu Ningshuang, she casually told them this not-so-confidential information.


    Moreover, the siblings learned from Li Fufeng that because the Extraordinary Forum didn¡¯t require task takers to keep silent, there had been people like Xue Hao who talked about the tasks afterpleting them. The Special Case Investigation Team¡¯s dedicated investigation group looked into these clues and found that not every task posted on the Extraordinary Forum resulted in casualties, but when they did ur, they had never found an innocent victim.


    Information uncovered by the investigation group afterward showed that the crimesmitted by these individuals often fell into legal loopholes orcked sufficient evidence, resulting in minimal legal consequences or allowing them to escape thew entirely without facing any repercussions.


    Their deaths brought redemption to another group of people who had been tormented by hatred day and night, almost driven to the path of revenge.


    Because of this, many who had epted tasks from the Extraordinary Forum andter learned the truth developed a peculiar feeling deep in their hearts.


    It was as if¡­ their seemingly insignificant actions had contributed to the execution of ¡°justice,¡± saving the minds of truly innocent people from being corroded by hatred.


    With the clues provided by the siblings, Xue Hao used his family¡¯s connections to investigate the waiter and indeed found something amiss.


    It was another idental drowning incident, urring in the same suburban river. The incident happened ten years ago when two children who went out together ¨C one identally drowned, while the other survived. The waiter was the child who had survived.


    After the incident, the family of the deceased child wasn¡¯t satisfied and always believed that the child¡¯s death wasn¡¯t an ident, but murder.


    They learned from their son¡¯s friend that the two children who went out together weren¡¯t good friends, but rather had resentment between them. Their son had been bullied for a long time, and this time he was likely called out to be threatened for money¡­ The police also found traces of beating on the deceased child¡¯s body¡­


    Many details and clues pointed to the two not reaching an agreement, resulting in thetter impulsively pushing the victim into the water, but there wasn¡¯t enough evidence. The used person admitted to bullying and beating the deceased but denied any involvement in the idental drowning. Ten yearster, this person¡¯s death gave the investigation team ample reason to thoroughly investigate him, and they finally discovered the truth hidden for years in his concealed diary.


    The drowning incident from back then indeed wasn¡¯t an ident.


    Although the Extraordinary Forum had somehow learned the truth about that incident beforehand and executed their own form of judgment.


    After learning the truth, Xue Hao finally let go of his worries. He didn¡¯t have the idea that the culprit must be brought to justice byw, as long as no innocent person was harmed. At the same time, he felt an incredible sense of wonder.


    During this period, whether it was the revival of spiritual energy, the widespread dissemination of martial arts cultivation methods, or himself epting tasks from a mysterious organization and bing part of ¡°carrying out heaven¡¯s will¡±¡­ all of this was so incredible, it felt like a plot happening in a novel.


    ¡°There must be many people who have secretly joined the organization behind the Extraordinary Forum, bing their true members¡­¡± After understanding everything, Xue Hao had a sudden realization.


    ¡­Especially those who have participated in tasks, perhaps they woulde to enjoy this feeling of executing justice in their own way and redeeming others? Even Xue Hao felt a small sense of aplishment.


    Since users were selected to take on tasks through unknown special methods, those chosen wouldn¡¯t be people who disliked this idea of ¡°carrying out heaven¡¯s will¡±. The process ofpleting tasks further screened based on one¡¯s personality and abilities. Moreover, it could subtly increase the goodwill of like-minded individuals towards the organization behind the Extraordinary Forum¡­ Whether thisst point was intentional or not remained unknown.


    This quiet recruitment of like-minded individuals¡­


    ¡°The entity behind the Extraordinary Forum is truly impressive!¡± Xue Hao couldn¡¯t help but exim as he recalled the past events.


    ¡°Of course!¡± Shi Cheng, who had been driving all along, responded without hesitation, saying matter-of-factly, ¡°With such powerful extraordinaries backing the forum, what are you worried about?¡±


    No, that¡¯s not what I meant¡­ Xue Hao was about to retort, but Shi Cheng had already stepped on the brake and pulled out the car key.


    He gestured for the others to look out the window. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    Nestled among the green mountains and trees stood a quiet mountain vi.


    ¡°This is the residence of the collector who supposedly has many ancient artifacts, as mentioned by that person on the forum.¡±<hr>


    We are currently recruiting. CN/KR/JP Trantors/MTLers are wee!


    Discord Server: https://discord.gg/HGaByvmVuw

 Chapter 114

    Chapter 114


    The mountains clustered together, winding and undting. Between the treacherous peaks, lush forests painted a verdant backdrop against the clear blue sky, as the zing sun hung overhead like a ball of fire.


    It was approaching sunset when a modest mountain vi came into view, nestled among the peaks and forests. Bathed in the magnificent glow of twilight, it presented an almost picturesque scene.


    The four of them got out of the car and gazed at the vi before them, taking note of the fence surrounding it. Xue Hao took one look and his previous doubts melted away, a broad smile spreading across his face. ¡°We¡¯re in luck! This vi¡¯s structure is simr to one my father bought a few years ago. That house was said to be over a century old and cost at least eight figures. Just based on the price of this ce, whoever lives here wouldn¡¯t need to scam us out of our modest sum. At least this trip wasn¡¯t wasted!¡±


    His excitement was understandable, given their previous fruitless excursions. They had visited several supposed antique collectors, only to encounter either con artists with fake goods or fools who had been duped themselves. The few genuine antiques they dide across didn¡¯t meet their requirements.


    This time, they wouldn¡¯t have traveled so far if not for the forum user¡¯s fervent assurances that he was introducing them to a genuine antique collector with a substantial collection, backed by the official certification of the Extraordinary Forum.


    The rough, winding mountain road had taken its toll on them. Now, the sight of this vi was like a sumptuous feastid out before their eyes, instantly dispelling the fatigue of their long journey and recing it with eager anticipation.


    The others couldn¡¯t help but smile as well, though their previous disappointments tempered their excitement with caution. ¡°We can¡¯t be too sure. Judging by this vi, the owner is likely a genuine antique collector, but what we¡¯re looking for isn¡¯t just any ordinary antique.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. We¡¯re after extraordinary items.¡±


    As they conversed, a figure emerged from behind the vi¡¯s iron gate and approached them.Drawing near, the person overheard their conversation and chimed in, ¡°If you¡¯re looking for ordinary antiques, I¡¯m not sure if my collection will meet your expectations. But if you¡¯re seeking extraordinary items, you¡¯vee to the right ce. What I¡¯m offering for trade are indeed extraordinary artifacts.¡±


    All eyes immediately turned to the speaker.


    Before them stood a young woman who appeared to be in her early twenties. She wore a yellow floral maxi dress and a wide-brimmed straw hat adorned with floral trim. Her figure was slender and graceful, with flowing hair like dark clouds. Her oval face, possessing a ssical beauty, was as fair as jade. She exuded an air of schrly refinement rarely seen in modern society.


    Noticing their collective gaze, she arched her delicate eyebrows and offered a gentle smile. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m ¡®Guanghan Moon¡¯ from the forum, with whom you arranged this transaction. My real name is An Xiaoxi.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± The group was taken aback. Ji Nian directly asked, ¡°Weren¡¯t you supposed to introduce us to an antique collector? How did it be your own collection?¡±


    More importantly¡­


    ¡°And if you¡¯re certain these are extraordinary items, why are you willing to sell them to us? Don¡¯t you want to keep them for yourself?¡±


    Faced with their near-usatory doubts, An Xiaoxi remained unperturbed. She smiled at Ji Nian and exined, ¡°Because the true owner of these items isn¡¯t me, but my grandfather. As his granddaughter, it¡¯s only natural for me to act as an intermediary, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°As for why we¡¯re not keeping them for ourselves¡­¡± Her brow furrowed slightly as she sighed, ¡°Extraordinary items aren¡¯t to everyone¡¯s liking. For some, they¡¯re more of a burden.¡±


    Her smile returned as she continued, ¡°But don¡¯t worry. My reluctance to keep these items stems from my own aversion to trouble, not because the items themselves are particrly harmful or bizarre. In your hands, they might prove to be quite beneficial.¡±


    The others¡¯ suspicions dissipated, and their gazes toward her took on a hint of understanding, tinged with curiosity. ¡°It seems these extraordinary items of yours aren¡¯t so easily dealt with.¡±


    An Xiaoxi smiled wryly and turned to lead them inside. ¡°Ah well, follow me. You¡¯ll understand when you see them.¡±


    ¡­.


    Extraordinary items refer to objects that are supernatural and peculiar, defyingmon sense, beyond ordinary cognition, and iprehensible to the average person.


    The appearance of the first extraordinary item could be traced back to just over a month ago.


    In the northern Yidun Kingdom of the Yao Country, a statue suddenly descended from the sky,nding in the center of the most magnificent Skias Square in the capital.


    Everyone in Skias Square whoid eyes on it found themselves instantly captivated.


    They gazed at the statue for a long time.


    It depicted a nameless, faceless deitypletely shrouded in robes. Every line sculpting its form was marvelously crafted, as if imbued with the principles of all things. As their eyes fell upon the statue, they seemed to hear the voice of all creation imparted by the divine, an endless stream of knowledge and truth flowing into their minds.


    That day, the capital of the Yidun Kingdom nearly fell.


    Everyonepsed into an inexplicable trance. As the divine words spread, they forgot what they had been doing just moments before. One by one, they froze in ce, listening intently to the deity¡¯s whispers in their ears as if hearing sacred hymns.


    Meanwhile, the vague image of the nameless, faceless god was firmly etched into the deepest part of each person¡¯s soul. An unshakable faith took root in the depths of their hearts.


    People streamed towards Skias Square from all directions, like devotees eager to worship their deity.


    It wasn¡¯t until a brief flute sound awakened them from this strange state that they realized what had happened.


    The flute didn¡¯t cease; instead, it continued smoothly.


    The melody was neither melodious nor gentle. Rather, it fell like giant hammers, each note seemingly striking directly upon everyone¡¯s souls, leaving them dizzy and disoriented, their ears ringing as their faces contorted in pain.


    It was hard to imagine that such an unpleasant sound could exist in this world!


    Yet this very sound forcibly roused them from their entranced, fanatical state. It was like being rudely awakened from a sweet dream by having your nket yanked away and a bucket of ice water dumped on your head.


    ¡ª Simple and crude, yet remarkably effective.


    The bizarre music spread in all directions. Along its path, many people covered their ears instinctively, even though they knew this music had awakened them and not listening might plunge them back into that strange state. Their hands moved of their own ord, though it did nothing to weaken the music pouring into their ears.


    Those who had been rushing towards Skias Square stopped in the streets. They covered their ears, their faces contorted, and as the music grew louder, they involuntarily stepped back.


    Through the crowd that parted automatically, a figure emerged from the end of the long street. He was travel-worn, dressed in a vintage style from thest century, with deep-set eyes hinting at mixed heritage.


    His jet-ck hair fell like silk from his shoulders. Beneath his loweredshes, his pupils shimmered with a faint silver. A golden vertical flute was pressed to his lips, invisible notes floating in the air.


    Apanied by the soul-stirring music, he walked through the parted crowd towards Skias Square, approaching the mysterious statue of the nameless, faceless god.


    He raised his hand to lightly touch the nk face of the statue, murmuring with frustration, though his silver eyes remained calm. ¡°You¡¯ve managed to slip out again when I wasn¡¯t looking. You really do love causing me trouble.¡±


    As he spoke, a ck cube appeared in his left palm, while the statue he touched with his right hand instantly vanished.


    The moment the statue disappeared, the people who had just broken free from their inexplicable fanatical state were collectively stunned. Genuine feelings of sorrow, depression, and reluctance surged in their hearts. At the same time, their gazes towards the man became tinged with hostility.


    ¡ª It was as if from the moment the nameless, faceless god¡¯s statue had descended, from the first nce they hadid upon it, from the first time they heard the voice of all creation emanating from it, an indelible faith had been nted deep within each of their hearts.


    ¡ª Thus, they grieved like true believers who had lost their deity, viewing the one who had taken their god away as an enemy.


    But their awakened rational minds told them that this thinking was wrong, these feelings were incorrect, leaving everyone internally conflicted, divided, and terrified.


    Just as it seemed a scene of #Fanatical Devotees Tearing Apart Their Enemy# was about to unfold, the music sounded again. It struck like massive bells and drums, leaving countless people dizzy and their ears aching. At the same time, their heartfelt affection for the statue was gradually shaken loose.


    Slowly, their contorted expressions and pained looks began to settle in the increasingly oundish music. Finally, everyonepsed into an eerie calm.


    It seemed as if a special forcepelled them to calm down, as if a mental buff had been cast on everyone. In a matter of moments, they all fell into a state of desirelessness.


    An unknown amount of time passed. When people finally returned to normal, they discovered that although thinking of the nameless, faceless god still stirred a vague sense of fondness in the depths of their hearts, this feeling was quickly dispelled by reason, reced by awe and fear of the unknown.


    When the crowd tried to find the mysterious person who had awakened the entire capital of the Yidun Kingdom from its bizarre state, they discovered he had vanished without a trace. Even with the Yidun King personally issuing orders, not a single clue to his whereabouts could be found within the country¡¯s borders.


    ¡ª The statue of the nameless, faceless god was the first extraordinary item to appear on the Blue Star since the revival of spiritual energy.


    Many countries¡¯ supernatural organizations, upon learning of this, immediately recorded it in secret files. They prepared numerous potentially effective countermeasures in case the statue suddenly appeared again.


    Naturally, the mysterious supernatural being who had effortlessly resolved the incident drew countless eyes. Official agencies from various countries exhausted all means to investigate, yet they never discovered any leads.


    After that, new extraordinary items began to appear sessively.


    Compared to the bizarre, heaven-descending statue, the power of the subsequently appearing items decreased by several levels. Most could be traced back to their origins, often being ordinary objects that had suddenly undergone strange changes.


    For instance: a piano that yed itself in the empty night; ancient poetry fragments from a thousand years ago suddenly gaining new characters, automaticallypleting the original sentences; antique vases in a museum that always rearranged themselves from tallest to shortest overnight despite being deliberately mixed up; an old painting that instilled inexplicable fear in those who gazed at it for too long¡­


    It was as if the revival of spiritual energy not only gave humans the possibility of supernatural powers but also imbued these inanimate objects with a spirit of their own.


    ¡ª These objects were collectively termed ¡°extraordinary items.¡± Among the currently discovered extraordinary items, antiques were particrly prevalent.


    Since most extraordinary itemscked destructive power, and because they were mostly owned assets before bing extraordinary, the Yao Country government did not take forceful measures. Instead, they purchased them from their owners through voluntary transactions. Only when destructive extraordinary items appeared would the Special Case Investigation Team arrive to forcibly contain them. As for private transactions among civilians, they couldn¡¯t interfere much.


    Other countries had varying attitudes. Some, like Yao Country, only forcibly contained destructive and ownerless extraordinary items, while others indiscriminately contained all discovered extraordinary items regardless of their nature.


    Since the revival of spiritual energy, people who learned of the existence of supernatural powers in this world had already fallen into a pursuit of various antiques and ancient texts. Countless individuals collected antiques and ssics, trying to uncover the secrets buried in the depths of history and gain supernatural encounters. The era when the Lord of the Heavenly Capital was born, for instance, had been studied countless times by historians.


    The emergence of extraordinary items made this pursuit even more fervent.


    ¡ª Even if they couldn¡¯t discover supernatural encounters from antiques and ssics, what if the antiques they found were extraordinary items themselves?


    The small group formed by Xue Hao and his threepanions was among the many pursuing antiques and ssics. The Ji siblings were his schoolmates who had experienced wonders in the sword realm and be martial arts practitioners. Shi Cheng was a martial arts enthusiast they met on the forum who had be obsessed with sword practice since martial arts cultivation methods emerged, nearly working himself to death and ending up in the hospital.


    However,pared to his fervent obsession, his martial arts talent wascking, and he had yet to truly embark on the path of cultivation. This made Xue Hao, who was also inept at martial arts, feel a sense of kinship.


    Of course, the reason Xue Hao brought him into the group wasn¡¯t just this kinship. Shi Cheng was incredibly knowledgeable about ancient lore and skilled at identifying antiques.


    ¡ª Apparently, during his chuunibyou phase, he had frequented antique markets daily, fantasizing about discovering some magical power from rings or jade pendants. After being scammed numerous times, his experience grew rich.


    After the revival of spiritual energy, when martial arts became widespread in Yao Country, Shi Cheng immediately acquired a sword through underground channels. He fantasized about the day he could split mountains and fill seas with a single sword strike, but cruel reality shattered his dreams. He had to seek other possibilities to step onto the path of the supernatural, such as extraordinary items with special powers.


    In short, Xue Hao had the money, the Ji siblings provided the muscle, and Shi Cheng brought rich knowledge and experience, ultimately forming this team.


    Although their previous searches for extraordinary items had been unsessful, this time, An Xiaoxi¡¯s attitude gave them hope.


    They followed An Xiaoxi to the vi¡¯s collection room.


    As thebination lock turned, the door to the collection room slowly opened.


    <em>Hum¡­</em>


    The first sound to reach their ears was a long, resonant sword hum.<hr>


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 Chapter 115

    Chapter 115


    Objectively speaking, this collection room was almostrger than an average person¡¯s living room. Deep red sandalwood cabs stretched from ceiling to floor, covering three wallspletely. Inside the cabs were neatly arranged rows of antique collectibles.


    Lacquerware, porcin, pottery, bronze wares, tes, urns, vases, awls¡­ A dazzling array of ancient objects shone under the delicate lights embedded in the sandalwood cabs, showcasing their splendor to every visitor in this quiet collection room.


    But all of this paled inparison to the ancient sword resting quietly on a square disy stand in the center of the room, nestled in deep red velvet.


    ¨CIt was a bronze short sword covered in rust.


    About two fingers wide and no more than 50 centimeters long, the sword handle was wrapped with circles of engravings, ending in two copper rings side by side at the base. Due to its age and material, the sword didn¡¯t look particrly sharp, but rather dull.


    Light and nimble due to its small size, yet seemingly heavy because of its thick de, these two contrasting qualities registered in everyone¡¯s senses.


    The white light surrounding the square disy stand illuminated the entire bronze short sword, revealing every detail of the weathered marks on its body. A continuous sword hum echoed throughout the collection room.


    An Xiaoxi led everyone over and pointed, introducing, ¡°This sword is called Chengyuan. It¡¯s said to be at least 700-800 years old, and should be the artifact you¡¯re looking for¡­¡±


    <em>Hum¡­</em>The sword¡¯s resonance grew clearer.


    As they approached, they realized that the bronze short sword wasn¡¯t lying on the disy stand, but hovering slightly above it, about a finger¡¯s width away from the deep red velvet.


    It trembled continuously in mid-air, its long resonance echoing in the space, carrying an indescribable sense of destion.


    Xue Hao and the others¡¯ eyes immediately lit up.


    They eagerly gathered around it. ¡°It¡¯s actually an ancient bronze sword! This type of weapon-ss artifact is top-tier in both lethality and practicality!¡±


    Especially for Shi Cheng, who had dreamed of being a sword immortal since childhood, his eyes were practically glued to the sword. The sword he had previously spent a fortune to acquire through underground channels instantly lost its appeal.


    Now his only concern was that the price of this sword might exceed their initial expectations, and also¡­


    ¡°Why would you want to sell such a great sword?¡± He could barely understand An Xiaoxi¡¯s actions. Even though it was her decision that gave them the opportunity to acquire this sword, he still couldn¡¯t help but ask, his tone confused and distressed, ¡°You don¡¯t seem like you¡¯re short on money!¡±


    <em>Hum¡­</em>


    Suddenly, the ancient bronze sword let out another resonance, as if agreeing with Shi Cheng¡¯s words, protesting its fate of being sold.


    The Ji siblings also nodded repeatedly on the side, quite perplexed.


    Their experience in the Sword Realm had given them considerable insight into cold weapons, and they could naturally see that this was an excellent sword.


    Even though it was covered in rust due to the erosion of time, making one worry it might break with a single strike, perhaps due to its transformation into an artifact, the sword¡¯s surface emanated an almost imperceptible aura. Even in the Sword Realm, it would be considered the embryonic form of a divine weapon.


    Despite the current flourishing of martial arts, Yao Country¡¯s regtions on cold weapons had be even stricter. Many martial artists practiced with wooden swords and knives. To buy metal weapons legally, one needed to apply with their ID, exin the purpose, and approval wasn¡¯t guaranteed. Countless martial arts practitioners yearned for a suitable weapon but couldn¡¯t obtain one. It was truly puzzling that someone would want to sell such a treasure. Thinking this, they looked at An Xiaoxi with great confusion.


    An Xiaoxi just smiled helplessly. ¡°It¡¯s indeed a fine sword, but unfortunately, no one in our family can use it.¡±


    ¡°My grandfather is over 70 years old now. Although he¡¯s learned some health-preserving martial arts, wielding swords would be too much for him. As for me¡­¡± At this point, her beautiful eyes showed a hint of uncertainty, ¡°This path has never been part of my future ns.¡±


    Born into a traditional schrly family, she had been taught the four arts of the Chinese schr ¨C music, chess, calligraphy, and painting ¨C since childhood. Elegance, beauty, grace, and poise were what her family hoped she would embody. Neither her family nor she herself had ever associated cold weapons like swords with her image.


    That uncertainty quickly faded, and An Xiaoxi smiled with resignation. ¡°This sword in my hands is just a hidden gem. It can only serve as a decoration. It¡¯s better to let someone more suitable use it.¡±


    The soft light in the collection room illuminated her floral long dress. With her long hair like clouds and a smile that exuded an indescribable elegance, standing against the background of antique-filled sandalwood cabs, she looked as if she had stepped out of a painting of an ancient nobledy from hundreds of years ago.


    Ji Nian opened her mouth, then closed it again.


    Although she felt it was a pity to sell such an artifact, well¡­ okay, a youngdy with such a gentle temperament indeed didn¡¯t seem suited for wielding swords. Besides, there was no rule stating that everyone must love martial arts in this era of spiritual revival.


    Moreover, they were the buyers this time. Why were they trying to persuade the seller not to sell? Feeling that something was wrong with her thinking, she patted her forehead and decided to change the subject. ¡°Can we pick it up and take a look?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± An Xiaoxi agreed readily, then suddenly remembered something. ¡°You are real martial artists who have cultivated internal energy, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, both my brother and I are,¡± Ji Nian smiled, pointing at her brother. She was a bit curious why An Xiaoxi asked this question. Seeing An Xiaoxi let out a small sigh of relief, she continued, ¡°Feel free to look. However, this sword might not be very obedient. Be careful when touching it¡­¡±


    ¡°How is it disobedient?¡± Ji Nian¡¯s interest was piqued. Without much thought, she reached out to grab the bronze short sword. But just as her fingers were about to touch the hilt, her hand twitched, and she suddenly pulled back as if shocked.


    An Xiaoxi¡¯s answer came at the same moment. ¡°It releases sword energy¡­¡± Before she could finish, she noticed the impulsive Ji Nian and was stunned.


    ¡­Was it already toote?


    ¡°Hiss¡ª¡±


    Ji Nian sucked in a cold breath, bringing her palm close to her eyes. Sure enough, there was a tiny wound on her index finger, as if it had been lightly brushed by a sharp piece of paper, leaving a red mark.


    She finally understood what An Xiaoxi meant by ¡°might not be very obedient.¡±


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Hearing An Xiaoxi¡¯s anxious question, Ji Nian casually blew on her finger. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, it¡¯s nothing. Good thing I reacted quickly. Looks like this sword won¡¯t be easily contained.¡±


    An Xiaoxi sighed in relief, but her eyebrows furrowed again. ¡°It seems I thought too simply¡­¡±


    Since the emergence of artifacts until now, apart from the nameless and faceless deity statue that had caused significant impact, most discovered artifacts seemed to have evolved from ordinary items. Although they were all strange and unique, their power was generally not too great yet.


    It seemed they were like the minor spirits and monsters in myths and legends that had just gained sentience ¨C with low cultivation and little advantage against martial artists who had physical and mental strength far beyond ordinary people due to their internal energy cultivation. So most artifacts were easily contained.


    Perhaps the only troublesome aspect was their unpredictable nature. Before fully understanding them, it was easy to make mistakes.


    This bronze short sword, ording to An Xiaoxi, didn¡¯t have any strange properties. However, anyone who tried to touch or grasp it would be attacked by invisible sword energy.


    Currently, An Xiaoxi was the only one who could touch it without being attacked. Even she couldn¡¯t exin why. If artifacts were so easily understood, they wouldn¡¯t be called artifacts.


    Hearing this, Xue Hao and the others became intrigued. ¡°That¡¯s amazing. Could this sword have a sword spirit? Let me try.¡±


    ¡°Me too, me too.¡±


    ¡°Let me give it a shot.¡±


    They took turns trying, and indeed, all of them had the same experience as Ji Nian. The moment they touched the ancient bronze sword, their fingers felt as if cut by a razor de. The faint pain made them instinctively withdraw their hands. They had no doubt that if they hadn¡¯t pulled back, it would have been more than just a slight sting from invisible sword energy.


    Shi Cheng, who had fantasized about being the chosen one, received the same treatment as hispanions. He shook his stinging finger and gaped, ¡°Isn¡¯t this just like the blood recognition in fantasy novels? It seems this sword has chosen you andpletely ignores others!¡± His gaze towards An Xiaoxi was full of the resentment a loser might feel towards a protagonist. He detedpletely, ¡°I feel like I shouldn¡¯t havee on this trip¡­¡±


    He had dreamed of being a sword immortal since childhood, spent years searching for his golden finger in antique markets without giving up, and read countless Taoist ssics. Yet he still couldn¡¯t cultivate even a wisp of internal energy. And now, someone who had a divine sword and chose them but didn¡¯t even want it and found it troublesome¡­


    ¡­This shouldn¡¯t be possible, at least it shouldn¡¯t.


    ¡°This is what you call sending yourself to be ughtered! I have reason to suspect you deliberately tricked us here to be discouraged.¡±


    Shi Cheng¡¯s soul-crushed expression caught An Xiaoxi off guard. Had she really caused such a severe shock to him? She waved her hands apologetically, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I really didn¡¯t mean to. I¡¯m not interested in martial arts cultivation, let alone sword practice. Although they say spiritual energy is reviving and the era of extraordinary beings ising, there are still so many ordinary people without martial talent. As long as the national order remains, I think ordinary people will have their own way of life too.¡±


    The trajectory of her life for over twenty years and the direction of effort she had persisted in for so long were not easily abandoned.


    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is? If you want to be an ordinary person, that¡¯s fine¡­¡± Although Xue Hao and the others didn¡¯t understand, they agreed with her reasoning. Buying the sword was out of the question now, but since they had met, they started giving her advice. ¡°But since this sword has chosen you, it might be hard to get rid of easily. Even if someone with high martial cultivation could suppress this sword, if they used it in battle and it suddenly released sword energy, it would be like having a mole! I guess no one would want to fight enemies while gripping a razor de.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, you should give up on selling it. Your vi¡¯s collection room is so big, if you don¡¯t want to practice martial arts, you might as well just keep it here. Just treat it as an antique.¡±


    An Xiaoxi wavered a bit, but then thought, ¡°Maybe that¡¯s the only option, but keeping it at home might not be easy either. Before this, there were actually three bronze swords in the collection room. But the day after the Chengyuan sword became an artifact, those three bronze swords all shattered.¡±


    She had discovered those fragments while organizing the collection room for her grandfather, which was when she noticed that the Chengyuan sword had be an artifact.


    At first, she thought something had happened during the Chengyuan sword¡¯s transformation, identally shattering the other swords with some unintentional force. Just like in those Xianxia novels, where monster transformations often involved raging winds and invisible power vortexes.


    But not long ago, her grandfather had acquired another ancient sword. As soon as it was ced in the collection room, it was shattered by invisible sword energy. This made An Xiaoxi suspect that it was the Chengyuan sword¡¯s doing.


    ¡°¡­ A few nights ago, it suddenly went berserk in the collection room. Several antiques were damaged by the sword energy, and there are still scratch marks on the door. Grandfather was awakened in the middle of the night and was very worried. If this continues and the Chengyuan sword¡¯s power grows stronger, destroying the collection room would be the least of our concerns. It could endanger everyone. That¡¯s why he reluctantly decided to let it go and asked me to find a suitable person to take the sword as soon as possible.¡±


    Xue Hao and the others finally realized the severity of the situation. Such a powerful weapon, if not intended for use, would indeed be dangerous to keep at home. Ji Heng raised his hand, ¡°It seems we can only hand it over to the government. I happen to know someone, so I can help you contact the Special Investigation Division for containment?¡±


    Many people prefer private transactions for artifacts and are reluctant to involve officials, mainly because the government¡¯s purchase prices are not as high as private deals. Some people also like to imagine that official institutions forcibly seize items¡­


    ¡°The official purchase price is indeed a bit lower, but the safety is guaranteed. Even if no one can use this sword and it has to be sealed, I believe the Special Investigation Division won¡¯t allow such a lethal artifact to remain in cirction.¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s the only option,¡± An Xiaoxi nodded hesitantly.


    Her gaze swept over the bronze short sword, her eyes tinged with an indescribable regret.


    She had hoped to find a suitable master for the Chengyuan sword, to give it a chance to shine in battle¡­ but would it just be moved from one collection room to another?


    For some reason, she felt inexplicably mncholic.


    Just as Ji Heng had taken out his phone and was dialing Li Fufeng¡¯s private number, a shrill rm suddenly sounded.


    The noise continued incessantly, echoing throughout the entire vi.


    ¡°It¡¯s the vi¡¯s security system being triggered,¡± An Xiaoxi suddenly jolted. ¡°Has a stranger broken in?¡±


    Based on experience, she keenly sensed something was wrong. ¡°There are security guards hired from a securitypany in the vi. If it were just someone who wandered in by mistake, or a few thieves, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem. The rm wouldn¡¯t sound for this long without being cancelled. Something must have happened!¡±


    Thinking of her grandfather still in his room, her face slightly changed.


    ¡°¡­ Let¡¯s go check it out!¡±


    Xue Hao and the others also reacted quickly, rushing towards the collection room¡¯s door. After a few steps, Ji Nian, with her hearing far more acute than normal people, suddenly stopped. She grabbed Xue Hao who was about to crash into her from behind, while Ji Heng instinctively reached out to hold back the other two. The siblings simultaneously ttened themselves against the wall.


    ¡°Wait, someone¡¯sing!¡±


    <em>Bang!</em>


    Just as they pressed against the wall, the heavy door of the collection room was violently pushed open, and people burst in.


    One, two, three, four¡­


    The group, stered to the wall, stared in shock at the sudden intruders, seemingly frozen in fear.


    As their eyes swept over the strangers who had suddenly barged in, they noticed the exceptionally thick aura emanating from some of them, as well as their hostile expressions. Their hearts sank as they realized the gravity of the situation.


    ¡ª Martial arts practitioners!


    ¡ª And four experts at that!


    Tick, tock.


    The collection room fell into dead silence. A deep red liquid with the scent of blood dripped from the intruders¡¯ fingers, soaking into the red carpet.


    That was¡­ blood!


    Realizing this, An Xiaoxi¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she couldn¡¯t help but lean back against the wall.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± The leader noticed her movement, his gaze as cold and sharp as a hawk¡¯s. He seemed to smile, but there was not a hint of warmth in it. ¡°Stay quiet and cooperate, and we won¡¯t take your lives.¡±


    He raised a hand, making a circr gesture towards the room full of collectibles. Sticky fresh blood dripped from his palm, but his expression remained unchanged as he ordered the others.


    ¡°Move quickly, take everything here! Be careful not to knock or bump anything!¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 116

    Chapter 116


    ¡°Haha, boss, we¡¯ve caught a fat sheep this time!¡±


    ¡°Whoa¡ªincredible! There are so many treasures in this collection! As expected of a century-old schrly family!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve struck gold with this haul!¡±


    Jubnt cries echoed through the quiet collection room. Two men and two women, recognized as martial arts experts, stood guard at the door without moving. The rest of the aplices, acting on instinct, rushed into the collection room at themand.


    The only female among them, who appeared to be of school age, walked slowly at the back, clutching a thick book tightly to her chest. She came to a stop in the collection room, carefullyying the book t to reveal the title ¡°Encyclopedia of Ancient Artifacts¡± on its cover. Xue Hao and the others noticed that as soon as she produced this book, everyone¡¯s eyes focused on it.


    ¡°Is this¡­ porcin from the Yong Dynasty?¡± The ck-haired girl with a schrly air examined the antiques on the nearest shelf while flipping through the catalog in her hands.


    Rustle, rustle.


    From the perspective of those by the wall, they could only vaguely see a corner of an exquisite illustration on the page she had turned to¡ªwas it a porcin vase?


    Before they could figure out what she was doing, an astonishing scene unfolded¡ªThe yellow-haired youth beside her immediately stepped forward, lifting the porcin piece from the shelf with both hands. He eagerly ced it over the open book in the girl¡¯s hands, saying, ¡°Let me! I¡¯ll handle the first one!¡±


    As the base of the porcin touched the page, the youth let go.


    The onlookers thought they would hear the sound of shattering porcin in the next second, but instead, the moment it touched the page, the piece vanished as if it had fallen into an invisible ck hole.


    ¡ªHad it been stored within that page?!


    The observers¡¯ eyes widened as they btedly understood.


    Suddenly, a term shed through their minds like lightning.


    Extraordinary artifact!!!


    That Encyclopedia of Ancient Artifacts was clearly an extraordinary item. And a most practical one at that¡ªcapable of storing objects.


    Soon, the ck-haired girl moved to the next antique, examining it while flipping through her catalog. The observers watched as they repeated the process, storing one antique after another into the ¡°Encyclopedia of Ancient Artifacts.¡±


    The collection room continuously echoed with the sound of the girl appraising antiques, asionally interspersed withughter and the sycophantic praise of the followers for the girl and their leaders.


    A nameless fire burned fiercely in the hearts of Xue Hao and the others.


    Even though they weren¡¯t the owners of this collection room, watching these robbers freely plunder treasures and chat casually as if in their own home made their blood boil.


    As for An Xiaoxi, who was half an owner, her feelings were imaginable.


    The antiques and treasures in this collection room, apart from those inherited from ancestors, were all her grandfather¡¯s prized possessions. She often helped her grandfather clean the collection room, and as a child, she would rest her head on his knee and listen to him recount the stories behind each piece. It could be said that every antique here was imbued with the emotions of their grandparent-grandchild rtionship. How could she bear to watch them being ruthlessly piged?


    Surely her grandfather would fall ill with anger if he knew about this?


    However, the situation was beyond their control. An Xiaoxi couldn¡¯t discern the martial prowess of these leaders, but seeing the Ji siblings¡¯ temporary silence andck of resistance, she knew their opponents must be formidable.


    Thinking of her grandfather resting upstairs and the four guests inadvertently involved, An Xiaoxi chose to remain silent. Her hand at her side repeatedly clenched and rxed, while her downcast eyes shifted from panic and anger to quiet contemtion.


    ¡­When outmatched, ying meek was natural. Even if all the collections were taken, as long as they survived, there was hope to recover what was lost.


    But would these people really keep their promise not to kill them?


    Recalling the ¡°Encyclopedia of Ancient Artifacts,¡± clearly an extraordinary item that these intruders openly used in front of them, seemingly unconcerned about potential leaks¡­ An Xiaoxi¡¯s heart sank.


    ¡­The likelihood of them keeping their word was low.


    ¡­Silencing them permanently seemed more probable.


    They couldn¡¯t just wait for death.


    Some people be calmer in dire situations. Facing possible death, An Xiaoxi found a strange tranquility.


    Past repressions, concerns, and constraints became insignificant in the face of death. Her mind broke free from its shackles, her heart beating more fiercely than ever before.


    For years, her life had followed a pathid out by her elders. But now¡­ she would decide her own fate.


    Her mind raced, and in a moment of reflection, An Xiaoxi suddenly realized the key to their predicament.


    Of course, the Special Case Investigation Team!


    Just before these people broke in, Ji Heng had called his contact at the Investigation Team. Was the call still connected?


    She discreetly wrote a few strokes on Ji Heng¡¯s palm that held her, and received a slight movement in response.


    ¡ªThe answer was affirmative.


    So the Investigation Team knew about their situation. Help must be on the way¡­ Was this why Ji Heng and the others hadn¡¯t rashly resisted?


    The only variable now was when the rescue team would arrive.


    ¡ªThe ¡°Encyclopedia of Ancient Artifacts¡± greatly increased the efficiency of the intruders¡¯ looting, something the Investigation Team likely hadn¡¯t anticipated. As she watched nearly 80% of the collection being stored in that book, with no sign of rescue, An Xiaoxi reasonably feared they might be silenced before help arrived.


    She had to find a way to buy time, to make the person on the other end of the line realize the urgency was far greater than expected.


    Having made her decision, she hesitated no longer.


    A momentter, a trembling female voice broke the silence in the collection room. ¡°Who¡­ who are you people?¡±


    The four guarding the door immediately shifted their gaze towards her.


    Seeing it was the girl with the weakest aura and most delicate demeanor among the five, two quickly lost interest and looked away, while the other two regarded her with amusement.


    ¡ªWhen they had first burst in, they had immediately noticed that two of the five had considerable martial skill, far superior to the guards outside, butcked any imposing aura, clearly inexperienced sheltered youths who had never seen realbat.


    However, even inexperienced youths could be troublesome. If these two recklessly decided to fight, it couldplicate matters and potentially damage the surrounding antiques. So, they had initially released their thick internal energy and the bloodthirsty aura of killers, which had sessfully intimidated them.


    As for the girl who clearlycked any cultivation, they paid her no mind. When she asked such a naive question, the woman with a high ponytail among the four was first surprised, thenughed. ¡°Of course we¡¯re robbing the ce, little sister. Isn¡¯t it obvious? Don¡¯t you understand?¡±


    She winked flirtatiously, clearly seeing the fear and anger the girl tried to conceal, hearing her voice tremble despite attempts to stay calm. ¡°Are you looking for extraordinary artifacts? These are just ordinary antiques, there¡¯s nothing here you¡¯re seeking¡­¡± As she spoke, the girl¡¯s gaze flickered almost imperceptibly towards herpanions.


    The others stiffened, lowering their heads even further.


    ¡°No, no, no, we¡¯re not greedy,¡± the woman¡¯s smile grew more alluring as she raised a finger. ¡°Extraordinary artifacts are rare finds, we wouldn¡¯t dare hope for such. Little sister, you¡¯re sitting on a gold mine without realizing it. Antique prices have skyrocketed outside. Ah, I envy you, born into such wealth. Unlike us, who have to work hard for everything.¡±


    The girl let out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief. ¡°I¡­ you can take all these antiques, just leave one or two¡ªthey¡¯re family heirlooms, absolutely irreceable. If they¡¯re lost, my grandfather couldn¡¯t go on living. You can take everything else, I promise I won¡¯t report to the police! You said earlier, if we cooperate, you won¡¯t kill us, right?¡±


    She was referring to what the lead man had said earlier.


    ¡°Little sister, you¡¯re so adorable,¡± the ponytailed woman seemed amused, herughter shaking her whole body. She slowly approached, patting the girl¡¯s head. Feeling the fearful trembling under her palm, her tone grew even gentler. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, even if these smelly men break their promise, big sister here will stop them. We¡¯re just after money, not bloodthirsty demons. If you cooperate, leaving you a couple of mementos isn¡¯t impossible.¡±


    Receiving this promise, the girl visibly rxed, even managing a forced smile. ¡°That¡¯s good¡­¡±


    The next second, the pressure on her head increased, and the woman¡¯s gentle tone suddenly changed. ¡°But only if you cooperate properly¡ª¡± The hand on her head swiftly moved to the girl¡¯s chin, gripping it as the woman stared directly into her eyes. ¡°Little sister, you¡¯re not being good. Tell me, where are the extraordinary artifacts?¡±


    By the end, the woman¡¯s tone had turned utterly cold.


    The girl, her chin gripped, widened her eyes in terror.


    The others couldn¡¯t help but cry out. ¡°Hey¡ª¡±


    The lead man let out a cold snort, unleashing a bloodthirsty killing intent that swept through the collection room, causing the angry faces of the others to turn pale. Ji Heng cooperatively raised his hands. ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t be rash! We don¡¯t know anything, we¡¯re innocent!¡± The others quickly chimed in as well.


    ¡°Yes, yes, we didn¡¯t even know her before this. What extraordinary artifacts? We have no idea!¡±


    ¡°Your acting is too amateurish, think you can fool us? You think no one noticed your little signals to each other?¡± Not far away, another man sneered, speaking impatiently, ¡°Out with it. Where¡¯s the extraordinary artifact you¡¯re so afraid we¡¯ll find? What are its properties?¡± As the man spoke, the ponytailed woman shoved the trembling girl towards the center of the collection room.


    The man stood up and walked to her side, lifting her like a chicken and stumbling through the remaining antiques in the collection room. His finger pointed at them one by one in the air, ¡°Is it this one, this one, this one¡­ or this one?¡±


    The girl¡¯s gaze shifted with the movement of his finger, and though the changes were subtle, the man caught them.


    Until the man pointed to one of the four square disy stands in the collection room, he keenly noticed the girl¡¯s suddenly constricted pupils and the agitation she couldn¡¯t hide no matter what.


    The man smiled confidently. ¡°So it¡¯s this one?¡±


    On the square tform, a bronze short swordy quietly in deep red velvet. At this moment, it seemed to have retracted all its brilliance,pletelycking the sharp edge that Xue Hao and the others had seen before.


    ¡ªThis actually made it more convenient for An Xiaoxi¡¯s n.


    ¡ªShe wondered if this sword was somehow in tune with her heart.


    Everyone¡¯s gaze fell on the ancient bronze sword on the square disy stand. The man had already revealed a satisfied smile. ¡°You went so far as to fabricate such a clumsy lie, which means this extraordinary item must be among the remaining antiques. If you hadn¡¯t lied to stay behind, it would eventually be packed away with the other antiques. But you¡¯re not worried about us exposing your lie, which indicates this item¡¯s special properties are very subtle, at least not immediately detectable by us¡­ In other words, under normal circumstances, it¡¯s almost indistinguishable from ordinary antiques¡­¡±


    As he spoke, he had already reached out his hand.


    At the same moment, the girl¡¯s voice rang out. She called softly. ¡°Chengyuan¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡ª¡±


    A brilliant sword aura suddenly lit up in the collection room, stinging everyone¡¯s eyes. The unprepared thieves instinctively squinted, momentarily dazed.


    Amidst the explosively unleashed sword energy, the man¡¯s miserable screams could be heard. Blood blossomed in everyone¡¯s vision, sshing everywhere like fireworks exploding in the night sky. Several bloody fingers mixed with the spraying blood flew out, sttering onto the faces of the others.


    But they had no time to grieve for their unfortunaterade. The moment the sword energy erupted, someone moved!


    Two figures pounced out in perfect coordination. Taking advantage of the thieves being caught off guard by the sudden burst of sword energy, the siblings simultaneously attacked the ponytailed woman closest to them. One aimed for her face with an eye-gouging attack, while the other went for her lower body with a leg sweep. Their movements were practiced and skillful, disying a synergy greater than the sum of its parts. There was none of the inexperience the thieves had assumed; instead, they gave off the impression of being battle-hardened veterans.


    At the very least, it was enough to deal with that ponytailed woman.


    Meanwhile, Shi Cheng and Xue Hao seized the opportunity to roll behind the siblings, avoiding being taken as hostages.


    Everything happened in the blink of an eye.


    When the others came to their senses, they saw the ponytailed woman groan, blood trickling from her eyes, her dislocated arm hanging limply at her side ¨C she had clearly been subdued. The siblings restrained her shoulders from both sides, blocking the other two who rushed over. They spoke in unison. ¡°Stay back, don¡¯te any closer, we have a hostage-¡±


    At the same time, the sound of a sword rang out.


    In the center of the collection room, the man was rolling on the ground, clutching his bloody right hand. A bronze short sword had grazed his neck and pinned him to the floor. At the sword¡¯s hilt was a slender, delicate hand.


    While pinning down the man¡¯s abdomen with her knee, the girl knelt on one leg, pressing the sword hilt against his throat. Her beautiful face was still pale from the lingering shock, but her downcast eyes revealed an astonishing delight. She looked like a child who had been confined at home for a long time and was experiencing the outside world for the first time, suddenly discovering beautiful sceneries never seen before, genuinely awestruck by it all.


    ¡ªThe moment she gripped the sword, she felt as if she could do anything, kill anyone.


    ¡­Far more than she had initially nned to buy time for.


    An Xiaoxi¡¯s hand holding the sword hilt was trembling.


    But it wasn¡¯t out of fear, it was excitement.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± she said softly.


    ¡°Otherwise, you might die.¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 117

    Chapter 117


    Silence.


    An unprecedented quiet filled the collection room.


    No one could have imagined that in such a short moment, the situation would change so dramatically. Those who were about to be ughtered like fish on a chopping board had, in the blink of an eye, transformed from hostages to captors. Even An Xiaoxi herself was surprised.


    The sudden reversal wasposed of a series of unexpected events.


    The first surprise was the outburst of the Chengyuan Sword.


    An Xiaoxi¡¯s initial n was to buy time through acting, waiting for rescue from the Special Case Investigation Team. She had a clear understanding of the power difference between the two sides and never thought she could turn the tables relying solely on the Chengyuan Sword.


    Who could have guessed that the Chengyuan Sword would suddenly unleash such terrifying power, crippling a skilled martial artist!


    And in that instant when the man screamed and rolled on the ground, An Xiaoxi saw an opportunity!


    An opportunity not just to stall for time and hope for rescue, but to take control of her own fate and snatch life from the jaws of death!¡ªAn inexplicable impulse drove An Xiaoxi to take an action she herself had not anticipated.


    She reached out and grasped the blood-stained Chengyuan Sword.


    The moment she truly gripped the sword, she felt she was holding not just the Chengyuan Sword, but her own destiny. A feeling of mutual understanding suddenly emerged, as if she and the Chengyuan Sword had be one, transforming into a peerless divine sword.


    It felt as if she could aplish anything, kill anyone.


    So, following her heart, she struck with the sword.


    Even with an ordinary person¡¯s body, when facing a man who had lost three fingers on his right hand and was rolling on the ground clutching his hand, it wasn¡¯t difficult to seize the opportunity if one¡¯s movements were swift and decisive enough.


    When the sword in her hand pressed against the man¡¯s neck, an unprecedented feeling surged through An Xiaoxi¡¯s heart.


    It was a feeling that the former An Xiaoxi¡ªthe well-bred youngdy who walked the path arranged by her elders¡ªcould never have experienced¡­


    The Chengyuan Sword in her hand seemed to sense her excitement, trembling as it emitted a long cry, thirsting for blood.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± the warning slipped from her lips as An Xiaoxi cautioned her prey, struggling to suppress her sudden urge to kill.


    ¡°Or you might die.¡±


    ¡ªThis was the second unexpected event.


    She had changed her n from stalling for time to taking the initiative.


    The third surprise was the action of the Ji siblings.


    Despite meeting for the first time, the others trapped in this predicament seemed topletely understand her intentions, showing extraordinary cooperation. The Ji siblings, in particr, seized the moment when the Chengyuan Sword erupted, decisively striking and severely wounding the high-ponytailed woman. They not only captured a hostage but also deprived the bandit group of an important fighting force¡ªsomething An Xiaoxi hadn¡¯t anticipated.


    This series of unexpected events caused the situation to flip dramatically.


    Two of the four skilled martial artists among the bandits were now out ofmission. On their side, although individually they were no match for the remaining two experts, thebined strength of the Ji siblings plus An Xiaoxi with the Chengyuan Sword was enough to narrow the gap in individual prowess.


    Moreover, they now had two injured hostages in their hands.


    Even if they weren¡¯t exactly in a superior position, at least they could now put up a fight.


    <em>Huff¡­ huff¡­</em>


    Her knee pressed heavily into the injured man¡¯s abdomen. An Xiaoxi¡¯s untrained body was drenched in sweat from the intense exertion. She could hear her heart pounding in her chest, working overtime.


    As she sensed the man beneath her recovering from the excruciating pain in his fingers and about to make a move, An Xiaoxi shifted the bronze short sword slightly, pricking his skin.


    A faint blood stain appeared on the de.


    The Chengyuan Sword in her palm continued to emit excited tremors.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± she repeated her warning.


    ¡°You¡¯ve already witnessed this sword¡¯s power. Even though I¡¯m just an ordinary person, your speed to counterattack and subdue me would certainly be no match for the speed of the sword¡¯s energy burst.¡±


    As she finished speaking, she clearly saw the fear and trembling surging in the depths of the man¡¯s pupils. The body under her knee changed from tense readiness to rigid stiffness.


    The atmosphere in the collection room gradually tightened.


    There were nine intruders in total. Two of the four skilled martial artists with abundant internal energy were already out ofmission. The other five without internal energy cultivation had barely recovered from the earlier shock. They no longer cared about packing antiques and scurried towards the two remaining leaders, seemingly only feeling safe near them.


    The faces of the two ¡°pirs¡± who gave them a sense of security had long since darkened.


    They wanted to act recklessly, but two of theirrades were in the hands of An Xiaoxi¡¯s group. If they disregarded theirrades¡¯ lives, how could they expect others to continue risking their lives for them in the future? Moreover, these two were not easily receable subordinates, but importantbat strengths in their gang.


    If it weren¡¯t for the formidablebined strength of the four, how would they have the courage to engage in such burry? It¡¯s worth noting that with the revival of spiritual energy, martial arts practitioners were not few in number, and even robbery required strength now. Therefore, abandoning these two would be like cutting off their own arm.


    After weighing the options, the lead man spoke. ¡°I underestimated you all. This time, we admit defeat.¡±


    ¡°Brother Xie¡­¡± The short-haired woman beside him looked surprised. She had just opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to object to something, when the man ced a hand on her shoulder, and she swallowed the rest of her words.


    The other two who had be hostages breathed sighs of relief.


    The man, who clearly held considerable authority in this gang, continued. ¡°You¡¯re all so young, yet your strength and courage are extraordinary. Your future is undoubtedly bright and limitless. I presume you wouldn¡¯t want to perish here.¡± As he spoke, the man¡¯s eagle-like gaze slowly swept across their faces, mainly focusing on Ji Heng and Ji Nian, before finally settling on An Xiaoxi¡¯s face. ¡°With our brothers¡¯ strength, if we fight to the death, you won¡¯t be able to hold us. It¡¯s more likely we¡¯d both suffer heavy losses, even lose our lives. Is that worth it?¡±


    The man spoke slowly, but with a weighty force. Invisible internal energy surged around him, mixed with killing intent and the scent of blood. They had no doubt that if the other side disregarded theirrades¡¯ lives and fought desperately, Ji Heng and Ji Nian might have a chance to escape, but Xue Hao, Shi Cheng, and especially An Xiaoxi with her ordinary physical condition, would very likely perish here.


    They exchanged nces, all realizing that these words were entirely true. They indeed were not worth losing their lives here. Otherwise, they would have resisted from the very beginning.


    At this point, both sides were in a stalemate, each with their own concerns. An Xiaoxi thought for a moment, feeling that the dying n still carried the lowest risk, so she followed the man¡¯s words and asked, ¡°So what do you propose?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s both take a step back,¡± he answered, as if anticipating her response. ¡°We¡¯ll admit defeat this time and won¡¯t take the remaining collections. As long as you¡¯re willing to release our people, we brothers will leave immediately. I, Xie Biao, am a man of my word! You cane down the mountain with us, and we¡¯ll release the hostages when we reach the road at the foot of the mountain. Then you can drive away or report to the police as you wish. We¡¯ll be too busy fleeing to think about retaliating against you.¡±


    ¡°Just the remaining collections?¡± Ji Heng frowned. ¡°That¡¯s too much. You¡¯ve already emptied eight-tenths of this collection room. Not to mention returning everything as it was, you want to leave with your gains? Have you forgotten that yourrades¡¯ lives are still in our hands?¡±


    As he spoke, he crushed the female bandit¡¯s shoulder bone. With a crack, cold sweat broke out on the woman¡¯s forehead, and she cursed.


    An Xiaoxi nodded as well. ¡°We return your people, and you take away my family¡¯s belongings? Such termsck sincerity. We might as well just wait it out here. After all, you can¡¯t touch us now. Why don¡¯t we bet on when someone will discover the situation here and call the police directly?¡±


    As she spoke these words, An Xiaoxi was being entirely truthful. The people opposite might think that in these deep mountains, even if something happened, it wouldn¡¯t be discovered quickly. But she knew that the Special Case Investigation Team was on their way. Simply dragging things out would be to their advantage.


    ¡°Is that so? You don¡¯t care about the life of that old man on the third floor?¡± Xie Biao stared at her intently, suddenly saying these words. An Xiaoxi¡¯s pupils constricted almost instantly.


    Noticing her reaction, Xie Biao smiled.


    ¡°That old man on the third floor, he¡¯s your grandfather, isn¡¯t he? Before we came, we thoroughly investigated the identities of the house¡¯s owners.¡±


    An Xiaoxi could no longer harbor any illusions. She involuntarily thought of the fresh blood on the man earlier, and the aura of battle and killing they had when they burst in. Previously, An Xiaoxi had forced herself not to think in that direction, but now, the subconscious hope was finally shattered¡­


    The short sword in her hand suddenly emitted a long cry, and the uncontrolled sword energy immediately cut open someone¡¯s trachea.


    The person¡¯s chest heaved instantly, like a dying fish, making urgent ¡°huh huh¡± sounds.


    He heard an excessively gentle and soft female voice from above his chest, but it sounded like a call from theherworld demanding his life.


    ¡°My grandfather is old. If anything were to happen to him, I would have no choice but to fight to the death.¡±


    ¡°Rx, rx, your grandfather is fine now.¡± Having confirmed An Xiaoxi¡¯s weakness, Xie Biao looked increasingly calm and collected. ¡°We came for the antiques. There¡¯s no need to harm an old man if unnecessary. Before we came down, he was still safe in his room. However¡­¡± He smiled meaningfully, ¡°You didn¡¯t think we only had these few people, without any brothers keeping watch outside, did you?¡±


    Even he hadn¡¯t expected that casually arranging two people to watch the old man woulde in handy at this crucial moment.


    His statement didn¡¯t seem to be a lie. An Xiaoxi fell silent.


    ¡°Well, is your grandfather¡¯s life worth those eight-tenths of the collection?¡± From his demeanor, if it weren¡¯t for the tworades being held hostage, he would certainly want to take away the remaining two-tenths of the collection as well.


    As they conversed, the others didn¡¯t interject. That group clearly followed this leader, and as for Xue Hao and the others, since the collection belonged to An Xiaoxi¡¯s family, they naturally couldn¡¯t make decisions.


    ¡°Fine,¡± after a moment of silence, An Xiaoxi nodded in agreement. ¡°But I want to see that my grandfather is safe first.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Xie Biao turned to the woman beside him and said, ¡°Leave two people, have them bring the old gentleman over. Remember to be polite, don¡¯t let the old man get bumped or hurt.¡±


    The woman nodded and took out her phone to contact their aplices. Although the call connected, for a long while, she didn¡¯t hear any response from the other end.


    Instead, she heard a strange rustling sound.


    A sense of unease immediately rose in her heart.


    Xie Biao, also realizing something was amiss, changed his expression slightly. ¡°What¡¯s going on? What are those guys doing?¡±


    At this moment, footsteps suddenly sounded from outside the door. Apanying them was an unfamiliar voice.


    ¡°¡­Sorry to keep you waiting. I¡¯vee to retrieve my belongings.¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 118

    Chapter 118


    The doors to the collection room stood wide open, with a deep red carpet extending towards the entrance. Several figures appeared there, blocking the corridor light and cutting off everyone¡¯s escape route.


    The robbers, only a few steps from the door, were the first to react. As they turned their gaze, the confusion on their faces quickly transformed into shock. Xie Biao furrowed his brow.


    ¡°Haozi, Baijia, what are you two doing here?¡±


    To his surprise, they responded with equal bewilderment, ¡°Brother Xie, didn¡¯t you call us here?¡±


    The two people at the door were none other than their aplices.


    One had darker skin, with an air about him like a simple young man who hade from the mountains to work. But anyone who trusted his appearance would likely find themselves drained of everyst drop of marrow. The other was strikingly handsome, with an exotic ir not typical of Yao Country natives. His naturally smiling almond eyes were irresistible to women and certain men, making him exceptional at gathering information.


    These two had obtained all the details about the vi¡¯s owner, Mr. Ye, his family, the valuable collection inside, and even the security arrangements. Thetter had even seduced a security guard, chatting online for a week to extract every bit of information, known and unknown. That unfortunate soul probably never imagined that his first real-life meeting with his ¡°goddess¡± would be hisst.


    After infiltrating and dealing with the guards, only the grandfather and granddaughter remained in the vi. Xie Biao and his team didn¡¯t consider the unarmed elderly man and young woman a threat, so they left these two clever, if not physically strong, members outside as lookouts.


    This was meant to be a precautionary measure, but they never expected the real surprise toe from inside the vi.Xue Hao¡¯s group of four had arranged to meet An Xiaoxi on the Extraordinary Forum today, suddenly adding four more people to the collection room. The Ji siblings even possessed considerable martial arts skills.


    What was even more unexpected was An Xiaoxi¡¯s ability to wield a lethal artifact, injuring two of theirrades in an instant.


    What should have been a fifteen-minute job had turned into a standoff, and now the two lookouts had be their backup n. Xie Biao was quite pleased with his foresight.


    The hostages on either side were not of equal value. If pushed, they could abandon their two injuredrades and fight their way out, but An Xiaoxi couldn¡¯t disregard her grandfather¡¯s life. Bringing the old man over would surely make his granddaughterply.


    However, the current problem was¡­


    ¡°Where¡¯s the person I told you to bring?¡± Xie Biao asked, utterly confused as he looked at the stranger between the two ¨C even with his poor facial recognition, he could tell this guy was no older than twenty-seven, far from an old man.


    The two looked equally puzzled. ¡°Isn¡¯t this the guest you asked us to bring, Brother Xie?¡±


    They exchanged nces, then looked at the young man beside them.


    He had mixed-race features, tall and thin, giving the impression that a gust of wind could blow him away. His silky ck hair cascaded down, though there was no mistaking his gender. With downcast eyes and a paleplexion as if he hadn¡¯t seen sunlight in ages, he looked like a figure who had stepped out of one of those old oil paintings they had stolen. His dark, deep eyes shed with a hint of silver, exuding a gloomy, world-weary aura and a cold demeanor.


    The two seemed to confirm they hadn¡¯t brought the wrong person and turned back to Xie Biao. Suddenly, they pped their hands together, ¡°Oh, we almost forgot! Brother Xie, you haven¡¯t met Mr. Joey yet, have you? This is Mr. Joey.¡±


    Under the bewildered stares of everyone else, they walked into the collection room naturally alongside the stranger,pletely ignoring the tense atmosphere. They politely and respectfully invited the long-haired young man with the gloomy air forward, introducing him, ¡°Mr. Joey, this is our Brother Xie.¡±


    The long-haired young man nodded slightly. He only said one thing¡ª


    ¡°I¡¯vee to retrieve my painting.¡±


    Xie Biao: ¡°???¡±


    He stared in disbelief at this stranger, then looked back at his two subordinates. He was about to reprimand them for this sudden charade, but saw that their expressions seemed entirely genuine.


    ¡°Brother Xie, Mr. Joey hase as agreed. Shouldn¡¯t we return his painting now?¡±


    ¡°Wh-what¡­¡± What are you talking about? What Mr. Joey? What agreement?


    Xie Biao could barely squeeze out these words from his throat.


    He watched helplessly as his two subordinates naturally introduced them to each other, as if this wasn¡¯t a robbery scene but a casual meetup between online friends. For a moment, he felt the absurd sensation of seeing ghosts in broad daylight.


    His heart suddenly skipped a beat.


    These two had always been sensible people. This was a job, not some team-building outing. They wouldn¡¯t suddenly disregard the situation and make such a pointless joke in the middle of a heist¡­


    Just then, the short-haired woman beside him seemed to have a moment of realization and began to smile. She said naturally, ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s Mr. Joey. I¡¯m so sorry, to think we made youe all the way here to retrieve your painting¡­¡± Her tone conveyed a sincerity and remorse that Xie Biao had never heard before, making him feel even more like he was seeing ghosts.


    But for a moment, he didn¡¯t dare to speak.


    Following the short-haired woman¡¯s lead, the remaining henchmen quickly showed expressions of understanding, looking at the young man with respect.


    Their faces clearly spelled out ¡°Oh, so this is the Mr. Joey we¡¯ve heard about before¡± in big letters, as if they were meeting someone they¡¯d long heard of but never met, like some great person worthy of respect.


    Xie Biao: ¡°¡­¡±


    Suddenly, an indescribable terror coiled around his heart like a snake, making his entire body feel numb.


    Xie Biao cautiously asked, ¡°What painting?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s the painting Mr. Joey identally lost!¡± the two subordinates who had led him in eagerly answered. Baijia, who usually lied without blinking, spoke with an utterly natural tone, ¡°Brother Xie, don¡¯t you remember? We contacted Mr. Joey as soon as we found it, and agreed to return it to him!¡±


    So this is the so-called agreement? Wake up, all of you! Since when did we be good Samaritans returning lost paintings?


    The questions got stuck in his throat, but Xie Biao didn¡¯t dare to speak them.


    He stood there with a rigid face, watching the bizarre scene of friendly conversation unfold before him, seeing his aplices and subordinates naturally ept this strange neer.


    Even the two seriously injured aplices who had be hostages showed rxed expressions as if meeting a friend.


    He watched as the young man called Joey was quickly treated as a familiar and close friend by everyone. The ck-haired girl personally handed over the Encyclopedia of Ancient Artifacts she had been holding, allowing him to search for his so-called ¡°lost painting.¡±


    Was this all really not a dream?


    Absurd, eerie, bizarre ¨C everything happening around him felt so unreal. Even his familiar aplices and subordinates now seemed like some strange creatures had parasitized them, wearing their skins to appear before him.


    Every expression on their faces was so unfamiliar.


    Xie Biao suddenly thought of certain rumors about artifacts.


    Most artifacts, while not possessing great offensive power, had various strange and iprehensible properties.


    For instance, he had previously heard of an artifact contained by the Special Case Investigation Team ¨C a piano left behind by a deceased famous musician. It would automatically start ying at midnight every day, and anyone who heard the music would unconsciously walk over and dance to it, as if sleepwalking.


    ¡ªThis ability seemedical, but it was actually a powerful crowd control technique. Recently, the border police had borrowed this extraordinary artifact from the Special Case Investigation Team. Without expending any manpower, they directly controlled and disbanded a drug cartel.


    When the piano music began ying at dawn, all members of the cartel uncontrobly rushed toward the piano¡¯s location, dancing as they walked, regardless of what they had been doing before.


    In this way, they were easily captured by the police wearing special earplugs.


    Simr incidents urred several more times before the effects of the artifact finally leaked out, causing widespread rm.


    ording to Xie Biao¡¯s knowledge, to avoid falling into the same trap, certain underground organizations now habitually slept wearing earplugs at night, fearing they might wake up one day to find themselves already rounded up by the police.


    However, this practice of blocking out nighttime sounds also made them vulnerable to infiltration, so they had to arrange night patrols. In short, they lived in constant fear and unease.


    The task of destroying or stealing the ¡°Midnight Piano¡± was posted on underground bounty boards. If not for the artifact being hidden in the mysterious Special Case Investigation Team headquarters, countless people would have already attempted to im it.


    With this precedent in mind, the bizarre events unfolding around him made Xie Biao immediately think of an artifact ¨C one that could manipte people¡¯s thoughts.


    It was over!


    Even as a gang leader with blood on his hands, Xie Biao couldn¡¯t help but tremble slightly. He looked at the long-haired young man who seemed to have stepped out of a painting, his gaze sweeping over the silk-like long hair, the pale face that had never seen sunlight, and those gloomy eyes¡­


    Was this guy really human?


    Or was he the embodiment of the extraordinary itself?


    The color drainedpletely from Xie Biao¡¯s face.


    He didn¡¯t know why he still maintained rational thought. At that moment, he almost wished he could be like his bewitchedpanions and subordinates, unaware and treating the stranger as a close friend. At least then he wouldn¡¯t have to endure this torment of fear from the unknown and extraordinary¡­


    The Yao Country did not indiscriminately teach martial arts. Anyone with a criminal record was excluded from martial arts instruction, at least until they passed a series of rigorous assessments. But since the basic parts of the ¡°Martial ssic¡± were so widely spread, it was impossible to keep them strictly confidential. Those who weren¡¯t qualified to learn martial arts through official channels might find their own ways in the underworld.


    Since cultivating the ¡°Martial ssic¡± and discovering his rapid progress, Xie Biao, who was already bold and meticulous, became even more daring. After sessfully leading his gang on several jobs without getting caught, he had almost developed an arrogant belief that the Special Case Investigation Team wasn¡¯t all that formidable. But at this moment, that arrogance was thoroughly extinguished. This was the first time since embarking on the path of martial arts that he had felt such fear.


    He clenched his fists at his sides.


    The internal energy surging within his body gave Xie Biao a glimmer of courage. He was well aware that his current level of cultivation was considered top-tier in the Yao Country. This was his greatest asset at the moment.


    Should he make a move?


    Silently circting his internal energy and adjusting his breathing rhythm, Xie Biao cautiously observed as the long-haired young man took out one antique after another from the encyclopedia, and then, a scroll painting.


    The slender, long-haired young man lowered his beautiful long eyshes as he slowly removed a scroll painting from the thick encyclopedia of ancient artifacts. His movements were as gentle as if he were cradling melting snow.<hr>


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 Chapter 119

    Chapter 119


    It was an exquisitely crafted painting scroll. The exposed ends of the scroll radiated a pure ck luster, engraved with mysterious patterns resembling unknown flowers.


    Xie Biao suddenly recalled the origin of this painting.


    It was theirst acquired item, obtained from a small collector. Originally, they had intended to steal an antique vase from the Ming Dynasty in the collector¡¯s possession, but seeing that this painting also looked valuable, they decided to take it as well.


    ording to the collector¡¯s dying words, he wasn¡¯t sure if the painting was authentic or which dynasty it came from. He had stumbled upon it in the ck market, sensing that the materials used were extraordinary and the artist¡¯s skill was exceptional. Believing it unlikely to be a forgery, he had taken a gamble on it.


    Was this painting the other¡¯s target?


    If only he had known, he wouldn¡¯t have taken it¡­


    Xie Biao instantly regretted his decision.


    But there was no time for remorse now. He kept his eyes fixed on the young man who was intently focused on the scroll. The youth was motionless, carefully examining the scroll¡¯s rollers, seemingly searching for any possible damage. His gaze was utterly concentrated, oblivious to his surroundings and ignoring Xie Biao¡¯s presence.


    The long-haired youth slowly unrolled the painting.¡°Now¡¯s my chance!¡± Xie Biao thought.


    The door to the collection room was wide open behind him. He quickly channeled his internal energy to his feet, then forcefully pushed off the ground. His body defied logic, floating lightly as he twisted in mid-air, darting towards the exit like an agile monkey.


    In that moment, his movements were as swift as lightning, faster than a fleeting vision.


    But before the joy of escape could surface, his expression changed dramatically.


    The door within reach had begun to melt inexplicably. The rectangr doorframe dissolved in circles, as if transforming into a chocte-colored donut. Centered on the doorframe, the ceiling, walls, tall red sandalwood cabs, nearby square disy stands with their unfinished exhibits, and the deep red carpet on the floor ¨C everything rapidly melted. It was like a huge glob of multicolored paint mixed together, constantly stirred into swirling, colorful vortexes.


    As he rushed towards the door, Xie Biao plunged into this vortex. His body seemed to lose control and began to melt, flowing towards the center of the whirlpool¡­


    ¡°No¡ª¡± All the internal energy in his body exploded within his meridians, blood surging wildly through his vessels. Xie Biao struggled with all his might, but it felt as if another force had descended upon his shell,manding his body, causing every inch of his flesh to melt into paint, joyfully leaping into the colorful vortex.


    Xie Biao watched his distorted arms deform, each finger dripping like paint, merging with the melting ceiling, walls, and carpet.


    He saw all these melted elements flow towards the seven-colored whirlpool, where the paints slowly streamed, sketching an enormous painting before his eyes.


    In a living room lit by a warm yellow light, more than ten silhouettes sat around a tableden with delicacies. Their outlines were blurry, their forms dyed with various colors, emanating a distorted and ethereal quality from within. Only the hot tears brimming in their indistinct faces conveyed a sense of heartfelt fervor.


    The figure seated at the head of the table was neither ck nor white, just an empty outline.


    An atmosphere of beauty, warmth, harmony, and happiness seemed to pour out of the painting. It was soforting that it almost felt as if immortal music was ying, making one imagine they were witnessing a holy scene in heaven.


    How wonderful it was to be the paint that depicted such a heavenly scene, to be a part of this paradise!


    An iparable longing arose in his heart, causing the struggle on his face to slowly rx into a contented smile.


    He felt his body falling as it continued to melt, seemingly dropping into that painting, appearing at the long dining table, bing a member of this heavenly scene.


    At the same time, the person sitting at the head of the table slowly raised their knife and fork. Suddenly, the diners surrounding the table melted like the paint on their bodies. The dishes on the table also melted, and the liquefied paint slowly flowed towards the table¡­


    ¡°No, no, I don¡¯t want this¡ª!¡±


    Just beforepletely melting, Xie Biao suddenly awoke!


    In the midst of his violent struggle, his body, on the verge of melting into a glob of paint, seemed to finally sense the presence of his internal energy. Xie Biao desperately tried to summon the internal energy deep within the paint.


    It was as if firecrackers had been lit. Continuous bursts of explosions resonated from the man¡¯s blood vessels. The self-destructing internal energy exploded throughout his body, yet the man seemed oblivious to the pain. He let out a maniacalugh, like a prisoner who had finally broken free from his chains!


    Xie Biao indeed felt very light now.


    The seven-colored vortex moved away from him, and his body stopped melting. He regained sensation in his limbs, apanied by waves of intense pain throughout his body.


    Paint sttered everywhere. The agony and the euphoria of liberation mixed together, shing in his mind. Unable toprehend his surroundings, his brain, almost turned to mush by the chaotic emotions, received all information in a jumbled state.


    He vaguely heard countless painful groans, panicked screams, and maniacalughter. Some were his own, some belonged to others ¨C voices of strangers and familiar ones alike.


    ¡­¡­


    An Xiaoxi felt as if she were dreaming.


    In her dream, a group of brutal bandits broke into their home, not only to steal all their collectibles but also intending to silence them permanently.


    At the critical moment, she had used the power of the mysterious Chenyuan Sword to outwit them, sessfully subduing two hostages with her newfoundpanions. However, with her grandfather¡¯s life in the bandits¡¯ hands, they were forced into a standoff, buying time.


    It was then that a strange neer appeared.


    Shortly after his arrival, the tense atmosphere in the collection room changed imperceptibly. Her caution, vignce, and worry dissipated without her noticing. As she watched the stranger converse amicably with the bandits, she couldn¡¯t help but want to smile.


    ¡­How warm and precious it was for long-separated friends to have a moment together!


    Even the two subdued hostages seemed to forget their predicament, no longer thinking of resistance or escape. Peaceful, calm, and joyful expressions slowly spread across their faces.


    An invisible warmth permeated the collection room.


    An Xiaoxi slowly withdrew her hand holding the sword. The Ji Heng siblings likewise released their hold on the high-ponytailed woman.


    The freed bandit, instead of seizing the chance to escape, sat on the ground and let out a deeply regretful sigh.


    They felt ashamed of their get-rich-quick robbery mentality. Moreover, they were moved by An Xiaoxi and the others¡¯ kindness in letting them go.


    The goodwill between people was the most precious treasure in the world, and they would never let this kindness be in vain.


    The two previously opposing sides unknowinglyid down their weapons and sat side by side against the wall, like people huddling together for warmth by a fire on a cold winter¡¯s day, savoring that rare moment offort and affection.


    They sat there together, watching with peaceful expressions as the long-haired youth took out a painting from the encyclopedia.


    As the scroll unfurled, it seemed as if the radiance of heaven shone upon everyone.


    An Xiaoxi felt as if she had returned to her childhood, with her family gathered in the living room watching television. She could hear her mother¡¯s constantints and feel her father¡¯s warm hand patting her shoulder¡­


    Shi Cheng felt an infinite power surge within him. He shouted ¡°Sword,e!¡± and his divine sword unsheathed, carrying him to the highest heavens and the deepest earth¡­


    It seemed as if all the beautiful fantasies of the world hade true in this moment. All violence, killing, conflict, and the suspicion, vignce, and hatred between people dissipated like smoke and dust.


    A mysterious force seemed to infect everyone¡¯s thoughts. Robbery wasn¡¯t worth it, fighting wasn¡¯t worth it. The ultimate bliss in this world was peace, tranquility, and universal love.


    Until a maniacalugh pierced their eardrums, followed by the sharp ring of a sword.


    The Chenyuan Sword in her hand trembled violently, as if encountering an irresistible force, only able to warn its master in this way.


    ¡°Huff¡­¡±


    An Xiaoxi suddenly awoke, instinctively gripping her sword.


    She gazed at the familiar collection room with a dazed look.


    No, it wasn¡¯t a dream!


    In the collection room, a group of peopley sprawled on the ground. Some were crying, some wereughing, and some were as quiet as chickens.


    The Ji siblings leaned shoulder to shoulder in a corner, seemingly lost in a beautiful dream, with drool almost trickling from the corners of their mouths. Xue Hao and Shi Cheng were giggling foolishly, their gazes fixed ahead, seeing who knows what.


    The surrounding robbers were broadly divided into two categories.


    The first was simr to Xue Hao and the others ¨C dazed expressions, slight smiles, peaceful demeanors, as if they had all be Buddhas.


    The other categoryughed maniacally, engrossed in their own ¡°body art.¡± Some with bloodshot eyes fought each other as if battling mortal enemies. Hands, feet, and even teeth became their weapons. Even when they had beaten each other to a pulp, they continued fighting tirelessly.


    The nearby disy stands had long since been toppled. Several antiques had crashed to the ground, making An Xiaoxi¡¯s heart ache.


    At the entrance, the leader of the robbers was in an even more horrific state. One of his armsy severed on the ground, the wound suggesting it had been forcibly torn off. Yet he seemed oblivious, lowering his head to frantically gnaw at the fingers of his other hand like a crazed beast.


    The bright red flesh and stark white bone fragments around him formed a grotesque painting, emitting a strong smell of blood.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The scene was too shocking. An Xiaoxi, who had never witnessed such a spectacle in her life, immediately began to retch.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Her movement seemed to startle the only other person still standing in the collection room.


    ¡ªIt was the mysterious long-haired youth, who had been standing at the center of the room all along, silently admiring the unrolled painting in his hands, seemingly oblivious to everything happening around him.


    At that moment, he finally turned his head to look at An Xiaoxi. He seemed surprised that she had managed to break free from that bizarre atmosphere.


    His gaze briefly swept over the bronze short sword in An Xiaoxi¡¯s hand. The youth named Joey showed a faint look of realization. ¡°I see, it¡¯s because of this sword¡­¡±


    He disinterestedly withdrew his gaze.


    Then, he slowly rolled up the painting.


    He turned to leave, as if the purpose of his visit was solely for this painting, caring nothing for anything else.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Behind him, An Xiaoxi watched his retreating figure with aplex gaze.


    Her mind was brimming with questions. She wanted to call out to him, but the eerie scene around her made her hesitate.


    This mysterious extraordinary was clearly not someone to be trifted with.


    As she wrestled with her thoughts, someone spoke up for her.


    ¡°Um, wait a moment!¡±


    An Xiaoxi turned in surprise to find that Shi Cheng had somehow regained consciousness and called out the moment he opened his eyes.


    Without hesitation, he scrambled to his feet. Almost without a second¡¯s thought, he chased after the departing figure, shouting, ¡°Please wait!¡±


    An Xiaoxi listened in disbelief as muffled voices carried from the corridor outside the collection room¡ª


    ¡°Excuse me, you must be a powerful extraordinary, right?¡±


    ¡°¡ªPlease ept me as your disciple!¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 120

    When Li Fufeng and hispanions arrived, the vi had already been cordoned off by the police.


    A chaotic collection room, overturned disy stands, carpets smeared with blood turned deep red-ck, a group of hostages and criminals as if waking from a dream¡­


    Local police and members of the Special Case Investigation Team shuttled back and forth, collecting crucial evidence and securing the scene. Bodies of security guards were continuously carried out of the vi, interspersed with the sounds of ambnces¡­


    What presented itself before their eyes was a scene both chaotic and orderly.


    ¡°How is it?¡±


    ¡°Seven dead, five severely injured, and three unconscious due to head trauma, already sent to the hospital for emergency treatment¡­¡±


    Reports from others¡¯ investigations kepting through the earpiece as Li Fufeng and his partner made their way through the busy crowd to a room that had been cleared out for temporary office use.


    Their Special Case Investigation Team headquarters credentials allowed them to easily take control of everything.


    They quickly met with the Ji siblings, who had initially called Li Fufeng, along with Xue Hao and An Xiaoxi.The four looked dazed, seemingly still in shock.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry we arrivedte,¡± Li Fufeng felt guilty, which showed on his face. ¡°Are you all okay? If needed, we can provide professional psychological counseling.¡±


    Ji Heng shook his head. Though still somewhat traumatized, he didn¡¯t feel that fragile. ¡°It¡¯s alright. This isn¡¯t your fault. No one could have predicted such a sudden incident. Besides, when I called, you consultants were probably still in the capital, right? It¡¯s already surprising that you managed to get here so quickly.¡±


    Although they knew Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang were members of the Special Case Investigation Team¡¯s action group, the Ji siblings had grown ustomed to calling them ¡°consultants¡± during their ¡°three years¡± together in the Sword Realm, and didn¡¯t bother changing after returning.


    Xue Hao and An Xiaoxi, who didn¡¯t know the two, were sessfully misled and followed Ji Heng¡¯s form of address. An Xiaoxi bit her lip. ¡°That¡¯s right, the unexpected is unexpected because it¡¯s hard to predict. You two really don¡¯t need to me yourselves. The ones who should be held responsible for all this are those heartless robbers.¡±


    An Xiaoxi¡¯s beautiful face was cold as ice. Thinking of the life-threatening confrontation in the collection room earlier, the dead and injured security guards she saw along the way out, and her grandfather who was sent to the hospital due to shock, a continuous fire of anger burned in her heart.


    The Chengyuan Sword in her hand also emitted a humming vibration.


    Besides anger, a deep sense of guilt surfaced in her mind.


    ¡°Actually, I should be the one apologizing to those dead and injured. Knowing our family¡¯s situation would eventually attract ill-intentioned people, even though the security guards we hired were martial artists, truly powerful and well-prepared warriors are not something our family¡¯s security can handle. If only I had thought of this earlier¡­¡± Had they been immersed in the established order for too long? Despite knowing times had changed, were they too dull to be vignt?


    ¡­If she hadn¡¯t been constrained by the path nned for her all along when she first discovered the special rapport between herself and the Chengyuan Sword, if she had taken up the sword and actively sought new changes, would she have possessed stronger power to resolve this sudden crisis when it struck?


    Yes, this was why she felt guilty.


    An Xiaoxi suddenly realized in her heart.


    ¡ªShe could have had the power to change the current situation. Some people didn¡¯t have to die. Things didn¡¯t have to develop to this point.


    ¡°Alright, now is not the time to fight over taking me. It¡¯s clearly the criminals¡¯ fault, why are you trying to shoulder the responsibility?¡± Liu Ningshuang quickly interrupted this overly solemn atmosphere, changing the subject, ¡°Let¡¯s get straight to the point.¡±


    With that said, her expression turned serious. She first gave an overview of the situation they understood. ¡°When we received Ji Heng¡¯s call, we were still in the capital. After sensing something was off during the call, we immediately contacted the local police station and the Special Case Investigation Team branch. We¡¯ve roughly understood what happened on your end through the phone, but listening remotely certainly isn¡¯t as clear as being on the scene. There are still many unclear parts we need you to fill in.¡±


    While Liu Ningshuang was speaking, Li Fufeng had already taken out recording equipment and opened a notebook specifically for documenting case details.


    Both of them had serious expressions on their faces.


    An Xiaoxi and the others also understood the gravity of the situation and responded in kind. They began recounting the events while recalling what had happened earlier. ¡°It went like this¡­¡±


    Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang listened and took notes, asionally asking questions until they finally put down their pens. Only then did the room fall silent.


    ¡°Thank you very much for your cooperation. You can leave for now, and we¡¯ll notify you if we need anything else,¡± Li Fufeng said officially, then changed his tone to add, ¡°By the way, Miss An, remember to register the fact that you possess the Chengyuan Sword with the relevant departmentter. They¡¯ll probably need to assess the characteristics and danger level of this extraordinary artifact¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± An Xiaoxi widened her eyes in surprise, then quickly nodded after processing the information, ¡°Oh, okay, alright.¡±


    Ji Nian, who had dealt with the Special Case Investigation Team before and understood their procedures, worried that An Xiaoxi might be too nervous and hurried to reassure her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not a bad thing. It¡¯s a bit like a gun permit in foreign countries. They just need to confirm there¡¯s no problem before issuing it. Otherwise, if extraordinary artifacts like the Chengyuan Sword fall into the wrong hands, like those guys from earlier, wouldn¡¯t that be too dangerous?¡±


    ¡°But Xiaoxi, you definitely don¡¯t need to worry. It¡¯s probably just a formality, just registering a case with the relevant department.¡±


    Liu Ningshuang nodded. ¡°Ji Nian is right. Because each extraordinary artifact has unique characteristics, the effects they cause are easily identifiable. So if we discover a problem somewhere that matches the damage caused by a registered artifact, we can immediately lock onto the target.¡±


    An Xiaoxi fully understood. For instance, if a murder case urred and the victim¡¯s woundspletely matched the damage caused by the Chengyuan Sword, they could immediately focus on her as the sword¡¯s owner, right?


    Having no intention of breaking thew, she had no objection to registering.


    After agreeing, seeing that Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang were preparing to leave with their voice recorder and case notes, the group couldn¡¯t help feeling a bit unsatisfied about parting ways.


    Having personally experienced this case, they had umted too many questions in their minds and were reluctant to just provide testimony and be left out.


    The Ji siblings, being more familiar with Liu Ningshuang and the others, lingered at the door for a while. Then, the brother and sister approached Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang respectively, one on each side, and sneakily ced a hand on their shoulders, moving in perfect unison.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re old acquaintances by now, right, consultants? Is there any tiny bit of inside information about this incident that you could share?¡±


    While putting their arms around the consultants¡¯ shoulders, they lowered their voices and simultaneously rubbed their fingers together, gesturing a tiny amount. To an uninformed observer from afar, it might have looked like they were engaging in some illegal transaction, bribing officials.


    ¡°We¡¯ve only just arrived. Those robbers are still being interrogated by the police. How could we have any inside information?¡±


    Liu Ningshuang rolled her eyes, caught between amusement and exasperation.


    ¡°That¡¯s not urgent. We can ask the policeter. As involved parties, they certainly won¡¯t refuse to tell us about the robbers,¡± Ji Heng felt extremely clever at that moment. He coughed lightly, ¡°What we want to ask about is someone else¡­¡±


    ¡°Cough, it¡¯s Joey! Joey!¡± Ji Nian picked up where her brother left off. She cleared her throat and spoke in a solemn tone, as if narrating the introduction of a new character in an anime, ¡°A man who, from the moment he appeared, had ¡®extraordinary¡¯ written all over him from head to toe¡ªthe mysterious Mr. Joey!¡±


    The siblings seemed to have reverted to their yful nature after the crisis had passed. They exchanged a nce, came together, and lightly high-fived each other, reciting in a deep, poetic tone. ¡°Who was it that made the robbers and hostages as close as family, sharing an unforgettable time together?¡±


    ¡°Who brought the radiance of heaven down to earth, allowing the poor hostages toprehend the true beauty of life in their dreams?¡±


    ¡°Who made the viins who refused to bask in heaven¡¯s light andy down their weapons suffer the consequences of their actions, turning on each other and walking into their own demise?¡±


    The siblings continued their improvised parallel structure, one after the other, not forgetting to conclude in a tone reminiscent of singing hymns in a church. ¡°We want peace, not war. We want love, not killing. Mr. Joey brought forth humanity¡¯s finest qualities, sowing them in our hearts. How can we not think of him?¡±


    After this performance of singing, reciting, and acting, the siblings raised their hands in a prayer-like gesture and looked at Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang with utmost expectation.


    ¡°So, please, please! For such a mysterious extraordinary, your Special Case Investigation Team must have information on him. Isn¡¯t it your duty to investigate all extraordinary information? Just share a tiny bit with us, satisfy our curiosity. After all, we¡¯re also registered with the Special Case Investigation Team in a way.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± The two Special Case Investigation Team members fell into silence.


    The onlooking Xue Hao and An Xiaoxi couldn¡¯t help but feel embarrassed on their behalf. It was hard to imagine how Ji Heng and Ji Nian could improvise such a performance so casually without any awkwardness.


    An Xiaoxi, being a literature major, even recognized that their long speech was adapted from a selection of a Western ssical opera. Originally a ssic passage for the male and female leads to express their feelings, they had altered 90% of it, resulting in a very strange tone.


    How could she still recognize it? Because although they hadpletely changed the lyrics, their fluctuating tones were surprisingly simr to the original opera.


    Despite the awkwardness, An Xiaoxi and Xue Hao also tacitly directed their expectant and curious gazes towards Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang.


    Li Fufeng finally shook his head helplessly. ¡°Alright, since you insist on knowing, all we can reveal is¡­¡±


    ¡°The #Divine Statue Radiation# incident that urred in the Edun Kingdom over a month ago was the first time we know of Mr. Joey¡¯s appearance.¡± His gaze conveyed a hint of gravity, ¡°If your description of Joey¡¯s appearance is correct, he should be the one who took away the divine statue.¡±


    ¡°We only just learned the name Joey now.¡±


    An Xiaoxi and the others were instantly shocked.


    ¡°It was actually¡­ that incident¡­¡±


    ¡°The one called the beginning of extraordinary artifacts¡¯ emergence¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­That person was actually Mr. Joey?¡±


    The events in the Edun Kingdom had spread worldwide, but apart from high-level officials in various countries, most people had only heard about it from various reports. They had never seen the appearance of the person who took away the nameless, faceless divine statue, nor had they heard rted information, as if it had been intentionally concealed.


    Now that Li Fufeng mentioned it, they connected the dots. It felt surreal, as if a legendary figure had suddenly walked into reality and even interacted with them. Their feelings were quiteplex at that moment.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s him. We don¡¯t have much information about him either, but of course, now we know his name is Joey.¡±


    Li Fufeng was certainly not someone who would disclose confidential information just because someone asked. What he was saying now had been carefully considered, and he had determined it was safe to reveal to An Xiaoxi and the others.


    After all, they were involved in this incident. ording to the Special Case Investigation Team¡¯s regtions, if they asked, some information could be appropriately disclosed as long as they signed a confidentiality agreement.


    So he continued frankly, finding their shocked expressions somewhat interesting. ¡°Now you understand how dangerous this situation is, right? This could potentially be an extraordinary being beyond imagination, at least not something you can handle. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t seem to have any hostile intentions. His main purpose was just to take away that painting.¡±


    Liu Ningshuang quickly added. ¡°This person has already appeared briefly around the world before this. Thest time was at our Yao Country¡¯s border. By the time people who received the news arrived, he was already gone. The only thing we know is that each time he appears, his purpose is to take away one item. Sometimes it¡¯s a painting, sometimes a sculpture, even music scores or poetry collections ¨C they all seem to be extraordinary artifacts.¡±


    What she didn¡¯t say was¡ª


    Due to the high corrtion between Joey¡¯s appearances and the emergence of extraordinary artifacts, officials from various countries who collected this information had reason to suspect that he had a significant connection to the birth of these artifacts. Perhaps he was even the mastermind behind it all.


    Of course, aside from the mastermind theory, the Special Case Investigation Team was more inclined to believe that the birth of the artifacts was unrted to him, but he definitely knew what was going on.


    And those artifacts he took away, upon investigation, were all items that had mysteriously appeared in various ces recently. Joey was likely their owner.


    Therefore, the mastermind theory might be pure spection; he might just be an innocent extraordinary being looking for lost items.


    In any case, if there was a chance to meet Mr. Joey face-to-face, wouldn¡¯t they be able to figure out what was going on with the appearance of these artifacts? Perhaps they could even learn more about extraordinaries?


    Considering that Ji Heng and the others¡¯ excessive curiosity might prompt them to act impulsively, and Joey¡¯s behavior didn¡¯t seem like that of a kind person, the two couldn¡¯t help but caution.


    ¡°In any case, he¡¯s a powerful extraordinary that you can¡¯t afford to provoke right now. So don¡¯t rashly investigate him, and be careful if you ever encounter him.¡±


    As soon as they finished speaking, they heard Xue Hao draw in a sharp breath and speak in a panic. ¡°What? Then what about Shi Cheng? He was taken away by that Joey, wasn¡¯t he? Will he be okay?¡±


    ¡°???¡± Several question marks popped up over Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang¡¯s heads, suddenly feeling that things had gone beyond their expectations.


    They never imagined that these people were still hiding something.


    The two felt a headacheing on. ¡°Wait, exin clearly, who is this Shi Cheng?¡±


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 Chapter 121

    <!-- Before Content -->


    Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang¡¯s serious demeanor was quite intimidating. Under their watchful gaze, Xue Hao and the others honestly recounted everything they knew.


    In fact, the details about Shi Cheng¡¯s personal situation were simple. The Special Case Investigation Team could easily ess his records from childhood to adulthood.


    He came from a decent family background. After graduating with a bachelor¡¯s degree, he found a job at apany with little work and plenty of free time. His monthly sry was enough to satisfy his material desires. His greatest interest was browsing antique markets, collecting Taoist scriptures and ancient texts. During holidays, he would travel to various ces to explore and learn about local folklore, or engage in discussions withizens on fantasy forums. He had even written a few web novels in the xianxia and wuxia genres, though they all flopped due to weak plotlines and an excessive focus on cultivation fantasies, with the protagonist constantly training without any interesting developments¡­ In short, all the collected information indicated that he was a quintessential older chuunibyou youth.


    After the revival of spiritual energy and the descent of the extraordinary into reality, it seemed that his fantasies hade true overnight, and this guy became even more obsessed than before.


    Initially, he actively participated in martial arts training sses, but was told that his innate talent was too poor, and he had no hope on the path of martial arts¡ª


    The first step to entering the world of martial arts was to absorb spiritual energy into the body, generate the first thread of internal energy, circte it throughout the body, and refine one¡¯s flesh and blood. The most talented geniuses only needed a quarter of an hour, those with excellent aptitude could do it within three days, and those with average talent could manage it in at most half a month. Those who couldn¡¯t aplish this within a month were basically useless in martial arts and had no need to pursue this path, as ten years of hard work might not even match half a month¡¯s progress for others. It was better for them to casually practice some external martial techniques that didn¡¯t require internal energy and be simple martial arts enthusiasts.


    ¡ªThis was also the choice of many people.


    After all, practicing martial arts was a discipline that required umted effort over time. While most people in this era enjoyed more abundant material lives than in the past, they had also lost the perseverance to endure hardships.<!-- Top Ads -->


    At first, they might have been excited about the opportunity to be martial arts practitioners, but after the initial enthusiasm faded, they would quickly be dominated by negative emotions such as hardship, fatigue, and slow progress. Beautiful fantasies about the future were clearly not enough to sustain their day and night of bitter training.


    Therefore, although martial arts training was in full swing throughout the Yao Country, at least 70% of participants were martial arts enthusiasts who hadn¡¯t even entered the door, and only a small number of people with talent and perseverance would embark on this path, crossing the true threshold of martial arts and qualifying to call themselves martial arts practitioners.


    For martial arts failures like Shi Cheng, there was no need to court hardship. It would have been better to continue along the path he was on before the revival of spiritual energy, where he might still achieve happiness under ordinary societal values.


    But he refused to give up.


    While other office workers only attended martial arts sses in their spare time to keep fit and develop hobbies, unless their talent was exceptionally high, Shi Cheng was different. From the very beginning, he resigned from his job and devoted himself wholeheartedly to martial arts training.


    Even though he already knew his talent was unimaginably poor.


    ¡ªWhen others absorbed spiritual energy, even if it wasn¡¯t as overwhelming as a river flowing backwards, at worst it would umte bit by bit like water dripping from a faucet. For him, it was as if the faucet was almostpletely blocked, with just a tiny gap. The difficulty of absorbing spiritual energy into his body was more than just one level slower.


    As a result, after months of effort, he had barely refined a few threads of internal energy, ultimately only making his body slightly stronger than an ordinary person¡¯s.


    Most people would have given up by this point.


    But he still refused to quit.


    Realizing his talent was pitiful, this older chuunibyou youth who refused to give up even after hitting a wall turned his attention to external aids.


    First were spiritual objects.


    Since the revival of spiritual energy, the areas near the Five Domain Mountains that had been baptized by spiritual tides had be treasurednds known throughout the world.


    Now, the portions of these treasurednds within the borders of major countries were undoubtedly controlled by national authorities. Even the real estate markets in nearby cities were affected, with housing prices skyrocketing.


    As for the parts within smaller countries, due to different national conditions, they were often divided among major powers, financial groups, and aristocrats.


    In any case, these were no longer ces ordinary people could ess. Instead, they were developed into bases for cultivating spiritual nts and raising small animals.


    Whether it was spiritual nts growing in these spiritually richnds or the flesh and blood of animals washed by spiritual tides, they undoubtedly contained abundant spiritual energy. The effects of directly consuming these spiritual objects far surpassed one¡¯s own bitter cultivation and absorption of spiritual energy.


    Because of this, the market prices for spiritual objects were quite exorbitant, and they were often unavable even at high prices. Normally, they flowed into the hands of officials and those cultivated by various powers. Only a very small portion leaked into the underground world through ck market channels.


    Years of desperately seeking extraordinary powers had not been in vain for this chuunibyou. At the very least, Shi Cheng had mastered extensive knowledge of Taoism and ancient culture through self-study, and had some understanding of antique appraisal. In this new era where everyone practiced martial arts, explored ancient ruins, and studied ancient texts and artifacts, Shi Cheng¡¯s knowledge became very useful.


    Even though he had resigned from his original job, by simply guiding martial arts novices on basic human physiology knowledge on the Extraordinary Forum, spreading ancient culture, and providing various consultation services for rich kids like Xue Hao, he earned much more than his previous sry.


    Coincidentally, Xue Hao¡¯s family tradingpany had already expanded internationally to the Ind Alliance, which was the location of one of the five major spiritual veins. They even had a share in the spiritual nt business in the Ind Alliance, with a small quota for spiritual objects. This allowed Shi Cheng to sessfully purchase a few spiritual fruits.


    After consuming them, he found them to be effective.


    The only problem was that it was too expensive and required too many connections!


    For a martial arts failure of his level, the number of spiritual fruits needed to advance on the path of martial arts was terrifyingly high. Even if he had enough money, he didn¡¯t have the connections or channels.


    With this path blocked, Shi Cheng turned his attention to extraordinary artifacts.


    As is well known, extraordinary artifactse in all shapes and sizes, are difficult to understand, and possess various bizarre properties. Perhaps some artifact might have the ability to fundamentally change his status as a martial arts failure. Even if it couldn¡¯t, the artifact itself was a coveted supernatural power.


    Obtaining an artifact that resonated with him and thus escaping the ordinary was the best solution Shi Cheng could think of at present.


    Thus, the older chuunibyou youth, along with the rich kid he had managed to excite, plus two friends introduced by thetter who had entered the door of martial arts cultivation, officially formed a small team. Their purpose was to search for extraordinary artifacts, while also exploring ancient objects and folk legends.


    Like many other simr people, they were active on the mysterious Extraordinary Forum, chasing traces of the supernatural.


    Because they understood Shi Cheng¡¯s desire for extraordinary powers, when Xue Hao and the others ¡°woke up¡± from their dream and didn¡¯t see any trace of Shi Cheng, but instead learned from An Xiaoxi¡¯s ount that he had left with that mysterious extraordinary being, they didn¡¯t find it strange at all. Instead, they felt it was normal, with a sense of ¡°it finally happened.¡±


    In the words of the Ji Heng and Ji Nian siblings¡ª


    ¡°¡­This is exactly the kind of thing he would do. It feels like if he lived in ancient times, he¡¯d definitely be the type to abandon his family and go off seeking immortals and the Dao. Leaving without a care for the consequences to follow that clearly dangerous extraordinary being ¨C it¡¯s totally normal for him.¡±


    <!-- IncontentPercentage -->


    An Xiaoxi, recalling the scene, couldn¡¯t help but agree with them.


    In fact, she wasn¡¯t clear on exactly what had happened. She only knew that a couple of minutes after Shi Cheng ran out chasing after Mr. Joey, he excitedly ran back, hastily leaving a message. ¡°I¡¯ll be away for a while, please let them know for me.¡± Before An Xiaoxi could respond, he had eagerly dashed out again.


    Thinking back now, her strongest impression was,


    ¡°When he said those words, his eyes were so bright, so bright¡­¡±


    It was the kind of gleam that showed he had found his goal, was chasing his hope, and would not waver. It was an experience An Xiaoxi had never had in all these years, leaving her unable to voice any words of concern or dissuasion.


    Because of this, she was willing to believe the oue would be good.


    Thinking this way, she smiled slightly, sincerely blessing this newly-met friend. ¡°I hope he can fulfill his wishes.¡±


    Whether Shi Cheng could actually fulfill his wishes, An Xiaoxi and the others had no way of knowing. In the end, they could only offer their blessings in their hearts. From the moment he left, it was as if he had vanished from the world. Theypletely lost all news about Shi Cheng.


    It wasn¡¯t until a weekter that they heard thetest news about theirpanion from Liu Ningshuang¡ª


    As it turned out, that mysterious extraordinary being, Joey, had appeared again.


    It was a day ago, hundreds of miles away. He had stayed overnight in a vige while passing through, and incidentally resolved the disturbance caused by an extraordinary artifact that had been causing ghost sightings in the vige. He was immediately warmly weed by the entire vige.


    This extraordinary being, who was marked withbels such as ¡°aloof,¡± ¡°reclusive,¡± and ¡°entric¡± in the Special Case Investigation Team¡¯s assessment reports, not only epted their hospitality graciously but also acted uncharacteristically down-to-earth.


    ¡ªHe openly asked the locals for instruction, learned how to make local delicacies, and immediately showed off by preparing some local-style barbecue.


    The result was that everyone who smelled the aroma of the barbecue fell into an unbelievable state of euphoria.


    Their souls seemed to be baptized by sweet springs, as if all the dust and grime had been swept away from their spirits, floating up to heaven like immortal music. Yet their bodies, from the moment their noses caught the scent and their tongues tasted the meat, plummeted straight from the mortal realm to hell.


    This irreconcble contradiction caused everyone¡¯s face to show an expression that seemed to be smiling yet crying, bothughing and weeping, neither smiling nor crying. Joy and pain coexisted, pleasure and fear appeared simultaneously.


    The scene at that time was truly indescribable.


    It was said that a migrant worker who happened to be returning home by train that night mistook the vigers for publicly engaging in drug use or being brainwashed into some kind of cult ritual¡­ He was so frightened that he didn¡¯t dare approach them, instead running frantically to a nearby forest before shakily taking out his phone to call the police.


    ¡ªMr. Joey, who had long disappeared from public view, thus re-entered the sights of the Special Case Investigation Team.


    And theirpanion Shi Cheng was reportedly by Joey¡¯s side at the time. He was even working as an assistant at that bizarre feast.


    Unfortunately, by the time the police arrived, Joey and Shi Cheng had already left, leaving behind only tables of leftovers and a group of vigers whoy motionless in their seats, as if their souls had left their bodies.


    Although the vigers denied using drugs, their condition was so suggestive that the local police had no choice but to take everyone in for questioning, and also collected the leftovers for testing.


    However, the final test results showed that these people had no drugponents in their bodies, but their mental state was inexplicably over-excited, with rity amid the excitement. Especially for several elderly people who had previously been dizzy and confused due to age, their mental state seemed to have rejuvenated by ten years. Even the symptoms of senile dementia that some had before disappeared without a trace. Everyone imed that their thought processes suddenly became extremely smooth.


    ¡ªThis state of mental ritysted for a full hour before slowly fading, but everyone still felt much better than usual.


    The incident was so bizarre that, after repeatedly confirming that the vigers were not lying, it was quickly transferred to the local branch of the Special Case Investigation Team, as the police suspected it involved extraordinary powers.


    And their suspicions were indeed correct.


    Upon learning Joey¡¯s name from the vigers and hearing their description of this kind-hearted person, the Special Case Investigation Team immediately confirmed his identity, and also confirmed that the assistant by his side was Shi Cheng, who had left with Joey.


    Thinking about the good Samaritan praised to the skies by the vigers, and imagining the scene of him happily discussing local culinary methods with the vigers, even cooking personally¡­ Compared with the unfathomable mysterious extraordinary being from previous records, Li Fufeng and others found their feelings indescribable.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡­It was just too absurd.


    Clearly, the personality profile of Joey summarized by various experts and other spections had all be obsolete. They had to overturn and rewrite everything overnight, nearly working themselves bald.


    What they didn¡¯t know was that this was just the beginning.


    In the extremely short time that followed, apanied by the emergence of more and more extraordinary artifacts, increasingly frequent bizarre events, and martial arts practitioners bing gradually more active as their strength grew, the entire world, with the Yao Country as a microcosm, was showing signs of impending upheaval.


    Bai Yi had thrown a pebble of spiritual energy revival into this world locked by physical rules, and the ripples it created were constantly spreading outward in a subtle manner. Until someday in the future, the brewing turbulent waves would shake the entire world.


    Perhaps then, it would truly mark the arrival of the era of the extraordinary.


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 Chapter 122

    Chapter 122


    <!-- Before Content -->


    When they saw Shi Cheng again, it had already been over a month.


    Everyone, including Xue Hao and the others, was shocked to see theirpanion bouncing back so energetically.


    They were both surprised and curious ¨C amazed that he actually came back, and wondering why that mysterious extraordinary had taken an interest in him.


    ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it many times, but I can¡¯t figure out what¡¯s so special about you. How did you end up with the plot of being instantly epted as a disciple by a mysterious master?¡± Xue Hao bluntly criticized. ¡°Is it because of your severe chuunibyou?¡±


    Shi Cheng chuckled. ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t actually taken as a disciple. But I did learn quite a bit from Teacher Joey.¡± Even though he had only been fortunate enough to follow him for about a month.


    ¡°As for what he saw in me¡­¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t know either.¡±


    He joked self-deprecatingly, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m particrly efficient at washing vegetables, chopping them, and cleaning up the scene to destroy evidence?¡±<!-- Top Ads -->


    Xue Hao and the others: ¡°???!!!¡±


    Seeing hispanions¡¯ horrified expressions, Shi Cheng frantically waved his hands. ¡°Don¡¯t take it seriously, I¡¯m just joking!¡±


    He definitely didn¡¯t want to be taken to the Special Case Investigation Team¡¯s interrogation room for questioning just because of a silly joke.


    Although he was internally reluctant, Shi Cheng eventually ended up having tea with the Investigation Team, albeit after being very politely invited. After all, how could the Investigation Team, which was constantly monitoring the situation, not be aware of Shi Cheng¡¯s return?


    They had too many questions that urgently needed his answers.


    Shi Cheng didn¡¯t hide anything. He had anticipated being questioned by the Investigation Team and had asked Joey beforehand what he should and shouldn¡¯t say. Joey¡¯s response had been that it didn¡¯t matter.


    Therefore, Shi Cheng didn¡¯t care either.


    Compared to joking around with hispanions, his attitude became much more serious when facing the Investigation Team¡¯s questions.


    ¡°Actually, the true situation was¡­¡±


    Shi Cheng¡¯s mind drifted slightly as his memory returned to that day.


    That must have been the biggest turning point in his destiny¡ª


    When he woke up from that illusory beautiful dream and realized he was temporarily safe, the first feelings that surged in Shi Cheng¡¯s heart weren¡¯t tension or fear, nor relief or joy, but rather a deep sense of unwillingness and loss.


    The arrival of Joey, the mysterious extraordinary, had seemingly plunged everyone into an illusory dream. But the more omnipotent he had been in the dream, the more powerless he felt upon waking to reality!


    When surrounded by the kidnappers, all he could do was ce his hopes on the Ji siblings, An Xiaoxi, and the yet-to-arrive Investigation Team¡¯s rescue. The only thing he could do was try not to be a hostage and burden them.


    This fact was a huge shock to Shi Cheng.


    In a sense, he had believed in the extraordinary aspects of this world since childhood and had always yearned to uncover the truth of the real world. To others, he might have appeared to be an adult still trapped in chuunibyou fantasies. But unlike most people who merely daydreamed, he had taken action ¨C teaching himself numerous Taoist ssics and ancient texts, mastering knowledge that he didn¡¯t really need to know¡­ He should have been proud of aplishing all this.


    Indeed, Shi Cheng had always harbored an overly chuunibyou notion that ¡°I am different.¡± He seemed to have possessed self-confidence and self-esteem far beyond ordinary people since childhood, though it was hidden behind his entric behavior.


    But now, reality proved that not only was he not the protagonist who saved everyone in crucial moments, he was instead the burden who held others back. This undoubtedly dealt a massive blow to his self-esteem and confidence, making him deeply unwilling to ept it.


    Especially since times had changed¡­


    Extraordinary opportunities had appeared before everyone. The Ji siblings, Ji Heng and Ji Nian, were prime examples of those lucky enough to receive miraculous encounters. Even An Xiaoxi, an ordinary person, had performed a ¡°transformation¡± right in front of him. Yet he alone was left outside the door, still forced to remain an ordinary mortal. How could he possibly ept this!


    Continuing like this, Shi Cheng had already foreseen his hopeless future¡­


    The moment he woke from the dream, an overwhelming sense of disparity enveloped him, nearly driving him to despair.


    Until he saw Joey¡¯s departing figure.


    ¡ª This was undoubtedly an extraordinarily powerful being beyond imagination. While others only saw the terrifying way he made the criminals kill each other without batting an eye, Shi Cheng saw his power and mystery.


    In a sh of inspiration, before Shi Cheng could even process his own thoughts, an intense obsession of not being content with living an ordinary life drove his actions¡ª


    He chased after Joey without hesitation!


    Forgetting how dangerous the other party was, forgetting the fact that they wereplete strangers, and temporarily forgetting about hispanions and the criminals still in the collection room, his instincts told him this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that would nevere again!


    Even thinking backter, Shi Cheng didn¡¯t know what had possessed him. He had instinctively followed behind that person, and the moment Joey turned around, he shouted without hesitation: ¡°¡ªPlease take me as your disciple!¡±


    After saying those words, his mind went nk.


    Until he heard another voice speaking above him.


    ¡°Interesting. Aren¡¯t you afraid?¡±


    Instead of being angry at his rash behavior, the voice carried a hint of curiosity and surprise. There was hope!


    <!-- IncontentPercentage -->


    In an instant, Shi Cheng forcibly pushed aside all other emotions. Realizing he actually had a chance, he perked up as if injected with adrenaline, entering what his friends had often criticized as his ¡°chuunibyou mode.¡±


    ¡°Fear is an emotion for the weak. The strong fear nothing!¡± He straightened his back and gazed at Joey determinedly, surely looking like an enthusiastic young man full of dreams ¨C exactly the type of disciple any teacher would want to take on, right?


    ¡°¡­Strong? You?¡±


    That doubtful tone¡­ This was bad, perhaps his performance wasn¡¯t sincere enough, not passionate enough to move hearts? No, he had to touch Teacher Joey¡¯s heart with an even more sincere attitude!


    ¡°Cough, true strengthes from within. I¡¯ve waited twenty-six years for this day, tempered my spirit for twenty-six years. You must be my destined teacher!¡±


    His eyes zed with sincere intensity, and he was nearly prostrating himself. ¡°Please ept me! I¡¯ll do anything you need. Whether it¡¯s finding lost items, or cleaning up and destroying evidence after you eliminate their current owners, such trivial matters can all be left to me!¡±


    ¡°¡­You seem to have said something rather concerning.¡±


    His attitude was softening ¨C there really was hope!


    Shi Cheng immediately put on a (profound face). ¡°If one wishes to obtain extraordinary power, this level of resolution is the least I possess.¡±


    Although Joey could tell Shi Cheng was being theatrical, he didn¡¯t care about such things and wasn¡¯t affected by his chuunibyou speech, let alone feeling embarrassed for him. Joey responded tly.


    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, extraordinary power isn¡¯t just a fantasy for you ¨C everyone in this country has a chance, right? The path of martial arts cultivation has already beenid before you all.¡±


    ¡°¡­But it rejected me.¡±


    Hearing this, the pale-faced young man with long hair finally raised an eyebrow slightly, as if recalling something.


    ¡°Oh, that reminds me of someone,¡± he murmured in surprise. ¡°So, you n to take a different path?¡±


    ¡°No, I must force my way in no matter what.¡±


    Shi Cheng gritted his teeth, looking fierce. His expression looked less like someone who had determined their goal and more like someone about to start a gang fight.


    Joey: ¡°???¡±


    Shi Cheng: ¡°As they say, ¡®doing what you know can¡¯t be done,¡¯ ¡®forcing one¡¯s way through,¡¯ ¡®a toad insisting on eating swan meat,¡¯ ¡®breaking through the south wall to forge a path¡¯ ¨C this is the resolution of the strong!¡±


    He delivered these rather questionable lines with an incredibly passionate expression.


    Is that really how ¡°doing what you know can¡¯t be done¡± is supposed to be used¡­?


    ¡°Huh?¡± Joey¡¯s usually unperturbed face couldn¡¯t help but show traces of bewilderment. He made a short sound in his throat before his tone returned to calmness, ¡°Then you might have found the wrong person. I¡¯m just an art enthusiast who can¡¯t even tie up a chicken.¡±


    Shi Cheng¡¯s expression changed in an instant. ¡°No, no, no, you are definitely the teacher I¡¯ve waited years for. Mere martial arts are nothingpared to your power. I¡¯ll forget all about them right now. From meeting you onwards, your power is what I pursue!¡±


    So this is your resolution of the strong? Just this? Really? Did it evenst a minute? Bai Yi, within the disguise, criticized frantically.


    Joey stared at the young man before him for several seconds, seeing only genuine admiration and sincerity. He suddenly smiled slowly. ¡°Your eyes don¡¯t look like someone who¡¯s given up on martial arts. Are you trying to find an alternative path? I¡¯m actually getting somewhat intrigued.¡±


    Shi Cheng was instantly stunned, his presence weakening immediately.


    ¡­Was, was he seen through?


    Once he started feeling self-conscious and embarrassed, his smooth chuunibyou state popped like a balloon. His gaze became shifty, and after a moment of hesitation, he frankly admitted. ¡°Cough, you¡¯re truly perceptive. I indeed can¡¯t bear to give up martial arts. Why should I ept that I can¡¯t practice just because they decided I have no talent? I¡¯m sure I can find a way¡­ That¡¯s basically what I¡¯m thinking?¡±


    In other words, even if Joey agreed to his impulsive request and gave him a chance to ess another type of extraordinary power, he still wouldn¡¯t give up trying martial arts. Anyone who knew this would think he was being ridiculous, right?


    Especially such a dangerous extraordinary ¨C if Joey felt that Shi Cheng looked down on his path or suspected him of having ulterior motives from the start, being rejected would be the best oue. Worse, he might be done for right then and there?


    Shi Cheng hadpletely given up hope.


    He lowered his head.


    But Joey¡¯s response was unexpected.


    ¡°Ah, I understandpletely.¡± Under the flowing ck hair, that pale face that seemed to have walked out of an oil painting suddenly bloomed with an indescribable smile. ¡°¡­Having absolutely no talent, yet insisting on forcibly taking an unsuitable path, wanting to surpass those so-called talented ones as a mediocre person deemed to have no aptitude, to be acknowledged, looked up to, followed by those whoe after¡­ Such thoughts arepletely understandable.¡±


    ¡ªBecause that was exactly what he himself had done!


    ****


    <em>[¡­The moment he understood Shi Cheng¡¯s thoughts, Joey, who had initially viewed this impulsive wannabe disciple as just another ordinary person seeking extraordinary power and had no interest, suddenly felt a hint of anticipation.]</em>


    <em>[This person¡¯s obsession with martial arts had moved him slightly.]</em>


    <em>[Some people, when rejected by an unsuitable door, would simply melt that door and create a new one. Some would stubbornly insist on pushing through that door no matter what, proving all judgments of unsuitability wrong. And some would not only persist stubbornly but even forcibly twist that door into their own shape.]</em>


    <em>[Pei Hefeng was the first type, Shi Cheng was the second. And Joey was undoubtedly thest type.]</em>


    <em>[Despite having no talent whatsoever and being deemed incapable of bing an artist, he had never thought of giving up. Even if it meant using ¡°unorthodox methods¡± and taking apletely non-mainstream path of ¡°depression,¡± even destroying the dreams of many traditional artists¡¯ hearts, the end result was that he had seeded.]</em>


    <!-- IncontentPercentage -->


    <em>[Using his alternative depressive art, he had imed the divine title that all artists dreamed of, and even forcibly carved out a new, twisted branch on the existing path, making those people acknowledge and even learn his depressive art, no matter how much they disliked it or were unwilling to ept it.]</em>


    <em>[¡­And Shi Cheng¡¯s stubborn persistence with martial arts, while appearing thick-headed to others, happened to match Joey¡¯s taste perfectly. Perhaps this was a case of one obsessive person recognizing another?]</em>


    <em>[He decided to keep this interesting person by his side temporarily, to see just how far they could go. If they could meet his expectations, offering some guidance wouldn¡¯t be out of the question.]</em>


    In a ce hidden from Shi Cheng¡¯s view, the ck Puppet Master¡¯s diary pages fluttered, as someone wrote a new script stroke by stroke.


    ¡°Well, I suppose this fits Joey¡¯s character setting.¡±


    Bai Yi indicated that he always stayed true to his alternate identity¡¯s character setting.


    ¡°¡­Perfect, since Joey¡¯s personality would never allow him to actively engage with officials or reveal information, we can use this volunteer who came knocking as a bridge to spread some appropriate information.¡±


    ¡°¡­Letting them investigate on their own would be far too slow.¡±


    ****


    Meanwhile, under Shi Cheng¡¯s surprised and delighted gaze, the long-haired young man turned around again, his voice floating gently.


    ¡°As it happens, I¡¯m not yet very familiar with the current world. Having someone run errands for me might speed up the collection recovery process.¡±


    ¡°Come along. Let me see what you¡¯re capable of, for now.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°¡­And that¡¯s how I was fortunate enough to be temporarily taken in by Teacher Joey. Although he doesn¡¯t acknowledge being my teacher.¡±


    Finally, Shi Cheng shrugged and concluded with this single sentence.


    The Investigation Team¡¯s bright lights shone on his face, which showed slight reluctance.


    ¡°As for what happened in the month after that¡­¡±


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 Chapter 123

    <!-- Before Content -->


    Shi Cheng still remembered that the day he left with Joey was May 1st. At that time, his heart was filled with excitement.


    As soon as they came down from the mountain, he eagerly asked while rubbing his hands together. ¡°Master, where are we going next?¡±


    Joey didn¡¯t bother correcting his form of address anymore. He had corrected him once before, but this fellow had confidently replied. ¡°Although you haven¡¯t officially taken me as your disciple, in my heart I respect you as my teacher. Besides, those who achieve are teachers, and since I¡¯m learning from your excellent qualities by your side, it¡¯s only right to call you Master.¡±


    Therefore, Joey only said, ¡°We¡¯re going to find two people first.¡±


    ¡°?¡± Shi Cheng was stunned for a second before realizing this was the answer to his earlier question, and quickly caught up.


    He was curious. ¡°Are you looking for other owners of lost items?¡±


    He had witnessed firsthand how this person had recovered his own lost items from those bandits, and he could only say the scene had been rather brutal.


    ¡°No, they¡¯re helpers who can help me find my lost items faster.¡±<!-- Top Ads -->


    ¡°¡­you can call them the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction.¡±


    ¡°The Heavenly Master of Divine Calction?¡± When Shi Cheng said this, Liu Ningshuang couldn¡¯t help but repeat it, ¡°And there are two of them?¡±


    She seemed to think of something and showed some surprise.


    ¡°¡ªIs it the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction that I know about?¡±


    Her reaction drew sideways nces from others. Among the Special Case Investigation Team members sitting around listening to Shi Cheng¡¯s story, Chu Xingrui curiously spoke up, ¡°I spend all day on the Extraordinary Forum, but I¡¯ve never heard of any Heavenly Master of Divine Calction. Where did you hear about them?¡±


    Liu Ningshuang waved her hand. ¡°I actually learned about it from the Extraordinary Forum too. You probably just didn¡¯t notice it.¡±


    Under Chu Xingrui¡¯s increasingly puzzled gaze, she exined, ¡°It was from a post a few days ago on the Extraordinary Forum where the original poster said they encountered an online scam! Since it was posted in the casual discussion section and neither the title nor content was very attention-grabbing, it didn¡¯t get much attention. I only came across it when I was browsing out of boredom.¡±


    Although the Extraordinary Forum was named for the extraordinary, due to its secretive yet open nature, its users were quite diverse, including people from various countries, all ages and genders, both extraordinaries and ordinary people. Naturally, not all posts were rted to extraordinary matters. A considerable portion didn¡¯t involve extraordinary reports, and posters would consciously put these in the casual discussion section.


    ¡°¡­The content was a typicalint post, saying they were scammed by an online fortune-telling ount called ¡®Heavenly Master Divine Calctor¡¯, which was supposedly operated jointly by two people. The ¡®Heavenly Master¡¯ mainly sold talismans, while the ¡®Divine Calctor¡¯ handled divination.¡±


    As she spoke, Liu Ningshuang pulled up the post she had read before.


    <em>[Help! Got scammed for 200,000 by online fortune telling but police won¡¯t file a case, what should I do¡­]</em>


    The eye-catching title appeared before everyone, precisely summarizing the post¡¯s main content. Others also found the post following her guidance, skipping over unimportant replies and focusing mainly on the original poster¡¯s words.


    <em>[So here¡¯s what happened. The other day, OP randomly found a newly registered social media ount with no information, with an arrogant name called ¡®Heavenly Master Divine Calctor¡¯. They only do one divination per day, choosing their client based on fate, charging 100,000 per reading. It looked like an obvious scam ount! Since OP was bored, OP wanted to mess with the scammer, so OP clicked on the ount¡­]</em>


    (TL: OP=original poster)


    <em>[¡­Unexpectedly, after chatting with the scammer behind the ount, OP started to change OP¡¯s mind. They were just too professional, discussing metaphysical knowledge eloquently, seeming even more credible than many famous metaphysical masters.]</em>


    <em>[Especially that ¡®Heavenly Master¡¯, their persuasion skills were incredibly strong. After chatting with him, OP was dazed and spent 100,000 to get a reading from the self-proimed urate ¡®Divine Calctor¡¯. Then he told me that these two days were inauspicious for going out ¨C the divination showed great misfortune! Going out would mean certain death, but staying home might give me a chance of survival.]</em>


    <em>[OP: ???]</em>


    <em>[¡­At this point, I started to waver. Those of you above calling me stupid, you¡¯d understand if you experienced it yourself. That scammer called ¡®Heavenly Master¡¯ was really too good at sweet-talking, after just a few words, the atmosphere he created made me extremely anxious, feeling totally insecure. In my panic, I spent another 100,000 asking him to help resolve my disaster. That ¡®Heavenly Master¡¯ even spoke as if money meant nothing to him, saying what moved him wasn¡¯t money, but seeing that I was fated for this, so he helped change my fortune.]</em>


    <em>[Look, I¡¯m here asking for help, could those calling me stupid make their own posts? I also think I was stupid for believing his nonsense.]</em>


    <em>[The end? Of course nothing happened. I hid at home for two days, and nothing urred. Looking at my empty bank ount, I suddenly realized ¨C damn, I¡¯d been scammed! These two scammers didn¡¯t do anything at all, just moved their lips and scammed me out of 200,000, this is ridiculous!]</em>


    <em>[Aftering to my senses, OP quickly went to the police station to report it. But the police couldn¡¯t find any information and couldn¡¯t file a case. When OP tried to message that social media ount asking for my money back, OP couldn¡¯t send anything ¨C the system interface kept freezing. My 200,000 just went down the drain! I heard there are many capable people on the Extraordinary Forum, can anyone help me? If you can get the money back, I¡¯m willing to give 1/10 as a reward.]</em>


    Reading to this point, everyone thought it was just an ordinary scam help post ¨C there were countless people getting scammed by online fortune telling.


    But then came the plot twist.


    <em>[336L: OP, why didn¡¯t you rify where that 200,000 went? Normally, even if the police can¡¯t catch the person, they can track fund movements through bank records, right? Why didn¡¯t you mention that all the funds were transferred to different charity organizations the moment you made the transfer?]</em>


    This sudden reply changed the direction of the entire thread. Those who had been criticizing the OP for being stupid or angrily denouncing the scammers were all stunned. They could only express their feelings with strings of question marks.


    <em>[What does this mean? The 200,000 didn¡¯t go to scammers but to charity organizations? Then what were they trying to get from scamming OP? Such important information, OP, why didn¡¯t you say this from the start?]</em>


    Some people were suspicious of the person who suddenly revealed the truth.


    <em>[336L, how do you know where the funds went? ording to what you¡¯re saying, you shouldn¡¯t know this so clearly, right?]</em>


    And this person just replied:


    <em>[Because I was also once one of the Heavenly Master Divine Calctor¡¯s fated people, so I know clearly where my payment went. They weren¡¯t lying ¨C they only divine for those who are fated, and don¡¯t care about payment, because from the start the transfer ounts they provided were charity organizations, so how could this be called a scam?]</em>


    <em>[So that¡¯s how it is! I understand! ording to currentw, fraud is defined as illegally obtaining others¡¯ property through deception. Since they didn¡¯t pocket a single cent of your 200,000, how could this be filed as fraud? If you want that 200,000 back, you should dispute it with the charity organizations that received the donations. It would be a civil case, probably? I¡¯m not aw student, please go easy on me if I¡¯m wrong.]</em>


    <em>[Right, you¡¯re targeting the wrong people. If you want your money back, you should go to those charity organizations.]</em>


    <!-- IncontentPercentage -->


    <em>[By the way, since this ¡®Heavenly Master Divine Calctor¡¯ didn¡¯t get a single cent in the end, what were they trying to get from deceiving OP?]</em>


    <em>[¡­Could it be possible that they¡¯re not scammers?]</em>


    <em>[Could it be possible that they¡¯re really divine calctors and heavenly masters?]</em>


    <em>[Could it be possible that they¡¯re working for charity organizations?]</em>


    <em>[??? That makes so much sense, I can¡¯t argue against it.]</em>


    As the thread went off-track, 336L spoke up again: <em>[I can guarantee these two are definitely not scammers or swindlers, but truly capable masters. Recently my son almost lost his life, and by chance I got a divination from the Divine Calctor. Following their guidance, he really made it through that crisis.]</em>


    They also advised the OP: <em>[Let the 200,000 go ¨C after all, it was donated to charity to umte merit. My family also spent 200,000, and after my son recovered, we specifically consulted a famous metaphysical master. ording to the master¡¯s analysis, this should be an orthodox method of umting merit to change one¡¯s fortune. Though the master is just a mortal and these are just his guesses, he deeply admires these capable individuals who can aplish this ¨C they must be true cultivators.]</em>


    <em>[This opens up a whole new world.]</em>


    <em>[I get it now ¨C doing good deeds brings good fortune. Ordinary people might not see returns from good deeds, but these two masters have a way to convert umted merit from good deeds into good fortune?]</em>


    <em>[The exnation is simple to understand, though it sounds mystical. I wouldn¡¯t have believed it before, but now with the revival of spiritual energy and extraordinary powers, this exnation somehow seems quite credible?]</em>


    <em>[I think OP should listen to the reply above. Consider the 200,000 as umting merit and let it go.]</em>


    But the thread¡¯s OP clearly wasn¡¯t convinced, or perhaps was just pained about losing the money: <em>[All this talk about umting merit and changing fortune, aren¡¯t you just a nt sent by those two? Who knows what¡¯s really going on inside these charity organizations ¨C you might be in cahoots with them. I don¡¯t care, I must get my hard-earned money back!]</em>


    What followed was an angry tirade against the scammers, including many censored words that need not be mentioned.


    ¡°Oh?¡± After reading through everything, Liu Ningshuang said in surprise, ¡°When I read itst time, they only discussed getting money back from the charity organizations ¨C the part about umting merit hadn¡¯t appeared yet. I thought it was just an ordinary civil dispute unrted to the extraordinary. Because I remembered the title ¡®Heavenly Master Divine Calctor¡¯, when you mentioned it today, Shi Cheng, it came to mind.¡±


    ¡°But now it seems it¡¯s not that simple,¡± Li Fufeng said, twirling his pen as he picked up her thread.


    Shi Cheng nodded in confirmation. ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s not that simple. If I¡¯m not mistaken, the social media ount mentioned in the post belongs to the people Teacher Joey took me to meet.¡±


    ¡°¡­That ount was newly registered because I was actually the one who suggested they create an online presence.¡±


    Speaking thus, he couldn¡¯t help but recall the scene when he first saw those two people at a famous tourist spot.


    One wore a blue Taoist robe, like an immortal exiled to the mortal world; the other wore fine silk and jade, like a noble young master. Behind them followed a spirited little donkey, leisurely walking through an ancient water town in Jiangnan. At first nce, it almost felt like crossing through time and space.


    ¡°I thought since times have changed, their previous method of divining for fated people wherever they went was too troublesome, so I suggested they could open a social media ount.¡±


    Shi Cheng shook away the mental image and said with a smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect those two would actually agree to my suggestion.¡±


    Chu Xingrui¡¯s originallyzy expression changed slightly. ¡°So, these are two more low-key extraordinaries? It seems I was negligent this time. Information about the Divine Calctor and Heavenly Master had already been mentioned online, but my teampletely overlooked it, filtering it out as invalid information.¡±


    As the person responsible for monitoring and guiding online information, Chu Xingrui couldn¡¯t help but reflect, secretly adding the Divine Calctor and Heavenly Master to his list.


    He quickly moved to remedy the situation, immediately calling his subordinates¡¯ office with a clear thought. ¡°Since the Divine Calctor and Heavenly Master are real extraordinaries, everything mentioned in that post must be true. We need to investigate the original poster¡¯s real identity, find out if they recovered the money from the charity organization, and what their current situation is.¡±


    Before long, they received thetest news.


    The original poster was real, and two days ago had recovered 200,000 from the charity organization. However, on the very evening they recovered the money, they died in an idental car crash while out for a night jog.


    Reading these simple sentences, Chu Xingrui and the others felt a chill run down their spines. ¡°An ident? Was this really an ident?¡±


    For a moment, they all nearly fell into conspiracy theories.


    Could it be that because this person recovered the money, breaking their previous deal, they were cursed by the Divine Calctor and Heavenly Master?


    However, these conspiratorial thoughts were quickly dismissed as the probability seemed too low. They were more inclined to believe¡ª


    ¡°That person paid the divination fee and obtained fortune from the Divine Calctor and Heavenly Master¡¯s words, which was originally a give-and-take contract,¡± Shi Cheng¡¯s voice confirmed everyone¡¯s spection. ¡°But when they went back on their word and recovered all the money, it was equivalent to voiding the contract, returning them to their original fate.¡±


    As for their original fate, hadn¡¯t the divination already shown it? Great misfortune!


    Everyone suddenly understood. Li Fufeng added, ¡°Perhaps they not only returned to their original fate but also suffered some bacsh. Even ordinary contract breaches require penalty payments. These two are extraordinary beings¡ªcould anyone really break a contract with them without consequences?¡±


    ¡°¡­Very likely,¡± Shi Cheng didn¡¯t deny it. ¡°Although I only met them once, I could sense they were truly aplished masters who walked among mortals. While they seemed approachable and didn¡¯t care about many things, they weren¡¯t the type to tolerate disrespect with magnanimity.¡±


    ¡°Even Joey showed great respect for their abilities¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t the reverence of the weak toward the strong, but more like the respect ordinary people show to doctors or teachers.


    Shi Cheng recalled silently, feeling regretful. ¡°These two were simply offering fortune to those with destiny, but to think there are actually such foolish people in this world, throwing away such an opportunity!¡±


    Setting aside the matter of the Divine Calctor and Heavenly Master¡ªthe Special Case Investigation Team would investigateter anyway¡ªthe focus now was on Joey. Therefore, Li Fufeng brought the conversation back. ¡°So, you went to find the Divine Calctor and Heavenly Master to divine the location of Joey¡¯s lost items?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡± Shi Cheng¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t help but show amazement. ¡°The Heavenly Master is a master of talismans. He folded a temporarypass from talisman paper that wouldst two months, and the Divine Calctor, who excels in divination, seemed to cast some sort of spell on it. As long as we follow thepass¡¯s direction, we can find Joey¡¯s items.¡±


    ¡°The journey afterward proved thepass waspletely urate.¡±


    Hearing this, everyone couldn¡¯t help but increasingly admire the abilities of the Divine Calctor and Heavenly Master. Compared to other extraordinaries, these two masters were probably the ones the Special Case Investigation Team most wanted to recruit. Their abilities were truly enviable.


    <!-- IncontentPercentage -->


    Chu Xingrui suddenly asked, ¡°By the way, there¡¯s something I¡¯ve been curious about for a long time. I wonder if you can answer it for me. Do you know how Joey¡¯s items ended up outside? Is there any connection with the mysterious objects appearing around the world?¡±


    His question was very sensitive and rash, possibly involving secrets Joey couldn¡¯t reveal. The others were startled¡ªthis was too impulsive! What happened to taking things step by step?


    After speaking, Chu Xingrui felt unusually uneasy.


    He figured Shi Cheng probably wouldn¡¯t say anything about such secrets. More likely, Shi Cheng didn¡¯t even know the answer.


    But strong curiosity still lingered in Chu Xingrui¡¯s mind, like cat ws gently scratching again and again.


    ¡°Just what is the background of this Joey¡­¡±


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 Chapter 124

    Chapter 124


    <!-- Before Content -->


    ¡°As expected, we didn¡¯t get an answer.¡±


    ¡°¡­However, it wasn¡¯t entirely fruitless.¡±


    ¡°At least we now know their whereabouts during this period, which gives us more clues worth investigating.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, who would have thought there were so many events connected to Joey? Perhaps we should talk to the relevant people?¡±


    ¡°Agreed. Shi Cheng¡¯s ount alone is one-sided. Though we can confirm he wasn¡¯t lying, different people have different perspectives. Even the smallest detail from others could help supplement andplete our understanding.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s take action.¡±


    After learning about Shi Cheng¡¯s experiences during this period, the Special Case Investigation Team discussed for a while, adding more than ten thick pages to Joey¡¯s paper file.


    As for which relevant personnel to talk to¡­<!-- Top Ads -->


    Everyone simultaneously turned their attention to the newly added pages in the paper file and the events they had written down themselves.


    (1) The Truth Behind Top Celebrity Gu XX¡¯s Retirement


    On May 5th, at 17:36, the rising superstar Gu XX¡¯s social media ount suddenly posted a retirement announcement: stating that due to excessive pressure, Gu XX had developed depression and had to temporarily retire from the entertainment industry, with no set return date. A psychiatrist¡¯s diagnosis was attached.


    That day, Gu XX¡¯s fans nearly crashed the social media tform, questioning whether the ount had been hacked. Some underage fans even attacked Gu XX¡¯s rivals, confronting artists who had previous conflicts with him. Afterward, Gu XX had to appear personally to confirm the retirement announcement was genuine and not a hack, while rifying that his condition was unrted to others and purely personal. In the livestream, the rising star appeared haggard, with makeup unable to conceal the dark circles under his eyes, and his gaze was gloomy and distant, indeed showing terrible mental state.


    However, just three days prior, he had held a concert where he was energetic on stage, smiling brilliantly, answering reporter interviews with vigor and enthusiasm, and even had intimate interactions with fans, showing no signs of abnormality.


    His sudden, unpredicted retirement became an unsolved mystery in the entertainment industry. But if those fans who still couldn¡¯t ept the truth could see certain pages in this file about Joey¡­


    On the white paper were clear handwritten lines:


    <em>[ording to Shi Cheng¡¯s ount, on the evening of May 4th, after receiving the guidingpass from the Heavenly Master Divine Calctor, thepass began to shake slightly, suggesting that something lost was not far from their location, likely in the same city. The next afternoon, following thepass¡¯s guidance, they arrived at a secluded alley in the film city, heading directly toward a ck car parked at the corner. Their target was inside that car.]</em>


    ¡°At the time, there were several bodyguards around the car, all trained in internal energy. When they noticed strangers approaching, they stopped us from getting closer. Since it was a film city where movies were being shot, I guessed it might be some celebrity¡­¡± Shi Cheng recalled.


    ¡°But such a small obstacle couldn¡¯t possibly trouble Teacher Joey.¡±


    ¡°¡­So those people quickly gave up resisting and allowed us to approach the car and open the door.¡±


    His tone was as casual as discussing what dessert to have after dinner. He even eximed dramatically. ¡°Wow, I really hadn¡¯t expected the person sitting in the car would be the big star Gu XX!¡±


    But Gu XX, when interviewed by the Special Case Investigation Team, wasn¡¯t nearly as calm and rxed as Shi Cheng. Recalling that day¡¯s events, his voice still carried lingering fear.


    ¡°Devil! That person must have been a devil¡­¡±


    What was his reaction when that sudden stranger said ¡°My music score is in your hands, it¡¯s time to return it¡±? Guilt? Fear? Angry embarrassment? Not only did he deny it, but he also ordered his bodyguards to drive them away.


    For a moment, he even considered permanently sealing this secret. After all, there were so many mysterious extraordinary crimes.


    Someone whose rivals¡¯ fans once mocked him for only having a pretty face had suddenly revealed unparalleled musical talent not long ago, creating over ten original ssic pieces at once. His album became an instant national hit upon release, shedding the ¡°pretty face¡±bel and rocketing him to top celebrity status! How could he expose the secret behind his meteoric rise to musical genius? How could he give up that miraculous music score that automaticallyposed music and refreshed with new melodies after midnight each day?


    But his greedy refusal to let go ultimately made him pay the price.


    ¡°I regret it, I really was wrong¡­¡±


    In his fear-dted pupils, the scene from that day seemed to rey¡ª


    Looking out through the ck windows of his private car, everything in his view seemed covered in shadows. He watched as the security guards who had stepped forward to drive away the stranger suddenly froze like rigid puppets, their angry shouts turning into unintelligible screams and delirious mumbling. Their stiff limbs iled about as if they were trapped in cement, desperately struggling.


    An inexplicable fear suddenly struck him. He wanted to urge the driver to leave quickly, but couldn¡¯t make a sound.


    He could only watch stiffly as that increasingly pale and gloomy figure in the shadows approached slowly with hispanion, strange, unnamed melodies floating from between their lips.


    Then everything in his vision melted into twisted shadows. Heaven and earth inverted, the melting ground, melting figures, melting everything turned to sludge, surging down from the inverted sky like a ck ocean swallowing himpletely.


    It felt like ck sludge was entering through his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, flowing down his throat, filling every crevice in his body. Countless shadows whispered in this deep sea.


    His brain, his abdomen, the blood and flesh in his body¡ªeverything seemed filled with sludge. Without realizing when, he had fallen from his seat, copsing to his knees through the opened car door, curling into a ball. Amid intense nausea and dizziness, he shook violently and retched, as if trying to expel all the invasive sludge.


    ¡°Looks like he carried it with him¡­¡±


    Through his confused consciousness, a figure stopped before him, directing another person to retrieve a yellowed music score from his pocket, which that person then took.


    He instinctively struggled, seemingly trying to stop them, but his outstretched hand quickly twisted into a rigid shape. Like the final struggles and pleas for help of someone drowning in the deep sea.


    ¡ªWhen his manager arrived shortly after, he found his artist curled up on the ground with a twisted expression, desperately grabbing at the air like a drowning person. His face was a mess of tears and mucus, showing the agony of someone whose lungs were filled with seawater. Hearing his manager¡¯s footsteps, he opened his eyes in confusion, his pupilspletely unfocused.


    ¡ªThat afternoon, he was sent to the hospital. Doctors determined he had no physical injuries but had suffered severe mental trauma.


    He didn¡¯t dare tell anyone the truth, fearing retaliation from the score¡¯s owner. He insisted on retiring, and no one could persuade him otherwise.


    <!-- IncontentPercentage -->


    The stolen musical talent was never truly his. If he stayed in the entertainment industry, he lived in constant fear of that person finding him again. He just wanted to find a safe ce to hide, to hide forever!


    ¡ªWhen the Special Case Investigation Team found him, this retired top star had already been hiding at home for over a month without going out. If not for the team¡¯s repeated promises of protection, he wouldn¡¯t havee out at all.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t depression from psychological pressure at all, but something more serious¡ªPTSD¡­¡± Recalling everything from that day remained an indelible mental torture for him. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have touched that music score. It must have been baitid by the devil, a medium for the devil toe from hell to the human world. My greed made me take the bait¡­¡±


    He kept mumbling about devils and hell, repeatedly emphasizing that the Investigation Team must protect him, appearingpletely unstable.


    Liu Ningshuang couldn¡¯t help but turn around, pointing to her forehead and whispering, ¡°Is something wrong with him up here?¡±


    ¡°Experts have confirmed there¡¯s nothing wrong,¡± Li Fufeng answered quietly. ¡°At least ording to the psychiatric hospital¡¯s tests, there¡¯s no mental disorder¡ªjust severe psychological trauma. Someone with stronger willpower probably wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this.¡±


    The others exchanged nces, thinking of the robbers who had faced Joey, especially the most pitiful Li Biao, and couldn¡¯t help nodding silently: Indeed,pared to the robbers who had been diagnosed as mentally ill, this person¡¯s symptoms were mild.


    Clearly, Mr. Joey hadn¡¯t intended to cause permanent trauma, or rather, had controlled his power when acting.


    Their gazes drifted back to his dazed face.


    ¡­If this could be considered controlling one¡¯s power?


    (2) The Mystery of Feng City¡¯s Serial Suicides


    In April, Feng City experienced multiple male suicide cases. The victims were usually found lying t on their beds or the ground, their hands tightly gripping their own necks, having died from suffocation.


    This terrifying method of death caused widespread panic locally. Since survival is a human instinct, even those truly wanting to die would be driven by their survival instinct to save themselves at the moment of death, rather than tightening their grip to strangle themselves. Thispletely defied human nature!


    Yet all evidence pointed to suicide, and the number of victims increased over time.


    Thus, this ¡°impossible suicide¡± case was quickly added to the list of abnormal incidents and submitted to the Special Case Investigation Team by the local police.


    However, the investigators sent by the team never uncovered the truth. Their only key finding was that all victims had previous records of child abuse or were habitual child abusers.


    This reminded them of the Rainy Night Serial Killings in Yuanyang City. Could this be another supernatural being dispensing their own brand of ¡°justice¡± against evil?


    ¡­Since K¡¯s appearance, there had been no shortage of people iming to be his fans and executing justice under the name of Skywalker.


    The Investigation Team immediately began investigating suspicious martial arts practitioners, especially those who had suffered childhood abuse. But no matter how they investigated, they couldn¡¯t identify a suspect.


    After thest suicide on May 7th, no simr cases urred in Feng City. They suspected the perpetrator had likely left, making the investigation even more difficult.


    Only after learning the truth from Shi Cheng did they realize they had been investigating in the wrong direction.


    ¡ªThe serial suicides weren¡¯t caused by an extraordinary, but by a painting called ¡°Evil Ghost.¡±


    And the owner of this painting was the first victim¡¯s daughter.


    The little girl couldn¡¯t say clearly when the painting appeared.


    It seemed that one day, after being severely beaten by her father, she returned to her room and found a portrait appearing on her bedroom mirror.


    The painting depicted an exceptionally beautiful blonde girl with rosy cheeks and jewel-like clear, beautiful eyes, gazing out of the painting with attachment.


    The figure in the painting had an inexplicable liveliness that only living people possessed. The little girl even thought she saw the eyes move.


    The friendless little girl wasn¡¯t scared; instead, she liked this friend in the painting and shared her thoughts with her every day.


    And after another severe beating from her father, when she dragged her bruised body back to her room, she remembered crying for a long time, pouring out all her grievances and hatred to her friend.


    She mumbled, ¡°That man is still drinking. Why hasn¡¯t he drunk himself to death? If only he would die.¡±


    When she woke up the next day, she found the living room reeking of alcohol, and the man called father lying on the cold floor, his hands tightly gripping his neck, his face blue-purple.


    ¡ªHe was dead.


    The first emotion that surged through the little girl was actually joy. She felt her wish hade true¡ªcould her friend have granted her wish? Would her friend be taken away by the police?


    This thought drove her to action. Before the police arrived, she covered the mirror with a dust cover, hiding the painting.


    The scene was too easy to examine, and no matter how strange, it was ruled a suicide. No one suspected the little girl who had spent the night in her room had anything to do with the man¡¯s death, so naturally, no one touched her painting.


    From that day on, simr suicide cases increased.


    Until Joey arrived in Feng City with Shi Cheng and retrieved the painting from the reluctant little girl.


    ¡ªAlthough she was very attached to her friend, she knew that once the truth was discovered, many people would try to take the painting, and she didn¡¯t have the ability to protect it.


    When Shi Cheng revealed this truth, Liu Ningshuang, who feared ghosts, had already broken out in goosebumps. She couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°So, was the girl in the painting human or ghost?¡±


    ¡°Neither human nor ghost,¡± Shi Cheng exined. ¡°Although the painting was of high quality, it hadn¡¯t reached the level of spirit possession. There couldn¡¯t be any ghost hiding inside. It was purely the artist¡¯s deep emotional projection that gave the ordinary painting spirituality, making it what people call an extraordinary artifact. The painting¡¯s theme and the author¡¯s invested emotions influenced its characteristics.¡±


    <!-- IncontentPercentage -->


    ¡°So, it wasn¡¯t an evil ghost killing people, but the spiritual energy radiating from the painting that caused a kind of mental contamination affecting specific people within a certain range, leading to their suicides. I asked Teacher Joey about this, and that¡¯s what he told me.¡±


    He didn¡¯t forget to add. ¡°Oh, right. Teacher Joey said the painting¡¯s subject was the artist¡¯s sister who died from abuse in childhood, and the painting was titled ¡®Evil Ghost.''¡±


    Liu Ningshuang broke out in cold sweat at his lowered voice.


    Even now, reviewing the files and recalling those words, she couldn¡¯t help but step away.


    Compared to the retired celebrity, the relevant person in this case was just a six-year-old girl. Their attitude toward her was much gentler, more like friends ying with her. After sending her away, they specifically arranged for her to stay at the most reputable orphanage, ensuring her wellbeing.


    (3) Alice¡¯s Curse


    This was another abnormal case that caught the Special Case Investigation Team¡¯s attention. It was a ¡°curse ritual¡± that had recently spread among some schools. It was said that initially, someone wrote a poem on a middle school library wall titled ¡°The Death of Alice.¡± The poem, with Alice as its protagonist, described various ways she died. Apart from the opening lines, each subsequent line described a different method of death, neen in total.


    ording to the poem¡¯s description, the fictional Alicemitted suicide due to school bullying, and the entire poem seemed more like the delirious ramblings of a madman who couldn¡¯t ept her death. Alice died in various ways in the poem, presumably symbolizing the poet¡¯s countless mental breakdowns.


    Liu Ningshuang: ¡°???¡±


    When she saw the interpretations of this unusual incident, she almost wanted to ask who came up with such a readingprehension.


    Liu Ningshuang remembered this incident very clearly since she was the one who handled it.


    The cause of the incident was simple. At first, when the school saw the poem on the library wall, they thought it was just a student prank and didn¡¯t take it seriously.


    But then someone got the idea to copy down the poem and rece Alice¡¯s name with that of a ssmate who had been bullying them. The next day, that ssmate actually died in one of the neen ways described in the poem. Things started spiraling in an unimaginable direction.


    This person excitedly shared their discovered secret with close friends, and soon the secret was no longer a secret.


    Thus, ¡°Alice¡¯s Curse¡± spread as a terrifying school legend, not just within that middle school but to many other schools as well.


    As more and more bullies died in the ways described in the poem after having their names written in it, people discovered there was a price to pay ¨C those who wrote the curse would lose their natural capacity for joy whenever someone died because of their name substitution in the poem. In other words, they were losing their ability to feel happiness. Things that should have brought great joy only brought slight pleasure. If they cursed too many people, they would permanently lose the ability to experience joy.


    Compared to taking the lives of their enemies, this price seemed insignificant. Especially when hatred reached its peak, they didn¡¯t care about mutual destruction, let alone this so-called price.


    At the time, as the investigator in charge of this unusual case, Liu Ningshuang and her teammates tried everything they could. They evenpletely destroyed the wall where the poem first appeared.


    But nothing worked.


    Fortunately, the poem¡¯s curse didn¡¯t kill indiscriminately ¨C it only affected extremely malicious bullies. Since they had no better solution at the time, they could only work with schools and teachers to prevent bullying, strengthen student education, and teach them to report to the police or tell teachers and parents as their first choice when bullied, rather than choosing curse-based revenge.


    <!-- Incontent 2 -->


    When Liu Ningshuang heard this incident was actually rted to Joey¡¯s lost item, she felt relieved, hoping they could finally solve the curse.


    But Shi Cheng poured cold water on her hopes.


    In his words: ¡°Once poetry takes this form and spreads, it¡¯s very difficult to stop its contamination unless you erase everyone¡¯s memories. Joey was just going to retrieve the original manuscript. After its retrieval, the curse might weaken. The curse is only that strong near the original.¡±


    Following thepass¡¯s guidance, they quickly found the original manuscript.


    After learning the details from Shi Cheng, the Special Case Investigation Team had a direction for their investigation and quickly uncovered the whole story.


    The original manuscript had been tucked inside a book in a corner of the school library, identally discovered by a student.


    That student had been scolded by the hot-tempered library administrator for breaking rules earlier that day. Growing increasingly upset, they scrawled on the library wall after school when no one was around, hoping to get the administrator in trouble with the school. They chose this particr poem simply because it was dark, cool, and scary enough for their purposes.


    Later, when ¡°Alice¡¯s Curse¡± broke out, he became nervous and scared, not daring to tell anyone or even go to the library anymore.


    ¡­..


    Joey¡¯s file had already grown into a thick stack. Besides these few notorious unusual incidents, most of the time he had retrieved his lost items without any fuss.


    The incident at the vige where his stay almost led to vigers being suspected of drug use was also included in the files.


    Based on the summary of these events, this mysterious extraordinary Joey seemed to be proficient in everything from music, painting, and sculpture to even culinary arts, although the effects always turned out quite bizarre.


    ¡°However, at least we can now confirm that Mr. Joey¡¯s extraordinary abilities are indeed oriented towards the spiritual aspect,¡± Chu Xingrui concluded. After collecting so many traces of his activities, they had enough evidence to draw this conclusion.


    ¡°¡­Is this another extraordinary system different from martial arts, or is it an ability unique to him?¡±


    If it was the former, it meant it could be spread like martial arts, though its dangers would need to be questioned.


    If it was thetter, then he would be truly unique.


    The answer to this question was actually simple to find out.


    They all looked at each other and simultaneously spoke one name. ¡°Shi Cheng!¡±


    As someone who had spent nearly two months with that extraordinary, if these abilities were systematic and learnable, he might have already gained some mastery. They just needed to observe Shi Cheng¡¯s changes to know the answer.


    And their observations confirmed it was true.


    <!-- IncontentPercentage -->


    Shi Cheng now had a nominal position with the Special Case Investigation Team and would asionally, like other wild martial arts practitioners, take on some tasks posted by the team forpensation.


    Not long after, during an unexpected situation in a mission, he encountered a wanted criminal extraordinary. He surprisingly summoned an intangible phantom sword out of thin air, and with one strike, made the person weep with regret.


    It seemed his sword had touched the person¡¯s soul.


    When this news reached the Special Case Investigation Team, everyone was shocked.


    This really was another path to bing extraordinary!


    This caused them to raise Joey¡¯s importance level several more notches, while inevitably raising another question.


    ¡°Just who exactly is this Mr. Joey¡­¡±


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 Chapter 125

    <!-- Before Content -->


    <em>[Before the Age of the Decline of the Dharma arrived, no one knew that this world, rich in spiritual energy and supernatural elements, would face such a day ¨C when all extraordinary powers would lose their foundation, and the world wouldpletely return to its most authentic ordinary state.]</em>


    On the second floor of a quiet apartment, a pen moved across paper.


    The new script for Joey gradually took shape under Bai Yi¡¯s pen. He hummed happily, his eyes sparkling.


    ¡°A perfect script, worthy of me indeed~¡±


    <em>[That was meant to be an era when extraordinaries flourished.]</em>


    <em>[If Eastern martial arts focused primarily on physical cultivation with mental cultivation as secondary, then Western mainstream extraordinary powers emphasized the spirit and soul.]</em>


    <em>[With ordinary bodies, they excavated power from the depths of their minds, leveraging meditation to harness mental willpower, connecting with the world¡¯s principles and supernatural elements to unearth their own ¡°spirituality¡± ¨C the product of elevated emotions, will, and spirit.]</em>


    <em>[By mastering and consuming spirituality, they could aplish incredible feats ¨C imbuing objects with spirituality to create extraordinary properties, whatter generations called artifacts; using their powerful spirituality to twist the minds of the weak, causing hallucinations, contamination, or evenplete mental rewriting; more incredibly, when spirituality reached unfathomable levels, they could leave spiritual imprints in objects that wouldst centuries.]</em><!-- Top Ads -->


    <em>[To ordinary people, this was no different from divinity.]</em>


    <em>[People called them ¡°Spirit Forgers.¡±]</em>


    <em>[But they weren¡¯t without ws ¨C their greatest weakness being their frail bodies. Even the most powerful Spirit Forger had a body and lifespan simr to ordinary people.]</em>


    <em>[Due to this physical weakness, even Spirit Forgers with their bizarre powers could be harmed by carefully nned schemes of ordinary people. Thus, while the Eastern extraordinary world left a path open for ordinary people to enter with sufficient talent and opportunity, the Western extraordinary world remained more closed off.]</em>


    <em>[In the Eastern extraordinary world, extraordinaries were geographically separated from ordinary people, often hidden in blessednds and spiritual mountains. However, they would regrly recruit talented individuals from among ordinary people to strengthen their lineages. Thus, legends of immortals and deities continued to circte in the mortal world. After Sword Master Pei Hefeng unified the Eastern supernatural world with his martial arts system, extraordinary power became more essible to ordinary people.]</em>


    <em>[In the Western extraordinary world, extraordinaries often lived among the poption but never revealed extraordinary secrets to ordinary people. They were organized into secret societies of varying sizes, bloodline-maintained families, and master-apprentice traditions, being extremely exclusive and closed off. Even among Spirit Forgers who cultivated spiritual power, different schools had distinct methods of forging spirituality, resulting in vastly different manifested abilities.]</em>


    [Because of this, many schools¡¯ traditions were likely broken over time. Some smaller secret societies, being too strict in recruiting new members, had few people and might have been silently destroyed by enemies¡¯ revenge at any time.]


    <em>[Due to strict secrecy and rigorous transmission requirements, the Western extraordinary world remained a secret unknown to ordinary people. When the Age of the Decline of the Dharma arrived, its destruction was equally silent.]</em>


    <em>[The different systems led martial artists and Spirit Forgers down different paths.]</em>


    <em>[When spiritual energy was cut off, martial artistspletely lost their power source. The Sword Master could only lead his followers to venture beyond the boundaries, seeking a glimmer of hope.]</em>


    <em>[But Spirit Forgers¡¯ power came from spirituality elevated from mental willpower. Even when the Age of the Decline of the Dharma arrived and the easily manipted supernatural elements rapidly disappeared, with strict physicalws descending likeyers of shackles, as long as their will remained unbroken, they could still harness the power within their souls, albeit at hundreds or thousands of times the difficulty.]</em>


    <em>[Powers that could once trigger mental storms could now barely create ripples after the Age of the Decline of the Dharma. Spirit Forgers, who once possessed powers far above ordinary people, seemed to fall overnight from ¡°magicians¡± to ¡°illusionist.¡± Many couldn¡¯t ept this cruel reality.]</em>


    (TL: ħ·¨Ê¦ (M¨®f¨£sh¨©): This trantes to ¡°magician¡± or ¡°sorcerer¡± in the fantasy or supernatural sense. A ħ·¨Ê¦ is someone who uses magic or supernatural powers to cast spells, manipte elements, or perform mystical acts.


    ħÊõʦ (M¨®sh¨´sh¨©): This trantes to ¡°illusionist¡± or ¡°stage magician¡± in the real-world sense. A ħÊõʦ performs magic tricks or illusions for entertainment purposes, such as sleight of hand, card tricks, or disappearing acts.)


    <em>[Having be countless times weaker, they could no longer perfectly hide among the poption as before. After the first Spirit Forger was identally exposed, more and more ¡°anomalies¡± were discovered by people.]</em>


    <em>[Whether fortunate or unfortunate, their severely weakened powers weren¡¯t recognized as those of extraordinaries. Just as people would fear a magician who could summon meteor showers with a wave, they wouldn¡¯t fear a clown who could create a tiny me on their fingertip ¨C thetter would only be seen as strange anomalies to be oppressed and persecuted.]</em>


    <em>[¡­Bloody turmoil followed.]</em>


    At this point, Bai Yi twirled his pen, muttering. ¡°It fits perfectly with how many Western countries had witch-hunting movements in history. And it¡¯s quite hard to verify¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s true and what¡¯s false, who really knows?¡±


    He continued writing.


    <em>[¡­Even in today¡¯s civilized society, people harbor strong prejudices against those different from themselves. This was even more true in backward, ignorant times, when in some remote ces, children born with strong spirituality were seen as chosen by demons. One can imagine the fate of these outcasts rejected by their own kind.]</em>


    <em>[The surviving anomalies became increasingly secretive about their uniqueness.]</em>


    <em>[As time passed, the world¡¯s physicalws grew stricter, and geniuses capable of harnessing spirituality to be Spirit Forgers became increasingly rare. Countless schools and secret societies withered away. The remaining Spirit Forgers had to unite for self-preservation and continuation, establishing a unified organization ¨C the ¡°Artists¡¯ Association.¡±]</em>


    <em>[ ¨CBecause at this time, almost every Spirit Forger maintained an artist¡¯s identity in the ordinary world.]</em>


    <em>[Under the lockdown of physicalws, most schools¡¯ secret methods could no longer produce Spirit Forgers. They discovered that the easiest way to harness spirituality was through creating artworks.]</em>


    <em>[Perhaps because artists possessed more abundant emotions, richer imagination, and keener souls than ordinary people. When they whole-heartedly created artwork, their spirit, will, and emotions reached a perfect state of elevation, reducing the difficulty of harnessing spirituality.]</em>


    <em>[Traditional Spirit Forger schools became history, and new schools emerged. New Spirit Forgers called themselves artists, and the most powerful artists jointly established the Artists¡¯ Association.]</em>


    <em>[Even so, in this era of increasingly strict physicalws, new artists became increasingly rare. As the older generation of artists reached the end of their lives, the number of new generations fell far short of those passing away, dooming the Artists¡¯ Association to extinction.]</em>


    <em>[ ¨CUntil only one person remained in the entire association.]</em>


    <em>[This was a child originally deemed to have absolutely no artistic talent, yet they forcefully carved out their own path. Their spirituality was incredibly strong ¨C in this era ofyers of worldw restrictions, they could be called the ¡°God of Art.¡±]</em>


    <em>[When the entire Artists¡¯ Association was reduced to this single person, they realized that their body would eventually decay like their predecessors, the departure of extraordinaries was inevitable fate, and their power alone was far from enough to resist the tide of the era.]</em>


    <em>[But they weren¡¯t willing to perish like their predecessors.]</em>


    <!-- IncontentPercentage -->


    <em>[¡± ¨CI was just born in the wrong era.¡±]</em>


    <em>[Through days and nights of deep contemtion and experimentation, having inherited the entire Artists¡¯ Association¡¯s legacy, they pored over countless schools¡¯ Spirit Forging secrets and predecessors¡¯ works.]</em>


    <em>[Taking the essence and discarding the dross, they integrated all schools¡¯ secret methods into the simplest Spirit Forging technique. Through the Artists¡¯ Association¡¯s treasured dark scripture ¡°Sabbath,¡± they gained invaluable inspiration-]</em>


    <em>[¡°Sabbath¡± was born by chance, created by a mad artist in apletely twisted spiritual state, sealing within it deranged and twisted evil spirits. Each of its owners inevitably suffered spiritual contamination, either descending into madness or being devoured by evil spirits. Thus, this painting remained sealed in the deepest part of the Artists¡¯ Association.]</em>


    <em>[But they gained inspiration from this painting.]</em>


    <em>[Mortal bodies couldn¡¯tst forever. If they could create a work of equal caliber and hide within it in spiritual form, perhaps they could endure until someday in the future when the world¡¯s essence returned, having a chance to awaken in a new era.]</em>


    <em>[¡°I reject my humanity!¡±]</em>


    <em>[But this was millions of times harder than leaving behind a spiritual imprint.]</em>


    <em>[¡°Sabbath¡± served as the best reference.]</em>


    <em>[This was originally a dark scripture considered taboo by the Artists¡¯ Association. To create a work of at least equal caliber ¨C such a work capable of confining spiritual bodies would inevitably possess twisted properties.]</em>


    <em>[His task was to find a way to maintain sanity, preventing his spirituality from bing contaminated and twisted like the evil spirits in the painting.]</em>


    <em>[¡°The Last Supper¡± was thus born.]</em>


    <em>[Those with good intentions and those lost in deep immersion would ascend to heaven. Those with evil intentions and those who struggled against it would descend to hell. The more contaminated one became, the more peaceful their state of mind. The more one resisted its contamination, the more unstable their mind would be.]</em>


    <em>[He abandoned his frail body and transformed into a spirit within the painting.]</em>


    <em>[This sleepsted nearly a hundred years.]</em>


    <em>[When the world changed, spiritual energy returned, andws loosened. Thest artist awakened from their long slumber. Those artifacts whose spirituality had been sealed by the Age of the Decline of the Dharma also ¡°awakened¡± due to the loosening ofws, regaining their supernatural luster.]</em>


    <em>[- During the moment when the artist emerged from the painting, still unclear-minded, the painting spirit that had long been suppressed in ¡°The Last Supper¡± immediately fled with the painting, exhausting its newly recovered spirituality. After changing hands through various collectors, it eventually returned to its original master.]</em>


    <em>[Meanwhile, this awakened artist discovered that many collections belonging to the Artists¡¯ Association had somehow scattered across the world during his years of slumber.]</em>


    <em>[Determined to rebuild the Artists¡¯ Association, his first task was to recover the Association¡¯s lost items.]</em>


    <em>[- Especially the lost ¡°Sabbath.¡±]</em>


    ¡­


    ¡°Have you heard about the curse of ¡®Sabbath¡¯?¡±


    Meanwhile, on the distant side of this, a popr exploration program was being filmed. This episode¡¯s setting was remarkably in an area from the former world war zone, a remote region that remainedrgely unreconstructed after all these years.


    Dark clouds hung low, and among vast ruins, an ancient castle stood like a twisted body assembled from severed limbs.


    <em>Wooo¡­</em>


    As the cold wind gently blew, the deep narration began its prelude.


    ¡°The story goes like this. Over a hundred years ago, a painter who spent his entire life seeking fame but never achieved recognition was broken by immense pressure. In a state of mental instability, hepletely lost his mind and killed his wife and daughter.¡±


    ¡°Using human skin as canvas and fresh blood as paint, he created a masterpiece far surpassing all his life¡¯s works ¨C a family portrait featuring the three of them.¡±


    ¡°This painting was called ¡®Sabbath¡¯.¡±


    ¡°¡­He privately invited friends to view his painting. Those unaware of the truth praised him endlessly, hailing him as an unparalleled genius. They were convinced that many more would appreciate this painting just as they did-¡±


    The fame and fortune desired by all, the glory of public attention and worldwide acim, seemed about to descend upon this once frustrated man who had nearly been buried by fate.


    However, before this bright future could arrive, this spirited painter mysteriously died on the seventh night afterpleting his work, in a horrific state.


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s said that when found, all blood had been drained from his body, his skin separated from flesh and bone, reduced to an indistinct mass of flesh and skeleton, sitting before his masterpiece, empty eye sockets staring fixedly at the painting.¡±


    ¡°And people discovered the painting¡¯s secret.¡±


    ¨C It harbored great evil within itself.


    The painter¡¯s bizarre death posture sparked various interpretations.


    ¡°¡­Some said he couldn¡¯t let go of his painting even in death, couldn¡¯t abandon his dream of bing a renowned artist; others said he was tormented by guilt and regret for killing his wife and daughter; but most believed his murdered wife and daughter had returned for revenge.¡±


    ¡ªThe evil spirits in the painting had tortured him cruelly.


    ¡°In the painter¡¯s small town, rumors ran rampant. Later, when the town sheriff learned of the painting¡¯s value, he secretly kept it, then soon sold it at a high price to a wealthy merchant.¡±


    ¡°That very night, the town sheriff died mysteriously, reportedly from a heart attack induced by extreme fright.¡±


    <!-- IncontentPercentage -->


    ¡°The wealthy merchant also died shortly after. His cause of death was drowning in ake while sleepwalking.¡±


    ¡± ¨CBut his children said he had never sleepwalked.¡±


    ¡°After the merchant¡¯s death, his children divided his inheritance, but considering the painting inauspicious, they sold it.¡±


    ¡°For nearly ten years afterward, the painting changed hands, passing through many owners, none of whom met good ends. They either died suddenly or wentpletely mad.¡±


    ¡°The painting thus became known as the cursed painting, said to harbor the most evil spirits that would devour its owner¡¯s soul.¡±


    ¡°This is the curse of ¡®Sabbath,¡¯ and the mystery theme of this episode.¡±


    ¡°We received letters from viewers saying people had seen evil spirits nearby, and brave explorers heard a girl crying at night. In just half a month, over ten explorers stayed in this abandoned castle nearby, all iming to have seen the legendary cursed painting and attempted to take it. Unfortunately, all who said thister went mad.¡±


    ¡°We still don¡¯t know where ¡®Sabbath¡¯ is. Whether it truly exists or is just a fabricated tale.¡±


    ¡°Our challenge this time is three days and nights in the abandoned castle. To uncover the secret of the cursed painting.¡±


    ¡± ¨CIs the rumor of the curse true or false?¡±


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 Chapter 126

    <!-- Before Content -->


    War wasn¡¯t just a cold word ¨C it symbolized countless lost lives. Even fifty yearster, a war that had engulfed the entire world still left indelible scars on many countries of this, like the Green Autonomous Region in the northern Chenxing Empire.


    Thisnd once belonged to the Green Kingdom, a tiny territory norger than two districts of the Chenxing Empire, which became cannon fodder as soon as the war began.


    Bordering the Chenxing Empire meant that whether the empire tried to expand outward or other countries attempted to upy its territory, they inevitably had to deal with this tiny nation first.


    The weak Green Kingdom predictably vanished in that war. Its once-prosperousnds became a battlefield fought over by other countries, destroyed by heavy weapons beyond recognition. This region was subsequently incorporated into the Chenxing Empire.


    However, the war left many problems in thisnd. Whether it was those who still refused to ept Chenxing Empire¡¯s rule, the homeless who had drifted here during the war, or the many unidentified individuals with violent pasts, they all posed major obstacles to the empire¡¯s governance. It was difficult to establish the same order as in other regions, so it was temporarily designated as an autonomous region.


    Though the Chenxing Empire had the power to subdue such a small territory, they deemed it not worth the effort.


    Their assessment showed that thend had suffered severe damage to its economy, culture, and environment during the war. Rebuilding would require massive resources and a long time to win over local hearts ¨C practically like creating an oasis in a desert. After weighing the costs and benefits, the empire¡¯s leadership decided it wasn¡¯t worth it. Letting things run their course and leaving the problems for future generations became their solution.


    After all, by then, different people would be in power, and these troubles would be their problem.<!-- Top Ads -->


    This was how the Green Autonomous Region came to be.


    The ¡°Unveiling Reality¡± TV show chose to film in the most deste corner of the Green Autonomous Region ¨C a battlefield remnant scorched by weapons fire, where no greenery could be seen even today.


    Among these ruins stood an ancient castle which, despite severe external damage, maintained itsplete structure and was one of the few intact buildings remaining.


    Due to historical reasons, there were countless legends about this ce.


    The production team had put considerable thought and resources into choosing the Green Autonomous Region as their filming location.


    In the drone footage, the dusk sky burned with the sun¡¯s remaining fire. Crimson twilight fell upon the dry, destend covered in broken walls and ruins, whichy crooked like severed limbs strewn across an ancient battlefield.


    Among the ruins, there were several well-trodden dirt paths. The production team¡¯s vehicles followed one of these paths until they stopped before a castle standing amid the ruins, like a hollow shell pieced together from broken limbs.


    As twilight illuminated this twisted shell and dark clouds rolled across the sky as the sun¡¯s mes faded, the show¡¯s host finished his final narration.


    ¡°Our challenge this time is to spend three days and nights in this abandoned castle, investigating the secrets of the cursed painting.¡±


    ¡°Is the curse real or fake?¡±


    On camera, he turned around, and the guest challengers followed him through the castle¡¯s entrance.


    As twilight retreated from the horizon, heavy shadows within the castle enveloped everyone who entered. The host lit an antique oilmp, and a me shot up from inside the transparent ss cover. The flickering light illuminated everyone¡¯s faces.


    His voice echoed through the empty castle.


    ¡°There¡¯s another story about this castle¡­¡±


    ¡°Its former owner, Sir Worsey, was thest owner of that cursed painting¡­¡±


    A cool breeze seemed to drift by, making someone shudder involuntarily. The host¡¯s chilling voice echoed through the pitch-ck castle, creating an inexplicably eerie atmosphere.


    ¡°Back then, after causing the deaths of several owners, the cursed painting suddenly disappeared one day. Legend says it was taken and sealed away by a powerful extraordinary who happened to pass by.¡±


    Such a plot would have been dismissed as a third-rate script in the past. But now, everyone knew that long ago was an era when extraordinaries were active. Evil spirits causing trouble and being sealed by extraordinaries made perfect sense.


    Moreover, this wasn¡¯t a story fabricated by the production team. It was a local folk legend they had gathered from multiple sources, with only slight modifications.


    ¡°But for some reason, perhaps due to the Age of the Decline of the Dharma¡¯s restrictions on extraordinary powers weakening the seal, this cursed painting reappeared in the world about sixty years ago!¡±


    ¡°The Age of the Decline of the Dharma also limited the evil spirit¡¯s power, and the painting eventually fell into the hands of Sir Worsey, who was obsessed with art.¡±


    He lived alone without family or friends, with only paintings forpany. After acquiring this masterpiece, he cherished it deeply, hanging it in his bedroom to admire daily. Over time, he became almost bewitched, falling in love with the woman in the painting ¨C the artist¡¯s wife ¨C and treating the little girl in it as his own daughter.


    ¡°¡­He even gave them his surname, calling them Mrs. Worsey and Miss Worsey.¡±


    ¡°¡­In his empty castle, it was as if this mother and daughter truly lived there. Sir Worsey unconsciously took on the role of husband and father. Every day, he would bid them good morning and good night, sharing his daily life with them¡­ He maintained this strange yet tender lifestyle until his death.¡±


    As the host narrated, faint footsteps could be heard from deep within the dark castle ¨C one light, one heavy, apanied by barely distinguishable female whispers.


    The sounds passed through the corridor, as if a mother and daughter were walking and chatting¡­


    <em>Tap, tap, tap, tap.</em>


    The host¡¯smp suddenly flickered.


    ¡°Ah!¡± A girl¡¯s small cry rang out in the darkness, followed by a man¡¯s gentle,forting voice.


    ¡ª This came from the only couple among the four guests.


    The other two guests quickly spoke up. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Did- did you hear something?¡± The girl who had cried out earlier was quicklyforted by others, but she spoke tremblingly, ¡°There- there couldn¡¯t really be evil spirits, right?¡±


    <!-- IncontentPercentage -->


    ¡°You probably misheard due to stress,¡± another male guest calmly refuted, ¡°There wasn¡¯t any sound.¡±


    ¡°No, there really was a sound, I definitely heard it.¡± The girl¡¯s voice sounded close to tears. ¡°It was footsteps, and¡­¡± Before she could finish, her boyfriend pulled her into his arms and dered decisively, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯ve already achieved sess in cultivating internal energy. If any evil spirit dares to show up and scare people, I¡¯ll take them down with one punch!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, we¡¯re not just ordinary people without means of self-defense.¡± Another female guest added with a smile, ¡°Aren¡¯t we all here toplete the challenge and uncover the truth? I¡¯m actually looking forward to meeting these legendary evil spirits. Maybe we could even have a friendly chat?¡±


    Saying this, she borrowed the oilmp from the host. ¡°Host, may I borrow yourmp?¡±


    She walked toward the source of the sounds herpanions had mentioned. Themp¡¯s light illuminated the dark corridor, revealing nothing but a few pieces of old, broken limestone from the wall scattered on the ground.


    A small sigh came from the other girl in the darkness.


    ¡°Maybe- maybe I misheard because of stress? Perhaps it was just the wind, the sound of wind knocking things to the ground?¡± she said uncertainly, her voice much steadier than before.


    A timid but cute girl and her protective boyfriend formed the couple responsible for disying their affection. The other two guests ¨C one a wise and calm observer, the other an action-oriented adventurer with strong curiosity ¨C each yed their assigned roles perfectly.


    Having been briefed on parts of the script beforehand, they knew there were no real evil spirits or curses. Their job was simply to follow the production team¡¯s mystery-investigation script, creating exciting content to attract viewers, boost ratings, and increase their own poprity.


    Even those faint footsteps and whispered conversations were deliberately created by the production team. They were just ying along.


    In this era of abundant entertainment shows, this was a form well understood by production teams, viewers, and guests alike.


    Perhaps the only difference was that after the revival of spiritual energy and the arrival of the extraordinary era, these previously lukewarm mystery exploration shows had gained tremendous poprity. Content that everyone had once dismissed as fake was now starting to be believed by many.


    After all, times had changed!


    In today¡¯s world, ces with folk legends had be the most popr destinations for explorers.


    Many fantasized about encountering miraculous adventures like novel protagonists, especially after some people actually discovered mysterious objects by chance, which only increased interest further.


    Those who yearned for adventure but feared the dangers could only stay safely at home, watching others¡¯ explorations, gasping at their perils, and cheering for their sesses ¨C this had be a new form of entertainment in the extraordinary era.


    These ¡°cloud explorers¡± and ¡°mystery watchers¡± had be the most devoted audience for such now-popr mystery exploration shows.


    After the interlude, the host continued with the background. ¡°Having no family or friends, Sir Worsey¡¯s estate was inherited by his distant nephew after his death. However, this young man was an absolute spendthrift who quickly squandered the inheritance and umted massive debts, leaving only this castle.¡±


    ¡°¡­Though the wastrel wanted to sell thisst remaining property to pay his debts, he never got the chance.¡±


    His voice suddenly dropped, as if afraid of disturbing something.


    ¡°The very night he nned to do so, he died.¡±


    ¡°¨CHe stood on the castle¡¯s highest terrace and jumped. His head smashed against the gray-white stone steps, killing him instantly. Passersby imed they saw a woman¡¯s figure in a ck gauze dress float behind him.¡±


    ¡°¨CThey all said the evil spirit from the painting had awakened.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps Sir Worsey wasn¡¯t just being presumptuous. When he gave his surname to the evil spirits, he might have gained their recognition. Isn¡¯t it natural for a wife and daughter to inherit their husband and father¡¯s estate after his death?¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Worsey and Miss Worsey probably thought so too.¡±


    ¡°However, the war that followed left everyone too preupied to care about what happened in this castle. The evil spirits never appeared again. People spected that the Age of the Decline of the Dharma had restricted them, and their previous awakening was just a one-time miracle.¡±


    ¡°Until now, fifty yearster, the Age of the Decline of the Dharma has passed, spiritual energy has revived, and the sleeping evil spirits have awakened again.¡±


    ¡°¡­Passing explorers seeking shelter have seen their ghosts wandering the castle.¡±


    ¡°¡­Opportunists who came for the cursed painting have vanished in thisnd that once buried countless people.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s said their souls were devoured by the evil spirits.¡±


    ¡°This episode¡¯s theme is to uncover the truth and verify these ims. Now, you may begin your exploration.¡±


    The four guests immediately yed their parts.


    ¡°This won¡¯t be an easy task. I heard some explorers disappeared here just days ago.¡± This was fabricated, of course.


    ¡°Could the evil spirits really have awakened?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably just rumors. The Green Autonomous Region is chaotic ¨C I think it¡¯s likely human foul y, with evil spirits being used as a scapegoat¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s make a bet then, see who¡¯s right in the end.¡±


    They gathered around the oilmp, discussing.


    ¡°So for equipment, do we only have thismp?¡±


    ¡°What should we do now? Explore the castle first, or decide where to sleep tonight? Should we each pick a room, or should we all stay together?¡±


    ¡°¡­I think it¡¯s better to explore during daylight?¡± The seemingly most timid girl raised her hand.


    <!-- IncontentPercentage -->


    ¡°So, shall we rest now?¡±


    Themp¡¯s light stretched from the hall into the corridor as they walked through it, reaching the stairs leading to the second floor.


    <em>Tap, tap, tap, tap.</em>


    Just as they stepped onto thest stair, faint footsteps echoed from the corridor behind them.


    Apanying it was the rustling sound of fabric, as if someone in a long dress was walking down the corridor.


    <em>¡®The production team really knows how to set the mood¡­¡¯</em>


    At this moment, they all thought this simultaneously while pretending they hadn¡¯t heard anything.


    Their performance was also crucial for the atmosphere, meant to give streaming viewers a thrill and stir their emotions.


    ¡ª This was exactly the effect the production team wanted: creating an atmosphere suggesting something was truly wrong with this castle, making viewers empathize with the guests, anxiously watching their ignorant exploration while eagerly anticipating what would happen next.


    As expected, viewers watching the livestream were going wild, withments flooding the screen¨C


    <em>[Run!] </em>


    <em>[Evil spirits!] </em>


    <em>[It can¡¯t be real, must be special effects?] </em>


    <em>[Barrage protection!]</em>


    Behind these unknowing guests, in the depths of the pitch-ck corridor, two figures ¨C onerge and one small ¨C slowly appeared.


    They silently watched the backs of those entering the second floor.


    At their feet, flowing blood stained the entire corridor red and continued spreading toward the second-floor stairway.


    In an instant, the whole castle was tinted crimson.


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 Chapter 127

    <!-- Before Content -->


    ¡°A mysterious cursed painting, lingering shadows of evil spirits, explorers who vanished without a trace ¨C behind all this, is it a human conspiracy, or the curse of evil spirits¡­¡±


    ¡°Wee to this episode of Unveiling Reality. Let¡¯s uncover the truth and explore the unknown mysteries¡­¡±


    The pre-recorded narration yed from the phone speaker, apanied by suspenseful background music. Sh, who had just returned to the dorm covered in sweat from her morning exercise, opened the door and heard this narration, then saw her roommate lying on the bed watching her phone.


    She walked over curiously. ¡°Is this that mystery exploration show you¡¯ve been followingtely?¡±


    On the phone screen was an edited rey from the previous night, appearing to be the preview for the start of the exploration show.


    ¡°Yes! I¡¯m telling you, this is a super popr exploration show right now!¡± Her roommate looked up and quickly waved her over. ¡°Come watch with me! I¡¯ve invited you several times before but you were always busy. You can¡¯t say you¡¯re busy today ¨C I know you have nothing nned this weekend!¡±


    ¡°Alright, you¡¯ve got me interested.¡±


    The two girlsy side by side on the bed. Sh was curious what made this show so captivating to her roommate. She propped herself up with a pillow and focused on the screen.<!-- Top Ads -->


    The scene showed a sky filled with dark clouds after the sunset glow faded, ruins forming what looked like a ghost cave, and an old deste castle under the gloomy sky. Four fully equipped people ¨C two men and two women ¨C were getting out of their vehicles at the castle entrance.


    Subtitles appeared as the four people emerged ¨C


    First was the couple holding hands:


    A man with ck hair and brown eyes wearing a ck tank top, his visible muscle definition suggesting he was likely a fitness trainer. Next to him was a petite girl with smooth golden hair who looked like a young idol.


    [Andre] [E]


    As their names appeared along with brief introductions, her roommate, who had already watched the previous day¡¯s livestream, began exining enthusiastically. ¡°They¡¯re actually just a third-rate actor and inte celebritybination. Their identities aren¡¯t secret anymore after the show aired. Andre used to be a stunt double, but because he had decent martial arts talent, he happened to catch the spiritual awakening wave. Somehow he managed to cultivate internal energy, and now he¡¯s no longer doing stunt work ¨C he¡¯s even acted in two TV dramas¡­¡±


    Her expression showed hints of envy.


    After Leiyin exposed the truth about the Transcendence Project, there was a period of chaos within the Chenxing Empire, with people divided in their opinions. Although most people demanded the project be stopped, quite a few felt the Transcendence Project itself was good and just needed to stop using innocent citizens for human experiments. There was also a faction thatpletely supported the project.


    Regardless, the government¡¯s credibility inevitably suffered during this process. Fewer and fewer people were willing to believe the empire¡¯s stance against martial arts. Instead, this system continued to spread through the Extraordinary Forum.


    However, unlike the East, the Chenxing Empire didn¡¯t have nationwide teaching programs, making self-study significantly more difficult. One could seek guidance from martial artists on the Extraordinary Forum, but this wasn¡¯t cheap.


    In any case, Andre, who had jumped from being a stunt double to a third-rate actor, was one of the lucky ones who managed to start on the path of martial arts cultivation. Meanwhile, Sh and her roommate, who could only lie in bed watching the livestream, clearly didn¡¯t have such talent and luck ¨C they were just among the many ordinary people.


    After finishing her slightly bittermentary about Andre¡¯s situation, her roommate pointed to the girl nestled beside him. ¡°This E is a famous major streamer online, though she used to be in the song and dance category. She only got together with Andre recently, which gave her the chance to join the exploration show as part of a couple. Just from yesterday¡¯s preview alone, she gained a million followers!¡±


    As for the other two guests-


    ¡°¡­This cool short-haired beauty is called Steele. She seems to be an extreme sports enthusiast and parkour expert, with high martial arts abilities too. She joined the show purely for the adventure.¡±


    ¡°Thest handsome blonde guy was called West, a mystery novelist I¡¯d never heard of before. He imed he was here to gather material.¡±


    During the break when her roommate was introducing the guests, Sh also finished listening to the previous night¡¯s rey of the program¡¯s background ¨C the story of the cursed painting and Worsey Castle.


    Her roommate¡¯s discussion grew passionate. ¡°Sh, do you think this is real? If it is, the evil spirit in the painting is too pitiful! A wife killed by her husband, a daughter harmed by her father¡­¡± She gritted her teeth, ¡°They¡¯re absolutely scum! Complete scum!¡±


    As her roommate rambled on, the previous rey segment finished ying, and the originally dark livestream room lit up.


    Her roommate immediately stopped rambling and excitedly patted Sh¡¯s hand, focusing intently on the screen. ¡°It¡¯s starting, it¡¯s starting!¡±


    ¡­


    The phone rm rang several times before Andre finally woke from his deep dream. He struggled to open his seemingly glue-sealed heavy eyelids, staring motionlessly at the faded ceiling, his brown eyespletely vacant and bewildered.


    ¡°Andre, Andre, aren¡¯t you awake yet?¡± The girl¡¯s soft hand rested on his arm, pushing several times, her voice growing anxious, ¡°Andre, wake up quickly!¡±


    Perhaps due to the forceful movement, after several pushes, the man lying on the bed identally tilted to one side and fell off the bed.


    <em>Thud!</em>


    As if suddenly pulled from sticky quicksand, Andre, who had been unresponsive before, suddenly awoke. His vacant eyes regained their focus, and his chest began to heave violently.


    Hey on the floor breathing heavily for quite a while before slowly spreading his hand in front of his eyes. The dim light filtered through his fingers into his pupils, and he finally sat up from the ground.


    ¡°Am I¡­ awake?¡±


    ¡°Darling, are you alright?¡± A hand suddenly rested on his shoulder, and the girl¡¯s worried voice came from above as a shadow fell over him.


    E bent down and ced her hand on the shoulder of the man sitting on the floor, bringing her forehead close to his, her eyes full of concern. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you today? Are you sick?¡±


    This intimate gesture came naturally to her, always making the shipping fans in thements exim how sweet it was.


    ¡°I¡­¡± the man opened his mouth, cold sweat still unconsciously on his forehead, his voice very weak, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    His gaze flickered for a moment, and seeing E¡¯s worried look, Andre suddenly remembered they were filming a show. He shouldn¡¯t let a false nightmare disrupt their nned arrangements.


    <!-- IncontentPercentage -->


    He forcefully suppressed the vague unease in his heart and put on his usual smile, feigning lightness as he shrugged. ¡°I just had a nightmare, and actually saw the evil spirit in my dream. I guess it¡¯s true that what you think about during the day appears in your dreams at night.¡±


    Speaking thus, the man embarrassedly rubbed his head, smiling awkwardly. ¡°Really now, I promised to protect you, but got scared by a nightmare. How uncool is that!¡±


    ¡ª But his other hand at his side was trembling without him even noticing, as if the horror remaining from the nightmare still lingered in the depths of his soul.


    E: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡­This guy was too good at acting! Although they had a script to perform the horror atmosphere, there was no need to start acting before even getting out of bed! There was really no need to try so hard!


    ¡­Moreover, that feeling of being tormented by a nightmare had truly startled her ¨C it was too realistic. Was this the capability of a professional actor? It was terrifyingly good!


    What else could she say? Of course she could only y along with his performance, speaking with a look of sudden realization. ¡°So it was a nightmare! I know you¡¯re not the type to be cowardly, dear, so there must be something wrong with this ce!¡± She naturally encouraged her boyfriend, such a conclusion immediatelying to her lips.


    But in the next moment, as if realizing what she had just said, her expression changed slightly as she tried to maintainposure. ¡°Wait, so there really are evil spirits? The rumors about the Cursed Painting are true?¡±


    Just then, there was a gentle knock at the door.


    Andre¡¯s fingers involuntarily twitched.


    ¡°What are you doing? Aren¡¯t you up yet?¡±


    When Steele and West entered the room, the two had already tidied themselves up. Worsey, with his excellent powers of observation, immediately noticed something off about their expressions and asked curiously, ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    The two exchanged nces, and Andre spoke up. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I just had an extremely vivid nightmare yesterday, and when I just woke up, I was still a bit disoriented.¡±


    ¡°What dream?¡± There it was ¨C lines that weren¡¯t in the script! As expected of a professional actor, already trying to add their own dramatic ir?


    The other two caught on and immediately yed along, asking for details.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Andre¡¯s lips trembled, his gaze bing distant as if he was being pulled back into the dream, ¡°I saw the entire vi drenched in blood¡­¡±


    The long corridors, broken staircase steps, cracked marble floors, peeling walls, and faded ceiling ¨C blood like paint on a canvas had spread from the first floor, staining the entire vi red¡­


    He saw a woman in a long ck dress walking through the corridor, heard the click-ck of her high heels. The hem of her ck dress dragged through pools of blood, and with her constantly dripping bloody hand, she led a little girl beside her, their faces deathly pale.


    In that dream, his consciousness seemed to leave his body, floating above the vi. He watched them walk down the corridor, climb the stairs to the second floor, drift like ghosts to his room, and finally stand beside his bed.


    He saw his own body lying deeply asleep.


    The paper-white woman and the little girl stood motionless by his bedside, staring at him.


    Then, that blood-dripping hand slowly reached for his face.


    Ice-cold, chilling, stiff, carrying the putrid stench of long-dead corpses¡­ In that instant, Andre¡¯s hair stood on end as his floating consciousness was suddenly yanked back into his body, feeling the terrifyingly real cold touch on his face.


    He tried to get up but found his body immobilized, like the sleep paralysis from horror movies, forced to watch helplessly as that cold hand traced down his face.


    ¡°I felt my blood draining away¡­¡± Recalling the sensation from the dream, Andre¡¯s eyes grew increasingly distant, cold sweat gathering on his forehead. Yet, as if controlled by some force, he continued, ¡°My body withered, my skin and flesh no longer fit together snugly, there was space between them, my skin hung loosely around my flesh, and that woman wasing to peel it away¡­¡±


    ¡°Andre!¡± A shout snapped him out of it. West frowned at the clearly disturbed Andre, ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re alright? Could you be affected by the story?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t actually believe those rumors, do you?¡±


    He analyzed seriously, ¡°I think this is mostly a man-made story, meant to cover up robbery and murder. Though we¡¯ve only stayed one night, I wasn¡¯t idle yesterday. I found plenty of evidence suggesting people had upied this ce for a while, likely engaging in illegal activities.¡±


    ¡°¡­Like killing and silencing adventure seekers who believed the rumors, then ming it on legendary evil spirits.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all just your spection,¡± Steele objected, staying firmly in character. ¡°I think there¡¯s definitely something wrong with this ce. From my experience, there are traces of mystical energy here.¡± The adventurer maintained a vignt expression, ¡°Andre¡¯s dream might be some kind of omen. They say sensitive people can easily perceive things others can¡¯t ¨C we should be careful.¡±


    ¡°Well, a dream is just a dream, not reality.¡± West patted the dazed Andre, ¡°See? The vi is fine, you¡¯re fine, nothing happened.¡±


    ¡°¡­I brought some bread, let¡¯s have breakfast first. We have a full day ahead to uncover the truth.¡±


    Andre, suddenlying to his senses, nodded instinctively. But in the next moment, his expression turned particrly ugly.


    ¡­Wait, what did I just do?!


    ¡­Everything happening now is being livestreamed, and I just acted like aplete coward in front of all the viewers!


    Damn it! The tough guy image I¡¯ve worked so hard to maintain¡ª


    Thinking of this, his gaze involuntarily swept toward West.


    ¡­This kid, is he deliberately stepping on me to make himself look good?


    ¡­Did he just steal my spotlight and dramatic moments?


    Thinking about this, he was too preupied with reiming his audience¡¯s attention to worry about his psychological trauma, munching on bread while contemting how to get the spotlight back on himself.


    <!-- IncontentPercentage -->


    What he didn¡¯t know was that at this moment, he was absolutely the most eye-catching person in the scene, drawing the most viewer attention.


    <em>[!!!]</em>


    <em>[Run! It¡¯s not a nightmare! It¡¯s real!!]</em>


    <em>[Help! How can you still be eating breakfast? Everything that happened in the dream was real! There are evil spirits! Run!]</em>


    In their dorm room, Sh and her roommate were huddled together trembling, both girls simultaneously letting out high-pitched screams.


    The phone streaming the show fell onto the nket, its lit screen seeming to be covered with a blood-red filter, revealing the blood-stained castle and the four equally red-stained people.


    Blood dripped continuously from the ceiling, running down their hair, cheeks, and clothing, falling to the ground.


    Andre, now without blood or outer skin, just raw red flesh like arge piece of meat, sat naturally among the three others who were still rtively intact, holding his blood-soaked bread and eatingrge bites. His skinless face wore an especially horrifying smile.


    In this state, it was impossible for anyone to steal his spotlight.


    On this day, countless viewers watching the livestream screamed in terror just like Sh, their sanity points plummeting.


    <em>[Ahhhhh help help barrage protection!]</em>


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 Chapter 128

    Chapter 128


    After a simple breakfast, Andre and the others began exploring Worsey Castle ording to their original n, or rather, began their well-prepared performance.


    Only uninformed viewers would think this was truly a program about exploring the unknown. For the four people who knew the truth, this was merely a show they were putting on in coboration with the production team.


    The production team would get their desired viewership, while these performers would gain either fame or profit.


    Since it was all just an act to deceive viewers from start to finish, they naturally came prepared.


    Considering that Andre, their best actor among the four, was only a third-rate performer, they had never visited the site in person before the show to avoid being exposed. In other words, this abandoned castle was genuinely unfamiliar territory to them, eliminating any risk of viewers noticing signs of familiarity.


    However, the production team had already set everything up in the castle beforehand ¨C artificially aged props, hidden special mechanisms ¨C essentially turning it into a prepared haunted house.


    To ensure their reactions on camera appeared genuine, they were only given partial scripts and knew about only some of the prop cements.


    Regardless, they all felt quite calm inside.


    ¡°What¡¯s the big deal about live-streaming a haunted house exploration?¡± they thought. ¡°We already know there aren¡¯t real ghosts, so no matter how scary the production team¡¯s setups are, how frightened could we really get? We might even need to act scared!¡±


    With these thoughts, the four began their first day of exploration, all broadcast live on screen.


    ¡°Oh, is this thedy¡¯s bedroom? <em>cough cough</em> There¡¯s even a vanity and mirror preserved from the past?¡±


    As the first door opened, they were genuinely choked by the dust that rushed out. E carefully followed the others inside, taking in everything in the room.


    The yellowed ceiling, the dark carpet with its original color obscured by ck and red stains, a four-poster bed with ssical carvings in the center of the room, and near the door, an old vanity table with a box of lipstick still sitting on top. Except for the floor, there wasn¡¯t much dust, making it hard to believe no one had lived here for decades.


    While the others examined the room collecting clues, E¡¯s gaze fixed on the vanity, or more specifically, the mirror mounted on it. The mirror¡¯s surface was clear as water, reflecting her sun-like golden hair and eyes sparkling with curiosity. The person in the mirror stared back at her silently, seeming to invite her closer.


    Her eyes met those of her reflection, and she walked over unconsciously,pletely ignoring her surroundings.


    Only after sitting at the vanity did she notice the lipstick. E instinctively opened it, revealing half a box of melted gel-like substance, red as blood.


    ¡°Ah, I was in such a rush this morning, I forgot to put on makeup,¡± E btedly realized, talking to herself as she looked at her reflection. ¡°My lips look too pale.¡±


    Saying this, she reached for the lipstick.


    ¡°E, what are you doing?¡± Suddenly, someone tapped her shoulder, causing her hand to jerk and drop the lipstick onto the vanity. She snapped out of it, immediately meeting her reflection¡¯s eyes ¨C the sun-golden hair, the enchanting eyes praised by countless fans, and the reddened lips¡­


    Wait!


    She frantically touched her lips, her expression changing dramatically.


    ¡°I¡­¡± What had she just done?


    The recent events shed through her mind like a rey ¨C approaching the vanity out of curiosity, sitting down, casually picking up the lipstick, carefully applying it while looking in the mirror¡­ E¡¯s hands trembled violently as she backed away several steps from the vanity like she¡¯d seen a snake. Only after putting distance between herself and the vanity did her heartbeat begin to steady.


    Something was wrong, very wrong.


    She felt like she had been possessed just moments ago.


    ¡°E, are you really okay?¡± Seeing theirpanion suddenly turn pale, bend over and struggle to breathe, Steele, who hade to call her, was startled.


    ¡°Could she be having some unknown illness? This better not involve me, hopefully she¡¯s just acting¡­¡± Steele thought worriedly, while saying with concern. ¡°I called you several times, but you didn¡¯t seem to hear me at all. You just kept applying lipstick while looking in the mirror, not responding no matter how I called. Are you alright?¡±


    E raised her head in a daze, about to speak when her eyes met her reflection¡¯s ¨C the mirror person was staring back at her.


    Suddenly, two deep red streaks flowed down from the reflection¡¯s eyes. Then from its mouth, nose, and other orifices, fresh blood gushed out, instantly staining the entire mirror surface red.


    ¡°Ah!¡± She let out a scream and instinctively grabbed onto Steele, who was closest to her, her body trembling.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened?¡± Steele was startled by her scream but automatically held her, patting her back soothingly. ¡°Calm down, E!¡±


    Andre and West were also drawn over by the scream, immediately surrounding E. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Did you find something?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡­¡± E clung tightly to Steele, not daring to lift her head, her voice shaking, ¡°I saw someone in the mirror, bleeding so much, the mirror was covered in blood¡­¡±


    Though her words were jumbled, everyone caught the main point and looked toward the vanity mirror, but only saw their own reflections.


    ¡°There¡¯s no blood,¡± West walked forward, examining the mirror carefully before ncing at the open lipstick on the vanity. ¡°Though it¡¯s strange how clean this mirror is, no dust, and the vanity¡¯s clean too. This proves my theory ¨C there are no evil spirits, just criminals who¡¯ve been staying in this castle. All these traces show someone¡¯s been living here recently.¡±


    As he spoke, his hand searched the vanity¡¯s surface, fingers suddenly finding a gap. He pulled gently, and a drawer opened. West looked inside and froze.


    ¡°How is this possible?¡± He eximed in brief surprise.


    ¡°What¡¯s impossible?¡± Steele, having passed the trembling girl to her boyfriend, came forward curiously to look and also froze.


    ¡°Are these¡­ sapphires?¡± She pointed at the objects in the drawer, her tone changing. ¡°No way, right?¡±


    ¡°No, I can tell you with certainty, they¡¯re real.¡±


    West¡¯s expression turned serious, his gaze puzzled.


    ¡°I know a thing or two about gem appraisal,¡± he carefully took out the box containing the gems from the drawer, lifted one up against the dim light, and squinted. ¡°I can confirm these are genuine.¡±


    ¡°What? You¡¯re joking, right?¡± Has the production team gone mad?


    Steele swallowed the words that almost escaped her lips, her face full of questions. Though she knew the props were arranged by the production team, using real gems seemed too extravagant. Was this really just a regr show?


    Or¡­ she cast a suspicious nce at West. Were the gems fake, and this was just part of West¡¯s script?


    Just like that vase weakling beside them who was still trembling and hupping, face pale while cuddling with her boyfriend and feeding dog food to viewers, constantly talking about blood in the mirror ¨C that must have been part of her script, right?


    ¡­That vase turned out to be quite the actress.


    Everyone was putting in such effort, she couldn¡¯t fall behind.


    After processing all this, Steele thought she understood. Seeing West still examining the gems with a puzzled and grave expression, she immediately matched his demeanor.


    While maintaining a serious expression, she picked up a gem to examine it like West, hearing him mutter. ¡°Could this ce really be criminals¡¯ hideout? Criminals deliberately hiding stolen goods in this remote location, easy to conceal but essible when needed?¡±


    From the beginning, questioning the existence of evil spirits and guiding everything toward human causes was his assigned role and script. Who would have thought that the script might actually turn out to be real?!


    In his mind, he quickly recalled the robbery case he had heard about a few days ago. Wasn¡¯t it a jewelry store that had been robbed?


    When West realized this ce might actually be a criminals¡¯ hideout, and that the perpetrators might have just temporarily left when the show crew took advantage of their absence ¨C possibly to return at any time ¨C he broke out in a cold sweat.


    Although he had practiced martial arts, he didn¡¯t believe four unarmed people could match up against desperate criminals, especially in the Green Autonomous Region where even children knew how to handle guns.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s too dangerous here¡­¡± He suddenly grabbed Steele, intending to notify the others to retreat.


    ¡°Indeed, the appearance of this jewel is too suspicious,¡± Steele grabbed him back. ¡°Be careful, the rumors might be true. I suspect this is the room where the evil spirit resides. The most precious thing in this room is the jewel in the dressing table. It must be important to the evil spirit, possibly connected to Sir Worsey. Now that we¡¯ve found the jewel, we¡¯re sure to attract the evil spirit¡¯s attention!¡±


    ¡°¡­???¡± West¡¯s unfinished words got stuck in his throat. He suddenly realized what was happening when he met Steele¡¯s overly vignt eyes, who winked at him where the cameras couldn¡¯t see, as if saying: <em>I¡¯m ying along, okay?</em>


    West: ¡°¡­¡±


    He suddenly remembered that this show was being livestreamed, and viewers must be watching them right now.


    Therefore, even if this was a criminals¡¯ hideout, they wouldn¡¯t be foolish enough to burst in while everyone was watching, meaning they were absolutely safe under the viewers¡¯ gaze.


    They could safely act their parts and report to the police after the show. Holding up the jewel in front of everyone and revealing his deductions, catching the real criminals¡­ just imagining that scene made him excited. He¡¯d surely gain quite a lot of admiration then.


    Westpletely rxed.


    He even cheerfully weighed the blue sapphire in his hand.


    However, the viewers watching their screens clearly couldn¡¯t share his mood.


    <em>[Ahhhhh let go quickly! That¡¯s not a jewel!]</em>


    <em>[Do they really not know what they¡¯re holding? It¡¯s an eyeball! A bleeding eyeball! And it¡¯s a moving, living eyeball! My sanity is plummeting!]</em>


    <em>[Help, what kind of horror story is this! Why do they all seem so normal while I¡¯m going crazy just watching through the screen?!]</em>


    <em>[??? Walking through a blood-covered house, their own skin peeling off, ying with an eyeball, you really think this is normal?]</em>


    <em>[This is clearly an extremely dangerous mysterious incident! Whether it¡¯s the Management Bureau or other extraordinaries, someone needs to save them!]</em>


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, at the Chenxing Empire Special Case Investigation Bureau.


    Director Chandler, who was in charge of the Bureau, had already heard about the strange incidents urring in the Green Autonomous Region, as it had spread online, and the Bureau had sent people to Worsey Castle at the first opportunity. Listening to the voice on the other end of the phone, his brows furrowed tightly. ¡°What do you mean you haven¡¯t found them yet?¡±


    ¡°Re-report, Director, there¡¯s nothing here,¡± came the subordinate¡¯s incredulous voice from the other end of the line.


    ¡°We can¡¯t see anything¡­not just the people, but even the castle itself haspletely vanished.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s as if¡­.they¡¯ve been swallowed into another dimension?¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 129

    ¡°Hah, look what I¡¯ve found? A hidden secret door.¡± Footsteps echoed in the empty ancient castle, followed by the sound of something being dragged.


    ¡°<em>Cough cough cough cough cough</em>! So much dust!¡± West bent down, coughing violently as the dust assaulted his face, his eyes watering. Once his vision cleared, he saw a ck hole of an entrance revealed by the opened underground secret door, with stairs winding down.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s a basement!¡± he eximed excitedly.


    This immediately grabbed the attention of the others.


    Steele had just arrived, and saw West unhesitatingly stepping down the stairs, a puzzled look crossing her face. Why did it feel like this guy¡¯s enthusiasm and eagerness had increased greatly ever since he found the sapphire?


    ¡­Among the four of them, the useless vase E was still immersed in the script, still ying the frightened damsel in distress, beingforted by Andre all the way, practically forcing a sweet couple subplot.


    ¡­Inparison, West¡¯s style was that of a detached explorer ¨C he had already searched several rooms in this short time, always able to discover details in obscure corners ¨C most likely because the production team had given him a script, but his level of action was still excessive.


    She had joined this show only for the money the production team offered, but ended up being dragged around by this guy, her physical strength almost depleted. This was really¡­ unnecessary effort! Was he trying toplete the three-day search task in a single day?


    Despite her frantic inner monologue, Steele still obediently followed, entering the dark underground passage, not forgetting to call the affectionate couple behind to catch up.¡°Andre, I¡¯m fine now, let¡¯s hurry and catch up with West, he must have found something¡­¡± The pale-faced E tugged at her boyfriend¡¯s hand, giving him a shy smile.


    Previously she had been truly frightened, but now, after so long, she had calmed down and reasonably deduced that the eerie image in the mirror was likely a magic trick arranged by the production team, just something not covered in the script she had, which is why she had been so unprepared.


    Thinking she had figured out the truth, she regained herposure, but also realized her previous performance was probably not good, allowing West and the others to hog the cameras and the spotlight.


    And this hidden underground room before them was obviously another special scene with important props and mechanisms arranged by the production team ¨C she couldn¡¯t let West and the others continue to monopolize the screen.


    Andre responded with a sound, genuinely relieved.


    ¡­He was really tired of continuing to be mushy with E. If it wasn¡¯t for maintaining his image as a good boyfriend, he would have long since been impatient inforting this girlfriend who kept acting out crying scenes endlessly. How much time had this wasted, how many of his own scenes had it squandered?


    Therefore, the moment E said she was fine, he didn¡¯t even bother to act and ask a few more questions, a look of relieved lightness shing in his eyes, as he quickly pulled E and rushed into the underground room ¨C


    ¡°Huh? This seems to be a painting studio?¡±


    As soon as the two entered the underground room, they were stunned by the scene before them.


    The empty underground room was strewn with sheets of paper, some nk, some smeared with colorful paints. The surrounding walls were also covered in paint, and in the corner of one wall, there was a childish scribble that looked like a hand dipped in paint ¨C three stick figures, arge one and two smaller ones, holding hands, seemingly a small family of three.


    In front of this childish scribble, there was a wooden easel set up on the open ground. Since it was facing away from the entrance to the underground room, from their angle, they could only see the back of the wooden easel.


    West and Steele, who had arrived at the underground room first, were now standing next to the easel, seeming to be looking down at something. They were standing motionless, their expressions indistinct.


    Andre and E curiously walked over. ¡°What are you two looking at¡ª¡± Their expressions also froze.


    On the tilted easel was a sheet of pure white paper, the four corners pinned to the easel by rusted nails stained with blood-red. The paper had a warm, delicate luster.


    In the center of the paper was an unfinished portrait, only the man¡¯s head and neck rendered, the lower part left as nk space.


    The open paint boxes and brushes were ced beside the easel, the wet paint inside them still hazy, as if the artist had just stepped away from the painting studio for a moment.


    ¡ªAnd the person in the painting was clearly Andre.


    In an instant, Andre¡¯s pupils trembled uncontrobly, and he unconsciously took several steps back, as if the monster in the painting would pounce out and devour him the next second.


    His movements were too sudden, identally knocking over a stack of paper beside him, the sheets scattering like butterflies. Amid the expanse of nk pages, a few colorful sheets were faintly revealed. The keen-eyed West was the first to crouch down and turn over the nk papers, revealing the full extent of the colored pages.


    A beautiful woman with brilliant golden hair and spring-like eyes; a short-haired, capable-looking woman; and a simrly golden-haired man, his expression much more solemn.


    ¡°It¡¯s us!¡± E eximed.


    The entire painting studio fell silent. In the eerie stillness, they seemed to hear the frantic heartbeats of each other, until Steele spoke up softly, her voice as if afraid to disturb something. ¡°There was someone, just now¡­ no, not a person. Something has been watching us from the shadows, right here just now.¡±


    ¡­Then it had painted them into the picture.


    An indescribable fear slowly gripped their hearts, a creeping horror climbing up their spines. At this moment, they no longer cared about the show or the script, their entire bodies trembling uncontrobly.


    They looked at each other, seeing their own pale expressions reflected in each other¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°It-it must be the production team¡¯s script!¡±


    ¡°¡­How outrageous!¡±


    Even as they said this, the invisible shadow continued to spread from the depths of their hearts. In this moment, the entire ancient castle seemed to have transformed into a bottomless vortex, and they were being pulled into the swirling abyss by the radiating terror.


    ¡­Was it really just a script?


    <em>[Ah ah ah ah, activate the barrage protection! Barrage protection!]</em>


    <em>[Have you finally realized something is wrong? Help! I, a horror film enthusiast, am shivering in fear.]</em>


    <em>[This is not a normal painting studio at all, those sheets of paper, whether hanging on the walls or scattered on the floor, especially the one on the easel, they are all made of skin¡­]</em>


    <em>[No need to be so subtle, what kind of skin other than human skin would fit? The paint boxes are filled with fresh blood, and using human skin as the painting medium, isn¡¯t that quite reasonable (but I jest)?]</em>


    <em>[So, any guesses on where Andre¡¯s skin and blood are?]</em>


    <em>[!!!]</em>


    <em>[Help, help, help, I can only scream for help now. What kind of perverts are you above? Even if you guess, don¡¯t say it out loud!]</em>


    <em>[Where is the management department? Why haven¡¯t they gone to rescue people yet?]</em>


    ¡­¡­


    Green Autonomous Region, the original location of Worsey Castle.


    ¡°This is definitely the right ce.¡± The staff, resembling a cane, quietly touched the ground, the tip pointing to the open area in front of them, several times. Then someone put away the ck cane, ¡°This artifact for locating things has not failed us yet.¡±


    ¡°¡ªSo the ancient castle must still be here.¡± The investigator dispatched by the Special Case Investigation Team stated confidently, pointing to the open area, ¡°We just can¡¯t see it.¡±


    They walked back and forth across the open area a few times. ¡°Not only can we not see it, but more urately, it has entered another dimension, just like when the Sword Realm appeared?¡±


    ¡°¡­So the legends about the Cursed Painting are most likely true. If they didn¡¯t unluckily encounter another anomalous incident, then they must have encountered an evil spirit.¡±


    ¡°To rescue them, we¡¯ll have to investigate that painting first.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Is this all the information you have on that painting?¡±


    At the Special Case Investigation Team, Chandler looked through the filespiled by his subordinate, his thick brows slowly furrowing. His sharp blue-gray eyes emitted an awe-inspiring aura, an unspoken power.


    He lightly tapped the folder on the desk.


    ¡°What I want is not some #touching love story between an evil spirit and a duke#, but the detailed background of how that painting was created, who the painter was, the identity of the evil spirit in life, and its possible weaknesses¡­ Most importantly, what can be done to deal with them? At the very least, I need that damn disappeared castle to reappear!¡± Chandler leaned forward, his presence overwhelming, ¡°¡ªI want you to find out everything, clearly and thoroughly, just like investigating someone¡¯s household registration! I need to know the full history of that painting, from its creation to the present, all of it!¡±


    The subordinate standing before him involuntarily shuddered, nearly saluting him on the spot, ready to ept punishment.


    With the revival of spiritual energy, increasingly more extraordinary events can be expected in the future. The importance of the Special Case Investigation Team is self-evident. Clear-sighted people can see that this department will rise to prominence in the new era, coveted by the royal family, the cab, and the parliament. For Chandler to sit in this position, his background must be formidable.


    ¡ªEveryone knows his backinges from the military forces.


    And the subordinate currently reporting the situation to him was hand-picked by Chandler from his own subordinates in the military, so he was well aware of this superior officer¡¯s decisive and ruthless style.


    ¡ªHe was known in the military as an iron-fisted disciplinarian, always advocating strict and cruel management of the troops, never allowing soldiers to have the slightest disobedience, or they would face even harsher punishment. For him, all subordinates only needed to obediently follow orders and resolutely carry out their missions, without any of their own will or opinions.


    Seeing his expression now, this poor subordinate knew this was a precursor to the officer¡¯s impending wrath. After all, he was someone who often punched his subordinates at the slightest disagreement.


    The frightened subordinate answered cautiously, ¡°This, General, is truly all we have.¡±


    Seeing that he was about to be on the receiving end of an iron fist, he hurriedly exined, ¡°As you know, the Green Region was bombed several times in the past, at one point bing a war zone and an area upied by the Allied Forces. Even after we drove out the Allied Forces, that ce was practically in ruins. If the rumors about the Cursed Painting are true, then that painting was created at least 60-70 years ago. The painter was not famous, just an obscure figure from decades or even nearly a century ago, and even their household registration records have been destroyed. How can we find out anything more?¡±


    Chandler pondered this, his expression softening a bit.


    The poor subordinate let out a long sigh of relief, immediately striking while the iron was hot. ¡°Moreover, the prominent local nobility have all died out. The barbaric Allied Forces burned down their castles and plundered the treasures passed down for generations by the nobility. What historical records about the local area could we possibly reference?¡±


    After saying this in one breath, he heard the officer in front of him let out a coldugh, each word like a sharp de. ¡°So, you can¡¯t provide any useful information at all, and all you know are those ridiculous rumors heard from the production team, whose truthfulness is unknown. Do you expect me to report to my superiors that our Investigation Team ns to rely on these folk tales to analyze the situation and formte a n to deal with the evil spirit?¡±


    ¡°No no no, of course not,¡± the trembling subordinate stammered fearfully, ¡°I haven¡¯t had a chance to report to you yet, but someone has proactively reached out to us, iming they can help resolve this anomalous incident.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Chandler was momentarily surprised. ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°¡­Just an hour ago, someone contacted us through the Extraordinary Forum. They didn¡¯t reveal their real identity, but clearly exined the general origins of the Cursed Painting, and said they could provide us with clues to solve the evil spirit problem¡ªif we were to purchase the information they have. I couldn¡¯t make a decision on this rashly, so I had to report it to you, sir, for you to decide.¡±


    ¡°They can only provide clues? Are they a lucky recipient of a fortuitous encounter, or a remnant of the extraordinary from the old era?¡± Chandler¡¯s sharp blue-gray eyes gleamed with a hint of brilliance.


    In any case, as long as the other party didn¡¯t have the audacity to lie and deceive the Investigation Team, at least they could provide information about the mysterious supernatural world, which was exactly what the team needed.


    He unhesitatingly spoke up. ¡°ept their offer.¡±


    Soon, Chandler received the files from the other party.


    This included the background of the creation of ¡°Sabbath,¡± and more importantly, information about the flourishing extraordinary world in the West, something the Investigation Team had never known before.


    They were a group of extraordinaries who had long since disappeared from history. Even the person providing the information only knew so much.


    Chandler read from beginning to end, his gaze slightly brightening.


    ¡°¡­Spirit Forgers?¡± he murmured, ¡°The Cursed Painting called ¡®Sabbath¡¯ is the work of the Spirit Forgers?¡±


    Since it was the work of the Spirit Forgers, then they must know how to deal with it, even if they weren¡¯t the creators of that particr painting. Their power system was of the same origin, so they would be better equipped than thepletely inexperienced team.


    So now, what they needed to do was seek the help of the Spirit Forgers?


    But ording to the informant, the Spirit Forgers as a group had vanished from the world nearly a century ago, likely havingpletely died out in the Age of the Decline of the Dharma, turning to dust of the past era.


    Chandler suddenly felt a headacheing on. It was as if he had just found the answer to a problem, only to discover that the answer was now hopelessly blurred.


    Where could he possibly find a Spirit Forger to deal with this evil spirit?


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 Chapter 130

    The four people who had finished searching the art studio finally emerged from the basement, with visible signs of fatigue on their faces.


    Although it had only been half a day since they woke up, this ordeal left them feeling more exhausted than if they had spent an entire morning at the gym.


    They were especially tired from being startled repeatedly in various strange ces, only to then rationalize that these were likely magic props the show¡¯s production team hadn¡¯t revealed beforehand. This constant cycle of being scared and then feeling relieved had happened several times, enough to drain anyone both physically and mentally.


    The same went for what happened in the art studio. Although they were all frightened when they saw those lifelike paintings, feeling as if someone was hiding in the vi and secretly watching them while drawing their portraits, they could rationalize afterward that this was typical psychological horror, the kind often seen in movies ¨C just their minds ying tricks on them. The production team could easily achieve this effect by simply cing pre-prepared portraits in the studio.


    For the show¡¯s generouspensation, fame, and fans, the four consoled themselves by reasonably ming everything on the production team¡¯s efforts to create authentic scares for the guests, which made them feel much better.


    After a morning of exploration left them tired and hungry, they decided to take a break and have lunch with the instant food they had brought.


    ¡°Speaking of eating, we haven¡¯t explored the dining room yet. The dining room in this century-old castle must be magnificent, right? Why don¡¯t we eat there? We can soak in the atmosphere. It¡¯ll feel like we¡¯re traveling back in time to a noble¡¯s castle,¡± E suddenly suggested.


    ¡°No matter how luxurious it was in the past, now it¡¯s just old bricks and stones. Don¡¯t tell me you want to set up a candlelit dinner here?¡± West responded with his typical straightforward male perspective.


    E let out a soft hmph and rolled her eyes cutely, speaking in a coquettish tone. ¡°Life needs some sense of ceremony. Since we¡¯re here, even if we¡¯re eating instant meals, sitting in a high-backed chair feels different from sitting on broken steps.¡±Andre immediately supported her. ¡°Let¡¯s go then, I want to go too.¡±


    After reaching consensus, they walked down the stairs to the first floor. A deep red carpet ran down the long staircase, continuing through a lengthy corridor all the way to the end, extending into the first-floor hall.


    Walking on this deep red carpet, they unconsciously lightened their steps, carefully making their way down.


    They seemed to have forgotten how dpidated the castle was just moments ago.


    They naturally epted the changes in their surroundings, as if from the beginning, this was the castle they hade to¡ª


    As far as they could see, every furnishing on the deep red carpeted floor was extremely luxurious. The vi¡¯s main door was tightly shut, but the magnificent chandelier on the first-floor dome illuminated the entire hall. The crystal drops cast flickering shadows in the bright light, and several unnamed paintings hung on the pristine walls.


    The most important painting was a family portrait of three.


    Among blooming rose bushes, a woman with a graceful figure wore a ck gauze dress that made her stunningly beautiful. Her young and beautiful face wasrgely hidden by a veil hat, with only her sweet smile visible. A thin, somewhat sickly-looking man in a white shirt stood to her left. Her right hand held that of a girl who resembled her. The girl¡¯s soft ck hair fell to her shoulders, tied withrge butterfly bows, and she showed sweet dimples to everyone who looked at the painting.


    Evenplete amateurs who knew nothing about painting could instantly appreciate its iparable beauty. The people in the painting seemed to possess real souls, as if they might descend into the real world at any moment. At the same time, every brush stroke seemed to contain deep, twisted emotions¡­


    The four stood dazed for a moment, eximing:. ¡°What a beautiful painting! I wonder which master created it!¡±


    ¡°My husband painted this family portrait for us,¡± a sweet, enchanting female voice sounded behind them.


    They turned around to see a youngdy in a ck dress standing behind them, smiling. She held the hand of an adorable little girl. Meeting the four¡¯s gaze, mother and daughter smiled. ¡°Wee, our travelers from afar. Let us treat you to today¡¯s lunch.¡±


    The four epted the role of ¡°travelers from afar¡± without resistance, seemingly believing themselves to be genuine guests, and nodded without hesitation. ¡°Thank you¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Please call me Madame Worsey.¡± The self-proimed Madame Worsey moved with grace as she led them to the dining room. ¡°It¡¯s been quite a while since we¡¯ve had guests pass by.¡±


    The adorable little girl sat down at another chair unprompted.


    ¡°Haha, we didn¡¯t expect to meet anyone during our exploration. This castle is quite remote. This is quite a unique experience for us,¡± the four chatted easily with their hosts, having somehow internalized whatever role they were ying. They asked curiously, ¡°Is Mr. Worsey not here? We¡¯re very interested in meeting such a great artist.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re looking for my husband? He¡¯s not Mr. Worsey,¡± thedy in the ck dress sat down slowly, her lips curving into a smile, her crimson lips like bloodstains.


    ¡°As for my husband¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Unfortunately, we¡¯ve used him uppletely. It will probably take another day before he can be used again.¡±


    ¡°!!!¡± The four at the table froze simultaneously. They felt they must have misheard.


    ¡°Used up?¡± Such words shouldn¡¯t describe a person ¨C they should be used for paint, brushes, or canvas, right?


    The little girl beside them nodded eagerly, speaking in her childish voice sweeter than honey: ¡°Yes, after daddy recovers tomorrow, we can invite you all together. The paintings made using daddy are really beautiful! I love daddy so much!¡±


    Seeing their nk expressions, the little girl tilted her head cutely. ¡°Eh? Are you that eager? Although daddy¡¯s been used up and can¡¯t be found right now, we still have some freshly mixed paint and newly prepared canvas left¡­¡±


    She pointed at Andre sitting across from her. ¡°Ah, if you don¡¯t mind, we could use him first.¡±


    Andre¡¯s whole body suddenly shuddered, his expression nk. After a moment¡¯s daze, he naturally reached for his face. ¡°Yes, if you don¡¯t mind, you can use me to paint¡­¡±


    <em>Swish!</em>


    It seemed like ayer of skin was peeled off andid on the dining table. Blood gushed out like paint, flowing down.


    <em>[Holy crap! What just happened?!]</em>


    <em>[Went from heartwarming slice of life to horror in a second!]</em>


    <em>[Completely forgot they were filming a show, thought they were explorers and chatted with evil spirits, you call that heartwarming? It was horror from start to finish!]</em>


    <em>[Can they even broadcast something this bloody? Hasn¡¯t the Empire banned this?]</em>


    <em>[You think the Empire doesn¡¯t want to ban it? A friend working at the TV station told me they can¡¯t interfere with this show at all.]</em>


    <em>[Am I the only one wondering how they can peel skin off again after it¡¯s already gone? Is this some kind of renewable resource?]</em>


    <em>[¡­Something¡¯s wrong with you.]</em>


    <em>[The ¡°help¡±ments seem to be decreasing, maybe because the faint-hearted stopped watching? Although the sillyments are inappropriate, we really can¡¯t do anything. We can only hope the Administration Bureau or other extraordinaries find a solution quickly.]</em>


    <em>[Wait, I think I heard something¡­]</em>


    <em>[Is that knocking? Someone¡¯s knocking at the door?!]</em>


    Time rewound to half a day ago.


    ¡°Yes, where should we find a Spirit Forger?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the answer already right in front of us?¡± Facing his subordinate who had shut down after receiving too many secrets he shouldn¡¯t know and could only repeat questions like a broken record, Chandler sighed.


    ¡°W-what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Idiot, of course it¡¯s the Extraordinary Forum!¡±


    Chandler had thought of the answer almost the moment the question arose. ¡°Spirit Forgers were part of the Western extraordinary system. The artifacts that have been appearingtely are also awakening/regaining spirituality due to the recovery of supernatural elements¡­ Everything makes sense now. That person probably wasn¡¯t lying. So this abnormal incident isn¡¯t something we have the ability to resolve, at least not with our current capabilities.¡±


    His subordinate finally regained hisposure and followed his line of thought. ¡°So, we need to find someone who can solve it? We can look for a Spirit Forger through the Extraordinary Forum¡­¡± The subordinate¡¯s eyes clearly lit up, his tone bing more enthusiastic, ¡°The Extraordinary Forum has been mysterious since its appearance, reportedly having deep connections to the Shadow Realm. There must be countless extraordinaries with alternate ounts on there. As long as we¡¯re willing to pay, it shouldn¡¯t be difficult to find a Spirit Forger through the forum, right?¡±


    ¡°Notpletely stupid after all.¡± Chandler nced at him. ¡°However, we don¡¯t need to specifically request a Spirit Forger. We can broaden the scope to any method that can resolve this incident.¡±


    This was an excellent opportunity to test the Extraordinary Forum.


    Whether they couldplete their request, how they wouldplete it, and how many solutions they could provide for resolving the abnormal incident¡­ Even though the Administration Bureau had no choice but to seek help from the Extraordinary Forum¡¯s power, they could still use this chance to glimpse just how deep the mysterious forum¡¯s foundation went ¨C whether it was something they must look up to, worth allying with, or possible to absorb.


    If the Extraordinary Forum could easily find a Spirit Forger, or effortlessly provide another solution to the incident, the implications would be extraordinary.


    Chandler rubbed his temples, leaning back in hisrge chair, one hand lightly tapping the desk.


    This was his habitual thinking posture.


    Less than three minutes after he ordered his subordinate to post the request on the Extraordinary Forum, the subordinate, still waiting for a response at theputer, suddenly turned his head and spoke in utter amazement. ¡°We got a response.¡±


    ¡ªThe speed was truly unexpected.


    Chandler¡¯s breath hitched for a moment.


    ¡°Someone epted the request, but they say they can¡¯t solve it themselves. However, they know someone who can help and can provide a lead.¡±


    The subordinate showed him the request page on the Extraordinary Forum.


    ¡°¡ªThose two are collectively known as the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction.¡±


    ¡°That person said they would definitely be able to give me the answer I want.¡±


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 Chapter 131

    ¡°Heavenly-Master-of-Divine-Calction?¡± Chandler pronounced the title awkwardly in thenguage of Yao Country, his brow furrowed in confusion.


    His subordinates didn¡¯t need any prompting and immediately began gathering all information rted to the keyword ¡°Heavenly Master of Divine Calction.¡± The Bureau¡¯s mobilized resources were formidable ¨C in less than half an hour, the relevant information was presented to Chandler.


    ¡°¡­Suspected to be mysterious extraordinaries from Yao Country, active online through fortune-telling services. Their true identities remain unknown. They only provide one reading per day, and only those destined may seek their divination. All fees are donated to charitable organizations and welfare institutions, making them difficult to trace. Those who aren¡¯t destined to receive readings experience various technical issues when trying to contact them ¨Cworkg, system failures, nk pages, and other such incidents¡­ Those who try to get refunds after receiving readings often encounter misfortune, presumably due to karmic bacsh.¡±


    Chandler quickly reviewed the information about the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction.


    ording to those who had consulted them before, the Divine Calctor had the ability to divine heavenly patterns and could directly calcte the key elements needed to resolve supernatural incidents, or help locate potential Spirit Forgers. As for the Heavenly Master, it was even simpler ¨C they were natural enemies to all supernatural entities!


    No wonder their informant said finding them would solve everything.


    His diligent subordinate continued. ¡°Given the limited time and information, our preliminary analysis suggests these two extraordinaries have approachable personalities and likely hide their true identities while moving freely among ordinary people.¡±


    ¡°¡­They could bepared to figures from Western mythology ¨C those who might appear as beggars,moners, or princes, passing by to give warnings to the fortunate ones about to encounter misfortune. Therefore, we rmend making contact and ideally establishing friendly rtions.¡±


    Chandler thought to himself: <em>Ipletely understand.</em>The ability to divine heavenly patterns must be quite overpowered, even among extraordinaries. The fact that they weren¡¯t affiliated with any official organization and seemed approachable made it obvious to Chandler that he should try to win them over.


    However, everything they knew was based on hearsay. The true nature of the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction, and whether their abilities were really that powerful, remained unknown.


    The Bureau Director part of Chandler couldn¡¯t help wanting to test them. Following the information his subordinates had gathered, he found the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction¡¯s social media ount, where today¡¯s ¡°Reading of the Day¡± was still nk.


    It seemed today¡¯s destined person hadn¡¯t arrived yet¡­ Now he could only see if he was that destined one.


    With this thought, Chandler opened the private message interface. Hiswork didn¡¯tg like others had reported, and his message ¨C a simple greeting ¨C went through sessfully.


    The other side quickly replied: <em>[So today¡¯s destined person has arrived. You must know the rules ¨C what would you like to ask?]</em>


    Judging from their tone, they indeed didn¡¯t put on airs. Chandler¡¯s eyes flickered, and he couldn¡¯t resist testing them a little:


    [C: <em>I¡¯ve heard you understand heavenly patterns and your divinations are never wrong. Surely you must already know why I¡¯m here?]</em>


    The other side replied almost without hesitation: <em>[So, is this your question? Are you sure?]</em>


    Chandler keenly noticed the change in their tone.


    ¡­Were they unhappy about his test? Probably not. Before the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction became famous, many people must have tested and doubted them, perhaps even more tantly than he had.


    If they weren¡¯t angry, then had the person responding changed? While considering this, he quickly withdrew his testing attitude and rapidly typed out:


    <em>[C: No, I apologize for offending you. I only learned of your existence from others, and your abilities seemed too incredible to imagine for someone like me. I seek your help regarding a matter of life and death, which is why I had to try reaching out. I hope you can understand.]</em>


    He was grateful for his understanding of Eastern culture, which helped him choose appropriate words when speaking with these two who were likely ancient beings hundreds of years old.


    As they had predicted earlier, their personalities weren¡¯t so easily offended by such minor testing. The person who had first responded seemed to return: <em>[No need for such formality. I already know why you¡¯re here.]</em>


    At the far end of a distant world, two people who were strolling through an apricot blossom forest paused their steps. A young man dressed in fine silk robes slightly raised his head and extended a hand from his sleeve.


    With a turn of his wrist, countless flower petals took flight, spinning and dancing in the air like countless stars in the night sky moving under an invisible force, weaving into an intricate star chart based on the Eight Trigrams.


    ¡°When punishment begins to take effect, it is called great power, governing matters of light and majesty,¡± the young man¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°Are they government officials? High-ranking ones?¡±


    The ethereal star chart rotated in mid-air, with the Western Pole lighting up.


    ¡°¡­Is it the Chenxing Empire? Is the cause rted to me? No, to be precise, it¡¯s rted to Joey.¡±


    Suddenly, as if seeing something, his expression changed to one of realization, with all the intelligence and clues pointing to one thing.


    ¡°Could it be because of ¡®The Sabbath¡¯?¡±


    The person beside him suddenly leaned over, looking at his phone screen, the corner of his cyan Taoist robe brushing against his sleeve. ¡°Hasn¡¯t Joey already gone?¡±


    Su Huajia gave a brilliant smile. ¡°¡­So, this is truly, what you¡¯d call perfect timing.¡±


    Half a minuteter, Chandler received a reply.


    <em>[Are you here about the Cursed Painting?]</em>


    Chandler was slightly taken aback. As expected of the legendary Heavenly Master of Divine Calction, who had already known his purpose so quickly. Was this also calcted? Though, news of the Cursed Painting had already spread, so it wasn¡¯t impossible to guess directly.


    But before he could say anything, the person continued: <em>[Can I assume this is amission from the Chenxing Empire? Do you represent yourself, or the Chenxing Empire?]</em>


    Chandler waspletely stunned.


    As his mind quickly analyzed the other party¡¯s meaning, his fingers moved swiftly: <em>[C: I represent the Chenxing Empire, hoping to request your guidance in resolving the Cursed Painting incident.]</em>


    Since they¡¯d decided to recruit someone, there was no need to hide anything. If they could establish a connection with the Divine Calctor through this, the Empire would definitely benefit.


    <em>[When the three powers areplete, the nation shall have good fortune.]</em>


    A minuteter, the other side replied.


    <em>[Be patient, the cmity shall resolve itself.]</em>


    Chandler: ¡°???¡±


    Was this suggesting that the Bureau should do nothing? At this moment, he couldn¡¯t help but doubt whether the other party was reliable.


    Perhaps guessing his doubts, the other party unusually exined: <em>[You need not do anything more. The hexagram shows that a noble person will arrive, and the cmity will resolve itself, bringing another turning point.]</em>


    When Chandler tried to ask more, sending a message, arge exmation mark appeared on the screen, showing that the sending had failed.


    Evidently, today¡¯s divination wasplete, and he was no longer a person of destiny ¨C he could no longer contact the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction at all.


    Chandler stared at the screen in silence for a full minute before finally spitting out an uncouth word. ¡°F!¡±


    Just then, he suddenly heard his subordinate¡¯s raised voice, carrying from far down the corridor all the way into the office. ¡°Director, there¡¯s been a change in the situation at Worsey Castle. A stranger somehow bypassed our blockade and suddenly appeared nearby. Judging by their appearance and dress, it should be that mysterious extraordinary who previously appeared in the Edun Kingdom!¡±


    ¡°What? Where is the person?¡±


    ¡°They took a few steps toward Worsey Castle and then vanished, as if they¡¯d stepped into an invisible barrier and disappeared.¡±


    <em>Knock knock.</em>


    When the knocking sound rang out, the group in the castle had just seated themselves at the dining table, where Andre was spontaneously performing bloodletting, turning the dining table into a canvas, creating an extremely bloody scene while the person involved remainedpletely unaware.


    <em>Knock knock.</em>


    Until that gentle yet forceful knocking suddenly sounded.


    The mother and daughter, who had been admiring the drawing paper and paint, suddenly froze. They slowly turned their heads toward the tightly closed main door, as if something unspeakably terrifying had appeared outside.


    Yet the knocking remained gentle and courteous.


    The other four people, who had already immersed themselves in the roles of travelers seeking shelter and lost explorers, remained oblivious and instead showed curious and puzzled expressions. ¡°More visitors? Coming at this hour, are they lost like us? Or perhaps they¡¯re acquaintances of yours, Madame Worsey?¡±


    They looked at the motionless mother and daughter. ¡°Madame Worsey, aren¡¯t you going to open the door? It might be someone you know.¡±


    It was then that they noticed the mother and daughter, who had been sitting at the dining table moments ago, were now standing alertly, their gaze toward the door full of wariness and coiled danger.


    The group btedly realized something was wrong.


    And it was at this moment that the castle door suddenly opened.


    Layers of dark clouds had gathered in the sky, casting vast shadows on the ground. Beyond the opened door, the light remained dim. A figure walked in through the gloomy shadows.


    He wore a short cloak in the style of thest century, with silken ck hair falling down, his distinctive mixed-race features possessing a ssical beauty. His eyes of the same dark color gazed over, with faint silver seeming to sh in their depths.


    His gaze met directly with the mother and daughter¡¯s, seemingly ignoring everyone else in the castle as if they were air.


    ¡°Found you, ¡®The Sabbath.''¡±


    <em>sh!</em>


    Suddenly, lightning seemed to streak across the clouded sky outside, the silver-white sh blindingly bright. The sky torn by lightning was like an illusory painting with a corner ripped away, revealing the reality hidden beyond the scroll. In the instant the lightning tore through the sky, an overwhelmingly brilliant sunlight shed through.


    The entire castle was illuminated by this moment of true light.


    Thus, all false illusions shed their disguises, revealing the truth to those who had been deceived¡ª


    The deep red carpet, pristine walls, elegant decorations, and brilliant crystalmps all dissipated like bubbles in water, reced by destruction, decay, destion, and deep red blood smeared across the walls and floor.


    ¡­Like a long-abandoned crime scene.


    The four people who had been confused suddenly felt as if ice water had been poured over their heads, jolting them awake. Thatyer of false memories clouding their perception instantly shattered, reced by everything they had encountered since entering the castle.


    Their faces turned deathly pale.


    Andre¡¯s entire body violently trembled. He looked down at his hands in disbelief, seeing only raw red flesh without skin, and then down further¡­


    ¡°That dream¡­ was real¡­¡±


    The moment he realized what had happened to his body, an indescribable agony suddenly spread throughout Andre¡¯s entire body, making him unable to stand. He copsed violently to the ground.


    ¡°Andre!¡± His threepanions instinctively wanted to go to him but were paralyzed by his horrifying appearance. They could only hover uncertainly around him, watching as this humanoid form convulsed violently on the ground, losing breath within moments.


    This finally drew a nce from the mysteriously arrived person.


    He remarked with interest. ¡°Living ignorantly in falsehood when blinded by illusion. The moment truth is realized, true death descends? I must say, such technique is quite brilliant, befitting the Association¡¯s once-unique dark scripture.¡±


    ¡°Your growth has exceeded my expectations, ¡®The Sabbath.''¡±


    ¡ªThose copsed on the ground noticed that he consistently addressed the mother-daughter pair as ¡®The Sabbath,¡¯ his tone devoid of any emotion, as if addressing a soulless object.


    ¡°However, this tedious running away from home should end now.¡± He walked step by step toward the mother and daughter, suddenly extending his hand, his tone matter-of-fact, ¡°You should return.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± The mother and daughter instinctively stepped back, then, seeming to realize this action showed weakness, quickly stood their ground, both pairs of eyes staring fixedly at him, ¡°You¡¯re the one who should leave!¡±


    As their words fell, the entire castle began rapidly deforming, as if beingpressed from three dimensions, gradually bing t.


    Blood flowed through the transforming castle, like a blood-soaked painting about to unfold.


    Two ovepping female voices emerged. ¡°Get out!¡±


    Theseyered voices seemed to echo several times, apanied by sharp, piercing invisible screams, shaking the entire scroll.


    Then endless blood surged up, transforming into an ocean that could overwhelm heaven and earth. Bloody thorns, ghostly faces, and countless sharp arrows all rushed toward the young man approaching them.


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 Chapter 132

    <em>[Wait, wait! What just happened?]</em>


    <em>[If I understand correctly, from the moment they entered Worsey Castle, they entered the world within the painting. As they continue, their memories will be assimted and they¡¯llpletely be people inside the painting.]</em>


    <em>[¡­And then, like the ¡°father¡± the little girl mentioned, they¡¯ll be repeatedly skinned and bled, used up and restored over and over in the painting, bing paper and paint?]</em>


    <em>[Given the background of the Cursed Painting, it was created by the artist using his wife and daughter. There¡¯s reason to suspect that the more people sealed inside the painting, the more powerful it bes. The apparent skinning and bleeding is actually repeatedly draining the souls of those trapped inside, strengthening the curse¡¯s power.]</em>


    <em>[Hiss¡ªSo you¡¯re saying their fate was sealed from the moment they entered the castle.]</em>


    <em>[The Cursed Painting must have some strange power to cloud perception. The longer they stay in the painting, the easier they are to assimte. That¡¯s why they forgot their true origins and thought of themselves as adventurers seeking shelter. I suspect if they waited longer, they would be assimted even deeper, perhaps even thinking themselves the castle owner¡¯s siblings, settling in permanently¡­]</em>


    <em>[There are so many experts in thements section speaking so eloquently, while I¡¯ve been watching from start to finish just screaming for help. Is this the difference in intelligence between people? Or did humans evolve quietly again without me knowing? Wuwuwuwu!]</em>


    <em>[Although I don¡¯t quite understand, it seems to make sense.]</em>


    <em>[So, what¡¯s the current situation?]</em><em>[Obviously, this suddenly appearing extraordinary being exceeds the Cursed Painting¡¯s normal response limits and isn¡¯t affected by the false cognitive assimtion, so the Cursed Painting revealed its true nature¡ªin other words, itpletely flipped the game board!]</em>


    <em>[Wait, if I remember correctly, isn¡¯t this the extraordinary who took away the Nameless Faceless God statue before? Now he¡¯s here with the Cursed Painting, and he seems very familiar with it. Could it be that this was his possession all along?]</em>


    <em>[I¡¯m okay with the ssical beauty!]</em>


    The livestreamments hadn¡¯t stopped since Joey appeared.


    Until the entire castle, along with the overcast sky outside, began to distort and transform, falling from three dimensions to two, as if an infinitelyrge painting epassing heaven and earth was manifesting. The livestream screen began to violently distort and flicker.


    The formless space churned like turbulent waves, making all those watching the livestream dizzy, as if someone was stirring their brains, their vision bing blurry. Only a few people with higher than normal spiritual sensitivity could still watch normally.


    The blood covering the entire world surged toward Joey, dissolving and devouring everything in its path. Bloody ghost faces, thorns, and clusters of blood-red burning roses floated in the sea of blood. Countless images appeared simultaneously, rushing toward one person from all directions, as if wanting to pierce through him, crush him, and burn him to ashes.


    The continuously manifesting painting seemed to want to wrap around him.


    Joey stood motionless, while the surging blood sea stirred up waves of air around him, making his short cloak and silk-like ck hair flutter.


    He suddenly raised his hand, and a scroll silently appeared in it.


    <em>Whoosh¡ª</em>


    The sound of the scroll being unfurled rang out, as if an illusory piece of paper spread out from beneath Joey¡¯s feet, extending toward the distant horizon on one end and toward the mother and daughter in the castle on the other.


    Where the white paper spread, five-colored light danced upon it, with an extremely alluring dreamlike atmosphere floating about, dyeing even the burning deep red blood sea with seven-colored hues.


    Those with high spiritual sensitivity could vaguely see an illusory dining table being drawn between Joey and the mother-daughter pair, with Joey at one end and them at the other.


    Around them, the surging grotesque blood sea and the rainbow-colored mes jumping within the blood intertwined and devoured each other, neither giving an inch.


    Two paintings seemed to ovep in the space between heaven and earth, with their contents constantly encroaching onto each other¡¯s canvas.


    For a moment, they were evenly matched.


    The woman in the ck long dress had a sh of surprise in her eyes. ¡°This is¡­ ¡®The Last Supper¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you recognize it. That¡¯s perfect.¡± Joey sat down at the illusory dining table, leisurely propping up his elbow, admiring the surging blood sea and colored mes crushing against each other, the two paintings frantically pulling at each other in the space between heaven and earth.


    His gaze turned to the mother and daughter across from him, and he made a gesture inviting them to sit. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking forward to a scene like this for a long time.¡±


    ¡°¡­After all, it¡¯s my most proud work to date. I¡¯ve always wanted to test which one is more worthy of being the Association¡¯s highest treasure ¨C this or ¡®The Sabbath¡¯.¡±


    He spoke calmly, his voice carrying a lightugh, those pitch-ck pupils showing an extremely simple purity.


    ¡°Thank you for fulfilling this wish of mine.¡±


    The woman¡¯s expression grew increasingly grave.


    ¡ª ¡®The Last Supper¡¯ was merely one of this person¡¯s works, a tiny part of his power, but ¡®The Sabbath¡¯ contained all of their power, the only refuge for the mother and daughter¡¯s souls.


    Though these two paintings appeared evenly matched in their disy, it didn¡¯t mean this man had no other ways to deal with them. He had many more methods at his disposal, and if he wasn¡¯t just trying to test how powerful his own work could be, the attack they faced would certainly be far greater than this.


    Thinking this, she, as an evil spirit, couldn¡¯t help feeling despair. She felt the small hand holding hers unconsciously tighten its grip, the little girl¡¯s tension and fear transmitted to the woman¡¯s heart through this tiny action.


    <em>¡­Were they really going to be captured and returned, forever confined in a small scroll, never to see the light of day again?</em>


    The illusory painted world was copsing, cracks spreading through the surrounding space, countless colored mes burning within the cracks, vaguely revealing glimpses of the real world outside.


    <em>¡­No, impossible! Absolutely impossible!</em>


    The despair that had been spreading since Joey¡¯s arrival finally explodedpletely. The mother and daughter¡¯s pupils instantly turnedpletely ck, fragments of memory from their day of death seemed to sh through their minds again. Emotions at their extreme transformed into a terrifying spiritual storm, spreading outward with the two at its center.


    The despair and hatred of being killed by a beloved husband; the fear and unwillingness of having all blood drained by one¡¯s own father, lying like a broken doll, feeling one¡¯s body temperature getting colder and colder, slowly approaching death in a cramped studio; the darkness and loneliness of being confined in a painting for decades, and the despair of being captured again just after finally escaping confinement¡­ All these negative emotions exploded in an instant, bing the best nourishment for ¡®The Sabbath¡¯, igniting an extremely intense spirituality.


    <em>Boom!</em>


    The distorted spiritual waves continued to spread outward, their pitch-ck eyes consumed by hatred and despair seemed to contain only irrational madness. The mother and daughter¡¯s forms instantly dissolved, merging with the entire painted world, bing paper and paint.


    As they dissolved, endless blood seemed to gush from their bodies, flowing toward the entire world.


    The crimson blood mes suddenly zed up, overwhelming the rainbow colors in an instant. Taking advantage of this moment of suppression, the illusory ¡®The Sabbath¡¯ painting quickly withdrew like a swimming fish, along with the mother and daughter¡¯s portraits within it retreating at lightning speed, everything bing illusory and dim.


    It was as if among two paintingsid on a table, the one underneath was suddenly pulled away quickly andpletely rolled up.


    ¡°Stay.¡±


    A finger suddenly appeared, pressing down on a corner of the painting.


    ¡ª The youth, now floating in mid-air, firmly pressed down on a corner of the increasingly ethereal painting in mid-air, preventing its escape.


    In his pitch-ck pupils, deep and rich silver spread out, seeming to emit an invisible mental wave thatmanded this illusory world. This also made the rapidly retreating painting pause in mid-air, trembling. It seemed to want to resist hismand but ultimately couldn¡¯t.


    The entire illusory world had bepletely chaotic. The confused space and multicolored blocks were like an overturned palette smeared on nk paper. Joey moved through the multicolored blocks and pulled along the pressed-down painting.


    <em>Swoosh¡ª</em>


    ¡®The Sabbath¡¯, which had almost sessfully escaped and hidden itself in the color blocks, was suddenly pulled out by him.


    The t painting transformed from two dimensions to three as it unfurled. Quickly, everything within became three-dimensional again.


    The ancient castle, blood-stained floors and walls, the mother-daughter pair who had regained their forms, and the uninvited guest. Everything seemed to have returned to how it was at the beginning.


    What differed from then was the mother and daughter¡¯s condition.


    ¡ª The blood in their bodies seemed to have beenpletely drained, leaving them pale and limp in a corner of the castle, looking like paper dolls someone had made.


    The madness ignited by hatred and despair faded from their eyes, reced by undisguised terror.


    ¡ª Joey had literally beaten them back to their senses.


    Madame Worsey in her ck dress stared incredulously at the silver color still lingering in the young man¡¯s eyes, remembering the feeling of being forced to materialize against their will moments ago.


    ¡°Such terrifying spiritual power¡­¡±


    ¡­Was this person still even ¡°human¡±?


    ¡°Game over, and the winner is¡ª¡¯The Last Supper¡¯!¡± Joey announced cheerfully. He stood up and walked toward the motionless mother and daughter who had lost all their power. ¡°Now then, it¡¯s time to go back. You¡¯ve been out ying long enough while I was dormant, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    He had been using the singr ¡°you¡± instead of ¡°you all,¡± as if his conversation partner all along wasn¡¯t the mother-daughter pair but rather ¡®The Sabbath¡¯, which he called the dark ritual. This matter-of-fact arrogance was incredibly irritating.


    ¡°No!¡± The little girl red with angry eyes. Shey limply in the corner, her powerless small hands gripping the floor tightly, her eyes burning with fierce anger as she red at the youth. ¡°I won¡¯t go back with you!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Joey made an ambiguous sound. As if discovering something interesting, his gaze moved from the little girl¡¯s angry eyes to the woman beside her.


    Madame Worsey gripped her daughter¡¯s hand with what strength she had left. ¡°I refuse too. We won¡¯t go back with you!¡±


    The person watching them fell into an eerie silence for three seconds.


    Then, he could no longer hold back hisughter. Though his tone was gentle, it carried an unusual cruelty. ¡°What are you talking about! Artworks should stay properly in the Association¡¯s collection room. Don¡¯t tell me you thought I was asking for your opinion?¡±


    As he said this, Joey¡¯s smiling lips suddenly straightened into a line.


    He reached out his hand, and a corner of the castle suddenly became t, curling toward him like a turned page, vaguely revealing a painting scroll¡¯s roller. The man, now floating in mid-air, bent down to look at this painting. He grabbed the roller and rolled up the entire world that had be a painting.


    ¡°Artworks should know their ce as artworks. You don¡¯t have the right to go wherever you want anymore!¡±


    The pulled painting trembled violently, desperately resisting. Two female voices, one mature and one childish, ovepped as they emerged from it.


    ¡°No! We are living people, not some artwork to be manipted! We¡¯d rather destroy this painting than go back!¡± During the violent trembling, a crack began spreading along the roller, as if about to tear the entire painting apart.


    Joey suddenly gripped the roller tightly, rich silver spreading in his eyes, transforming into invisible mental power that continuously expanded. Then, the painting¡¯s trembling grew weaker and weaker.


    The mother and daughter¡¯s furiously struggling expressions gradually faded.


    ¡°So that¡¯s what you think?¡± A strange smile appeared on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ you actually believe you¡¯re the wife and daughter killed by ¡®The Sabbath¡¯s¡¯ creator, turned into evil spirits and sealed within this painting after death?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Hahahahaha, of course not! Don¡¯t be ridiculous! Before me, no one could seal spirits into artworks!¡± As if hearing some hrious joke, Joey suddenly burst intoughter. When it came to the realm of art, he seemed to be a different person, showing an indescribable arrogance and madness. ¡°You¡¯re really overestimating him too much!¡±


    He issued a contemptuous mockery of his predecessor, then asked. ¡°Just one question, do you have all your memories from when you were alive? Or do you only remember the day you died?¡±


    The memories of death yed repeatedly in her mind¡ªthat deep hatred, that deep unwillingness, that madness wanting to destroy everything¡ªall became the deepest imprint in their spiritual essence. But before that? She remembered that day, before being killed by her beloved husband, she was about to¡­ what was she about to do?


    Madame Worsey¡¯s voice began to tremble. ¡°How could this be¡­¡±


    ¡°Also, among those paintings on the castle walls, except for one that was the prototype of the Sabbath, you collected the paint and paper and painted the others yourselves, right?¡± Joey¡¯s light voice now sounded like a demon¡¯s whisper. ¡°That level of skill far surpasses many self-proimed mediocre artists. Did the painter¡¯s wife and daughter really possess such skills when they were alive?¡±


    The little girl¡¯s eyes widened as her mind exploded.


    Yes, why could she paint those pictures so skillfully? In the shattered memories before death, she was a girl who bounced into the studio to y with her father, making crooked doodles in the corner¡­no, that wasn¡¯t her!


    No¡­


    The most fundamental understanding in their hearts was easily dismantled, as if some long-held belief shattered in an instant.


    Both pairs of eyes looked up at Joey simultaneously, their pupils filled with extreme chaos. Deep red paint like fresh blood flowed from their eyes, interweaving on the ground.


    Then, their forms continuously dissolved,pletely losing their original appearance, bing writhing blocks of color in the corner, like blood-red paint spreading madly on paper.


    ¡°No, no, who am I? Who am I? WHO AM I!¡±


    ¡°Ah, an artwork¡¯s spirites from the creator¡¯s intense emotions and mental will. But that fellow took a wrong path, mixing his twisted emotions from killing his wife and daughter with their despair and hatred at death¡­ You are monsters born from such twisted emotions and grudges!¡±


    The youth, continuously rolling up the painting while walking forward, let out a soft sigh. He looked at the blood-red color blocks continuously spreading on the paper and revealed the shocking truth¡ª


    ¡°You were never human, you are the spirit of ¡®The Sabbath.''¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too funny that you misunderstood yourselves as human ghosts. As the spirit of an artwork, all your memoriese from the spiritual fragments of the deceased at death, viewing others¡¯ hatred as your own, infected by the dead¡¯s despair, mindlessly devouring blood and souls¡­ Yet you pursue human freedom instead of staying obediently in the collection room. Isn¡¯t this pursuit just imposed by memories? All your emotions are just false emotions given by others.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no¡­¡±


    Two ovepping female voices rambled nearly deliriously. The surging blood color crashed about in the painting, seemingly driven mad.


    The painting therefore trembled more violently, yet didn¡¯t resist Joey¡¯s continuous rolling motion, more like it had fallen into copsed self-doubt, bing easier to roll up.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that!¡±


    The little girl¡¯s childish voice finally broke free from the delirious mumbling, her soft voice still trembling continuously.


    ¡°We¡­ we are not dead things.¡±


    After saying this, as if gaining some confidence, she emphasized more firmly.


    ¡°¡­Since Mr. Worsey brought us home and treated us like family, we are no longer dead things. Our emotions are not all false emotions given by others. At least, at least our feelings for Mr. Worsey are real.¡±


    The continuously dissolving deep red color blocks in the painting slowly gathered together, vaguely forming the outlines of two human figures.


    But they were no longer the fixed images of Madame Worsey and Miss Worsey¡ªtheir clothes and appearances kept changing.


    Joey observed their changes with interest, even stopping his continuous rolling of the painting.


    There was a kind of inexplicable expectation in his eyes.


    Finally, when the human formspletely stabilized, the two whose appearances were still constantly changing opened their eyes simultaneously.


    ¡°¡ªWe have already gained a heart that belongs to humans.¡±


    All the chaotic energy dissipated, transforming into a cold calmness.


    Two ovepping female voices let out a wistful sigh. ¡°Although we are grateful that you helped us understand our true nature, freeing us from being controlled by others¡¯ resentment, we apologize, but precisely because of who we are, we cannot go with you, Mr. Joey.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t want to return to the Artists¡¯ Association¡¯s collection vault as lifeless objects.¡± They bowed deeply, and when they straightened up, their eyes held both gratitude and caution as they looked at Joey. ¡°Besides that, we are willing to do anything for you¡­¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    Unexpectedly, Joey agreed immediately, as if everything before had been just an absurd dream.


    The two were stunned momentarily.


    ¡°I said, it¡¯s fine. You are free.¡±


    Joey showed no intention of exining further. As for their promise to do anything for him, he clearly didn¡¯t care.


    He casually released his grip on the scroll. ¡°Considering that I can appear in this age of spiritual revival in my current form, partly thanks to the enlightenment I received from you¡­ and besides, spirits that have developed human hearts are unique works that transcend their original grade. Taking you back might stifle your potential for further evolution.¡±


    <em>Whoosh¡­</em>


    The invisible painting scroll unfurled swiftly across the heavens and earth.


    Joey stepped back and performed a gentleman¡¯s bow. His silk-like ck long hair cascaded down with his movement, and his ssically beautiful face took on an almost saint-like mystery.


    ¡°I look forward to¡­your future.¡±


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 Chapter 133

    One day earlier.


    In the Yao Country, on the second floor of an apartment in Yuanyang City¡¯s old district.


    Golden sunlight flowed through the window, dripping like melted honey onto the soft ck hair of the youth sitting by the window.


    Bai Yi hummed softly as he lifted his pen to write the final paragraph.


    <em>[His first task in his determination to rebuild the Artists¡¯ Association was to recover the Association¡¯s lost items.]</em>


    <em>[¡ªEspecially the ¡°Sabbath¡± that had been lost to the outside world.]</em>


    Just then, a strong premonition struck him.


    Since obtaining the ¡°Heavenly Master of Divine Calction¡±bination card, Bai Yi¡¯s intuition and sudden insights had be incredibly urate.


    This sudden premonition was definitely not a false rm.He immediately put down his pen, his slightly widened pupils showing curiosity. ¡°Ah, let me see what¡¯s happening.¡±


    An invisible ethereal card rose in midair, with a figure in formal robes and crown drawing hexagrams in the void, as if consulting the Big Dipper.


    As the ethereal light dissipated, Bai Yi, seeming to have gotten his answer, blinked and suddenly opened his phone.


    ¡°¡­Ah, found it.¡±


    ¡°So someone is trying to ride on the poprity of the ¡®Sabbath¡¯?¡± Looking at the mystery exploration livestream program scheduled to begin in half an hour on the foreign website, along with its pre-released theme, Bai Yi could no longer contain himself as his smile grew wider and wider, ¡°This is truly a stage delivered right to our doorstep!¡±


    During the half hour before the program started, he skillfully logged onto hisputer and went through everyone¡¯s information, including both program team members and guests, whether it was public information or hidden content unknown to others¡ªby the way, the internalwork of the Extraordinary Forum, also known as the Shadow Forum, had already established quite aprehensive database. Sometimes he didn¡¯t even need to search himself, as he could easily find information about certain people in the Shadow Forum¡¯s database.


    In any case, when all the information about ¡°Andre,¡± one of the four guests, appeared before Bai Yi¡¯s eyes, he made his decision.


    ¡°¡­Since the stage has been set up by others, it wouldn¡¯t be right for the main character not to make an appearance.¡±


    At the distant end of the world, in the Green Autonomous Region.


    A jeep slowly drove through the road carved out of ruins toward a castle at the end. The sunset glow had imperceptibly faded away, and dark clouds piled upyer byyer across the sky.


    An ethereal scroll faintly appeared between heaven and earth.


    Two figures opened their eyes in the depths of the castle.


    ¡ªThis was the beginning of everything.


    Afterpleting the Art Realm instance, Bai Yi had exchanged for a collection of artworks, including the Death Gallery and the ¡°Sabbath.¡± During the time since then, he had invested quite a few points in exchanges to fill the non-existent Artists¡¯ Association¡¯s collection.


    ¡ªSince Joey was ying the role of #The Last Spirit Forger#, #The Last Administrator of the Artists¡¯ Association#, and #Just Awakened from Slumber to Recover the Association¡¯s Lost Collections#, props serving as the association¡¯s collections were indispensable.


    But those exchanged artworks varied in strength, and Bai Yi had ssified them ording to his own ideas.


    Special hazardous SSS-ss items like the ¡°Sabbath,¡± ¡°The Last Supper,¡± and ¡°Deity Beyond Dimensions¡±¡ªif carelessly released, would undoubtedly cause unimaginable mental contamination to those who encountered them during their cirction.


    Therefore, he only deployed artworks below A-ss to various parts of the world in advance, letting Joey slowly recover them while building up his legend degree in the process of collecting art.


    As for items ranked A-ss and above, he would often deploy them just moments before Joey arrived promptly to recover them before they could cause major impacts, such as the statue of the nameless and faceless god, also known as #Deity Beyond Dimensions#.


    The only exception among these was ¡°The Last Supper.¡± Since this painting was created by ¡°Joey¡± himself, he could choose to suppress the spirituality within the painting, allowing it to circte outside as an ordinary artwork for some time before slowly recovering it.


    Another special work was the ¡°Sabbath.¡±


    If ¡°The Last Supper¡± reached SSS-ss purely through Bai Yi¡¯s maniption of the painting¡¯s spirit, then the ¡°Sabbath¡± was undoubtedly an artwork that had spontaneously developed its own ¡°spirit.¡±


    As intelligent spirits, the ¡°Sabbath¡± would certainly understand its own origins. Bai Yi¡¯s fabricated script¡ªabout the rise and fall of Spirit Forgers, the frustrated Blue Star artist who turned to dark paths in the Age of the Decline of the Dharma to create the ¡°Sabbath,¡± the talent-depleted Artists¡¯ Association, and Joey who sealed himself in paintings to survive through the long Age of Decline before awakening in a new era¡ªthe spirits of the ¡°Sabbath¡± would surely know these were all false.


    Particrly regarding the origins of all artworks, which in Bai Yi¡¯s fabricated background were all created by former Spirit Forgers. While this wasn¡¯t an issue for other artworks since they couldn¡¯t step forward to prove whether the background was true or false, the ¡°Sabbath¡± was different.


    Therefore, he either had to keep this painting permanently hidden, or prepare beforehand to ensure the spirits within the painting would cooperate with Bai Yi¡¯s scripted background before releasing it.


    This led to two choices.


    Should he let the spirits know the truth that Bai Yi was manipting everything behind the scenes, willingly cooperating in his performance to deceive the entire world together? Or treat them as NPCs in the script from start to finish, making them believe Bai Yi¡¯s script was reality?


    Bai Yi chose the second option without hesitation.


    He could never expose his identity to anyone.


    To deceive the spirits within the painting and make them believe the script was reality required tampering with their memories.


    If they were real people, altering decades of memories would be extremely difficult, as the slightest oversight could leave holes in the details. Even with Joey¡¯s card specializing in mental maniption, Bai Yi didn¡¯t believe he couldpletely rece two living people¡¯s memories without leaving detectable ws.


    However, they were merely spirits born from a painting. After brief research, Bai Yi found a way to deal with them.


    This is where nightmare crystals came into y.


    ¡ªNightmare crystals could transform illusory scenes into reality, which meant that for nightmare products, nightmare crystals functioned simrly to how legend degree affected character cards, both essentially turning fiction into reality. In other words, nightmare crystals were like materialized legend degree, and they seemed to work on all props brought out from nightmares.


    Since the three ordinary cards [¡°Ghost in the Rainy Night,¡± ¡°Painting Spirit,¡± and ¡°Puppet Master¡±] could transform into extraordinary cards through legend degree¡¯s process of turning fiction into reality, then if Bai Yi wrote false backgrounds for items from nightmares and consumed enough nightmare crystals, could they also be reality?


    Bai Yi experimented, and the results satisfied him.


    He easily modified the ¡°Sabbath¡¯s¡± background using nightmare crystals.


    As a result, the spirits within the painting forgot their true origins. In their memories, the artist who created them was reced by a struggling painter from Blue Star nearly a hundred years ago who, after inheriting his family¡¯s Spirit Forger tradition, found himself restricted by the Age of Decline and unable to tap into his own spirituality. In pursuit of art, he went to extremes and sacrificed his wife and daughter, creating this painting infused with extremely distorted emotions.


    In the spirits¡¯ false memories, there were even dark memories of being locked in the Artists¡¯ Association¡¯s collection room for decades, blurry memories of sleeping within the painting after escaping the Artists¡¯ Association, and memories of receiving Mr. Worsey¡¯s unreserved sincere love andpanionship after he purchased the painting¡­


    Although all memories were hazy in the spirits¡¯ impressions, they considered this normal. After all, they had spent most of their time sleeping due to the restrictions of the Age of Decline.


    <em>[¡­Perhaps due to the revival of spiritual energy loosening physicalws and supernatural elements beginning to flow again, the spirits within the painting, previously restricted and dormant, suddenly awakened on this day.]</em>


    <em>[Upon awakening, they found themselves in an unknown castle, where a group of people entered, not only using their story as program background but also confidently iming they would uncover the truth behind the cursed painting.]</em>


    <em>[Unable to tolerate their beautiful past with Mr.Worsey being used as a program gimmick, and mistakenly believing themselves to be evil spirits sealed within the painting, they frantically resented all living beings.]</em>


    <em>[They unfurled the ¡®Sabbath¡¯ scroll, luring everyone into an illusory painted world, attempting to devour their blood and souls to strengthen their paper and paint.]</em>


    <em>[Their actions undoubtedly caused great panic in the outside world.]</em>


    <em>[¡­Shortly after devouring the first person, the awakened Joey found them, intending to recover the lost collection piece.]</em>


    <em>[Under Joey¡¯s guidance, the painting spirits, now understanding their true identity, developed human hearts and were no longer driven by resentment and madness. Realizing they still had infinite potential for evolution, Joey ultimately abandoned the idea of taking the ¡®Sabbath¡¯ back, hoping to witness the ultimate radiance of art he pursued someday in the future.]</em>


    ¡­


    Joey walked out of the castle.


    The dark sky, massive gathering clouds, and therge shadows enveloping the castle rapidly retreated into the distance the moment he opened the door, as if breaking the boundary between illusion and reality, or like a spread painting scroll being swiftly withdrawn.


    Then the real, clear sky unfolded, brilliant sunlight pouring down, illuminating the young man.


    His silk-like long hair gleamed like water.


    Looking through the open door behind him, there were three unconscious people, and Andre, who appeared horrifying andpletely lifeless.


    Joey¡¯s long eyshes flickered, and an extremely faint smile shed across his ssically beautiful face.


    ¡°Perfect! Everything has been aplished!¡±


    Meanwhile, in the distant apartment, the youth who put down his pen snapped his fingers joyfully.


    ¡ªWhen Andre¡¯s information appeared on hisputer screen, Bai Yi knew clearly that even though the painting spirits were dominated by resentment and hostility toward all living people, among a group of people, they would inevitably be most attracted to the most corrupted soul.


    Therefore, he wasn¡¯t worried about them harming innocents.


    Because ¡°Joey¡± would appear timely after they devoured the first soul, resolving their madness and chaos.


    In this grand performance, he had merely utilized what should have been disposed of as trash, allowing the two intended protagonists to achieve a sessful debut.


    Surely the horror of the ¡°Sabbath¡± would be deeply etched in people¡¯s memories, while Joey¡¯s unfathomable nature would leave an impressive mark.


    Now, countless people were probably racking their brains, trying toprehend deeply the script he had written.


    While doing readingprehension might be painful, having others do readingprehension of one¡¯s script was quite enjoyable.


    The youth at the desk stood up, pushed open the window, and gazed into the distance.


    ¡°Come, set your clever minds in motion, thoroughly explore the truth of the world I¡¯ve woven for you.¡±


    ¡°¡­Then, with the answers you understand, advance toward the direction I anticipate.¡±


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 Chapter 134

    When Joey walked out of the illusory castle, the first thing he saw were the Special Affairs Bureau investigators waiting nearby.


    When these people met the youth¡¯s calm gaze, they immediately became highly nervous, their faces tensing up.


    Just a short while ago, they had witnessed him casually breaching the Bureau¡¯s containment line, as if stepping into another dimension, and easily walking into the ¡°castle¡± that was invisible to them.


    And now, had it even been fifteen minutes? They watched as he walked out again nonchntly, with the previously vanished castle slowly materializing behind him. Through the open gates, they could faintly see figures moving inside.


    Such a short time, such a rxed demeanor ¨C as if he had just taken a quick trip to a convenience store. But those who had been watching the live feed the whole time, who had seen most of what happened through those extremely chaotic and distorted images, dared not think so simply.


    The cursed painting that could unconsciously alter human perception was already strange and terrifying enough in their minds. So how terrifyingly powerful must this youth be, who had so easily suppressed it?


    Moreover, judging by his demonstrated personality, he didn¡¯t seem like someone who would be easy tomunicate with¡­


    Joey¡¯s gaze swept across everyone¡¯s faces, easily guessing most of their thoughts from their expressions and eyes.


    Given his persona, he naturally didn¡¯t care about their looks. Since he had abandoned the idea of retrieving the ¡°thoughts¡± of the Sabbath, he should continue searching for other lost collections¡­ Besides, if he didn¡¯t make the first move, these people would definitely do so.In everyone¡¯s eyes, the youth wearing a short cape inst century¡¯s style and exuding a ssical air merely gave them a casual nce before continuing forward indifferently, clearly showing no intention of further interaction.


    The leader couldn¡¯t wait any longer. Despite his nervousness, he had to act. Taking a deep breath, he suddenly stepped forward to block the youth¡¯s path. ¡°Excuse me, Mr. Joey.¡±


    The youth paused slightly, raising his eyes to look at him.


    His beautiful and elegant appearance was highly deceptive, but Asa, having personally witnessed what had happened earlier, found it truly difficult to suppress the fear that ordinary people feel towards the unknown and mysterious. He could only hypnotize himself and disy a standard official smile.


    ¡°We¡¯re from the Chenxing Empire¡¯s Special Affairs Bureau. Director Chandler is on his way here and would like to meet with you. Please wait a moment before leaving. We hope you can ept this presumptuous request.¡±


    ¡°Chenxing Empire¡¯s Special Affairs Bureau?¡± Joey tilted his head. ¡°Is it simr to Yao Country¡¯s Investigation Division?¡±


    ¡ªThis persona had long known about the Investigation Division from Shi Cheng¡¯s words, but wasn¡¯t familiar with the Special Affairs Bureau.


    The person being asked paused briefly, then quickly nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right, we¡¯re the department responsible for handling extraordinary affairs.¡±


    As he replied, the elite Bureau member¡¯s mind instinctively began working. Could this mysterious extraordinary person have some connection to the Investigation Division? Had the Investigation Division already acted ahead of them and recruited him?


    ¡­Those cunning Yao Country people!


    Then they absolutely couldn¡¯t fall behind ¨C they must not allow such a powerful extraordinary to bepletely recruited by Yao Country!


    Moreover, if the information from the Spirit Forgers was true, this person should have belonged to their side in the first ce¡­


    Joey observed the other¡¯s expressions with interest, watching him go from frustrated to resentful, and finally to determined resolution. He found it quite amusing.


    ¡ªActually, as an elite Bureau member, Asa¡¯s expression management was very good, with no obvious emotional leakage. However, Bai Yi himself was extremely sensitive in this aspect, and wearing Joey¡¯s persona had enhanced this sensitivity even further. The emotional changes of ordinary people couldn¡¯t escape his notice.


    Thus, Asa, who was secretly determined to snatch the person back from the cunning Investigation Division, heard the youth in front of him smile and speak in a gentle yet irrefutable tone. ¡°Sorry, I refuse.¡±


    Asa, who had just made up his mind,pletely deted.


    He persisted. ¡°Um, may I ask why? We are approaching you with absolute sincerity, and the Director greatly admires your demonstrated¡­¡±


    ¡°My time is precious and can¡¯t be wasted here,¡± Joey replied airily. ¡°There are still many lost collections waiting for me to bring them back.¡±


    His attitude was too casual, seeminglypletely unconcerned about whether this might expose his background or weaknesses, or if others might exploit his care for those collections to set a trap.


    Noticing this point, Asa immediately felt he had found a breakthrough to recruit the other party. His heart soaring with excitement, he eagerly spoke. ¡°In that case, our Special Affairs Bureau can definitely help you, save you more time, and help you find all your collections¡ª¡±


    Joey slightly raised his eyebrows. ¡°Oh?¡±


    Asa held up his phone and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s like this ¨C I¡¯m not sure how familiar you are with live broadcasts, but I apologize that Worsey Castle was being live-streamed earlier. Even after the space became distorted, somehow the footage still got broadcast. So we identally overheard your conversation with those two Painting Spirits and have some guesses about your identity. Searching for lost items in an unfamiliar era might take quite some time on your own, but in this regard, the Bureau, which can quickly mobilize a nation¡¯s resources, can offer you the greatest convenience.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense,¡± the youth nodded slightly, seeming somewhat interested. But before Asa¡¯s smile could fully bloom, he heard the next words, ¡°However, prove to me first that you can do it.¡±


    Asa: ¡°¡­?¡±


    Before Asa could react, a small booklet had appeared in the other¡¯s hand, extended directly to him. ¡°This is the list of the Association¡¯s lost collections. The crossed-out ones have been found. Find at least one item, then we can talk.¡±


    Asa nkly epted the booklet.


    Joey naturally nodded to him and turned to leave.


    Finallying to his senses, Asa turned around, somewhat confused by the other¡¯s actions, and almost instinctively asked. ¡°Wait, where should we find you then?¡±


    Joey seemed to find his question rather stupid and paused for a second before saying, ¡°With your capabilities, just spread the word around, and I¡¯ll naturallye find you when I know.¡±


    With that, he left without further dy, brushing past the other.


    ¡­..


    ¡°Indeed, because Joey¡¯s persona isn¡¯t very approachable, they¡¯ve be more cautious in their approach? If he were purely a righteous character, they¡¯d probably be persistently pushing boundaries, maybe even trying moral maniption right now?¡±


    Bai Yi, behind the scenes, drew his conclusions after observation.


    ¡°Right now, the time from Joey¡¯s appearance in the castle to everything ending was too short ¨C so short that they received too much new information without enough time to integrate and analyze it¡­ So even if they met with that Bureau Director, it would probably just be meaningless recruitment attempts and superficial goodwill. Joey wouldn¡¯t be so easily moved by such shallow gestures¡­¡±


    ¡ªSo really, it would just be a waste of time.


    He silently calcted, seeing one possible future after another clearly unfold before him, but regardless of which direction things went, he had already prepared corresponding scripts.


    ¡°It will probably take some time, waiting until these people think they¡¯ve gathered enough information and made judgments after thorough consideration, before they approach Joey again. By then, it won¡¯t just be empty promises of goodwill.¡±


    ¡°If these countries¡¯ upper echelons think bigger, perhaps it won¡¯t just be the Bureau or Investigation Division alone appearing before Joey next time¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Now that would be interesting!¡±


    While various countries¡¯ extraordinary organizations were working overtime because of Joey,izens who knew nothing about this had already exploded with discussion.


    Ever since the evil spirits appeared on the exploration show, that strange livestream had captured worldwide attention, with countless people from other countries bypassing firewalls just to watch it.


    Just as Bai Yi had thought, this was indeed a grand stage.


    Only after the protagonist¡¯s exit did the ripples truly begin to spread.


    <em>[¡­So is this incident over? I¡¯mpletely confused. From the moment that ssical beauty appeared, the plot went wild like a runaway horse ¨C something about an Artists¡¯ Association, something about ¡®Sabbath¡¯, something about Painting Spirits, and that dizzyingly unclear battle process that seemed impressive but iprehensible. There are too many elements ¨C could some expert please exin?]</em>


    <em>[I¡¯m still dizzy and dazed ¨C those battle scenes were too blurry, too dizzying, and too mentally disturbing.]</em>


    <em>[I can¡¯t help but wonder, is the TV station¡¯s signal really that strong? It never dropped the whole time and even broadcast the illusory world inside the painting. I wish my WiFi was that stable.]</em>


    <em>[You¡¯re off topic. But I can probably guess ¨C it must have been the Painting Spirits¡¯ doing. They knew from the start this was being filmed, and not only didn¡¯t block the signal but let everything broadcast normally. They deliberately wanted to frighten us, making us all watch as the guests got their perception confused in the painted world and slowly became trapped there forever¡­ Isn¡¯t that terrifying?]</em>


    <em>[Agreed. They definitely wanted to show us what happens when you trespass in the castle! Given their previous behavior, that was absolutely their intention! The previous disappearances probably happened the same way. Hugging pillow and trembling]</em>


    <em>[TV crew member quietly revealing: The news about the disappearances was just hype created by the production team. We¡¯re certain that before this, the castle waspletely normal with no supernatural events. We weren¡¯t even sure if it was really called Worsey Castle, we just randomly applied stories we¡¯d heard. Really! We¡¯re all freaking out now too! Just now the director was taken away by some mysterious department¡­]</em>


    <em>[Oh snap!]</em>


    <em>[??? So they used evil spirits as a gimmick and got visited by real evil spirits? I can¡¯t help but say they deserved it¡­]</em>


    <em>[Since nothing happened at the castle before, you must have angered them by using Mr. Worsey and their story as a gimmick! Honestly, I also think they had iting.]</em>


    <em>[So to summarize: The production team got targeted for using others¡¯ stories as gimmicks, the enraged spirits went on a rampage, were stopped by the mysteriously appearing extraordinary person Joey, who seems to be from a supernatural organization called the Artists¡¯ Association. The cursed painting was one of their lost collections. Both sides seemed to have abilities rted to paintingsing to life, involving mental illusions and such¡­]</em>


    <em>[To be honest, the battle scene was so cool! Both elegant and bizarre! The ssical beauty was both strong and beautiful ¨C I¡¯m sold!]</em>


    <em>[The production team deserved it, but the spirits were truly cruel!]</em>


    <em>[From what they said, they¡¯re not evil spirits anymore and won¡¯t be controlled by hatred or kill indiscriminately, but these past two days of bloody scenes are enough to give me nightmares! I wake up screaming for help every midnight! Is it really okay to just let them go?]</em>


    <em>[Honestly, I agree on this point. If they truly aren¡¯t evil spirits controlled by hatred, but self-aware Painting Spirits who just want freedom and won¡¯t kill randomly, then keeping them locked up would be cruel. But didn¡¯t they already kill someone? And in such a cruel way ¨C skinning and bleeding them out! Even if murderers admit their mistakes and repent, they shouldn¡¯t be let go, right? Will they really not do it again?]</em>


    <em>[Wuwuwu our Andre suffered so terribly! Surely no one actually believes such cruel spirits won¡¯t kill again?]</em>


    <em>[Murder can¡¯t be forgiven, but what if the victim was scum?]</em>


    <em>[??? What do you mean? Is there gossip?]</em>


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 Chapter 135

    ¡°Bai Yi, Bai Xiaoxi, over here, over here!¡±


    When Bai Yi came downstairs carrying his cat, Xia Jiajia, who was crouching at the doorway, spotted him immediately. She waved enthusiastically and offered him a wrapped zongzi. (TL: rice dumpling)


    ¡°Have you had breakfast? Want one?¡±


    ¡°Sister Jiajia, you seem to have a lot of free timetely. You haven¡¯t been going to school either,¡± Bai Yi declined the zongzi and crouched down next to her with his cat. ¡°Are you nning to do your internship back in our Yuanyang City?¡±


    He casually made conversation while stroking the cat¡¯s soft fur. His eyes naturally narrowed and the corners of his mouth curved upward slightly as he became absorbed in petting the cat.


    From Xia Jiajia¡¯s perspective, the young man¡¯s content expression looked exactly like a catzily sunbathing after a satisfying meal. Combined with the actual cat lounging in his arms, it was a double dose of cat cuteness that instantly dealt a critical hit to Xia Jiajia, emptying her HP bar. She couldn¡¯t help but let out a soft ¡°wow.¡±


    Though quiet, Bai Yi heard it clearly.


    He tilted his head in confusion. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡­The emotional wavesing from her were clearly warm and pleasant, light and joyful, just like how he felt every time he researched different ways to cook fish and then ate it.¡°Uh¡­¡± Xia Jiajia quickly withdrew her hand that had almost reached out to pet the ¡°cat.¡±


    She certainly couldn¡¯t say something potentially creepy like ¡°Nothing, I just want to pet you,¡± and she definitely couldn¡¯t reveal her thoughts about wanting to dote on the little brother upstairs like a cat. Xia Jiajia was suddenly at a loss.


    Fortunately, she spotted her phone nearby and had a sh of inspiration. She spoke seriously. ¡°I just remembered some news I saw earlier. It really makes you sigh at how unfathomable people¡¯s hearts can be.¡±


    ¡°?¡± Though there was no evidence, I feel like you¡¯re making this up.


    Probably sensing Bai Yi¡¯s disbelief, Xia Jiajia picked up her phone, quickly navigated to her browsing history, and showed it to him, ¡°Look, it¡¯s this one. It¡¯s about the follow-up to the Cursed Painting incident in the Green Autonomous Region of the Chenxing Empire. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve been following it¡­¡±


    At this point, Xia Jiajia smacked her forehead. ¡°I¡¯m so silly! You must have been busy preparing for your college entrance exams recently. You probably didn¡¯t have time to pay attention to these things!¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve heard about that incident,¡± Bai Yi said, holding up the cat¡¯s paw and waving it at Xia Jiajia. ¡°But I haven¡¯t really followed what happened afterward. I¡¯ve been too busy.¡± Whether he was busy with exam preparation or other things was left to interpretation.


    The cat¡¯s soft paw waved left and right, and the cat cooperatively let out a gentle ¡°meow.¡± The young man¡¯s eyes immediately curved into an expression of extreme delight, causing Xia Jiajia to take another critical hit, making her thoughts of cat-doting stir once again.


    She silently scolded herself and decided to use a serious topic to wash away her improper thoughts. ¡°<em>Cough</em>, since you were in a special period before, it¡¯s right that you focused your energy on academics. As for the incident I mentioned, since you¡¯ve heard about it, I don¡¯t need to exin much. Although it happened in the Green Autonomous Region, people from other countries are all paying attention to this case, after all, this was an extremely bizarre extraordinary incident¡­ and that cursed painting is still missing. Everyone knows how terrifying that painting is!¡±


    As she spoke, Xia Jiajia¡¯s tone carried quite a bit of vignce ¨C the instinctive wariness humans have towards overwhelmingly dangerous things. ¡°So, I¡¯ve been following everything about the situation in the Green Autonomous Region. I haven¡¯t missed even the smallest development.¡±


    ¡°¡ªAnd I just got some first-hand gossip!¡±


    Her fingers quickly scrolled through her phone screen, pulling up all the rted news she had read over the past few days.


    Regarding this incident, while others merely experienced shock ¨C including the three rescued guests who suffered some psychological trauma but no major harm ¨C the most unfortunate victim was definitely Andre, a third-rate actor from the Chenxing Empire.


    ording to online sources, Andre had only recently gained recognition as a martial arts actor after breakthrough in his martial arts training, transitioning from being a stunt double. His poprity in the Chenxing Empire had been steadily rising over the past few months, building a fan base through his public disys of affection with his girlfriend on variety shows, where he cultivated an image of being a devoted boyfriend.


    ¡°His death was horrifically brutal, urring in front of all viewers. When his body was collected, it was reportedly unrecognizable, and worse still, there was no way to seek revenge against the killer. There were numerous news reports of journalists interviewing his family members, who were all devastated. His beautiful girlfriend, whether genuinely grieving or not, appeared haggard and depressed in front of the cameras, which actually increased her fan following,¡± Xia Jiajia summarized the aftermath sinctly.


    She continued. ¡°The incident generated such massive public interest that the victim¡¯s family and girlfriend received enormous attention. Given the tragic and unjust nature of his death, many people, including myself initially, couldn¡¯t help but sympathize with them. Fans in the Chenxing Empire were even making donations and nning a grand funeral for Andre¡­¡±


    ¡°However, rumors suddenly emerged that he wasn¡¯t the upright, gentlemanly, devoted boyfriend he appeared to be, but rather aplete scoundrel. Some sources imed his rtionship with his current girlfriend was purely for publicity, and they were both actually ying the field.¡±


    Initially, people didn¡¯t believe these rumors. The principle of ¡®speaking no ill of the dead¡¯ is universally respected. Without solid evidence, making negative ims about someone who had passed away was typically viewed as malicious nder.


    Seeing Xia Jiajia¡¯s animated expression while sharing this gossip, Bai Yi disyed an appropriately surprised reaction, which only encouraged her to share more.


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t known this foreign actor before, and only learned through following this drama that there had always been rumors about his two-faced nature and how he manipted his public image to deceive fans¡­¡±


    Xia Jiajia pulled up a news article from two months ago¡ª


    A woman iming to be Andre¡¯s ex-girlfriend hade forward to use him of abandonment. ording to her ount, they had dated for five years, during which she stood loyally by his side and had undergone three abortions for him. However, once Andre became famous, he abandoned her, ignoring hertest pregnancy. He secretly deleted all their chat history, destroyed all photos and other evidence, and even bribed the few friends who knew about their rtionship. Due to multiple previous abortions, another termination could have left her permanently unable to conceive, so she chose to keep the child and seek justice from Andre.


    At the time, this ex-girlfriend¡¯s social media ount was overwhelmed by angry fans.


    The other party involved ¨C Andre ¨Cpletely denied the imed five-year rtionship, stating they had only briefly dated recently before separating due to ipatibility. He said he would pay child support if the baby was his¡ªin Chenxing Empire¡¯s social context, while an unmarried pregnancy might affect a female celebrity¡¯s reputation, it wasn¡¯t considered serious scandal for male celebrities, especially when they were willing to take financial responsibility.


    Andre¡¯s response was very sincere, and he didn¡¯t even try to deny the possibility of being the father. Since the ex-girlfriend couldn¡¯t provide evidence of their alleged rtionship, fans refused to believe in the five-year secret romance. Instead, they viewed her as someone trying to gain fame through the child, with some even questioning the baby¡¯s paternity and her character.


    The unfortunate ex-girlfriend, being an ordinary person without fame, couldn¡¯t withstand the bombardment from so many fans and disappeared from the inte within days, falling silent.


    It was then that Andre announced his romance with E, cultivating his image as a devoted boyfriend, making people quickly forget about the previous drama.


    This matter should have ended there, but unexpectedly, after the Cursed Painting incident and Andre¡¯s death, what seemed to be a closed case took two dramatic turns.


    The ex-girlfriend emerged again, this time with recovered evidence of their five-year rtionship.


    Just from their chat records alone, one could see how a scoundrel gradually manipted his girlfriend, making her willingly undergo multiple pregnancies and abortions while giving him all her hard-earned money and helping him achieve his dreams through her connections.


    As Bai Yi¡¯s gaze swept across the screen, he saw several news headlines:


    <em>#Breaking! Andre¡¯s ex-girlfriend appears at funeral, reveals five-year rtionship records and bank statements#</em>


    <em>#Multiple female fans simultaneously expose rtionships with Andre, with ovepping timelines suggesting multiple concurrent affairs#</em>


    <em>#Rising star engaged in rtionships with multiple female fans within less than half a year of fame, including one underage girl#</em>


    ¡°Tsk, what an absolute scum!¡± Even having read the news before, Xia Jiajia couldn¡¯t help but shake her head again. ¡°I don¡¯t feel any sympathy for him now. He got off easy.¡±


    ¡°¡­After all, these things only came to light after his death.¡±


    Resting her chin on her hand, she mused thoughtfully, ¡°You know, we should really thank that expert who helped the ex-girlfriend and other fans recover all that evidence. Otherwise, this guy would have been buried with everyone¡¯s sympathy, his fans¡¯ love, and the status of a positive role model and victim.¡±


    ¡°No need for thanks ¨C protecting the environment is everyone¡¯s responsibility~¡± Bai Yi said cheerfully, waving the cat¡¯s other paw. ¡°I guess that¡¯s what that person was thinking?¡±


    ¡°Protecting the environment?¡± Xia Jiajia was confused for a moment before understanding his meaning. She couldn¡¯t help butugh, ¡°Ah, you mean taking out the trash? That¡¯s quite an apt metaphor!¡±


    ¡°Indeed, protecting the environment is everyone¡¯s responsibility,¡± she repeated earnestly, nodding firmly.


    ¡°¡­Because this scumbag¡¯s true nature was exposed, people are saying the Spirit in the Cursed Painting wasn¡¯t killing indiscriminately, but specifically targeted him. After all, everyone knows the story behind the painting¡¯s origin. Well, using your perspective, Bai Yi, once you ept that the Spirit in the Painting is just protecting the environment by cleaning up trash, it doesn¡¯t seem so scary anymore.¡±


    The young man beside her smiled and agreed. ¡°Exactly!¡±


    <em>[¡­The Spirit in the Painting, which should have lost all humanity and turned against its masters, hade to understand the human heart and was no longer driven mad by hatred, though the Cursed Painting¡¯s enhancement still required consuming more blood and souls.]</em>


    <em>[Having gained rationality, they decided to be selective with their targets, using the souls of scum as raw materials to enhance the Cursed Painting.]</em>


    It was as if invisible pages were turning in mid-air, revealing familiar dried writing.


    The young man¡¯s smiling eyes gazed into the distance, as if sensing something, and his smile deepened.


    ¡°Has the automatic garbage disposal system started working?¡±


    ¡°¡­So we no longer have to work so hard alone to protect the environment? Hooray!¡±


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 Chapter 136

    The sun gradually spread its wings across the sky, casting golden light upon the earth, making the clouds appear crowned with a goldenyer.


    Bai Yi and Xia Jiajia had enjoyed a pleasant time gossiping together. After all, gossip is sweeter when shared with someone else ¨C it would be quite unfriendly to gossip enthusiasts to have juicy stories but no one to tell them to.


    After satisfying her desire to share gossip, Xia Jiajia suddenly remembered to ask, ¡°Oh right, it¡¯s not even a school day, why did you leave home so early? Do you have something urgent? I hope I¡¯m not taking up your time?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. I have an appointment to meet an elder. Sort of like a grandmother who watched me grow up,¡± Bai Yi answered with a light smile while stroking Bai Xiaoxi in his arms. ¡°¡­But it¡¯s still early before the appointed time, so there¡¯s no rush.¡±


    ¡°Besides, today¡¯s date is somewhat special.¡±


    ¡°Special date? Is it some holiday I don¡¯t know about?¡± Xia Jiajia curiously checked her calendar, ¡°June 16th¡­ I don¡¯t see anything special¡­¡± she muttered to herself, then suddenly remembered something, ¡°Ah, I just recalled, tomorrow is Teacher Gu¡¯s death anniversary.¡±


    Bai Yi paused slightly when she mentioned ¡°Teacher Gu.¡±


    Thinking he didn¡¯t remember, Xia Jiajia exined, ¡°You know, Teacher Gu who died in that car identst year. I only realized his death anniversary wasing up because I ran into his parents at a nearby flower shop yesterday evening. Seeing the elderly couple buying flowers for the memorial made me remember¡­¡±


    ¡°What a coincidence,¡± Bai Yi responded casually.¡°I thought so too,¡± Xia Jiajia sighed, her tone bing mncholic. ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Gu have changed so much. Having lost their only son, and for some reason cutting ties with Tian Yin, it breaks my heart just seeing them like that¡­¡±


    Even someone as carefree as her couldn¡¯t help but feel the impermanence of life.


    ¡°I had almost forgotten about that incident. Has it really been a year¡­¡± Bai Yi responded without any emotional fluctuation internally.


    He felt no guilt about the consequences of removing what he considered garbage. Just as he had always been clear that since he single-handedly initiated the spiritual awakening, many people¡¯s fates had changed because of him. While not all changes were necessarily positive, he, being rather self-centered in a sense, wouldn¡¯t feel any moral disturbance about it.


    <em>¡®Should the first person who discovered fire and shared it with others be responsible for whether people use it to cook meat or burn down forests?¡¯</em> he thought to himself.


    ¡°Yes, a year has passed without us even noticing,¡± Xia Jiajia, unaware of the truth, couldn¡¯t help but sigh.


    ¡°A year ago, no one could have imagined how much the world would change in such a short time. The spiritual awakening, the spread of martial arts, the emergence of extraordinaries, the appearance of mystical objects ¨C I feel like this single year has been more exciting than my entire twenty-one years of life! Who knows what changes are still toe, whether that mysterious extraordinary Joey who appeared a few days ago will make another big move, or about the legendary Flower Speaker and the generous Hanguang Sword Master¡­¡±


    She couldn¡¯t help but put her hands behind her head, looking up at the sun-dyed sky, dreamily contemting. ¡°¡­Thinking about it this way, the future suddenly seems full of unknowns.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± The young man beside her suddenly stood up from his crouching position on the steps, putting on a profound expression.


    Facing Xia Jiajia, he began performing, speaking not in Yaonguage but in the Chenxing Empire¡¯snguage, which was particrly suitable for opera and dialogue. The words weren¡¯t obscure, at least not for these two.


    ¡°This is the most chaotic era, where the old order has yet to copse, and the path of the new era has yet to take shape. To those strivers about to emerge, the dice of fate have been cast, the future destiny lies in your hands¡­¡±


    A breeze passed by, lifting the hem of his coat and his fluffy, slightly curly ck hair, brushing past his pale yet deeply smiling eyes. The young man seemed to be on a stage, emanating an inexplicable charisma, appearing not at all awkward.


    In a deep, theatrical narrative tone, he recited:


    ¡°As for the mediocre ones who merely drift with the tide of the times¡­¡±


    Bai Yi suddenly raised the cat in his arms high, like lifting a scepter of victory, or crowning a young king, and eximed, ¡°Hail the coronation of the new era¡¯s king!¡±


    ¡°¡ªMeow!¡±


    The cat, lifted high, showed no fear or panic, but instead cooperated perfectly with a well-timed meow. Xia Jiajia could even sense the same arrogance on the cat¡¯s face as the young man¡¯s, making the synchronization between the two cats even more apparent.


    Xia Jiajia: ¡°¡­¡± Amazing!


    ¡­Both were incredible ¨C Bai Yi for being able to improvise such fitting lines without any awkwardness, and Bai Xiaoxi for being so perfectly in sync with its master.


    Xia Jiajia¡¯s expression gradually changed from confusion to astonishment toplete amazement. After being speechless and stunned for a few seconds, she could only express her emotions through apuse.


    <em>p p p p p!</em>


    With this distraction, she indeed forgot to ask why today¡¯s date was special. The reason was actually quite simple.


    ¡ªJune 16th was Bai Yi¡¯s birthday.


    A year ago, the Nightmare Game system had descended upon him the day after his 17th birthday. On that same day, someone had lost their life in a car ident not far from his home, which was also rted to him.


    While that person¡¯s parents and family were plunged into tremendous grief and despair over their death, Bai Yi¡¯s life, which had been haunted by nightmares for years, had just encountered a turning point and hope.


    Hope and despair had arrived so precisely at the same time.


    And behind it all, the orchestrator was surprisingly the same person.


    Reflecting on it now, Bai Yi still had an indescribable feeling, as if fate had been determined from the moment of his birth, and ¡°that person¡± who deployed the system seemed to have deliberately chosen this day. Thus, everything that happened to him wasn¡¯t coincidental.


    This feeling became even more apparent after meeting the old director.


    Because he received something from the old director.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Bai Yi epted the gift from the old director, along with another item that appeared to be a locked, worn notebook. He suddenly had a guess.


    ¡°These are things your mother left for you¡ªa diary she wrote while pregnant with you, before you were born. She always wanted you to read it when you grew up,¡± the old director¡¯s words confirmed his guess. ¡°Because of her mental health issues, I wasn¡¯t sure what she wrote, and I worried it might affect you if you read it when you were too young and your values weren¡¯t fully formed, so I kept it until now to give to you.¡±


    The old director gazed tenderly at the young man before her.


    ¡°Happy birthday, Xiao Yi!¡±


    ¡°¡ªFrom today on, you¡¯re an adult!¡±


    The old director continued speaking, but Bai Yi wasn¡¯t really listening.


    His gaze was fixed on the air, seemingly focused on a point where distorted text visible only to him appeared.


    Only after bidding farewell to the old director did he have a chance to look closely.


    <em>[Special prerequisite item obtained.]</em>


    <em>[Nightmare Game version update countdown: 60 days.]</em>


    <em>[After the version update, the system willplete aprehensive upgrade, and the host will have the opportunity to unlock creator privileges.]</em>


    ¡°What¡¯s this¡­¡±


    After a moment of silence, the young man suddenlyughed.


    ¡°So all that talk aboutpleting special reality tasks to get the chance to obtain special prerequisite items, and needing special prerequisite items and so many points to trigger a version update¡­ it was all lies!¡±


    His smile grew wider, as if he had realized some shocking truth. ¡°No matter how many times time repeats, as long as I reach my eighteenth birthday, I would always receive the diary from the director.¡±


    ¡°And before this, no matter how many tasks Ipleted or how many points I umted, it would have been impossible to get the special prerequisite item¡­ So the version update timing was fixed from the beginning,pletely unaffected by anything I did!¡±


    He fell into thought, ¡°¡­Then what was the point of the system constantly mentioning conditions for the version update? It couldn¡¯t have been just to toy with me. Rather, it feels more like repeatedly emphasizing and hinting at how crucial the version update is, to prevent me from being caught off guard in the future?¡±


    Though he received no answer, Bai Yi seemed to already know the truth. He looked straight ahead, speaking with certainty:


    ¡°¡ªBecause the version update isn¡¯t actually under your control. It¡¯s a destined fate that must arrive at this time.¡±


    ¡°¡­Just like how theing of the Returning to the Void isn¡¯t under your control either, but rather the inevitable end this universe must face.¡±


    ¡ªSo, what¡¯s the connection between these two?


    The answer was actually quite obvious already.


    ¡°Hahahahaha!¡± Bai Yi suddenly burst intoughter.


    Countless people on the street looked at him with bewildered expressions.


    But this didn¡¯t affect the youth¡¯s neuroticughter at all.


    Sometimes he seemed very concerned with maintaining his ordinary high school student persona, but other times he would suddenly actpletely out of character, like his earlier impromptu performance in front of Xia Jiajia.


    It seemed maintaining this persona was just a little game to amuse himself during his boring life of constantly listening to the rhythm of all things, which he could stop at any time.


    ¡°¡­How very interesting, creator of the system!¡±


    He no longer referred to the system¡¯s creator as his future self.


    ¡°Not revealing the truth beforehand, were you worried I¡¯d be traumatized and give up? Could another Bai Yi have actually fallen because he couldn¡¯t adapt to the sudden arrival of the nightmare game¡¯s new version? If so, I think we should revoke his Bai Yi membership first¡ªyeah, I¡¯m already embarrassed for him.¡±


    As hisughter subsided, he began talking to himself,pletely lost in thought.


    ¡°¡­In any case, that definitely wasn¡¯t my future self!¡±


    <em>[Your existence itself contains countless possibilities.]</em>


    The system, which had been silent and ying dead, finally reappeared, probably because Bai Yi¡¯s words touched on key points.


    ¡°¡­I see!¡± Bai Yipletely understood.


    Since the Returning to the Void was the inevitable end of all things, even if the bnce of the Heavenly Way would grant a glimmer of hope, this hope would necessarily be infinitesimally close to zero. Even if Bai Yi was born as the source and hope of countless worlds, it didn¡¯t mean he would definitely seed.


    ¡ªThat thread of hope he possessed was still extremely weak, while the possibility of stepping into destruction was infinitely high.


    But regardless, this thread of hope truly existed.


    If one were to project this world¡¯s fate onto infinite timelines, then among the countless timelines, the results would inevitably all be destruction, destruction, destruction, destruction¡­ But no matter what, there must be one timeline leading to rebirth.


    ¡ªAnd thispletely extraordinary system perhaps came from those infinite timelines, from the fundamental power left behind by countless failed Bai Yis, ultimately converging into this system.


    ¡°System, your essence is actually a special Principle of All Things, right? Able to cross timelines, able to materialize special real power from dead nightmare worlds¡­ You are the Principle of All Things that Bai Yi masters? Or rather, the Principle of All Things that I willprehend someday?¡±


    ¡­However, to reach that level, to master the Principle of All Things, ¡®I¡¯ would probably be considered a god.


    <em>[The system¡¯s essence is the Principle of All Things.]</em>


    <em>[The core rule is to forge truth from falsehood.]</em>


    <em>[Even if the host fails in the future and cannot prevent the arrival of the Returning to the Void, the system will be further strengthened on this timeline. After integrating with the Principle of All Things that the host willprehend in the future, the new system will provide greater help to the host of the next timeline, until ultimate sess is achieved.]</em>


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying¡ªI¡¯m not that psychologically fragile, nor are other versions of me. Always using gaming terminology to disguise the purpose, calling the arrival of the Returning to the Void a version update¡ªit turns out it wasn¡¯t worry about me being traumatized by discovering the Returning to the Void¡¯s approach, but to hide that #I¡¯m just one of infinite possibilities#. Rather than being the incarnation of hope to save everything, it¡¯s more likely I¡¯m just a stepping stone for the birth of true hope?¡±


    ¡°¡­Actually, saying it¡¯s hiding isn¡¯t quite right either. It¡¯s more like wanting me to discover this truth on my own, what a twisted sense of humor.¡±


    Bai Yi mercilessly criticized other versions of himself.


    But his face showed no dejection at realizing the truth. Instead, he revealed an extremely excited and motivated smile.


    ¡°Ha, I¡¯mpletely fired up! Indeed, only I understand myself. Simply saving the world is really boring!¡±


    ¡°Rather, now¡­¡±


    ¡°I have no interest in being a cheat code for other Bai Yis.¡± Bai Yi suddenly smiled, ¡°System, at your current level, who knows how many timeline possibilities you¡¯ve merged with?¡±


    ¡°Bing the most special one among so many Bai Yis¡ªjust thinking about it is super interesting!¡±


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 Chapter 137

    Chapter 137


    The sudden realization of the world¡¯s truth and understanding that he could be just another lost possibility at any moment was no less shocking than discovering oneself as a disposable side character meant to power up the protagonist, rather than being the main character of a young adult story as initially believed.


    While some might find this reality devastating, it didn¡¯t negatively impact Bai Yi¡¯s spirit at all. Instead, he became more excited. It felt like discovering an intriguing hard mode after ying through what seemed to be an overly simple game. Even his seemingly boring role as a savior had be interesting.


    ¡°My existence is an eternal surprise ¨C that¡¯s what life is,¡± he mused.


    On his way home, Bai Yi casually flipped through his birthday gift ¨C not the diary from Bai Xin, but rather a collector¡¯s edition poetry anthology from the old director. Seeing the marketing tagline ¡°Essential Inspirational Poems for Today¡¯s Youth¡± on the cover, he suspected this was exactly why the director had bought it.


    The director, unsure of what children liked these days and having never noticed any particr preferences from Bai Yi, always gave him such positive, uplifting gifts. Perhaps her lingering memories of his past made her worry about his emotional state?


    As Bai Yi leafed through the anthology, that line caught his eye immediately. He recited it softly, feeling a peculiar emotion. It was indeed a good poem.


    The thought passed quickly as the visible countdown reminded him to take action, even if it meant making moves that might seem extreme to ordinary people. After all, he aimed to be the most extraordinary version of Bai Yi.


    Just then, Bai Yi sensed something. A distant connection gently touched his consciousness ¨C countless surging waves of faith. If previously they had merely flowed around him like quiet streams, now they were boiling and churning.


    ¡°This level of intensity rivals a major ceremony,¡± he thought.Driven by curiosity and indefinable anticipation, he closed his eyes. Ripples appeared in mid-air, slowly sketching out an ethereal card invisible to ordinary people. The young man in the flower field smiled.


    In the illusory spiritual realm, different from reality, countless points of faith surged toward him at the pinnacle like celestial stars, making the endless flower field even more luxuriant. Below the flower fieldy soil fertilized by despair and misfortune.


    Bai Yi¡¯s consciousness spread along those infinite points of faith. In a familiar sensation, his spirit seemed to suddenly float from his body, lifted higher and higher by an invisible force until he could look down upon the world below.


    He recognized the source of this flowing faith ¨C


    ¡°It¡¯s the Holy Federation, as expected.¡±


    Although the Flower Speaker¡¯s alternate identity was constantly active worldwide, collecting countless people¡¯s despair and misfortune to nourish the flower field, the Holy Federation undoubtedly had thergest concentration of his followers. While other regions had only scattered, independent believers, here someone had unified them, establishing a dedicated sect that continued to expand.


    Looking down through the flow of faith in his ¡°divine¡± state, Bai Yi could see faith flowing in every city of the Holy Federation except the Holy City, though even it had been partially infiltrated.


    Countless scenes floated before his eyes: the orderly gold-red buildings of the majestic Holy City; sprawling slums filled with low houses, chaos, and noise; bustling metropolises where various races mingled;rge harbors with crescent-shaped beaches stretching into endless azure waters; lush green wilderness with ancient forests; small chapels with rainbow-colored domes resonating with children¡¯s choir songs¡­


    Elite members of high society, poor people struggling to maintain dignity despite decent clothes, zealous and devout clergy, young and beautiful maidens¡­ These drastically different scenes andpletely unrted people mysteriously merged together across every city in the Holy Federation, performing identical prayer rituals simultaneously.


    Such a scene could never have been orchestrated without an extremely powerful figure behind it. Even the Sun Temple¡¯s ceremonies were limited to the Holy City alone.


    These people¡¯s clothes were spotlessly clean, bearing no holy symbols but instead featuring various flower patterns. Even where the sun emblem should have been on their chests, blooming flowers took its ce,pletely separate from the Sun God¡¯s followers¡­ Yet their expressions and postures would appear utterly devout to any Holy City resident, exactly like the faithful they knew.


    Clearly, they had no elements rted to the Sun God, and their prayer ritual was entirely different from the Sun Temple¡¯s prayers to the Sun God.


    The ceremony spread across the Holy Federation urred simultaneously in every city. As countless prayers rose at once, in another dimension beyond reality, the young man in the flower field opened his eyes.


    His spirit looked down from the high heavens, seeing countless devout faces and hearing prayers flowing continuously through invisible threads of faith.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s him again, or rather, of course it¡¯s him.¡±


    Samuel ¨C the founder of the Candlelight Society, the extraordinary person who had captured all cults within the Holy Federation and transformed all cultists into zealous followers of the Flower Speaker.


    Since the Candlelight Society¡¯s establishment, the Flower Speaker had often sensed continuous faith and prayers from the Holy Federation.


    Originally, Bai Yi had let this flow naturally, paying it no attention ¨C he was just an ordinary high school student, after all, and had no interest in being some evil deity.


    But now, his perspective had changed.


    Everything valuable and useful was worth utilizing ¨C perhaps they would all be key elements for future sess.


    So, he¡¯d start with the ¡°Flower Speaker.¡±


    ¡°To carve out a second faith within the Sun God-worshipping Holy Federation, no, more like usurping the Sun Temple¡¯s authority ¨C what a terrifying person.¡±


    ¡°Someone like this couldn¡¯t possibly be insignificant¡­¡±


    ¡°Samuel? The archangel who betrayed the Sun God in the Holy Federation¡¯s scripture ¨C what an interesting name choice. With such fervent faith in me and fanatical expansion of the Candlelight Society, what could your purpose be?¡±


    ¡°Let me see¡­ the misfortune and desires buried deepest in your heart¡­¡±


    With these whispered words, the deity¡¯s gaze turned toward that most special follower. Everything about them opened up to him.


    Soon, the young man in the flower field let out a soft sigh of understanding.


    ¡°I see!¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ve seen your determination.¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t hurt to give you a bit of hope first¡­¡±


    In some unknown location within the Holy City, at the front of the crowd, a man in pure white robes who had been praying silently suddenly trembled, then raised his head. Others followed suit.


    A mysterious, ethereal force seemed to descend, washing over their souls like clear water, cleansing away all anxiety and distracting thoughts, leaving their minds extraordinarily clear and peaceful.


    Simultaneously, a soft sigh echoed:


    ¡°Such devout desire, such unwavering determination¡­¡±


    ¡°And hope born from intense misfortune and despair¡­¡±


    ¡°¡ªI have heard your wish.¡±


    A breeze seemed to sweep through the Holy City, causing flowers to bloom everywhere instantly.


    Samuel, his face hidden beneath a hood, suddenly opened his eyes. In his pupils, a virtual space seemed to ovep with reality. The real flower field merged with the illusory one, and the mysterious flower shop surrounded by endless flowers emerged in the depths of the virtual space. Its closed doors slowly opened to him¡­


    In that moment, understanding dawned on him and tears streamed down his face. He instinctively prostrated himself, offering the highest respect to this merciful deity¡ª


    ¡°¡­Oh omnipotent Lord!¡±


    ¡­¡±No, I¡¯m just an ordinary flower shop owner.¡±


    ¡°Resolving the sorrow and misfortune of those destined toe here, using despair and misfortune to nourish seeds of hope ¨C this has always been my desire.¡±


    Deep in the flower shop, the mysterious owner casually crossed his hands in front of him, showing an ordinary smile.


    ¡°Flowers are meant to convey happiness, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°However, to fulfill your wish, you need xtraordinary power that transcends the boundary between life and death¡­¡± In the youth¡¯s palm, an ethereal seed kept trying to materialize but never quite solidified. ¡°And a seed that might grant its owner extraordinary power requires unimaginable nourishment just to be born. Individual misfortune and hope are far from enough¡­¡±


    ¡°¡ªIt needs to gather more people¡¯s misfortune, and even more¡­ heartfelt hope and desire from others.¡±


    ¡°More people¡¯s misfortune? Should I create more misfortune myself¡­¡±


    This thought appeared in Samuel¡¯s mind immediately but was rejected the next second.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s wrong. I misunderstood.¡±


    Thinking of how he had gathered so many believers for thisrge prayer ceremony, he suddenly understood, almost trembling. ¡°I should seek out more people who have experienced misfortune and desire extraordinary power¡­ They will be thembs who share in divine grace with me!¡±


    After contemtion, Samuel¡¯s expressionpletely rxed. Having realized something, he lowered his head devoutly.


    ¡°¡­Lord, I shall spread your name.¡±


    In mid-air, the ethereal card slowly dissipated, and the youth in the flower field closed his eyes again, seeming to fall asleep, with only a faint flower fragrance lingering in the air.


    The boy slowly opened his eyes. In the depths of his ck pupils, there seemed to be an astonishing divinity ¨C for this moment, he seemed beyond human.


    But quickly, that divinity rapidly faded.


    He closed the inspirational poetry book and showed anotherpletely lighthearted smile.


    Bai Yi cheerfully hummed a tune, hopping along the pavement home. ¡°La, all done!¡±


    The Flower Speaker situation could basically run on autopilot now¡­


    ¡°Next, I should continue Joey¡¯s script. Let me think, what should I do next?¡±


    Quickly switching to another identity, Bai Yi finally remembered what he needed to do. ¡°Speaking of which, the Chenxing Empire seems to have found several collections and contacted me through the newspaper, right?¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 138

    June 17, 2025, in Silver City, the City of Stars.


    The Central Museum, Silver City¡¯srgest museum, recently acquired a batch of precious collections. This news had been featured for three consecutive days in the Morning Star Times, the newspaper with thergest cirction, and generated considerable discussion online. Although no images of the collections were released to the public, some basic information was avable, including the types and names of certain items.


    These happened to match the list of missing items Joey had provided. If he saw them, he would be able to guess their origin.


    At one o¡¯clock in the afternoon, a distinctively dressed visitor arrived at the entrance of the Central Museum, which had been closed to the public recently.


    He appeared to be around 22 years old, dressed in a somewhat vintage style with a neat linen shirt and a miniature ck cube-shaped button fastened at his shoulder. A ssical short cloak was attached to his back, with silk-like ck hair flowing down along the cloak. He wore men¡¯s boots, a style rarely seen nowadays.


    He reminded people of the mysterious mages from fantasy stories.


    The young man¡¯s gaze at his surroundings was undoubtedly that of a stranger, like any first-time visitor to this city. After just a nce at the Central Museum¡¯s entrance to confirm he hadn¡¯te to the wrong ce, he walked straight toward the museum doors.


    The surrounding crowd parted like the sea around him, everyone unconsciously ignoring him while instinctively making way when meeting him face to face.


    Thus, he walked in a straight line to the museum entrance.Joey looked up at therge characters spelling ¡°Central Museum¡± above the door, nodding slightly as if confirming again he hadn¡¯t made a mistake. His gaze then lowered to the tightly closed doors.


    ¡°¡­¡± Though he didn¡¯t say anything, his calm, contemtive expression clearly showed he was considering how to open these sealed doors.


    The first impression he gave was¡­


    It wouldn¡¯t have seemed out of ce if he had blown the doors open the next second.


    Fortunately, someone appeared just in time to save these poor doors.


    ¡°Mr. Joey, you¡¯ve finally arrived!¡±


    A delighted voice suddenly rang out. Joey turned around to see a figure quickly darting out from behind a tree near the entrance, speaking with the excitement of a starving dog finally seeing a meat bun. This person rushed to him with superhuman speed, barely restraining himself from grabbing Joey¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s you?¡±


    Joey looked at the suddenly appeared person with unruffled calm, suspiciously pausing for three seconds before recognizing that this pitiful corporate ve with thick dark circles under his eyes was someone he had met once before.


    Asa did look very different now.


    Slightly messy hair, thick pandas eyes typical of overworked employees, multiple creases on his gray suit shirt that couldn¡¯t be smoothed out¡­ Joey¡¯s gaze swept over to the vehicle discreetly parked at the corner of the museum near therge tree, and his expression became even more peculiar.


    This guy couldn¡¯t have been staking out in the car for several days, could he? As he thought this, Asa¡¯s next words confirmed his suspicion. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting here for you for three days. I¡¯m d you finally showed up. I was worried you hadn¡¯t seen the news or received our message.¡±


    ¡­So, because they couldn¡¯t be certain when and where he would appear, the Bureau had sent people to stake out at different locations? And this Central Museum, which they had deliberately mentioned in the news, was indeed the most likely ce Joey woulde to, so they specifically assigned Asa, who had previous contact with him, as an ¡°acquaintance¡±?


    The Bureau¡¯s higher-ups had really thought this through. Though it was quite pitiful for this panda-eyed corporate ve ¨C even if others took turns keeping watch with him, he probably couldn¡¯t rest properly these past three days with such an important task. And now he had to be so attentive in front of Joey, the very cause of his suffering¡­ <em>tsk</em>. Was this what it meant to be an adult in society?


    After three seconds of fake sympathy in his mind, ¡°Joey¡± silently raised the rolled-up newspaper in his left hand and calmly replied.


    ¡°I saw your announcement in the Times. I never expected the Times would flourish for so many years and even be one of the Empire¡¯s top newspapers. I was quite surprised when I saw it at the news stand.¡±


    Your tone doesn¡¯t sound surprised at all¡­ Asa silently criticized while instinctively analyzing the information revealed in Joey¡¯s words.


    ¡­In his impression, or rather during his active period, the Times must have been a fairly famous newspaper, but hadn¡¯t yet reached the top tier.


    ¡­So probably 80 to 100 years ago, which was when the Times began its rapid development.


    ¡­And during the intervening decades, he must not have paid attention to worldly affairs, hence his ignorance of the Times¡¯ development. Was he isted from the world, or in some kind of sealed slumber?


    Asa¡¯s brow twitched significantly.


    ¡­Indeed, he really was a mysterious figure from the old era! The Bureau¡¯s internal spection hadn¡¯t been wrong!


    His attitude became even more cautious as he gestured and led the way for Joey. ¡°Since you¡¯re here, please get in the car. The Director has been looking forward to your arrival.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m somewhat looking forward to it as well,¡± Joey smiled, following him to the inconspicuous car parked at the museum¡¯s corner.


    ¡­..


    Half an hourter, after winding through the city streets, the car finally arrived at a highly secretive special club.


    Bai Yi, wearing Joey¡¯s vest, watched as Asa presented a membership card and expertly greeted the receptionist, who didn¡¯t even nce at them before leading them through a hidden corridor to a certain room.


    This was clearly not the Special Affairs Administration Bureau¡¯s headquarters or any of its branches, but rather seemed like the kind of secret venue politicians would choose for their tacit exchanges of interests. However, this didn¡¯t surprise Bai Yi.


    How to put it? He actually had a feeling this was exactly what he expected.


    ¡ªThis indicated that the other party wasn¡¯t representing the Chenxing Empire this time, but rather meeting Joey in a more personal capacity, or solely as the Director of the Special Affairs Administration Bureau, before other high-ranking officials of the Chenxing Empire became aware.


    ¡ªHe wanted to show goodwill to Joey in a personal capacity, at most representing the Special Affairs Administration Bureau as an independent organization to establish connections with Joey, without wanting other forces to get a piece of the pie.


    After two light knocks, an authoritative middle-aged male voice came from inside. ¡°Come in.¡± Asa opened the door and gestured to the young man behind him, ¡°Mr. Joey, please.¡±


    As the door slowly opened, Joey¡¯s view became unobstructed, and his gaze met a pair of blue-gray eyes.


    Joey chuckled softly and walked in with ease.


    Asa didn¡¯t enter, thoughtfully closing the door from outside.


    Waiting in the room was a middle-aged man approximately 45-50 years old, but unlike most men his age, he didn¡¯t have a potbelly. Instead, he possessed an agility umon for his age. His cor was buttoned to the top without a single wrinkle, and even while sitting, his posture was ramrod straight. His fingers naturally hung at his sides, and one could faintly see the thick calluses formed from years of handling guns on his inner palms¡­ Many details fell into Joey¡¯s eyes in an instant, making him immediately understand¡ªdid this leader of the Chenxing Empire¡¯s Special Affairs Administration Bureau have a military background?


    And just as Joey was observing the Bureau Director, Chandler was simultaneously observing him,paring the person before him with the analysis provided by various Bureau experts.


    Vintage clothing, mixed-race features, an air of subtle incongruity with the times, elegant but not overly formal manners, never stating his surname and no family crests appearing on his clothes or works¡­ Likely born to a well-off middle-ss intellectual family in thest century, not nobility, or perhaps a fallen noble family that didn¡¯t care about honor and fame¡ªthetter possibility was lower, and after seeing him in person, the second spection could be ruled out.


    ¡ªSo, he was born to a middle-ss family in thest century, well-educated, art-loving, held a high position in the mysterious extraordinary organization known as the Artists¡¯ Association, and was an extraordinary who had been isted from the outside world for decades for unknown reasons before emerging.


    ¡°Mr. Joey, I¡¯ve long heard of your reputation, and finally have the opportunity to meet you today.¡±


    After pondering in his mind for what was probably just half a minute in reality, Chandler gave a simple greeting. The long-haired young man sitting across from him nodded with a smile and responded, ¡°Mr. Chandler.¡±


    He didn¡¯t bother with polite social pleasantries and went straight to the point. ¡°For you to dare meet me in person, I must say I¡¯m impressed by your courage.¡±


    After that livestream, everyone knew his path was in the spiritual system, and he could potentially control minds like the Curse Painting. For the leader of an extraordinary organization to dare meet him in person without fearing mental maniption showed remarkable courage indeed.


    Understanding the implied meaning, Chandler replied candidly, ¡°It would be dishonest to say I¡¯m not concerned at all. However, upon careful consideration, I have no grudge against Mr. Joey, and Ie with sincere intentions to connect. I believe you¡¯re not the type to trample on such sincerity.¡±


    As he spoke, he suddenly pressed something on the table¡¯s edge. A section of the wall beside them opened, revealing a cab containing neatly arranged items: a scroll painting, several pages of handwritten musical scores, two slightly worn musical instruments, and one each of a wooden and stone carving.


    ¡°These are the items I¡¯ve found within the Chenxing Empire based on your list of lost items. Given the short time frame, this is all we¡¯ve located so far. They¡¯re yours to take back now.¡±


    Chandler made a generous gesture indicating Joey could take everything.


    Despite having anticipated this, Joey was still slightly surprised by such a straightforward approach. ¡°You¡¯ll just let me take them? Though these are indeed lost items from the Artist Association, finding them must have required considerable effort. Whatpensation would you like?¡±


    Chandler seemed to have expected this question and simply smiled. ¡°Nopensation is necessary. Gaining the friendship of a powerful Spirit Forger is worth more than anypensation.¡±


    His meaning was quite obvious. Yet this direct attempt at alliance and goodwill was hard to dislike. After all, this was the result of multiple experts¡¯ strategic nning ¨C his every word and action today came from their collective advice.


    Therefore, the long-haired young man only showed slight surprise before revealing a knowing smile. Perhaps won over by Chandler¡¯s forthright manner, he didn¡¯t mind revealing some information about himself, letting the other party know their investment was worthwhile. ¡°Let me correct you ¨C it¡¯s the friendship of thest and only Spirit Forger in this world.¡±


    Chandler was genuinely stunned.


    This revtion waspletely unexpected.


    But after the initial shock came immense joy.


    They had won the gamble! Not only had they won the lottery, but they¡¯d hit the jackpot!


    ¡°Thest and only Spirit Forger?¡± Chandler repeated, barely containing his excitement at this unexpected information.


    ¡°Ah, but I prefer to be called an Artist. The ancient title of Spirit Forger feels somewhat ufortable. Even two hundred years ago, when the Artist Association was established, few people used that term anymore.¡±


    A hint of nostalgia shed across the young man¡¯s face, quickly reced by an inexplicable anticipation.


    In his pitch-ck eyesy meaning that was difficult toprehend.


    ¡°People nowadays may not understand what it truly means to be an Artist, but that¡¯s alright. I will make the world witness again what the highest form of art that true Artists should pursue really is!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    One petal, two petals, three petals, four petals¡­ In the hallway outside the room, Asher stood guard at the door, mindlessly staring at the floral patterns on the opposite wall, counting repeatedly in his mind until his head started to feel drowsy.


    Just when he was about to doze off from counting, the tightly closed door suddenly opened. He didn¡¯t know what the two people inside had discussed, but judging from their expressions, it must have been a positive oue.


    Asa shook his head to clear the floating flower patterns from his mind. Seeing Joey and Chandler walking toward the door one after another, he quickly took a few steps forward, ready to receive any orders.


    At that moment, Asa heard his superior¡¯s voiceing from the room. It carried a gentleness he had never heard before, and even contained traces of respect, which made Asa wonder if he was dreaming or hallucinating.


    ¡°Mr. Joey, please wait a moment.¡±


    Under Asa¡¯s bewildered gaze, his superior suddenly called out to Joey who was about to leave, and produced an exquisitely crafted invitation from somewhere, extending it to him.


    ¡°¡­This is an invitation to the annual ceremony from the artistic nation of Rnd Kingdom. Please ept it ¨C you might find it interesting.¡±


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 Chapter 139

    Chapter 139


    The sky was clear and bright, its azure canopy like a deep ocean reflected above, stretching endlessly toward the horizon. It epassed undting mountains beneath, forests deep as indigo, and majestic ssical castles sprawling through the verdant woonds.


    Frost had not fully melted, leaving streaks of white across thend. Despite being June, the northern Rnd Kingdom felt like early spring.


    In terms of national strength, Rnd Kingdom was merely a third-rate small country. However, in the realm of arts and culture, this nation, renowned as the Country of Arts, held a special position throughout Blue Star.


    As Blue Star¡¯s most art-and-elegance-revering nation, it gathered the world¡¯s most prestigious music schools and various other art academies. Countless artistic powerhouses emerged from here.


    The ¡°Moonlight Temple,¡± symbolizing the highest hall of arts, was located in Rnd Kingdom¡¯s capital. Innumerable artistic medals originated here, including the ¡°Silver Moon Medal¡± ¨C the highest honor all Blue Star artists dreamed of.


    Even beyond medals and awards, simply having the opportunity to hold a personal concert or private exhibition at the Moonlight Temple was a lifelong wish for countless artists.


    ¨CThis meant they had been recognized as supreme among their peers ¨C from then on, their fame would spread throughout the world.


    Someone had once conducted a rather pointless survey that concluded: Rnd Kingdom citizens, immersed in art since childhood, surpassed all other Blue Star nations in average artistic cultivation and achievement.


    ¨CThis became a point of pride for Rnd Kingdom ¨C at least in this field, they had beaten countries with stronger economies, more advanced technology, and greater national power.Since then, Rnd Kingdom increasingly emphasized its strengths. From top to bottom, their focus on arts only grew, creating the strongest artistic atmosphere on Blue Star. Many parents who discovered their children¡¯s artistic talents would, if possible, send them to study in Rnd Kingdom from an early age.


    Outstanding artists in various fields received treatment far exceeding other countries and enjoyed special status difficult to obtain elsewhere. For instance, ennoblement ¨C Rnd Kingdom was Blue Star¡¯s only nation that granted honorary titles to artists and cultural workers.


    Though extremely difficult to obtain ¨C only Silver Moon Medal recipients qualified, and there were barely thirty recipients to date ¨C and though these titles were honorary with no real power, and though noble status was declining with time¡¯s progress, bing a symbol of obsolescence¡­ Nevertheless, it represented status and honor. In the feudal era centuries ago, it would have been an unreachable peak formoners, a goal families strived for generations to achieve.


    Imaginably, Rnd Kingdom held tremendous appeal for Blue Star¡¯s artistic practitioners, attracting countless talents to this small nation.


    Even randomly selected pedestrians could discuss various artistic fields knowledgeably, reciting famous Blue Star painters and musicians like familiar acquaintances.


    These factorsbined created Rnd Kingdom¡¯s intensely artistic atmosphere. Cultural customs bore artistic hallmarks, and city streets teemed with wandering singers, painters, musical groups, sculptors¡­ along with various events held in cities of all sizes, and numerous art-rted festivals.


    Of all festivals and celebrations, the grandest was the annual Year Festival, hosted by Rnd Kingdom¡¯s royal family.


    The reason for holding the Year Festival in June was simple ¨C it marked when the new Rnd Kingdom held its first celebration after the world-spanning war that ended over fifty years ago,memorating the war¡¯s end and the nation¡¯s rebirth.


    Since then, this tradition continued. This annual celebration became known as Rnd Kingdom¡¯s Year Festival.


    This small nation, once teetering on the brink of destruction during the war, not only survived but was reborn from the mes. After over fifty years of development, it became the globally recognized Country of Arts.


    The Rnd people took indescribable pride in this. When the Year Festival arrived, countless people would flood into the capital to participate in this nationwide celebration, releasing their joy and passion through artistic performances in a uniquely Rnd way. Artists from around the world would never miss this grand gathering.


    Rnd Kingdom¡¯s Year Festival was more free-spirited than most imagined. On this day, the entire capital became a stage for performances.


    Any alley, street corner, riverside, station, dock, park, za ¨C one could see festival participants everywhere. Some held exhibitions disying personal sculptures on the streets, others set up easels to paint on the spot, individual bands performed outdoors in parks, while impromptu singing and dancing urred everywhere. Children, specially dressed up adorably by their parents, acted as flower children, distributing Rnd¡¯s national flowers to every passerby¡­ In short, from the moment one entered the Rnd capital, everywhere one looked, everyone participated in this grand feast in their own way.


    Joey silently walked through the capital¡¯s busiest crowds.


    The special invitation from Chandler would allow him direct entry into the Moonlight Temple to enjoy that night¡¯s first-ss concert. This was one of only two annual open days at the Moonlight Temple, and every artist performing there was reportedly a Silver Moon Medal candidate, or at least of that caliber.


    However, even without entering the Moonlight Temple, the sights along the way were already an extraordinary experience.


    This was truly a paradise that art lovers dreamed of.


    ¡°Hey, young man, look here!¡± someone suddenly called out loudly while waving, making sure Joey saw him before asking, ¡°Interested in being my temporary model?¡±


    The speaker sat by the roadside with messy medium-length hair and scraggly beard, revealing only deep blue eyes, his age difficult to determine. He held a paint-stained brush, with a fresh nk canvas on the easel before him.


    Beside him, seven or eightpleted paintings were disyed in a row, drawing quite a crowd of admirers. Judging by the number of people attracted, his skill level was clearly quite good. Hearing the artist¡¯s words, some viewers turned curious nces toward Joey.


    After the Cursed Painting incident and given Joey¡¯s striking appearance, theoretically no one in the world shouldn¡¯t know his true identity. But as he walked, everyone who saw him showed no special reaction beyond admiring his looks, as if he weren¡¯t a mysterious extraordinary. This was naturally due to the mental suggestions Joey continuously projected affecting everyone.


    The artist clearly hadn¡¯t recognized his identity either, but was attracted by the young man¡¯s mysterious ssical unique aura. He eagerly rose to meet Joey, and the closer he got, the more his deep blue eyes zed with enthusiasm.


    He circled Joey like a cat discovering dried fish, sighing almost obsessively. ¡°The moment I saw you, my inspiration began flowing endlessly. Just your presence here is like art manifesting in reality! Please, you must be my muse for today!¡±


    Joey approached under his persistence, neither agreeing nor refusing, but unexpectedly picked up a brush and asked. ¡°May I try? I suddenly feel interested.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Duzuo was stunned at first, then quickly recovered, showing a hearty smile as his deep blue eyes curved, ¡°No problem, so you¡¯re also an artist? Hey, feel free to use it, today¡¯s a day for everyone to celebrate freely, no one would refuse such a request.¡±


    He pointed to the park entrance where energetic singing and dancing drew attention. ¡°Even if I pulled you to join them now, they¡¯d only wee you warmly!¡±


    Indeed, as he spoke, more and more attracted passersby joined the vibrant dance performance at the park entrance.


    Joey raised the brush and began painting on the canvas.


    He was quiet andposed while painting, his ck hair falling from the side of his face, hiding eyes as quiet as night, emanating an indescribable unique aura.


    People were unconsciously drawn to watch from beside him.


    The deep purple sky dome was like an inverted deep sea, with drifting yellowish clouds like whales passing through, distant mountains painted deep crimson like solidified red ink, and under melting frost, the white forest faintly revealed dreamlike rainbow-colored branches, leaves and flower buds, like rainbows reflecting off frost. Then there were buildings melting like chocte in the snow, and blurred crowds, with every person showing different colors, from hair to fur to clothing, like walking rainbow candies¡­


    At least twenty distinguishable colors appeared on the canvas, many used in ces most wouldn¡¯t think to apply them.


    ¡°Well, your color choices¡­ they¡¯re really childlike!¡± Duzuo unconsciously gaped before finally uttering these words.


    How to put it? The other¡¯s basic painting skills were much stronger than his ¨C before coloring, it was an absolutely perfect realistic line drawing. But after coloring, it quickly moved toward the impressionist school. All sorts of bold coloring he wouldn¡¯t dare imagine created a chaotic yet enchanting, illusory yet strange feeling throughout the entire painting.


    Joey didn¡¯t specifically imbue spiritual energy while painting, relying purely on technique, so this was currently just an ordinary painting. Without mobilizing spiritual energy to drive the painting¡¯s spirit, Joey, being colorblind,cked normal coloring ability and colored purely by feeling.


    As a result, Duzuo found it difficult to judge whether this painting was excellent or terrible. The unparalleled painting techniquebined with childlike colorbinations left him caught in contradiction and confusion.


    ¡°That¡¯s too euphemistic, what do you mean ¡®childlike¡¯? This is clearly child-level scribbling,¡± a blunt voice suddenly rang out from behind.


    Another young man pushed through the onlookers, showing disapproval. ¡°As they say, painting is an art requiring talent. Those without talent shouldn¡¯t waste their time!¡±


    The suddenly appearing person had cat-like deep green eyes radiating obvious arrogance.


    Ignoring Joey beside him, he seemed to havee over after hearing Duzuo¡¯s words and immediately fired at him, his tone quite discourteous.


    ¡°Duzuo, I can¡¯t stand your fake way of speaking. This false encouragement only misleads mediocre people, making them mistakenly think there isn¡¯t a vast talent gap between them and true geniuses, wasting time pursuing what they can never achieve in their lifetime, wrongly chasing impossible goals! Better to let them face reality from the start and choose a path suitable for them.¡±


    Jo-the-mediocre-person-without-talent-ey: ¡°¡­?¡±


    ¡°Grant, you¡¯re going too far¡­¡± Duzuo instinctively nced at Joey, seemingly worried he¡¯d be hurt by those words.


    But he quickly realized his action was inappropriate and swiftly withdrew his gaze, staring displeasedly at the sudden arrival. ¡°Not everyone pursues the peak of their field. Simply loving to paint and painting freely is enough.¡±


    ¡°Heh. And then waste time producing worthless paper that won¡¯t sell?¡± Grant mocked mercilessly.


    For some reason, after speaking he also nced at Joey, exining in a somewhat stiff tone. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about you. I¡¯m talking about certain people who don¡¯t know their limits¡­ Well, anyway, you¡¯re not a painter, you don¡¯t make a living from painting, your current level ispletely fine.¡±


    Jo-expelled-from-the-ranks-of-painters-ey: ¡°???¡±


    ¡°Um, are you alright, young man? Actually, Grant wasn¡¯t targeting you, he was targeting me,¡± Even after the young man had left, Duzuo watched the continuously silent Joey, suspecting he¡¯d been hurt, and hurriedly exined, ¡°Though it¡¯s not good to discuss others¡¯ privacy, please don¡¯t misunderstand him. His father was exactly the type of overambitious painter he mentioned, never sold a single painting, had to rely on his wife to support the family, andter spent his days drinking. Grant was badly influenced from childhood¡­¡±


    ¡°I heard about this from others. Because he identally discovered me encouraging juniors without talent to persevere and not give up, he¡¯s always disliked me¡­¡± He vaguely said a few words, not sharing too many private details with the unfamiliar Joey.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m fine,¡± The previously silent Joey suddenly smiled slowly, enunciating each word, ¡°Ipletely, don¡¯t, misunderstand.¡±


    Duzuo: ¡°¡­¡± Really? In a manga, this smile would definitely indicate turning evil, right?<hr>


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 Chapter 140

    How did things end up like this?


    Duzuo stood in the cold spring wind, lost in thought.


    Not far from him was an outdoor pottery exhibition, where Joey waspletely absorbed in pottery-making, along with the exhibition owner who was watching Joey¡¯s deep immersion in the craft.


    The two were enthusiastically discussing topics that Duzuo couldn¡¯t understand at all.


    Earlier through conversation, he had learned that the other person was named Joey (even though he heard this name, he still hadn¡¯t realized this was that extraordinary person), a tourist from out of town.


    Out of guilt for causing the other person to suffer Grant¡¯s verbal attack, and his own fascination with this mysteriously charismatic young man¡ªdon¡¯t misunderstand, this wasn¡¯t any inappropriate fascination, it was just that artists are naturally drawn to muses that inspire them, just as cats can¡¯t resist the tempting smell of dried fish¡ªanyway, Duzuo had volunteered to be a one-day tour guide, leading this foreign tourist to properly explore Rnd Kingdom and fully experience the Year Festival.


    As for after the festival, perhaps seeing how dedicated he was as a guide, the other person might think he was a good person and be willing to be his one-day muse¡­ that would be perfect.


    Soon, Duzuo discovered that this mysterious tourist was an art enthusiast with extremely broad knowledge. No matter where they went or what exhibitions or activities they encountered, the other person seemed able to participate¡ªas Joey put it, as long as it involved art, regardless of the type, he knew a thing or two about it.


    The two went along, ying and exploring. Wherever they met people, Joey could seamlessly join in, bing friends with others in an instant.When they encountered street musicians performing, he could borrow their bass guitar after just a few words and join the performance;


    When they saw art students from a nearby academy showcasing their work, he could offer insightfulments that had others nodding in admiration;


    Upon discovering a sculpture exhibition, after getting the owner¡¯s permission, he pulled out a pocket carving knife from somewhere and went ¡°swish swish swish¡± on an uncarved stone in a flurry of movements,pleting a piece without even needing to change tools for different carving techniques.


    And so, a series of strange scenes unfolded¡ª


    The street musician unknowingly had their rhythm led astray by him¡ªthough every note was technically correct, somehow a sad love song ended up stirring intense passion.


    The singer, after finishing, fell into deep self-doubt, questioning their life choices as if realizing for the first time how terrible they were. Seeing the situation turning bad, Duzuo quickly pulled Joey away;


    The art students,pletely conquered by his talent, modified their works on the spot. While the final results indeed had stronger impact and more striking visuals, they might as well switch to impressionism now¡ªthe colorbinations were so bizarre that one look would make people lose their sanity.


    A teacher passing by saw the student¡¯s fresh work and suspected they hadn¡¯t been paying attention in ss at all, ruining his reputation. They berated the student until they were like a dead fish. Once again seeing things going wrong, Duzuo pulled Joey away;


    In the fairy tale fantasy section, among sculptures of mermaids, fairies, and pegasus, suddenly appeared a demon head sculpture that shocked the originally happy children visiting the exhibition. The culprit,pletely unaware, even went up to the children asking for their opinion. Being confronted with the demon face, the children immediately burst into tears.


    By now very experienced, Duzuo quickly pulled Joey away just before the children showed signs of crying.


    After simr incidents repeated N times, when Joey once again dove into the pottery exhibition and happily made pottery, Duzuo waspletely done.


    He stared at the pottery pieces taking shape in the other¡¯s hands as if watching a bomb being molded, feeling it might explode in his face at any moment¡­ How exhausting!


    Despite all this, Duzuo didn¡¯t seem to consider that he could avoid all these exhausting troubles by simply parting ways with Joey, this chance acquaintance.


    He had gradually realized that this strange young man indeed possessed extraordinary artistic talent.


    Perhaps this talent often went against popr aesthetics and didn¡¯t conform to conventional standards, but it existed nheless. Just as art doesn¡¯t cease to be art just because some people don¡¯t acknowledge it, and beauty doesn¡¯t need everyone¡¯s appreciation to exist.


    Although throughout their journey, he had heard many negative critiques of this talent, such as ¡°Your technique is at its peak, but your paintingsck soul,¡± ¡°The emotion contradicts the music itself, you¡¯ve twisted the musician¡¯s original intent,¡± ¡°It¡¯s pure technical showing-off, like a chef creating the most nutritious dish while ignoring its taste,¡± ¡°Pure chaos and malice, is there even a trace of positive emotion in your work?¡±¡­ While there were indeed many masters at the Year Festival, all of high caliber, Duzuo didn¡¯t agree with their assessments.


    If he had been like those people, only catching a glimpse of one of Joey¡¯s works, perhaps he would have made simr judgments. But as he followed along and saw more, he gradually realized that the other¡¯s works weren¡¯t so ordinary¡ªthey had formed a unique style.


    The more he saw, the stronger this feeling became. Something indescribable and elusive seemed hidden in the works, something Duzuo had never encountered before.


    Sometimes he even felt these works possessed living souls.


    He was like someone with leaves covering their eyes, asionally getting a glimpse when a corner was lifted, but before seeing the truth clearly, the view would be blocked again, over and over.


    This must be because a truly talented artist has appeared before me, but my level isn¡¯t high enough to fully appreciate this talent, only vaguely sensing it¡­ That¡¯s what Duzuo thought.


    Therefore, instead of being scared away by all the strange troubles, after another escape with Joey, he extended an invitation. ¡°Would you like to join the night parade concert tonight?¡±


    ¡°Night parade concert?¡± Joey was surprised at first, then remembered his special invitation and that he couldn¡¯t bring guests. He asked curiously, ¡°Do you have a special invitation to the Moonlight Temple?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, I couldn¡¯t even go myself,¡± Duzuo quickly denied, saying regretfully, ¡°Every student at the Rnd Art Academy wishes they could go.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about the spontaneous public concert,¡± he exined his earlier words. ¡°It happens simultaneously with the Moonlight Temple concert. The whole cityes alive, and everyone, regardless of age or gender, can freely join to form a band that parades through the entire city. This is Rnd Kingdom¡¯s unique Year Festival celebration, happening only once a year.¡±


    ¡°¡­Even those invited to the Moonlight Temple can¡¯t resist joining in. They can leave the parade at the Moonlight Temple stop, just in time for the concert.¡±


    ¡­


    At dusk, the night parade concert that Duzuo had been eagerly anticipating began its prelude.


    <em>Dong¡ª</em>


    From the highest tower in the central square, melodious bell sounds pierced through the heavy, intoxicating clouds, spreading across the entire royal capital.


    The sunset stered across the sky was like an almost-ripe egg yolk on a tablecloth, gently pierced by twilight¡¯s knife and fork, letting rich orange colors flow out. The unique colors of dusk stained the entire sky, slowly flowing toward the earth.


    This bell sound seemed to awaken countless people.


    In the orange-tinted city, from everymunity, every street, every open door, cheering crowds poured out like flowing water. Under the watchful eyes of police and royal guards maintaining order on both sides of the streets, they converged like rivers flowing to the sea, eagerly setting out on the parade route.


    Harmonicas, violins, bagpipes, flutes, saxophones¡­ mixed musical sounds rose in the flowing dusk.


    The sound was chaotic at first, but after a while, it became increasingly coordinated and harmonious. Even when people joined midway, they didn¡¯t disrupt the rhythm at all.


    Listening carefully, one would recognize it as ¡°Ode to Peace,¡± the most widely spread song in Rnd Kingdom. Itsposer had passed away, but after first appearing at the Year Festival following that war¡¯s end, it quickly entered every household, bing the Rnd people¡¯s favorite piece.


    Among the crowd, folk musicians stood on prepared carriages, performing as if on stage, while countless people surrounded the vehicles as they moved forward.


    Along every street they passed, new people constantly joined in, making the parade procession grow longer and longer. Yet despite the crowds, there was no chaos¡ªinstead, everything moved with rhythm, like music itself.


    Viewed from above, one could see the dragon of gathered humanity winding through the entire royal capital. Among the sea of people were slowly moving carriages. As thest rays of duskpletely faded and moonlight descended upon thisnd, under the moonlight, they appeared like the Moon Goddess¡¯s chariots, patrolling this kingdom of music.


    Countless musical notes seemed to dance in the moonlight.


    But at some point, perhaps when someone joined the parade, starting from a certain point in this long dragon of people, the smooth and elegant musical rhythm suddenly took on a strange vor. Then, like falling dominoes, this altered rhythm quickly spread, influenced, and infected other directions from this point. Though none of the notes were wrong and the melody was still ¡°Ode to Peace,¡± something just felt off no matter how you listened to it.


    The cheerful music suddenly turned eerie. Even the surrounding moonlight seemed to take on an inexplicable, obscure hue.


    In that strange music, every building¡¯s shadow and every deep patch of grass seemed to hide unnamed monsters, silently watching everyone.


    The only one who sensed something amiss, Duzuo confusedly lowered his harmonica and looked puzzledly at Joey, who was seriously ying the erhu beside him. Then he looked at everyone else immersed in their performance,pletely unaware that someone had altered their rhythm. A strange thought suddenly popped into his mind.


    ¡­Could everyone have been infected by some kind of ¡°Joey¡± meme virus?


    Before he could think further, in the increasingly eerie music, the parade procession had unknowingly arrived near the Moonlight Temple.


    Joey reluctantly lowered his erhu and sighed with regret. ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll have to leave the parade temporarily.¡±


    Duzuo was stunned for a moment before understanding. As he watched the young man¡¯s silhouette walk into the Moonlight Temple, he actually felt a great sense of relief. Now that the source of the eerie music meme had left, surely they could return to the normal ¡°Ode to Peace¡±?


    He brought his harmonica back to his lips and took a deep breath.


    ¡ªThe notes that floated out were still filled with an eerie quality.


    Duzuo fell intoplete confusion and despair.


    <em>¡­Wait, how was the original ¡°Ode to Peace¡± supposed to be yed again?</em>


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 Chapter 141

    ¡°As expected of the Moonlight Temple¡­¡±


    Anyone visiting this ce, revered worldwide as the supreme hall of art, couldn¡¯t help but make such an exmation. Joey was no exception.


    Poetic, magnificent, dreamlike¡­ all imaginable words could seamlessly describe this ce.


    The lighting floating around was softer and hazier than moonlight. Through the dome at the highest point, one could even see the starry sky outside, with starlight from billions of light years away falling on his head.


    It made one feel as if they were in a dreamy cosmic space.


    At this time, the grand ensemble of the music parade had been isted outside. The moment one stepped into the Moonlight Temple, it was like leaving extreme noise and mor to suddenly enter a quiet world.


    People gradually broke away from the parade procession like Joey, entering the Moonlight Temple either before or after him. These people also fell into momentary silence upon entering, just like Joey, but for different reasons¡ª


    ¡°¡­What just happened? What did I do?¡±


    ¡°¡­Was that eerie ¡®Ode to Peace¡¯ really yed by me? I must have been possessed!¡±¡°¡­Everything was normal before, when did it go wrong? Oh no, I can¡¯t even remember how the normal ¡®Ode to Peace¡¯ should be yed¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh? You too?¡±


    Amidst the dejected and frustrated whispers, people quickly discovered others in simr bizarre states, and both familiar and unfamiliar individuals couldn¡¯t help but discuss this topic.


    Joey overheard two people walking in front of him exchanging words, discovering that neither could find their normal musical rhythm in the short term. After some bewildered muttering, these two spoke in extremely heavy tones.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know who that person was who first led the rhythm astray. Now even when I try to recall familiar tunes, the first version that ys in my mind is the ghostly rhythm version. This is maddening. We can only hope that after listening to this concert, we can find our normal aesthetic sense again through truly wonderful music!¡±


    ¡°¡ªWe definitely can, this is the Moonlight Temple after all! Anyone who can hold a concert here must possess extraordinary musical talent. They¡¯ll surely help us rediscover our appreciation for beautiful music!¡±


    Hearing this, Joey, walking behind the two, couldn¡¯t help but interject. ¡°Isn¡¯t that going too far? Weren¡¯t we all immersed in it just now? What do you mean by finding normal aesthetic sense? There¡¯s no normal or abnormal when ites to appreciating music. As long as it can immerse people, that proves music¡¯s charm.¡±


    The two people, suddenly interrupted, were initially displeased, but upon turning to see Joey clearly, their displeasure quickly dissipated.


    The young man before them was at most 22 years old, carrying a ssical artist¡¯s air that matched perfectly with the Rnd Kingdom, his quiet and beautiful features devoid of any aggression, instead appearing quite naive.


    ¡ªJoey¡¯s appearance, temperament, and his seemingly ever-emanating hidden spiritual waves always made people feel favorable towards him, unconsciously lowering their guard.


    The two strangers, who thought they weren¡¯t much older than him, showed a hint of affection in their eyes and shook their heads with a sigh. ¡°Young man, you¡¯re still under the influence, aren¡¯t you! Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t say such things.¡±


    Joey: ¡°???¡±


    His expression made the two misunderstand even more deeply, making them more worried for him. ¡°Surely no one with normal aesthetic sense would appreciate that ghostly music from earlier? Young man, wake up! Don¡¯t let your aesthetic sense be led astray! Quick, quick, let¡¯s take our seats, the concert is about to begin, you can still be saved!¡±


    Joey: ¡°No, I don¡¯t think I need saving¡­¡±


    ¡°No, you do. Word has it that the first performer at the concert is a newly famous musical prodigy from the Rnd Kingdom, possessing unparalleled musical talent. Not even 30 years old and already having the opportunity to perform at the Moonlight Temple¡­ And I have inside information ¨C it¡¯s an original piano piece. They say the masters who¡¯ve heard this piece gave it extremely high praise. It will surely help correct your aesthetic sense, young man!¡±


    ¡°Yes, very soon, once you witness this musical prodigy¡¯s performance, you¡¯ll definitely rediscover your appreciation for music and understand what truly deserves to be appreciated!¡±


    Joey: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll make sure to appreciate it properly.¡± After a silence, amidst their enthusiastic rmendations, he showed an excessively gentle smile, drawing out his final words, ¡°¡­I hope it won¡¯t disappoint my expectations.¡±


    Twenty minutester.


    Joey: ¡°¡­Is this it?¡±


    The concert had begun, and in the quiet Moonlight Temple, only piano notes more serene than moonlight echoed softly. Almost everyone was already immersed in this moonlit atmosphere.


    Only Joey sat stoically in his seat, his pitch-ck eyes suddenly snapping open from theirzy half-closed state, looking at the person at the piano on stage with a gaze sharper than a de.


    If Duzuo were present now, he would hardly believe that this Joey was the same tourist and art enthusiast he had met earlier. His entire demeanor had changed.


    ¡°This is what they call a genius performance? The real music that¡¯s supposed to correct my aesthetic sense?¡± With a sneer, Joey suddenly stood up from his seat, his gaze sweeping around before settling on the person on stage, his tone bing impatient, ¡°How utterly disappointing! And here I was hoping to rx a bit before handling business¡­¡±


    His action jolted people out of their musical immersion, and they looked at him strangely, with some wanting to tell him to sit down. The young man on stage seemed affected too, his brows furrowing slightly as he missed a beat, though he quickly recovered his rhythm. This only made others more displeased with Joey.


    Joeypletely ignored everyone¡¯s gazes andints, keeping his eyes fixed on the performer as he continued, ¡°Let me tell you, finding someone else¡¯s unpublished manuscript somewhere and gleefully iming it as your own, using others¡¯ work to package yourself as musically talented¡­¡±


    As he spoke, the young man¡¯s face changed slightly,pletely losing his rhythm. The audience members who had beenining about Joey¡¯s disruption suddenly understood something, bing dumbfounded.


    Then they heard Joey continue his merciless attack. ¡°¡­And a group iming to gather the world¡¯s top musicians couldn¡¯t even notice this talent thatpletely mismatches the person, couldn¡¯t see through this so-called genius¡¯s true ability, actually letting him appear in this supposed supreme hall of art, polluting my ears ¨C how outrageous!¡±


    <em>BANG!</em>


    A heavy piano strike echoed through the hall.


    The young man on stage couldn¡¯t hold back anymore, standing up abruptly to face Joey. ¡°Sir, please¡ª¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t even giarize properly, turning a devotional hymn to the divine into a child¡¯s gratitude song to parents, and you have the nerve to correct my aesthetic sense!¡±


    Joey raised his eyelids disdainfully, pointing at the other person as he spoke, his tone emanating arrogance and wildnesspletely at odds with his beautiful appearance.


    ¡­Wait, when did I ever say I would correct your aesthetic sense?! The fear of sudden exposure made someone¡¯s heart sink like ice. But Joey¡¯s seemingly baseless usations also made him feel inexplicably wronged and angry yet confused. Just as he was about to make excuses¡ª


    <em>Whoosh¡­</em>


    A Spirit Forger¡¯s poweres from emotions, will, and spirit. The moment Joey pointed at him, an imaginary, formless wild wind seemed to sweep out from Joey as its center, affecting everyone with his unconsciously leaked intense emotions, making them lose themselves in this storm surge of spirituality.


    Mockery, weariness, contempt, arrogance, and deep boredom¡­ The young man on stage suddenly turned pale, his gaze bing increasingly dazed, as if consumed by some hollow, empty emotion. He staggered backward rigidly, his body bumping into the piano, his elbow pressing down on the keys creating a heavy note.


    <em>DONG¡ª</em>


    The people swept up in that invisible spiritual storm finally regained slight consciousness. In this brief moment of rity, they saw the long-haired young man who had somehow already reached the stage raise one hand.


    His palm faced upward, releasing a floating ck cube.


    ¡°¡­To worship such a person as a true musical genius, to regard hispletely misinterpreted music as sacred sounds of purification, such standards are truly disappointing.¡±


    The cube slowly rose, rotating in mid-air to reveal its 5¡Á5¡Á5 ck faces, continuously flying toward the starry sea above the dome, growingrger andrger in everyone¡¯s sight until it blocked all starlight from the dome, plunging the entire Moonlight Temple into lightless darkness.


    Amidst the chaotic exmations, only Joey¡¯s voice remained unaffected, still calm and matter-of-fact¡ª


    ¡°Music, painting, everything else¡­ rigid, closed-minded, conservative, no innovative development at all, and unable to embrace aesthetics different from the mainstream. Is this what you call the country of art? Boring, boring, so boring!¡±


    ¡°Let me tell you all¡­¡±


    ¡°¡ªIt¡¯s time to experience true art!¡±


    Meanwhile, outside the Moonlight Temple.


    The musical parade wandered through the royal city¡¯s streets. Duzuo, who had tried hard but still couldn¡¯t recover from the influence of the ghostly music,pletely gave up.


    Looking at others who seemed oblivious to this, listening to everyone¡¯s ensemble of ghostly music, his face gradually lost all expression.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m tired, just destroy it all, hurry up.¡±


    The next instant, moonlight vanished as ck shadows enveloped the earth. Everyone looked up dumbfounded, horrified to see a strange cube descending from the sky above.


    ¡°¡­Don¡¯te over here!¡±


    Just beforepletely losing consciousness, Duzuo let out a confused cry, ¡°No, that¡¯s really not what I meant!¡±


    When he regained consciousness, he found himself in a small room with nine other people.


    On the four walls of the room was a long, connected mural, like a dragon winding along the walls, giving off a sense of being ¡°alive,¡± as if quietly observing them.


    Simultaneously, a voice echoed in everyone¡¯s ears.


    <em>[Wee to the Art Paradise Trial Space.]</em>


    <em>[Please prepare yourself for your first trial.]</em>


    <em>[Those who pass twelve trials will qualify for Art Paradise; failures will be cast into Art Purgatory.]</em>


    ¡°How is it?¡±


    While everyone struggled in their trials, Joey¡¯s voice suddenly appeared in the central square of the cube. He turned his gaze toward the ethereal, formless soul floating in mid-air.


    ¡°Based on their skills, I¡¯ve ced them in trial spaces of different art categories,¡± the boy¡¯s childish voice rang out. ¡°Your design is ingenious, allowing these people who¡¯ve never encountered Spirit Forging to learn through continuous trial failures. Once they grasp the basics of Spirit Forging, they can pass the first trial. Those who can¡¯t eitherck talent or wisdom, clearly unqualified. The most excellent ones should be qualified to join the Artists Association. This screening method is very convenient.¡±


    ¡°However¡­¡± he cast a curious nce at Joey, ¡°this trial space gives me such a strong sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.¡±


    Joey smiled slightly and spoke frankly.


    ¡°Compared to those Main Gods in infinite flow novels where you die if you don¡¯t clear the levels, I¡¯m giving them a path to true art. They just need to keep learning, keep taking tests, keep experiencing the process of their spirit being polluted and healed. Compared to the trial process, the final reward is already quite generous.¡±


    ¡°Oh right,¡± he seemed to suddenly remember something, raising his hand to draw in the air, and immediately incredibly realistic portraits appeared floating in mid-air. The first one on the left was Grant, and the following ones, if Duzuo were here, he would recognize them all as people who had criticized Joey¡¯s art throughout the day. ¡°Mark these people specifically, double their trial difficulty.¡±


    ¡°¡ªNo, make it triple,¡± he quickly overturned his own order. ¡°Their aesthetic sense is too rigid; they probably need intensified learning toprehend true art.¡±


    As he said this, he showed an incredibly gentle smile.


    ¡°Especially the first one ¨C give me the space number he¡¯s in. Since I¡¯m bored anyway, I¡¯ll personally arrange it for him. I must make sure he walks on the truly correct path of art.¡±


    ¡ªLet him understand what Art Paradise (Purgatory) is, and what it means to be a senior artist who doesn¡¯t hold (extremely harbors) grudges while nurturing juniors ??


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 Chapter 142

    Three days ago, on June 16, 2025, in Yao Country.


    Carrying a poetry collection and a diary, Bai Yi made his way home.


    He ced these two equally thick gifts side by side on the table. The first thing he did after returning home wasn¡¯t to read the diary, but to summon someone ¨C a ghost who had been forgotten for a long time.


    A distorted and blurry countdown floated in midair.


    Yet the youth¡¯s pupils reflected nothing as he gazed at it.


    The suddenly revealed truth answered many previous puzzles. Like a child with a treasure map, he eagerly traced through his memories, seeking out treasures hidden in every nook and cranny. In his eyes, contemtive sparks were ignited by mes of excitement.


    ¡°Now that I think about it, there was always something illogical that I was toozy to investigate deeply before¡­¡±


    ¡°If saving the world and changing everyone¡¯s fate was such a difficult task, and so many versions of Bai Yi had failed, how did the system so easily retrieve souls of the dead from the nightmare world when it first arrived?¡±


    ¡°If it was that easy, couldn¡¯t other versions of Bai Yi simply retrieve everyone¡¯s souls from the depths of nightmares and bring them back to life even after the world was destroyed? After all, the concept of being alive is subjective, and the concept of a world exists differently for each person!¡±Bai Yi recalled theherworld dominated by spirits and bone demons that he had seen while traveling through endless ster fragments. If everyone returned to the mortal realm as ghosts, it would just be another state of existence.


    ¡°This path that I could think of ¨C surely other versions of Bai Yi must have tried it and failed.¡±


    ¡°So, Adams, what exactly are you?¡±


    Was he a false ghost,pletely unrted to the boy who died in the nightmare world, merely borrowing his name and appearance? Or was he a unique miracle among countless souls unable to return to the mortal realm, a product of ident and unrepeatable luck?


    Or perhaps, he was just a hint from the other ¡°Bai Yis.¡±


    ¨C Telling him that nightmares weren¡¯t merely false dreams. That the concept of game instances was also just a false exnation.


    The system had always been cryptic yet asionally providing clues and hints; hiding the truth while irresistibly luring him to explore it, like a cat ying with a ball of yarn, grabbing it then letting it go¡­ This style of the system was, in a sense, very familiar to Bai Yi.


    Although he didn¡¯t really want to admit it, it was exactly the same kind of mischievous taste he had when arranging scripts for others.


    ¡°¡­I guess I can only say ¡®as expected of me¡¯?¡±


    If there was a stranger behind the system whom Bai Yi didn¡¯t know well, he might have needed more clues and time to explore the truth. But if it was himself, many answers became obvious just by adopting his own way of thinking.


    ¡°So¡­ was it a Bai Yi from the previous timeline, who tried but failed to retrieve souls from the destroyed world, gained experience from other timelines¡¯ failures, and routinely integrated his findings into the system, nning for me to continue advancing based on their experiences¡­?¡±


    Thinking from his own perspective, he quickly had an answer.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that when the system descended into this world, it was probably when the physicalws were most violently disturbed, or when some unknown changes were triggered by spacetime turbulence. This soul-retrieving technique, which shouldn¡¯t have counted as either sess or failure, miraculously worked once at that moment?¡±


    ¨C And at that exact moment, he had asked the system for a beginner¡¯s gift package, so the system, following the lingering nightmare world aura on him, originally intended to create some items from that world as gifts. Unexpectedly, the imperfect soul-retrieving technique temporarily seeded due to unknown reasons, and thus retrieved a ghost from that world?


    However, even if this was a one-in-a-billion miracle, Bai Yi still felt it couldn¡¯t have been that easy to seed. He remained skeptical. ¡°Is this Adams truly a ghost of the deceased?¡±


    ¡°¡­I should probably just ask him directly.¡±


    So, Bai Yi summoned Adams with a thought.


    ¨C This ghost had already be an unofficial member of Yao Country¡¯s Special Case Investigation Team, asionally participating in missions as external support, going to ces where human bodies couldn¡¯t reach in time. He quickly became the team¡¯s pet ghost. Since he was in an ¡°dormant state¡± invisible to most people most of the time, even Li Fufeng and others couldn¡¯t always reach him. So even when suddenly summoned by Bai Yi to work for him for a while, there was no need to worry about his absence being discovered.


    ¡°Adams, do you know what you really are?¡±


    The summoned ghost had barely appeared when he heard this incredibly direct question.


    The youth by the window turned his chair to sit with his back against the table. Resting his chin on his hand, he looked at the ghost with pure curiosity in his eyes, as if he didn¡¯t understand the concept of subtlety at all, and hadn¡¯t considered whether his question might stir up unpleasant memories.


    His expression was like asking: ¡°Dried fish, do you know what you taste like?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± The suddenly questioned ghost clearly nked for a moment.


    The little boy furrowed his brows in confusion, trying hard to think. ¡°I¡­ what else could I be besides Adams? I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m just someone you rescued from the nightmare world.¡±


    ¡°Do you remember how you died?¡±


    ¡°I¡­did I die? Yes, I seem to have died. I was killed many, many times¡­¡± Adams¡¯ confusion deepened, his expression growing increasingly chaotic. After a moment of revtion, he mumbled almost deliriously, ¡°Then, you appeared. When that bad person was about to kill me, your gaze fell upon me, and under your guidance, I escaped from that terrible killer, and even killed him¡­¡±


    At this point, a smile that he himself wasn¡¯t aware of appeared on the little boy¡¯s face ¨C innocent, pure, and bright.


    He looked up at Bai Yi. ¡°Have you forgotten? I offered that person¡¯s corpse as a sacrifice to thank you, and then, I followed your guidance toe to your divine realm!¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s how you perceive it.¡±


    Bai Yi¡¯s smile grew wider and wider until he finally couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud,ughing until tears nearly came to his eyes.


    This passive ability to attract followers was truly powerful¡­ By now, Bai Yi no longer found it troublesome, nor did he feel shame or embarrassment at being viewed as divine.


    The root of shame and embarrassment came from feeling unworthy. Since he had already decided to shoulder the vitality of an entire world and the fate of infinite worlds, what was wrong with calling himself a god?


    He wasn¡¯t ying the role of a selfless savior for the greater good. Although he didn¡¯t care whether others were grateful or not, since he had already performed acts of salvation, it was perfectly reasonable to ept others¡¯ gratitude, reverence, and worship.


    Bai Yi¡¯s behavior seemed to cause a misunderstanding for Adams. He looked helplessly at the youth who emanated an air of neurosis, watching that smile that seemed to see through everything, and carefully spoke. ¡°Was the sacrifice not to your liking? I also thought that body wasn¡¯t worthy of you. I¡¯m willing to find new righteous vessels for you¡­¡±


    ¡°No, this is fine as it is. Righteous vessels, hmm, I don¡¯tck those.¡± The term ¡®righteous vessels¡¯ sounded strange, but when matched with his alternate identities, it suddenly felt quite appropriate.


    Bai Yi wiped away his tears ofughter and returned to his initial calmness. His gaze slowly swept over the floating ghost, like looking at a being he had created with his own hands, with a bright wonder in his eyes. ¡°Strictly speaking, your presence here is indeed my direct creation.¡±


    The little boy¡¯s eyes obviously brightened, as if receiving recognition and praise from a deity. His bright eyes looked at Bai Yi, filled with wet emotions that gave the impression of some soft animal¡¯s cub.


    But I didn¡¯t save the real Adams¡­ Bai Yi added in his heart.


    ¨C As mentioned before, the nightmare world was a dead world, where everyone had died along with it, falling into the depths of nightmares, with only undissipated obsessions repeating their living lives among the world¡¯s ruins.


    ¡°Adams''¡± memories and awareness clearly didn¡¯te from the deceased ghost Adams, but rather seemed more like the Adams who had finally cleared the nightmare instance after countless cycles of repetition ¨C the yer character controlled by Bai Yi. Therefore, he truly wasn¡¯t a returned soul of the dead, but rather a new existence formed from the fusion of lingering nightmare consciousness and the yer¡¯s thoughts when Bai Yi controlled the character.


    Compared to the real, deceased Adams¡­ if one had to draw an analogy, he was like a clone with partial memories of the original.


    ¡­Although he himself didn¡¯t seem to have realized this point.


    And Bai Yi had no intention of revealing it.


    So that soul-retrieving technique really hadn¡¯tpletely seeded after all ¨C the current progress was stuck at 99%?


    Various thoughts shed through his mind simultaneously, but Bai Yi set them aside for now, merely smiling at the unknowing little boy and extending an invitation. ¡°Adams¡­ whether you¡¯re Adams or something else doesn¡¯t matter. What matters is that I need you to participate in an uing experiment.¡±


    As he spoke, he opened his palm upward, and an invisible, ethereal card slowly materialized in midair.


    ¡­Adams obviously couldn¡¯t see it.


    ¡°¡­My other righteous vessel.¡±


    Bai Yi spoke following Adams¡¯ thought pattern. Even though Adams waspletely trustworthy, he had no intention of revealing his secrets.


    Instead, he now knew how tomunicate effectively with him.


    He leaned back against the chair, folded his hands on hisp, and calmly looked at the ghost floating in midair, speaking like a true deity issuing an edict to his follower.


    ¡°He possesses a special artifact that, after my modifications, can now amodate thousands of people at once. He ns to conduct a trial soon, selecting those with certain qualifications to be extraordinaries, granting these people extraordinary powers¡­¡±


    ¨C The ¡°Death Gallery¡± from the Art Kingdom instance, shaped like a Rubik¡¯s cube, after being purchased with game points and brought to the real world by Bai Yi, not only became scble but also gained more practical functions under the modification of nightmare crystals.


    ¡°That artifact can only absorb physical bodies. I will connect everyone¡¯s consciousness to an illusory spiritual world, using that artifact as a foundation to construct a virtual mental space. I won¡¯t maintain this illusory spiritual world constantly, so I need someone to act as my eyes and hands.¡±


    Adams¡¯ expression clearly became excited, his sparkling eyes brighter than stars. ¡°I would be delighted to serve you!¡±


    In midair, the ethereal card flipped over. Golden ripples spread out, reflecting the youth¡¯s smiling face.


    The front of this card looked vastly different from other cards, more like an abstract artwork. Seven-colored flowing light painted the entire card into a spiral like the starry sky. Against this rainbow ster background, a long-haired young man slightly lowered his head, with eyes as tranquil as the night, his silk-like ck hair seemingly about to float off the card.


    <em>[Depressing Artist]</em>


    <em>[Destroyer and Creator of Art]</em>


    <em>[One who stole divine names with a mortal body]</em>


    <em>[Heals the mortal realm, yet also depresses it]</em>


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 Chapter 143

    In the capital of the Rnd Kingdom, within a hundred-meter radius of the Moonlight Temple, a cube-shaped structure suddenly descended from the sky and enveloped the area. All those trapped inside lost contact with the outside world ¨C no trace of the living or dead could be found. People outside dared not approach the eerie cubic structure, and many fled in panic as if escaping an earthquake¡­


    Even though this happened in the dead of night, themotion was too great to go unnoticed. News spread quickly from those who witnessed the cube¡¯s descent, with photos and videos serving as evidence.


    When rtives and friends of those trapped inside began posting anxious messages online about losing contact with their loved ones, the reality of the situation became undeniable.


    The inte erupted once again ¨C this time even more terrifyingly than the Cursed Painting incident.


    While the previous incident had captured global attention due to its gruesome livestream content witnessed by countless people, it had only involved four victims. Even a multiple-car ident might have imed more lives. Had it not been livestreamed, it likely would have been quietly resolved like other extraordinary incidents, merely appearing as a small note in the newspapers.


    But this time was clearly different. The location, scale, and number of people affected were on an entirely different level. A national capital, hundreds of square miles, and at least a thousand missing people ¨C all during Rnd Kingdom¡¯s Year Festival.


    Those gathered in the capital included artists from around the world, influential guests invited to the celebration, tourists from various countries, and naturally, members of the Rnd Kingdom¡¯s royal family who had assembled for the Year Festival. The cube had essentially captured them all at once.


    No wonder the entire world was in an uproar.


    The world¡¯s leaders were especially concerned. During the previous incident, they could calmly dispatch investigators while watching the livestream, unconcerned that the Cursed Painting might suddenly appear before them despite their protection. But now, seeing the massive cube that still loomed over Rnd Kingdom, those in power felt a deep sense of crisis ¨C they dreaded the possibility of their own capitals and themselves being suddenly engulfed by a cube while half-asleep.Even those under heavy protection, possessing the most powerful artifacts, or young rulers who practiced martial arts, couldn¡¯t feel any sense of security.


    ¡°Investigate! We must uncover the truth immediately!¡±


    Countless people crawled out of bed and returned to work, summoned back by orders from above. Director Chandler was no exception.


    Though the future Special Case Investigation Team held immense potential, he couldn¡¯t ignore the rare unified orders from the royal family, cab, and parliament ¨C especially considering that fearful old emperor probably hadn¡¯t slept since receiving the news.


    However, unlike other nations¡¯ extraordinary department heads who werepletely baffled ¨C still investigating potential artifacts, with some foolishly hoping to control this suddenly-appearing object ¨C Chandler had a vague suspicion amidst his confusion¡­


    Just two days ago, he had handed the Rnd Kingdom¡¯s invitation to that mysterious Spirit Forger who called himself an artist. Today, on Rnd Kingdom¡¯s Year Festival and the day of the Moonlight Temple concert, the capital was struck by disaster.


    ¡­Such coincidences made it impossible not to specte.


    Was it possible that this disturbance was caused by that Spirit Forger? The Cursed Painting incident had already shown that this person had quite an unconventional approach¡­


    The more he considered it, the more likely this theory seemed, leaving Chandler breathless. If anyone discovered that everything had happened because his invitation had brought this terrifying Spirit Forger to Rnd Kingdom, causing all this chaos¡­ The urgent priority was to confirm whether this incident was rted to Joey!


    Unable to bear thinking further, Chandler made an immediate decision. He quickly logged into his Extraordinary Forum ount and searched for one of his contacts.


    The Spirit Forger, who had only recently reconnected with the outside world, seemed ufortable with many modern tools, including mobile phones. When theyst parted, Chandler had offered to exchange phone numbers but was refused, though they did connect as friends on the Extraordinary Forum instead.


    Apparently, Joey had registered on the Extraordinary Forum at the rmendation of the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction. He had mentioned meeting the Eastern Heavenly Master of Divine Calction recently, who had helped register him while creating their own ounts. While Joey had no interest in ordinary inte forums, the supernatural nature of the Extraordinary Forum had piqued his interest enough to join.


    This now made it convenient for Chandler to contact him.


    <em>[Mr. Joey, pardon my intrusion, but have you used the invitation I gave you? The unexpected incident in Rnd capital ¨C I hope it hasn¡¯t affected your experience?]</em>


    After much editing and deliberation, removing direct questions like ¡°Did you cause this?¡± or ¡°Are you involved?¡± that might seem usatory, Chandler settled on this carefully worded message that expressed only appropriate concern.


    After sending it, he didn¡¯t receive an immediate response.


    Chandler wasn¡¯t surprised. Joey clearly wasn¡¯tfortable with modern technology, and having an Extraordinary Forum ount didn¡¯t mean he checked it regrly.


    He minimized the forum window and continued directing his subordinates¡¯ investigation. What if Joey wasn¡¯t responsible?


    Meanwhile, other countries were also taking action. Butcking crucial leads, they were unlikely to uncover the truth anytime soon.


    While official departments worked overtime investigating, night owls across different countries exploded with activity online:


    <em>[Holy crap, what happened? A huge chunk of Rnd capital just vanished with a DUANG?!]</em>


    <em>[Actually, it¡¯s about 1/4 of the capital. The other 3/4 is still fine.]</em>


    <em>[Is that the point? The point is, what¡¯s with that cube falling from the sky? Thousands are missing, and it didn¡¯t even cause tremors when itnded ¨C that¡¯s totally unscientific!]</em>


    <em>[With spiritual energy returning, is anyone still talking about science?]</em>


    <em>[Off topic! So what¡¯s actually happening? Is this a new artifact manifesting?]</em>


    <em>[Probably. I was there when it happened, touring the capital with friends. We nearly got trapped ¨C I was only twenty meters from the cube¡¯s edge! Terrifying! Now packing up to flee Rnd Kingdom¡­]</em>


    <em>[Didn¡¯t you try getting closer or touching it? Am I the only one curious about what material it¡¯s made of? Wonder if heavy weapons could break it open?]</em>


    <em>[Even if they could, no one dares act rashly with thousands of hostages inside! Rnd¡¯s military arrived immediately but hasn¡¯t done anything. Everyone knows how unpredictable artifacts can be. Maybe it¡¯s just temporarily containing people ¨C who knows what attacking it might trigger or how it could harm those inside! I heard many distinguished guests invited to the Moonlight Temple are missing, including Rnd¡¯s princes and princesses.]</em>


    <em>[Not just VIPs ¨C artists and tourists from various countries too! My brother was traveling in Rnd Kingdom and now I can¡¯t reach him. Could he be trapped in that cube? Aren¡¯t there special agencies for handling supernatural events now? What are they doing? Save people already!]</em>


    <em>[These agencies can¡¯t work that fast. This incident is huge, affecting people from over a dozen countries. The authorities must be more anxious than us, investigating and seeking solutions. With so many strange artifacts around, maybe some country has one that could rescue people. This isn¡¯t the time to keep secrets ¨C hopefully all countries will work together!]</em>


    <em>[Agreed, hope the government steps up and rescues everyone quickly. Plus, this strange cube seems like a powerful artifact ¨C maybe some extraordinary person will be interested in containing it and rescue people in the process.]</em>


    <em>[To be honest, this feels moreplicated than it seems. What if it¡¯s not just an artifact going out of control, but someone deliberately causing trouble?]</em>


    <em>[Damn ¨C that¡¯s possible! Since extraordinary powers emerged, even criminal methods have be more borate. Given how unpredictable artifacts are, we can¡¯t rule out someone using one for a terrorist attack. The hostages involve so many countries and haveplex identities ¨C they¡¯re perfect leverage against various nations!]</em>


    Government officials monitoring public opinion naturally saw these online discussions, and this was exactly what they feared. If someone with ill intentions tried to use these hostages to threaten various countries, they would be in a very difficult position.


    Worried, they had no choice but to prepare contingency ns.


    ****


    <em>Ding¡ª</em>


    The notification sound broke the silence in the quiet office, startling the overworked, balding Chandler. His screen suddenly lit up.


    He quickly opened the Extraordinary Forum backend with the message notification and saw the reply from his contact.


    <em>[I did use the invitation and am currently in Rnd capital. The experience hasn¡¯t been great. For a country that ims to be devoted to art, too many people here don¡¯t understand true art. It¡¯s disappointing. I¡¯m now teaching them the true essence of art.]</em>


    Chandler: ¡°???¡±


    ¡­It was over. His suspicions were confirmed.


    ¡­It really was Joey¡¯s doing!


    Thinking about the special invitation he had personally delivered, and now all these countries frantically investigating and preparing emergency ns, including Chenxing Empire¡¯s top officials, Chandler, the root cause of it all, felt his mouse-holding hand trembling slightly.


    Tracing back to the beginning, all this started with his desperate attempt to recover lost items and befriend a certain Spirit Forger, which he had indeed seeded in doing.


    So this was what friendship with a powerful Spirit Forger meant?


    Chandler showed a tired smile.


    ¡­The weight was too heavy; he didn¡¯t think he could bear it.


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 Chapter 144

    In the early morning, just as the sky was brightening, an international conference was already in session. Due to time constraints and other unspoken reasons, this conference was held online. The attendees weren¡¯t physically present but were sitting in heavily secured offices of extraordinary organizations across different countries.


    ¡°Is everyone here?¡± Director Chandler, who initiated this conference, looked around through the VR projection. He saw many familiar faces ¨C heads of extraordinary organizations from other countries with authority equivalent to the Special Case Investigation Team.


    The main participants were from five major political entities or countries: Yao Country, Chenxing Empire, Holy Federation, San Country, and the Ind Alliance. Smaller nations without qualification to participate were represented by these major powers.


    The only special participant was an envoy from the Rnd Kingdom, as the main reason for this conference was closely tied to extraordinary events urring there.


    Chandler¡¯s gaze swept across the main figures, and their affiliated powers naturally came to mind:


    ¨C Investigation Division from Yao Country


    ¨C Special Case Investigation Team from Chenxing Empire


    ¨C Haotian Temple from San Country


    ¨C Faithful Assembly from the Ind Alliance¨C Sun Temple from the Holy Federation


    These were the major official extraordinary organizations since the revival of spiritual energy.


    The Investigation Division, Special Case Investigation Team, and Faithful Assembly were established after the spiritual revival. The Faithful Assembly was jointly constructed by the Ind Alliance nations, with internal mechanisms simr to a parliament.


    The Sun Temple and Haotian Temple were pre-existing religious institutions in the Holy Federation and San Country respectively.


    The Sun Temple held immense authority in the Holy Federation due to their unique system, effectively steering the Federation¡¯s direction.


    The Haotian Temple, while not involved in politics,manded great respect and prestige in San Country ¨C a nation founded by pirates, ves, and drifters at sea. Their ancestry and inherent inferiorityplex, passed down through bloodlines, led them to extremely revere the strong while refusing to acknowledge their true history.


    San Country had long circted a myth about their origins. ¡°Hundreds of years ago, when both Eastern and Western continents fell into chaos simultaneously, refugees agreed to set sail to escape the wars, but got lost in sea fog. They endured hardships for a month, nearly destroyed by storms, drowned by tides, devoured by sea monsters, and on the brink of resorting to cannibalism when food ran out. At this moment, the Haotian God bestowed grace upon them, dispersing the fog, calming storms, making tides recede and sea monsters leave. The refugees¡¯ ships safely arrived in new waters. Refugees from both Eastern and Western continents discovered each other¡¯s existence and agreed to build a new nation together. Thus, San Country was born on the nine inds.¡±


    This myth effectively concealed San Country¡¯s humble origins, instead coating their ancestors with divine favor. The emperor and nobility even imed themselves as divinely blessed.


    Whether genuinely believed or not, the Haotian myth was widely circted within San Country, and the Haotian Temple that worshipped the Haotian God held an extremely special status, despitecking actual power.


    For this online conference, each country sent two representatives ¨C one primary and one deputy.


    From Chenxing Empire were Special Case Investigation Team Director Chandler himself, apanied by Princess Fina from the royal family. Themotion Joey caused in Rnd Kingdom had truly frightened the life-loving old emperor, who wouldn¡¯t let the Special Case Investigation Team handle this matter independently. Princess Fina served as the old emperor¡¯s eyes and ears, though Chandler wasn¡¯t privy to what interest distribution had been negotiated between the old emperor and the parliamentary cab.


    The Investigation Division¡¯s representation appeared simr on the surface. Chandler¡¯s gaze swept across the VR projection to theposed elderly and young pair opposite him. Even without consulting his subordinates¡¯ prepared materials, he could identify them at first nce ¨C Director An Yuansheng and Investigation Division Response Team member Chu Xingrui, thetter also being a royal family member.


    To his left, between him and the Investigation Division representatives, sat a middle-aged man wearing a ck martial arts uniform with long hair in a high ponytail, and a beautiful young woman who appeared no more than twenty, with a cold and ethereal aura like flowing light reflected on snow.


    The former was the master of San Country¡¯srgest Kyoto Dojo and one of the country¡¯s top martial artists, Beigong Xin.


    Even before the spiritual revival, the Beigong family was a prestigious martial arts family with deep traditions. Beigong Xin was already a grandmaster undefeated in martial arts circles. After the spiritual revival and receiving the ¡°Martial ssic¡± teachings, his progress became increasingly rapid. It was said he not only achieved profound internal energy cultivation but alsoprehended the first realm of martial arts ¨C ¡°Seeing Oneself.¡±


    However, Beigong Xin wasn¡¯t San Country¡¯s main representative this time. The true representative was the young woman sitting beside him, this generation¡¯s most outstanding priestess of the Haotian Temple, Baili Zhaoxue.


    Double surnames weremon in San Country, with almost all nobles having them.


    Although Chandler¡¯s nce was brief and everyone was only present through VR projection, Baili Zhaoxue immediately noticed the gaze directed at her. She raised her eyes in response, her gaze carrying what seemed like a ethereal moonlight.


    Such keen observation and perception¡­ Despite her young age, she could participate as a primary representative and seemingly controlled the power in Haotian Temple. This must have required abination of ability, bloodline, and talent.


    With this thought, Chandler¡¯s calm gaze passed over the two representatives from the Faithful Assembly and moved to the Sun Temple representatives on his right. The first thing that caught his eye was a crimson robe.


    Chandler¡¯s pupils contracted slightly.


    The Cardinal Archbishop! The second-inmand only below the Pope!


    He instinctively nced at the person¡¯s face.


    Unfortunately, their face was concealed by a mask bearing the sun deity¡¯s pattern, which aligned with the style of certain clergy within the Sun Temple and particrly with the traditions of past Cardinal Archbishops.


    Almost immediately, an image surfaced in Chandler¡¯s mind of someone who had been a dominant figure when he was still a minor official.


    That person had been incredibly capable, making indelible contributions to the Sun Temple¡¯s growth to its current prominence.


    Over a decade ago, the Holy Federation¡¯s government presence wasn¡¯t as weak as today. The cab then had been intent on weakening the Sun Temple and seizing authority, yet they suffered defeat after defeat under that person¡¯s strategies. Though appearing to stand equal with the Sun Temple, they had actually been thoroughly suppressed and were about topletely surrender their authority.


    Unfortunately, ten years ago, just as the cab was at its lowest and the Sun Temple¡¯s authority at its peak, that key figure suddenly resigned from the Cardinal Archbishop position and vanished without a trace¡ªa mysterious fire that imed his entire family had broken his spirit, making himpletely weary of power struggles.


    ording to Chandler¡¯s knowledge, there were many rumors about this incident, most suggesting it was orchestrated by high-ranking cab members. Some conspiracy theorists believed it was done by internal Sun Temple members, with the Pope of that time being a major suspect.


    When the Sun Temple¡¯s authority reached its peak, that person¡¯s prestige had also reached its zenith. Not everyone within the Sun Temple wanted to see this, so it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if someone targeted his family to bring down this ambitious man.


    Shortly after, the cab official¡¯s private crimes were exposed one by one, sending him to prison with no chance of seeing daylight again. His followers also fell from grace, leading many to believe the first theory was true and viewing it all as revenge from a certain individual.


    That person was the former Cardinal Archbishop, Arnosi.


    This man, who had nearly single-handedly changed the Holy Federation¡¯s politicalndscape, was someone Chandler had never met but had seen in many historical recordings. The deep red Cardinal robe and sun deity-patterned mask were his trademark.


    Thus, seeing this distinctive attire suddenly appear before him almost made him think that legendary figure had returned, though this was obviously impossible.


    As Chandler¡¯s thoughts settled, he withdrew his gaze from the current Cardinal Archbishop. After confirming everyone¡¯s presence, he spoke first as the convener. ¡°Everyone present needs no introduction to each other. Before we begin, I believe we should reach a consensus about the purpose of this joint conference¡ª¡±


    At this point, he lightly tapped the table, his expression serious.


    ¡°To resolve the cube incident in Rnd Kingdom¡¯s capital and rescue the thousands trapped inside, especially tourists and guests from various countries. We cannot stand by while they face danger in Rnd Kingdom without offering assistance.¡±


    The mentioned Rnd Kingdom envoy disyed a weak and innocent smile, eagerly raising his hand to speak. ¡°Rnd Kingdom is willing to cooperate!¡± After all, their crown prince was among those trapped, not to mention people from so many other countries were also confined¡­


    Others either nodded or spoke up, reaching consensus on this matter without objection.


    ¡°In that case, our first task is to exchange intelligence and information. This is the foundation of cooperation between nations,¡± Baili Zhaoxue, with her cold demeanor, cut straight to the point. ¡°Otherwise, this conference would be meaningless, and cooperation would be impossible.¡±


    She raised her eyes toward Chandler, speaking with certainty. ¡°Since Chenxing Empire initiated this joint conference first, you must possess some crucial intelligence, correct? For instance, the cause of this incident?¡±


    Sharp indeed¡­ Chandler didn¡¯t hide anything. He had been put in this position by his ¡°good friend¡± ¨C though this friendship was rather heavy and troublesome, upon reflection, it wasn¡¯t without opportunity. Right now, he probably understood the cause of everything better than anyone else, and possessing information unknown to others often meant having the initiative.


    Although he didn¡¯t intend to trade this information for benefits, revealing it would subject him to undue pressure for sending the invitation that brought Joey to Rnd Kingdom. However, it would also cement his ¡°friendship¡± with this powerful Spirit Forger. He would be the bridge connecting others to Joey.


    ¡ªThis was his most important bargaining chip.


    Understanding the gains and losses involved, Chandler took the initiative to organize this conference, determined to turn crisis into opportunity and seize this rare chance.


    Under everyone¡¯s gaze, he nodded frankly, ¡°That¡¯s correct, I know roughly what caused this incident.¡±


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 Chapter 145

    An online joint conference was held, and extraordinary institutions from various countries were forced to engage in a truth-telling session, exchanging and sharing information with limited scope.


    After the truth-telling session ended, everyone¡¯s reactions were:


    ¡°So, this extraordinary event was not caused by the birth of some strange object, but was orchestrated by Joey?¡±


    ¡°The special invitation from the Rnd Kingdom, with Chandler revealing such information, although he didn¡¯t specify exactly how he sent the invitation, is clearly indicating that he has an unusual connection with that extraordinary individual?¡±


    ¡°No, it was the Spirit Forgers. It¡¯s hard to imagine that such an extraordinary path was buried in past history! The world¡¯sst Spirit Forger, the sole adult and manager of the Artists¡¯ Association ¨C how should one put it? This information was quite unexpected. That mysterious and bizarre power was not an individual¡¯s unique trait, but an entire system? It was truly difficult not to be moved¡­¡±


    ¡°Spirit Forgers were originally a power system in the Western extraordinary world. The Special Affairs Bureau now having a connection with such a powerful Spirit Forger means that the Chenxing Empire might produce a second or third Spirit Forger in the future. How enviable!¡±


    ¡°Indeed, the Chenxing Empire is truly prepared in advance.¡±


    After the truth was revealed, amid praises that were unclear whether genuinely heartfelt or sarcastically veiled, Chandler unhesitatingly diverted everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°No, please don¡¯t say that. Mr. Joey doesn¡¯t seem like someone who can be easily influenced. If we want to recreate the former glory of the Western extraordinary world, we still have a long way to go¡­¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, I¡¯m quite envious of the East, especially Yao Country. Not only do they have a martial arts master overseeing them and receiving the ¡®Martial ssic¡¯, but everyone has a chance to step onto the once-broken extraordinary path in this era of spiritual energy revival, unlike us¡­¡± He gave a bitter smile, speaking in a helpless tone, ¡°The Transcendence Project has gone astray, and Eastern martial arts are not suitable for us. We¡¯ve finally discovered the remnants of the extraordinary past, yet it¡¯s like a mirage, with the path controlled by thest remaining Spirit Forger. If Mr. Joey is unwilling to open up ess, no one would have a chance.¡±What was originally a statement that was three parts truth and seven parts fabrication, as Chandler spoke, he actually found it increasingly reasonable and sincere.


    ¡°¡­Not only that, those two individuals iming to be the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction are extraordinary beings of no ordinary nature. They actually have the ability to prate the future and divine fortune and misfortune. Although I¡¯ve never met them face to face, just consulting them once made me feel enlightened and in awe. Truly worthy of Yao Country with its long history, where powerful extraordinary beings emerge endlessly.¡±


    He disyed a false stic smile, hypocritically praising Yao Country. As for what he truly thought inside, it was hard to discern.


    ¡°The key point now is, ording to the information from the Special Case Investigation Team, Joey possesses extremely powerful mental extraordinary abilities. He is a member of the Artists¡¯ Association and is probably a person from nearly a hundred years ago who, for unknown reasons, was asleep until recently. The reason for his appearance is that the Artists¡¯ Association¡¯s collection was lost during his sleep, so he is traveling the world to find these lost collections?¡±


    Someone spoke up, summarizing the information provided by the Special Case Investigation Team and interrupting Chandler¡¯s seemingly sincere praise.


    The speaker was the youngest present, the Moonlight Temple¡¯s witch Baili Zhaoxue. A flicker of impatience crossed her beautiful and cold face, as if she didn¡¯t want to waste time on tedious social niceties. Therefore, she spoke directly:


    ¡°Moreover, he is not interested in anything else. His only hobby is art, and he wants to develop the Artists¡¯ Association. Oh, these are also the conclusions of the Special Case Investigation Team. I¡¯m sure this must be based on extensive factual evidence.¡±


    As Baili Zhaoxue spoke, everyone¡¯s gaze involuntarily fell on An Yuansheng and Chu Xingri, their eyes filled with inquiry.


    Extensive factual evidence? They caught the key point.


    Baili Zhaoxue seemed not to have noticed any deeper meaning in her words and continued, ¡°In any case,bining the Chenxing Empire¡¯s intelligence, we now know that he is a Spirit Forger, the Artists¡¯ Association is the Spirit Forgers¡¯ Association, and developing the Artists¡¯ Association means needing more Spirit Forgers. So his purpose can be roughly guessed ¨C he wants to revive the nearly extinct Spirit Forger system, recruiting talented Spirit Forgers to join the Artists¡¯ Association. So the events that happened in the Rnd Royal Capital this time were not bad, but possibly a selection of talented individuals?¡±


    Her words were very direct and clear.


    Even those whose thoughts were initially unclear became lucid after her summary.


    ¡°¡­So, is this a good thing?¡± The Rnd Empire¡¯s envoy focused on this point, almost sighing in relief, ¡°The trapped crown prince, oh, and tourists from various countries, are not in danger? That extraordinary individual¡¯s purpose was simply to select potential Spirit Forger talents?¡±


    ¡°¡­Provided the information from the Special Case Investigation Team is urate. Is Joey truly only interested in art and developing the Artists¡¯ Association, without any ambitions in other areas?¡±


    For instance, discovering that in this era of spiritual energy revival, everything is just beginning, and all extraordinary beings are weak, potentially attempting to rely on powerful forces to act recklessly and even dominate ordinary people?


    The speaker cast a probing gaze toward the two from the Special Case Investigation Team.


    They weren¡¯t actually doubting their conclusions ¨C everyone knew that the conclusions about Joey¡¯s character must have been based on extensive factual analysis. They simply wanted to explore the ¡°extensive facts¡± that led to these conclusions.


    Clearly, although Chandler had sent a special invitation, he didn¡¯t dare guarantee what Joey¡¯s character might do. Yet the Special Case Investigation Team imed the other was simply a person deeply obsessed with art, at most wanting to strengthen the Artists¡¯ Association.


    What factual basis could lead to such a judgment? In ces unknown to others, what kind of deep interaction did Yao Country¡¯s Special Case Investigation Team have with that Spirit Forger?


    Although they knew Yao Country would likely not reveal truly important information, they couldn¡¯t help but probe a bit.


    ¡°Ah, how should I put it?¡± Chu Xingrui could naturally hear the probing in others¡¯ words. Since they had agreed to share information and cooperate, he wasn¡¯t narrow-minded. Having already determined what could and couldn¡¯t be said beforeing, he merely pondered for a moment before speaking candidly, ¡°Actually, we previously had a lucky young fellow who had contact with that Spirit Forger and was even brought along for a while, fortunately learning some things. There was no formal master-disciple rtionship, but a brief master-disciple-like experience. So we understand this Spirit Forger slightly better ¨C of course, all with Mr. Joey¡¯s permission.¡±


    As for who that lucky one was, Chu Xingrui didn¡¯t specify, and others understood this was information that couldn¡¯t be disclosed.


    Chu Xingrui continued, his tone sounding rxed and pleasant. ¡°Mr. Joey is quite frank, with no intention of concealing his origins or purpose. But due to his personality, he seems to dislike interacting with people. He probably wanted to send a friendly, mutually non-interfering signal through that young person. We received his signal and chose to respect it. Hmm, it feels like we¡¯re long-time friends who¡¯ve only met spiritually.¡±


    At the end, Chu Xingrui seemed to hint at the Special Affairs Bureau director who reportedly formed a friendship with the Spirit Forger.


    Normally unremarkable in the Special Case Investigation Team, Chu Xingri was surprisinglyposed and even more appropriate in his response than An Yuansheng. At such moments, people would suddenly remember his royal status was not mere decoration.


    He used a smiling, as-if-talking-about-a-good-friend tone to lightly describe the interactions between the two sides, blurring the details of the time, and concluded:


    ¡°Actually, ever since Director Chandler mentioned that Joey was behind this, I¡¯ve been quite relieved. We originally thought it was an extraordinary being who had obtained a special artifact andmitted a crime, and had been investigating in that direction, quite worried about the safety of the trapped people. The only thing we were missing was the key clue of Mr. Joey going to the Rnd Royal Capital with the invitation. No wonder we couldn¡¯t point in the right direction. Now that we¡¯ve filled in this clue, I believe Miss Baili¡¯s inference is correct.¡±


    ¡°¡ªThis is most likely a prelude to rebuilding the Artists¡¯ Association. Mr. Joey is probably just wanting to screen talented individuals. Given his personality, creating such a sensation is not surprising at all.¡±


    Anyone who had seen the live broadcast of the Cursed Painting incident would find it hard to disagree with his words. That Spirit Forger was indeed not someone who followed rules, but rather quite willful andpletely unconcerned with conventional moral constraints and social order. Perhaps in his eyes, directly cing a strange magical cube in a foreign royal capital and trapping thousands of people, just to screen out talented individuals, was quite ordinary.


    ¡­Although it seemed absurd, if this were truly the case, they could indeed be more at ease.


    At least they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about receiving a terrorist organization¡¯s call threatening government action with thousands of lives.


    Moreover, wasn¡¯t this a good opportunity?


    The Spirit Forger¡¯s lineage had already been severed, with Joey being the only one who possessed this extraordinary path, and seemingly quite difficult to approach.


    If Joey chose to spread this path to more people, regardless of how many from each country would be selected or whether they could be utilized, at least this path would no longer belong to just one person. Thus, in the future, they would have more potential targets to obtain Spirit Forger powers.


    ¡ªThese selected individuals would be the seeds of fire. As long as they existed, they would eventually ignite more torches, reigniting the once-extinct lineage into a grand congration.


    More importantly, since this Spirit Forger was intent on strengthening the lineage, they now had a basis for cooperation. The other party held the extraordinary inheritance, while the governments of various countries possessed abundant poption resources and worldly influence.


    If Joey alone sought talented individuals to inherit the Spirit Forger system and strengthen the Artists¡¯ Association, the process would undoubtedly be extremely slow. But what if the official channels of various countries fully cooperated with him?


    During this process, even if the most talented batch entered the Artists¡¯ Association, many Spirit Forgers deemed unsuitable by the association would be each country¡¯s power. Even the top-tier talents selected into the Artists¡¯ Association could be courted.


    ¡ªIn other words, the Spirit Forgers cultivated by the Artists¡¯ Association couldpletely be viewed as those cultivated for various countries.


    Fundamentally, humans are social beings. People who have lived in their respective countries for so many years would hardly turn against their national interests simply by entering an extraordinary organization.


    This wave of interaction was a win-win situation, and they had struck gold.


    Now, they only needed to find someone who could contact Joey and convey their sincerity to this Spirit Forger.


    Everyone¡¯s gaze unanimously fell on Chandler.


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 Chapter 146

    Joey received the message at 2 PM on June 20th.


    Themotion he caused in the Rnd Kingdom the previous night had indeed attracted worldwide attention, forcing different countries that were originally going their separate ways to sit together, exchange intelligence, and discuss how to resolve the sudden extraordinary event in the Rnd Kingdom.


    Less than 19 hours had passed from the moment the incident urred to Chandler stepping forward tomunicate on behalf of various countries, expressing willingness to cooperate.


    Even without Adams as an ¡°insider¡±, Bai Yi in Joey, his vest, could guess what had happened to those people the moment he saw Chandler¡¯s message.


    ¡°Oh, they finally agreed to sit down andpare notes? Indeed, only a shared crisis could make internally conflicting people choose to unite. This is humanity,¡± the mixed-race youth with ssic, beautiful features slightly lowered his head, his long hair covering the subtle smile at the corner of his lips. ¡°Though the method was simple and brutal, there¡¯s no other way. There¡¯s not much time for them to intrigue and consume each other now.¡±


    He gently tapped the phone screen, sending a pre-prepared message to the person waiting on the other end: <em>[I agree.]</em>


    After confirming all necessary information was transmitted, Joey¡¯s attention returned to his main task¡ª


    At this moment, he sat in the central area of the cube transformed from the Death Gallery, the ce he named the Artist Association Collection Room, with walls surrounding him hung full of ssic paintings.


    He closed his eyes, his consciousness entering his own woven spiritual world through the intangible Web of Thoughts, seeing another illusory cube space even more vast than reality. At the cube¡¯s center, Adams was simultaneously monitoring numerous people¡¯s progress, and within the different trial spaces segmented by the cube¡¯s grid, the selected individuals were immersed in their trials.The final step of the n wasplete. Now, he only needed to quietly wait for the first batch of seeds to emerge transformed from the trials.


    He didn¡¯t have to wait long. Merely 5 hourster, 24 hours after the Art Paradise trial space was activated, the cube epassing the central area of the Rnd Kingdom vanished. Those trapped within the cube would open their eyes again in a momentary daze.


    They would realize that a new storm was about to sweep across the world, and they were the eye of this storm.


    The mastermind who wrote this script smiled.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to scatter the brilliance of art throughout the world.¡±


    The moment Joey reached cooperation with various countries, official sources were eager to release information tofort the anxious public. Regarding Joey¡¯s background, the officials made no attempt to conceal, so everyone learned about the Spirit Forgers, the once extraordinary profession, and the existence of itsst practitioner.


    The events in the Rnd Kingdom were precisely this powerful Spirit Forger¡¯s method of screening potential sessors with Spirit Forger talents. Because this Spirit Forger had been isted and sleeping for many years, unfamiliar with the current world, he had inadvertently caused such arge disturbance. However, after the incident, through the proactive efforts of various national officials, they had contacted him and resolved the misunderstanding.


    Moreover, this powerful Spirit Forger even gained the friendship of various countries. In their cooperation, Joey not only received an honorary nobility title from the Rnd Kingdom but would also obtain a piece ofnd in the capital to rebuild the Artist Association.


    In exchange, Joey was granted honorary professor status at several art academies in the Rnd Kingdom. From now on, anyone from any country interested in the Spirit Forger system¡ªor as Joey would say, interested in art¡ªcould go to the Rnd Kingdom to study and have the opportunity to receive Joey¡¯s guidance in entering the Spirit Forger path. The most outstanding individuals might even receive an invitation from the Artist Association to be members of this reconstructed extraordinary organization.


    Simultaneously, countries outside the Rnd Kingdom could send people to study under Joey, and after learning, they could return to their own countries at any time to spread artistic knowledge.


    ¡ªJoey did not mind passing on his knowledge to more people; on the contrary, he was very happy to see art being spread.


    In an atmosphere of mutual willingness, the cooperation waspleted happily. As the matter was announced through official channels and appeared online, as expected, the whole world was once again stunned by this thunderbolt.


    However,pared to the previous day¡¯s bewilderment and panic, this time, everyone¡¯s emotions were undoubtedly more positive.


    The changes brought by the martial arts transmission were mixed, and with a new system emerging, what changes would it bring to the world? The entire world was filled with curiosity and anticipation.


    Although the news had spread before the people trapped in the Rnd Kingdom had appeared, online discussions were no longer worried.


    <em>[The officials said it¡¯s just a non-dangerous trial, right? Those who sessfully pass the selection might be Spirit Forgers and step onto the extraordinary path!]</em>


    <em>[Spirit Forgers sound so powerful. I was stupidly worried about those trapped in the Rnd Kingdom before. Who knew? The clown was me! This isn¡¯t something to worry about. This isn¡¯t misfortune¡ªit¡¯s an incredible stroke of luck!]</em>


    <em>[It suddenly reminds me of when the Sword Realm returned, and those lost in the mist. I worried for them back then, and now they¡¯re martial arts practitioners. This d¨¦j¨¤ vu is so strong. I should have expected it¡ªdo powerful extraordinary beings always like to select and pass on their legacy this way?]</em>


    <em>[It¡¯s different. The Sword Realm incident had people dying, and it wasn¡¯t the Sword Master actively screening extraordinary talents. Everything was purely idental. Those who could survive and obtain the legacy were lucky but also took risks. Besides, can¡¯t we all learn martial arts now? It¡¯s just the difference between private tutoring andrge-ss instruction.]</em>


    <em>[What a greatparison! Now I¡¯m even more bitter. This is apletely risk-free Spirit Forger selection trial. Once passed, not only can one inherit from a powerful Spirit Forger, but might also be directly admitted to the reconstructed Artist Association. Calling it reconstruction¡ªisn¡¯t the Artist Association essentially being created from scratch? The first batch admitted would be like founding members. I¡¯m so jealous!]</em>


    <em>[Jealousy shared, my friend. I rewatched the previous mystery show¡¯s live broadcast. Mr. Joey¡¯s disyed abilities are truly powerful and bizarre. Are all Spirit Forgers this strong, cool, and mysterious? I¡¯m unsure how theypare to martial arts practitioners in directbat, but in terms of unpredictability, Spirit Forgers seem to crush martial artists. Is it toote to start studying at an art school now?]</em>


    <em>[An art student has already bounced out of their chair. Can¡¯t wait to know when the Rnd Kingdom trial ends and when Mr. Joey will start guiding students. I¡¯m applying to study in the Rnd Kingdom right now. Honestly, practicing martial arts is too exhausting. I have no interest or talent¡ªI gave up after less than a week and was beaten by my muscle-bound buddy who even dared to mock me. Spirit Forger is the career tailored for me! Just imagining standing before that guy and controlling him with mysterious, bizarre spiritual power, making him call me ¡°dad¡±¡ªI¡¯m mentally climaxing!]</em>


    <em>[Humanities students are also excited. ording to the official exnation from Mr. Joey¡¯s Spirit Forger system, beyond artistic fields like music and painting, written works are also carriers of power. Spirit Forgers often need excellent imagination and rich emotions to imbue their works with spirituality. Isn¡¯t that our strength?]</em>


    <em>[Not just written works¡ªdidn¡¯t the exnation clearly state that even food can be a carrier? As long as cooking is viewed as an art, mobilizing spirituality and emotions, integrating this into every cooking step¡­ So the glowing golden rice is bing real?]</em>


    <em>[Damn it. Martial arts transmission made athletes stand up, the Spirit Forger system made humanities students, art students, and New Oriental chefs stand up. So when do science students get to stand up? Is it toote to change majors now?]</em>


    <em>[Maybe one day there¡¯ll be an extraordinary path suitable for science. Though it feels weird to connect science with the extraordinary.]</em>


    <em>[Haha, extraordinary powers rted to science¡ªmy first thought is telekinesis, vector maniption¡­ The entry barrier seems incredibly high. If extraordinary abilities truly rte to science, you¡¯d need an average doctorate in mathematics or physics to even start. Preemptive sorrow.]</em>


    <em>[We¡¯re going off-topic. Am I the only one curious about the contents of the Spirit Forger trial? I really want to see the Rnd Kingdom. When will those people pass? If future Spirit Forger selections also require trials, can we ask them for experience in advance?]</em>


    <em>[Jealousy makes people unrecognizable. Just thinking about some people about to leap into dragon gates makes me molecrly disintegrate with envy.]</em>


    <em>[Did they save the world in their previous life?]</em>


    Whenever this topic was mentioned, regardless of what they were discussing before, everyone¡¯s emotions were unified¡ªharboring infinite admiration for those ¡°lucky ones who saved the world in their previous life¡±.


    Those ¡°lucky ones who saved the world in their previous life¡± were unaware that they were being envied by billions of people. At this moment, they were experiencing a purgatory-like ordeal.


    ¡ªNot injured, not suffering any other torment, it was roughly equivalent to being locked in a nk room, solving advanced mathematics papers day and night. If they got something wrong, they had to repeatedly ponder until they thoroughly understood the entire paper and scored perfectly. Then, they would face an even more advanced mathematics paper¡­ In the spiritual world, they were being baptized by endless math papers, deeply trapped in a terrifying problem set hell.


    The so-called Art Paradise trial space was merely recing advanced mathematics papers with various essential knowledge for artists. And it wasn¡¯t just paper-based learning and answering¡ªit involved deep, practical artistic experiences.


    Every artwork in the Artist Association had different effects, but without exception, they all possessed the ability to distort consciousness. The Cursed Painting from before had unconsciously warped the minds of four people, nearly trapping them permanently within the painting. The trial space would materialize various artworks that directly acted on one¡¯s spirit. Those with low spirituality would have their will instantly twisted, be dominated by the artwork, fail immediately, and then be thrown out of the trial space, only to be restored under Joey¡¯s healing art.


    Only those with naturally high spirituality, or those who learned the rudimentary Spirit Forging techniques suggested in the trial space and subsequently enhanced their spirituality, could potentially resist the mental distortion of artworks like the Cursed Painting¡ªand even detect ws and counterattack. Those able to counterattack were undoubtedly geniuses among geniuses.


    As they continuously learned knowledge and delved deeper into artistic practices, people continuously failed and were eliminated. Those who remained would journey further on this extraordinary path, deeply etching Joey¡¯s artistic knowledge into their hearts.


    Simply put, they were constantly moving closer to Joey¡¯s direction.


    Bai Yi carefully pondered and suddenly realized this resembled the legendary evil god system: followers continuously receive knowledge from the evil god¡¯s transmission, bing stronger but simultaneously drawing closer to the evil god, being polluted by the god¡¯s knowledge, ultimately bing increasingly mad¡­


    ¡ªThe nightmare instance fragment from which this system originated was originally a world of absolute decline, and that world declined because the Cursed Painting¡¯s author first listened to whispers from the void, spreading pollution throughout the world. Artists were always using pollution¡¯s power tobat pollution, thus could only helplessly watch the world slowly die.


    Bai Yi had embedded rules from another world into the physicalws of this realm through the Principle of All Things, naturally inheriting certain characteristics of that world¡ªa factor he had long considered.


    Fortunately, the rules he embedded were not the corrupted, twisted ones, but those transformed by the pure Principle of All Things.


    What he spread was not the original artistic system of that world, but the mncholic artistic system he had personallyprehended and created. There was no need to worry about this world being polluted and distorted like the other world.


    In other words, Joey, as the art¡¯s propagator, was equivalent to recing the original world¡¯s source of pollution. Advancing on this path, he need not worry about being contaminated by unknown entities beyond the void, as Joey himself was this world¡¯s source of pollution.


    Therefore, this world¡¯s artists would not go mentally insane like the Cursed Painting¡¯s author¡ªthey would merely gradually align with Joey¡¯s thinking in artistic concepts. This was perhaps the process of followers receiving knowledge and approaching their god?


    Thus, when 24 hours passed in the real world¡ªwith an immeasurable time passing in the spiritual space¡ªthe cube originally epassing the central area of Rnd Kingdom gradually rose, slowly shrinking in midair until falling back into someone¡¯s hand. Those trapped in the trial space began to awaken.


    But upon awakening, except for those who failed the trial, every sessful participant wore an inexplicable mncholic expression. When asked about the trial space, they couldn¡¯t help but show a yearning look. ¡°It was art! We saw truly supreme art!¡±


    Their eyes clearly proimed. ¡°Send me back, I can continue, I want to witness more art!¡±


    Seeing this, others who didn¡¯t understand couldn¡¯t help but disy an envious expression. ¡°Indeed, the Spirit Forger trial is not dangerous and yields great rewards. Such lucky individuals!¡±


    Those who failed and were kicked out looked bewildered, their expressions contorted: <em>Are you serious? Do you really think that?</em>


    But theirplex expressions not only gained no understanding but were seen as the jealousy and unwillingness of failures.


    Especially since many had been psychologically scarred by the endless problem set hell, upon awakening they almost wept. ¡°Wuwuwu, it¡¯s the devil! That person must be a devil! Truly, believe me, that wasn¡¯t a trial any human could pass! It was pure mental distortion and pollution!¡±


    ¡ªSuch statements were even more considered nonsensical ramblings of failures. Failing the trial and then ndering Mr. Joey as a devil with an impossibly difficult trial? How pathetic.


    Disinclined to pay attention to these failures¡¯ nonsense, more people focused on the trial¡¯s sessful ¡°lucky ones¡±. These individuals were undoubtedly the predetermined first batch of Spirit Forgers.


    They seemed still immersed in the trial, at this moment bursting with infinite love and pursuit of art, with many already eager to try something immediately after awakening.


    ¡°I feel I¡¯ve gained a new inspiration! My previous understanding of art was so shallow. True art is like this¡­¡±


    Amid such words, many people immediately retrieved their tools¡ªperhaps brushes, perhaps instruments¡ªand began exploring a new, truly authentic art.


    ¡°Woo¡­¡±


    Duzuo brought the ordion to his lips and blew out the first eerie note.


    This was the ghostly version of the ¡°Ode to Peace¡± that Joey had previously set the rhythm for. Before entering the trial space, he couldn¡¯t appreciate it; now, he couldpletely perceive the beauty within the piece.


    A satisfied smile appeared in his eyes as he continued ying the ordion, and he heard an apaniment beside him that matched his own perfectly, with a familiarity unique between acquaintances.


    Surprised, he slightly turned his head and saw a figure parting the crowd, walking to his side.


    ¡°Grant¡­?¡±


    Seeing this person who had always been his one-sided enemy appear, Duzuo¡¯s eyes revealed deep astonishment.


    However, the other¡¯s skillful apaniment merged seamlessly with his eerie music. Without verbalmunication, Duzuo understood the person¡¯s intentions through the music.


    ¡­Was it because their musical thoughts had all transformed into Joey¡¯s shape, allowing them topletely understand each other? After all, they were nowpanions walking the same path.


    As the music stopped, the two previously ¡°hostile¡± individuals looked at each other, surprisingly discovering a kindred spirit¡¯s tacit understanding. Grantughed sheepishly, extending his hand to Duzuo, who seemingly understood his meaning. ¡°I want to apologize for my one-sided hostility. My past self was too shallow¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing¡­¡± Duzuo quickly grasped the offered hand. ¡°After witnessing true art, you¡¯ve changed your perspective, right? True art doesn¡¯t require absolute talent. Wholehearted love can also ignite spirituality¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve indeed slightly changed my perspective. But this only applies to true art¡ªthose truly passionate about art can walk this path even without sufficient talent. However, the art of mortals I previously knew still requires only the talented to pursue wholeheartedly¡­¡± Grant slightly lowered his eyes, a peculiar excitement in his gaze, his voice uncontrobly trembling. ¡°I¡¯ve remembered Mr. Joey¡¯s identity! He¡¯s the one who granted us this opportunity. I actually dared to evaluate true extraordinary art with my mortal artistic attainments¡ªhow shallow!¡±


    The surrounding noisy crowd resembled dark, surging waves producing musical sounds. A young man with a ssical demeanor walked silently through the crowd, with no one noticing his uniqueness.


    Seemingly hearing Grant¡¯s voice, the young man walking ahead paused slightly. His jet-ck hair was gently lifted by the wind, covering his eyes, but a subtle smile yed at the corner of his lips.


    ¡­It seems they¡¯ve finally slightly grasped the essence of art.


    The satisfaction surging in his heart at this moment must be from guiding a promising young man who had strayed back to art¡¯s true path.


    ¡­Just thinking about it brings such pleasant feelings.


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 Chapter 147

    By the evening of June 20th, the magical cube hovering over the Rnd Royal Capital disappeared, and everyone trapped in the trial space was released, with no casualties confirmed. The officials from various countries who participated in the joint meeting and made the decision to cooperate with Joey finally breathed a long sigh of relief, believing they had made the correct decision.


    At that moment, they no longer needed to worry about potential idents and could look forward to the promising future of the Spirit Forgers system spreading, though they understood this future would inevitably include rough and dark aspects that would require their continued attention.


    Regardless, this difficult challenge had been resolved.


    One needed to understand that Joey¡¯s character in the Cursed+ Painting incident was not particrly noble. Even though they had reached a cooperation agreement with him, it was merely a verbal promise with no substantial constraints. If Joey were to suddenly renege or had deceived everyone from the start, and the officials had already issued statements to the public promising the missing persons would return safely, the potential consequences would be devastating. If casualties or injuries urred, it would undoubtedly deal a massive blow to the officials¡¯ reputation, and most critically, people would me the government for being misled and taking no preventive measures.


    In other words, from the beginning, proposing cooperation meant they had topletely trust Joey¡ªbelieve he would not break his word and that he was not a maniptive criminal, but a truly pure and trustworthy artist.


    This was a gamble with thousands of lives at stake. A bet that this powerful extraordinary individual would choose to stand on a friendly side.


    For politicians long immersed in conspiracies, this was rare. Fortunately, Joey¡¯s identity was so special that the potential benefits of being on good terms with him far outweighed the risks of antagonism. This tempted government leaders from various countries to take the chance.


    The key element driving this decision was the Special Case Investigation Team from Yao Country¡ªthey seemed to have tremendous faith that this powerful extraordinary individual would not act recklessly. Although their reasoning was that a fortunate individual had been acquainted with him, staying close for nearly two months and allowing them to understand his temperament.


    But determining a person¡¯s true nature was incredibly difficult, especially for someone who had barely appeared, leaving room to question whether this was a mere facade. Making such a massive gamble based on vague character assessments and self-assured understanding, potentially risking thousands of lives and facing international bacsh, seemed unnecessarily risky.Therefore, the Special Case Investigation Team must have unspoken, hidden chips that overwhelmingly tilted the gamble in their favor.


    Other participants in the meeting vaguely recognized this but chose not to expose it, superficially epting the Special Case Investigation Team¡¯s judgment and agreeing to cooperate with Joey.


    Who could resist such enticing future prospects? Who wouldn¡¯t want an endless supply of Spirit Forgers directly serving their countries? Who wouldn¡¯t desire friendship with a powerful extraordinary individual?


    After all, if they lost the gamble, wouldn¡¯t the Special Case Investigation Team take the me?


    With this unspoken mutual understanding, the seemingly impulsive cooperation invitation was transmitted to Joey through Chandler.


    Afterward, although everything proceeded smoothly as discussed, only when all trapped individuals returnedpletely unharmed did those monitoring the situation finally rx, experiencing a long-missed surge of adrenaline.


    ¨CThey had won the bet!


    Not only had they secured the friendship of a powerful extraordinary individual, but they had also acquired a group of new Spirit Forgers from various countries, with more toe in the future.


    Western countries, in particr, were ecstatic!


    Their martial arts system was ipatible, and experiments like the Transcendence Project had progressed extremely slowly, even sparking public protests. Meanwhile, Eastern martial arts were spreading rapidly, causing countries led by the Chenxing Empire to be anxious and constantly vignt about the Eastern threat, desperately seeking ways to strengthen themselves.


    Now, they finally possessed their own extraordinary power, and with aplete inheritance.


    They even had a pioneering messenger in this system who, at the very least, would establish connections with secr nations if seeking something¡ªperhaps bing their trump card. Unlike the Lord of the Heavenly Capital, who remainedpletely invisible except for sending martial arts techniques.


    ¡ªIn this regard, it seemed they had won.


    One could say that the Chenxing Empire and other Western countries made a substantial gain, while Eastern countries focused on martial arts only achieved a minor victory. Yao Country, in particr, had undertaken unnecessary risks, ultimately enabling the Chenxing Empire to obtain aplete extraordinary system.


    ¡°It seems that the Special Case Investigation Team¡¯s facilitation of Joey¡¯s cooperation with various countries was not the most advantageous choice for Yao Country.¡±


    In a tea house within an ancient city of Yao Country, wisps of tea fragrance rose with soft white mist, blurring the face of the young man sitting across the tea table.


    Heughed leisurely, his voice yful.


    ¡°Actually, if you hadn¡¯t proactively pushed for cooperation and instead remained silent and observant, given certain people¡¯s suspicions, they might not have decided so quickly to show friendship to Joey. As time dragged on, facing thousands trapped and global panic, the situation might have taken a different turn. Countries swept up in public fear would be forced to make poor statements. Even while wary of Joey¡¯s potential restraint, their attitude would be cold and cautious, approaching him with defensive postures¡­ That do-as-he-pleases fellow would likely be much less amodating.¡±


    ¡°Thus, the course of events would bepletely different.¡±


    The young man in a blue Taoist robe gently sipped tea, carefully describing an alternative progression. His crystal-clear eyes seemed to genuinely pierce through the possibility he described, seeing an alternate branch of fate, and thus casually delivered his judgment:


    ¡°By then, if your Special Case Investigation Team had appeared withpletely friendly intentions and contacted Joey, you would probably have obtained this powerful Spirit Forger¡¯s unique friendship. Such a development is clearly the most advantageous choice for Yao Country, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    At this point, he set down his tea cup, casting eyes that seemed toprehend everything toward the person sitting opposite him.


    ¡°Mr. Qi is joking,¡± Li Fufeng responded.


    Throughout the conversation, he had listened quietly. The other¡¯snguage seemed to possess a magical quality that made one unquestioningly believe it wasn¡¯t merely a conjecture, but a truly foreseen future development¡ªa different fate line born from the Special Case Investigation Team¡¯s alternative choices. If they truly followed his suggestion, they would indeed proceed toward such a future.


    But hearing the conclusion, he simply smiled.


    ¡°¡­You know we could never do that.¡±


    He looked directly at the young man, his tone frank.


    ¡°¡ªIsn¡¯t this precisely why you chose us in the first ce?¡±


    ¡°We could never gamble with thousands of lives for Yao Country¡¯s most advantageous possibility. Moreover, who could know whether allowing everything to develop badly would truly benefit Yao Country or instead cause chaos affecting far more than thousands of lives? I believe you saw through this, which is why you sought us out in advance, allowing us to preemptively understand the harmlessness of Mr. Joey¡¯s trial andpelling us to choose the path of immediate cooperation.¡±


    Li Fufeng¡¯s words revealed an astonishing fact: the hidden chip behind this gamble that helped them win was actually guidance from the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction.


    ¨CIt was precisely because the infallible Heavenly Master of Divine Calction told them that the ident in the Rnd Royal Capital would cause no harm that they could decisively promote cooperation in the international meeting and proactively extend an olive branch to Joey, thereby ending public panic at its inception.


    The facts now proved their choice was correct.


    Li Fufeng¡¯s gaze was clear. ¡°¡­So, the current choices and developments were actually what you and your group promoted.¡±


    The young man in the blue Taoist robe smiled slightly. ¡°That¡¯s not wrong. This is indeed a result we directly pushed forward.¡±


    ¡°However, there¡¯s a question I¡¯ve been curious about and wanted to ask before¡­¡± Li Fufeng leaned forward, suddenly asking, ¡°May I know how you were certain the trial would not be dangerous? Was it because you calcted the oue, or because you understood Mr. Joey?¡±


    Qi Jiu looked at him in surprise. ¡°Neither, actually.¡±


    He spoke calmly. ¡°I never calcted anything, nor did I have a deep understanding of that Western junior. I only know that whatever he might want to do, ultimately, he would certainly not cause significant chaos.¡±


    The young man¡¯s tone was like stating an undeniable truth.


    ¡°¡ªBecause this is not allowed.¡±


    Li Fufeng was slightly stunned.


    For some reason, a long-dormant memory slowly emerged in his mind¡ªa reminder from the Flower Speaker:


    <em>[Everything that should happen will happen. Everything that should not happen will absolutely not ur.]</em>


    Unconsciously, he blurted out, almost in a whisper. ¡°¡­Who is the one not allowing all this to happen?¡±


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 Chapter 148

    When Li Fufeng summoned Qi Jiu for another meeting, he was not surprised. Or rather, Bai Yi, who was orchestrating everything behind the scenes, was not surprised.


    Joey¡¯s disyed personality, the interests represented by the legacy of thest Spirit Forger, all the guidance up to this point, and the sudden events in the Rnd Kingdom were designed to force various countries to exchange information and ultimately lead to cooperation with Joey through the chess pieces he had already nted in the intelligence.


    In this process, the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction card set was merely a double insurance that Bai Yi had prepared just in case.


    The mission of the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction was to find the Special Case Investigation Team of the Yao Country before the meeting, increase their inclination towards cooperation, and ensure everything followed his predetermined trajectory.


    And the final oue was indeed as he had anticipated.


    When Qi Jiu met the petite Li Fufeng at the agreed tea house, he knew that this script had beenpletely performed, and the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction¡¯s cover had even gained a bit of reputation among the Yao Country officials, making their future statements more convincing.


    ¡ªIn fact, this was the primary reason why Bai Yi deliberately inserted the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction into this script to y a minor role.


    That strange version update countdown was something that couldn¡¯t be ignored. If nothing happened when the time was up, even an eight-year-old child wouldn¡¯t believe it.


    Since it was certain that something significant would happen, the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction card set needed to enhance its legend degree status. Only with sufficient reputation could their ¡°prophecies¡± before the countdown be convincing.This way, when something big was about to happen, the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction¡¯s cover could y its maximum role!


    In the distant Yuanyang city, the youth by the window raised his eyes, his obsidian-like pure gaze quietly observing the sky wrapped in clouds. Between theyers of clouds, a crimson hint of burning mes vaguely seeped through, like magma surging within volcanic rocks split open.


    His consciousness effortlessly divided, with one part steadily controlling the ¡°Heavenly Master¡± Qi Jiu vest, calmly picking up the teacup on the table, drinking tea and conversing with Li Fufeng, constantly building his image and legend degree.


    He heard Li Fufeng curiously ask how he knew Joey wouldn¡¯t cause a bigmotion in the Rnd Kingdom, and couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Because Joey is myself.¡±


    At the same time, in another city¡¯s tea house, the Qi Jiu he controlled gave a profound and mysterious answer after a moment of surprise, leaving Li Fufeng stunned.


    ¡°¡ªBecause this is not allowed.¡±


    The blue-robed Taoist spoke with absolute certainty.


    In the apartment on the second floor, the youth by the window couldn¡¯t help but turn the steel pen in his hand, revealing a mischievous smile.


    At that moment, an extremely light whisper sounded in his ear, seemingly crossing the spatial distance of several cities, yet because of the mysterious connection between the cover and the main body, this whisper seemed to gently tap on his window frame. When his bewildered eyes unconsciously looked at the blue-robed Taoist sitting opposite him, it was as if asking the person hidden beneath this cover¡ª


    ¡°Who is the one who does not allow all of this to happen?¡±


    Bai Yi gently tapped the table, dispersing the illusion of that sound seemingly ringing in his ear, the corner of his lips curving slightly as he whispered, ¡°Yes, who is this person?¡±


    ¡­After so many subtle preparations and descriptions, it was time to fabricate a suitable title and identity for the person who has always existed in the vest¡¯s words, or rather, for his own never-appearing true self.


    Bai Yi quietly cast his gaze into mid-air, attempting to freeload a title, ¡°System, what do you think? With so many timelines, there must be a suitable identity and title for Bai Yi, right?¡±


    He had casually spoken on a whim. Ever since learning his true origins and obtaining the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction vest, Bai Yi¡¯s intuition had be incredibly powerful, always guiding him in the right direction. But unexpectedly, the system actually had a ready-made answer for him to copy¡ª


    The moment the words left Bai Yi¡¯s mouth, two distorted characters slowly emerged in mid-air.


    Bai Yi looked at those two characters and remained silent for a second.


    On the other side, the blue-robed Taoist also fell silent for a second, then softly read out those blurry, twisted characters, ¡°White King¡­¡±


    Li Fufeng suddenly looked over. ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying, the person you want to know about, or perhaps not necessarily a person, in any case, that existence who maintains order and humanity, should be called the ¡®White King¡¯.¡± ??


    Qi Jiu¡¯s smile unconsciously became more solemn, with a hint of memory passing through his gaze. ¡°This title should be correct. I¡¯ve also seen one or two mentions in ancient texts. It is said that since ancient times, the extraordinary world and the mundane world have not interfered with each other, and no powerful extraordinary existence has ruled over humanity, because of this person.¡±


    ¡°¡­In ancient texts, some say this was an immortal god who specifically governed order; others say the ¡®White King¡¯ is merely a position, passed down through generations; and some believe it¡¯s not a person at all, but the embodiment of some rule. But in any case, all those who destroyed the established order and did not follow the rules ultimately disappeared.¡±


    His voice grew softer, his expression bing increasingly ethereal, until his tone carried the atmosphere of telling a horror story:


    ¡°That¡¯s why I said nothing would happen in the Rnd Kingdom. This entity is like a rule hanging high above, not interfering with the normal social order of supernatural beings and ordinary people, but also absolutely preventing extraordinary beings from causing excessive destruction in the ordinary world, unless the spiritual energy concentration further increases, in which case the restrictions on powerful extraordinary beings would bergely lifted.¡±


    Li Fufeng hadpletely understood.


    ¡ªThe existence called the ¡°White King¡± supervised this world¡¯s order and humanity, allowing extraordinary beings and ordinary people to live in their respective worlds, not permitting excessive interference. Simr to a game administrator, once a extraordinary being appears in the ordinary world¡ªlike a max-level character entering a newbie vige¡ªif they cause destruction beyond eptable limits, the administrator would directly ban their ount. When the spiritual energy concentration further increases and ordinary people¡¯s level upgrades, it¡¯s like the newbie vige¡¯s upper limit rising, naturally reducing restrictions on extraordinary beings entering the newbie vige.


    Thinking this way, the Lord of the Heavenly Capital who disappeared after returning might have been aware of this, knowing that no matter how strong his abilities, they would not be permitted. So he simply found a ce to go into closed-door cultivation, waiting for the spiritual energy concentration to further increase?


    Li Fufeng expressed this understanding. Because he felt this Heavenly Master seemed to bear them no malice and had even actively shown goodwill to the Special Case Investigation Team, he spoke frankly.


    His words were met only with a surprised lightugh.


    ¡°¡­Your understanding isn¡¯t entirely wrong. But it¡¯s quite one-sided. The existence of that entity is not merely supervising supernatural beings. In fact, supernatural beings aren¡¯t even qualified. What it targets are all behaviors that disrupt order and humanity. In other words, all external factors that interfere with this world¡¯s natural development are considered entities that destroy order and humanity.¡±


    Qi Jiu seemed to have unexpectedly patient, exining, ¡°But no one knows what constitutes this world¡¯s natural development. Even I, who considers myself somewhat versed in celestial mysteries, cannotprehend the world through its eyes. Perhaps because it has already reached another dimension.¡±


    Receiving an overwhelming amount of information at once, Li Fufeng momentarily didn¡¯t know what to say. Afterboriously cementing all this in his mind forter retelling, he hesitated before asking, ¡°Senior, why¡­¡±


    ¡°Want to ask why I¡¯m telling you so much? Even revealing the existence of the ¡®White King¡¯?¡± Qi Jiu smiled and cut off his words, speaking first. Li Fufeng couldn¡¯t help but nod.


    ¡°Because even if I don¡¯t say anything, it won¡¯t be long before you¡¯ll know these things anyway. I might as well tell you in advance to prevent you from being caught off guard.¡±


    Qi Jiu¡¯s tone was calm. He pointed a finger at the sky, revealing an expression unique to mystics. ¡°What if I tell you that before long, this world will experience changes beyond your imagination, with order and humanity facing tremendous upheaval, and everyone might be drawn into it?¡±


    ¡°W-what?¡± Li Fufeng was so shocked he almost stood up. Without doubting the Heavenly Master¡¯s words, his first reaction was to follow up and ask, ¡°Have you seen something?¡±


    The blue-robed Taoist let out a light sigh.


    He did not deny it, his expression carrying an indescribable worry, yet still not forgetting to correct Li Fufeng. ¡°It was something my friend and I saw together.¡±


    After the correction, he continued. ¡°What we see now is very blurry. But undoubtedly, it must be rted to the Return to the Void.¡±


    Li Fufengpletely understood.


    Why would the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction, who had always traveled through the mundane world without caring about worldly affairs, take the initiative to contact the Special Case Investigation Team? Why would he reveal so many secrets without reservation? The story of the destroyed Sword Realm had already made him deeply understand the terribleness of the Return to the Void. If their world was also about to face the Return to the Void, it would be no surprise that the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction, who had seen signs and omens in advance, would make such preparations.


    As for the possibility of him lying¡­


    What benefit would there be in telling such a lie? What would be the point?


    ¡°I understand,¡± he nodded heavily. ¡°I will definitely ry everything you¡¯ve said, not missing a single word. If possible, I hope we can maintain contact. If you two seniors discover anything in the future, please be sure to notify our Special Case Investigation Team.¡±


    Amid the heavy atmosphere, he saw the blue-robed Taoist suddenlyugh freely, ¡°Since the event has not yet urred, there¡¯s no need to start looking gloomy right now. A few months ago, we divined that we would meet a noble person, and indeed we subsequently met the Lord of the Heavenly Capital. He is already aware of the approaching Return to the Void and will not sit idle. If necessary, that sword renowned throughout the world, the Hanguang Sword, may be unsheathed.¡±


    Li Fufeng¡¯s heavy mood improved considerably. He solemnly epted the other¡¯s words.


    He saw the blue-robed Taoist nod slightly and float up, and just as he was about to step out of the tea house, another figure naturally appeared beside him. Silk-brocade sleeves ovepped with the blue Taoist robe, and the two silhouettes disappeared from his view.


    ¡ªIt seemed this person had been silently observing their conversation in the tea house from beginning to end, while concealing their own existence.


    Is this the Divine Calctor¡­?


    Realizing this, Li Fufeng was slightly stunned, remembering what Shi Cheng had said about these two not being ustomed to interacting with people, and he felt he understood something.


    ****


    ¡°White-King?¡±


    Pondering the characters that had emerged in mid-air, the youth on the second floor of the apartment rubbed his chin, asking with great self-awareness. ¡°This absolutely doesn¡¯t sound like my naming style! It must be a title given by someone else. Maybe a follower¡­¡±


    Thinking about the spontaneously organized Candlelight Society, he felt the person who coined this title was likely simr.


    The characters in mid-air seemed toe alive, with a faint light radiating from the two characters.


    Within this light, Bai Yi¡¯s expression became increasingly subtle, as if countless voices flowed into his brain along the light. The unexposed panel¡¯s ¡°Rhythm of All Things¡± awakening suddenly surged, and all things in the world began to pour their stories to him.


    ¡°Expectation, yearning, hope, faith¡­ I feel this title carries many emotions.¡±


    ¡­As if countless people had ced their hopes on him, thus transforming this title into a belief.


    Countless fragmented, blurry images were transmitted across time and space. He vaguely heard ¡°his own¡± voice, which was also fuzzy. ¡°A name? Just call me ¡®White¡¯ is fine.¡±


    ¡ªSo, it was indeed a title addedter?


    ¡ªWas this the original timeline, the very beginning?


    Just two characters, yet they gathered an unprecedented, extremely concentrated legendary status, as if this title had been spread and praised throughout infinite timelines, bing andmark etched into time.


    The youth coded as ¡°White¡±, in the initial timelines without a system, had exhausted all efforts yet failed to change the Return to the Void¡¯s fate.


    But everything he did led to him being crowned with the title of ¡°King¡± by countless people¡ªa titleden with expectations and hopes, condensing the legendary status of an entire time and space.


    Then came the second timeline, the third timeline¡­ This title, which condensed the legend degree of infinite timelines and was acknowledged by the beings of infinite timelines, had in some sense already carried a power that transcended a single time and space.


    Although he should probably marvel at how impressive this was, but¡­


    Thinking about how he had used his vest to glorify himself, and that originally, this title actually came from others¡¯ mouths, spontaneously proimed by countless people, Bai Yi couldn¡¯t help but puff out his cheeks.


    ¡°Feels like I¡¯ve subtly lost somehow¡­¡±


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 Chapter 149

    It was near the end of June, in the early morning hours. The air still seemed to retain the coolness of the night, though this slight chill was insufficient to dispel the increasingly rising temperature. Throughout the campus of Yuanyang City¡¯s No.9 High School, students everywhere wore short-sleeved school uniforms, which made the figure in long-sleeved clothing and long pants stand out conspicuously.


    He was a tall and slender youth, his puffy ck hair slightly disheveled, with slightly curled ends that brushed against his cheek, vaguely revealing eyes of the same color.


    A in white coat, seemingly a size toorge, hung loosely on him. He carried no backpack, only a book with an unrecognizable cover, which he absentmindedly rotated in his hand.


    He moved through the noisy crowd. Despite having an exceptionally outstanding appearance, he did not attract much attention. asionally, there was an intensely strong sense of disconnection from those around him. Yet, if someone¡¯s gaze fell upon him, they would only perceive an ordinary student, seemingly indistinguishable from anyone else in the crowd.


    Zhang Yun recognized the figure in the distance at first nce. He quickly pushed through the crowd and approached, greeting the other with an enthusiastic voice. ¡°Ah, how lucky! The first familiar person I¡¯ve met today is you, Bai Yi. Indeed, ever since we became acquainted, my luck has started to improve.¡±


    The youth turned to look at him, his gaze pausing imperceptibly on Zhang Yun for a second. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you.¡±


    Zhang Yun, now transformed by martial arts training, acutely perceived that momentary pause. He was speechless for a moment before speaking dramatically. ¡°Hey, we¡¯ve been deskmates for three years. We were even in martial arts sses together recently. You don¡¯t need to act like we¡¯re old ssmates who haven¡¯t seen each other for ten years and can barely remember each other¡¯s names!¡±


    ¡°If you want to see it that way?¡± Bai Yi cooperatively replied, ¡°But actually, it won¡¯t take ten years. Strictly speaking, it¡¯s an old ssmate who¡¯s forgotten after twenty days.¡±


    His tone was so serious that one couldn¡¯t tell if he was making a sarcastic joke or genuinely meant it.Zhang Yun was stunned.


    He let out a intive sigh, covering his face in a mock crying gesture. ¡°How cruel. What a heartless man.¡±


    Bai Yi quietly watched his performance without interrupting.


    Compared to others who constantly leaked various bizarre thoughts and mental fluctuations, unable to control themselves, this person, while also emitting strange mental pollution, at least mostly radiated positive, cheerful waves. At most, he was merely noisy. These strong emotional fluctuations could at least mask other more disgusting noise.


    He simply slowed his pace and walked alongside Zhang Yun.


    Zhang Yun, having finished his dramatic performance, naturally walked with Bai Yi towards the ssroom, chattering continuously about the anime series he had watched during the break.


    While talking, he suddenly couldn¡¯t help but nce at Bai Yi, then retract his gaze, then look again, repeatedly. His eyes gradually became hesitant, as if he had discovered an earth-shattering secret he couldn¡¯t mention.


    When he secretly cast his gaze on Bai Yi once more, seemingly observing something, Bai Yi finally spoke to expose his not-at-all subtle behavior. ¡°Keep looking at me. Did you imagine me as some anime character again?¡±


    Zhang Yun: ¡°!!!¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s really like that?¡± Bai Yi spoke with an unsurprised tone, casually ncing at him and seeing through hispletely transparent expression. ¡°Oh, you want to know how I knew? It¡¯s written all over your face.¡± ??


    Moreover, although they had only been familiar for a few months, it didn¡¯t take much effort to understand that this guy constantly created mini scenarios in his mind. He always loved to cast the people around him into various scripts, especially Bai Yi, his deskmate whom he had probably cast as the male lead in countless teenage stories by now.


    This was just another routine imagination.


    He could be grateful that this guy was a pure, chuunibyou-style teenager who only read passionate young adult manga and didn¡¯t watch strange romance anime, so he wouldn¡¯t create overly weird scenarios.


    ¡°You saw right through me,¡± Zhang Yunughed embarrassedly. ¡°Actually, I just suddenly discovered that you¡¯re quite simr to the protagonist in the anime I¡¯m currently watching. Of course, not in appearance, and your personalities are different too, but how do I say this¡­ there was a moment when the feeling was just so simr¡­¡±


    In the noisy, crowded space, when he caught a glimpse of that familiar side profile through the gaps, there was a moment when he perceived an inexplicable sense of disconnection from the surrounding people, revealing an intense alienation.


    In that instant, whether in the youth¡¯s gaze, movements, or expressionless face, it clearly conveyed one message: <em>¡°So boring, so boring, so boring¡­¡±</em>


    Zhang Yun couldn¡¯t help but look at the person beside him again and frowned. ¡°But the feeling was just for a moment. Now it doesn¡¯t feel the same anymore. Maybe I was too immersed in watching animete at night, too fond of that character, and created an illusion early in the morning.¡±


    Recalling the anime, he couldn¡¯t help but passionately rmend. ¡°By the way, this new anime is really super good. It¡¯s called ¡®Daily Life of a God¡¯, about a powerful god hidden among humans! Anyway, it¡¯s all holidays now. If Bai Yi is interested in anime, I strongly rmend this anime. You definitely won¡¯t regret watching it!¡±


    ¡°¡­The protagonist starts in an amnesiac state, essentially an amnesiac god. Later, while helping others fulfill their wishes, the protagonist gains more and more faith and gradually recovers lost memories. In the middle, he also uncovers a thousand-year-old conspiracy hidden by the viin, and the amnesiac protagonist forms bonds while recovering memories, gradually transforming from an emotionless wanderer in the human world to someone gradually developing emotions¡­¡±


    Once he touched on an interesting topic, Zhang Yun fell into his own world, exining the anime¡¯s plot to Bai Yi non-stop. ¡°But the continuously recovered memories further enhanced the god¡¯s divine nature. His human nature and divine nature conflict, which conveniently gave the author material for a subplot, creating a small climax. I was so curious that I stayed up until three in the morning yesterday to chase the plot¡¯s conclusion!¡±


    Bai Yi yawned, blending surprise and boredom perfectly in his tone. ¡°Is staying upte even necessary? The ending is mostly that human nature defeats divine nature. The protagonist maintains his human heart with his friends¡¯ help, staying in the human world for his friends. Otherwise, wouldn¡¯t the anime end? Heh, a boring and clich¨¦ plot.¡±


    He slightly narrowed his eyes. ¡°Based on your previous description, the protagonist clearly wanted to recover his memories and powers. It¡¯s his friends who don¡¯t want to lose him, emotionally manipting him into this dilemma. But they didn¡¯t consider that they¡¯re just mortals who will eventually die. Using emotions to make an immortal god stay in the human world is quite selfish, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°¡­Hearing you exin it like this, I feel it¡¯s a bit boring too,¡± Zhang Yun looked deted after the plot spoiler. ¡°From the climax I stayed upte for, human nature defeats divine nature. The protagonist gives up most of his unrecovered memories and decides to start over with his friends, creating new memories. The subsequent direction is probably exactly as you said, and it does seem quite clich¨¦?¡±


    ¡°¡­But if he chooses to recover his memories, under the influence of his divine nature, he would lose his connection with his friends and be a god wandering the human world again, right?¡± He suddenly fell into confusion, asking bewilderedly, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be very lonely?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Bai Yi showed a perplexed expression, speaking in a matter-of-fact tone. ¡°Emotions are something that will be eroded by time. Compared to a god¡¯s memories and powers, they¡¯re like stic versus a genuine gemstone ¨C fundamentally unequal. Sacrificing eternal things for something destined to disappear ¨C I don¡¯t understand. As for loneliness, if it¡¯s a passive choice, it¡¯s naturally unbearable. But if it¡¯s an active choice, one must be enjoying it, right?¡±


    ¡­Just like the many failed timelines of Bai Yi, he didn¡¯t think he would be crushed by the loneliness of being the only one left after the world¡¯s destruction. For him, it was perhaps a rare moment of quiet.


    The Rhythm of All Things had long made his life too noisy. Bai Yi had imagined countless times a future where the entire world would fall silent, but on the premise that it was a future he actively chose. A silent world forcibly imposed by fate was something he could not ept.


    After speaking, he felt an unusual silence from Zhang Yun beside him. Even the mental waves constantly emanating from the other person seemed to nk out for an instant, which made him tilt his head involuntarily.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Zhang Yun finally came back to his senses, sluggishly shaking his head, ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡­It just felt like he was just like that god who lost his memory and wandered the human world when he first appeared in the anime. The feeling was exactly the same as that moment before.


    Just then, the broadcast station¡¯s music suddenly yed, its familiar repeated melody prating the entire campus.


    Zhang Yun instantly snapped awake. ¡°We¡¯re almostte!¡±


    He looked toward the ssroom and instinctively tried to pull the youth beside him, but his palm merely brushed past the other. The person beside him had already started running at a speed no less than his own. From the wind, Zhang Yun¡¯s voice could be vaguely heard. ¡°We got so caught up talking that we forgot the main thing. Today is the day to fill out college entrance exam. With your grades, getting into the Imperial Capital University will definitely be easy. Which major are you nning to apply for?¡±


    ¡°¡­Probably Environmental Engineering and Science?¡±


    Zhang Yun¡¯s voice clearly rose an octave. ¡°Eh? Why would you want to apply for this major¡­¡±


    ¡°The environmental pollution in this world is too serious. I¡¯ve been concerned about this since I was young,¡± Bai Yi¡¯s serious voice immediately followed, then he changed his tone, ¡°But I don¡¯t n to go to the Imperial Capital. I¡¯ll stay local.¡±


    ¡°¡­Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m serious. Actually, I want to be a Spirit Forger. Aren¡¯t all major universities now offering extraordinary-rted courses? I¡¯ve always liked cooking and am quite interested in the art of cuisine.¡±


    But the start of the semester is still more than two months away¡­


    Bai Yi¡¯s gaze swept over the countdown of less than two months.


    ¡­Whether he would make it to university was now uncertain.


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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 150

    Bai Yi clearly felt he was dreaming.


    In the dream, he saw ck rain pouring down from the sky, like an endless ck tide, washing over the entire world;


    He saw dense fog spreading across thend, with hundred ghosts wandering at night, spectral phantoms drifting through empty cities;


    He saw the earth¡¯s crust cracking, continents sinking into deep seas, magma spreading from surging fissures;


    An intangible sense of despair wildly spread through the shattered world, with face after face falling expressionless.


    Then countless streaks of light descended from the heavens, like a massive field of me-burning meteorites¡­


    This dream had been continuing for some time.


    From initially being blurry and short, it gradually became clearer and more profound. Vaguely, he could sense that these were events that had urred on the original timeline.


    ¡ªAt the moment the title ¡°White King¡± appeared, he had identally captured information from other timelines.However, he was obviously not yet powerful enough to directly read these messages. He could only spend time afterward constantly suggesting to himself psychologically, entering dreams and repeatedly trying to recall the scenes he had seen.


    Until recently, when he saw almost the same scenes, Bai Yi finally confirmed that there was nothing more to remember.


    ¡ªThis was all he could recall.


    He wandered like a ghost through dream images constantly jumping, with fragmented information making everything in the dream seem like a rapidly skipping film, with many crucial points glossed over.


    He only saw that this world seemed to copse in the blink of an eye, destroyed by sessive disasters that wiped out most of existence.


    In the dream, the Bai Yi tormented by nightmares for eighteen years had no system descending to help him gain power from the nightmare. Without any extraordinary abilities, he was caughtpletely off guard by changes as dramatic as the world¡¯s copse.


    Perhaps fortunately, as the world was nearly destroyed, the strict physicalws were also torn to pieces. This once magicless world had clearly be an extraordinary world.


    He was surprised to discover that he could actually exercise extraordinary powers from the nightmare instance in the real world, though he had to learn everything from scratch. The nightmare instance that had troubled him for eighteen years had apparently be his most precious source of power.


    In the madly fast-forwarding dream, he raced against time at an even more frantic speed, desperately improving himself before the world¡¯splete copse. He spread all the extraordinary powers he had analyzed to every survivor he encountered. Through his selfless transmission, more and more survivors managed to stay alive.


    ¡ªButpared to Bai Yi, they were just ordinary mortals. In terms of both talent and will, they were far behind. No matter how powerful the extraordinary abilities were, they required sufficient time to learn and umte. Although the survivors who gained extraordinary powers improved their survival rates and could survive parts of disasters that would have previously killed them, they still could not escape when faced with stronger disasters.


    ¡ªThe arrival of Return to the Void was too sudden, and they had far too little time. The speed of world destruction was always faster than human improvement. Even Bai Yi, who was currently improving the fastest and was most powerful, could only protect himself.


    On the day when the Return to the Void truly arrived, as the final world remnants slowly sank into the nightmare¡¯s depths, Bai Yi, who had been frantically improving himself, finallypleted his transformation, escaping his inevitable fate.


    ¡ªAnd so the entire truth unfolded before his eyes.


    The fate of the world, the fate of all beings, the fate of infinite time and space, and his own fate.


    Here¡¯s the continuation trantion:


    If thews of this cosmic ocean did not have absolute destiny, even in inevitable destruction, there would be a glimmer of life¡­


    Then he, symbolizing hope and vitality of infinite worlds, after all worlds and all living beings had fallen into destruction and death, his survival was almost inevitable, provided he exhausted all his efforts.


    ¡ªIf he also died, wouldn¡¯t it mean the universe¡¯sws had gone wrong, that not even a trace of life existed in destruction?


    In a certain sense, the destruction of infinite worlds instead infinitely increased his probability of survival¡­


    He drifted alone in the void, experiencing an unprecedented silence¡ªsomething he had infinitely longed for, but if forcibly granted by destiny, he could not bear it.


    He was determined to reverse the predetermined fate.


    The talent ¡°Rhythm of All Things¡± that had troubled him for over a decade now became his absolute hope. The rhythm of all things not only included the living beings of a realm, but also the rhythm of time, space, destiny¡­


    Thus, he forged the principles of all things he hadprehended into one, sensing the rhythms from other time-spaces within infinite time and space, searching in a near-eternal duration.


    ¡­


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    When Bai Yi awoke, the night outside the window was pitch ck.


    The familiar system panel appeared before his eyes, those distorted words hovering between illusion and reality¡ª


    __________


    Name: Bai Yi


    Age: 18


    Titles:


    Pseudo ¡¤ Child of the World


    [Passive Halo: Lucky Buff]


    [Note: Before you betray your current stance, you will always possess this title¡¯s halo bonus, like a spokesperson for the world, obtaining the fortune of an entire world.]


    [¡ªAt this moment, the world favors you.]


    Hope Bearer


    [Active Skill: Hope Resonance]


    [Note: You, symbolizing the ultimate hope of infinite worlds, are blessed with power from the root of infinite worlds.]


    [In a fate where despair approaches, you can rely on your uniqueness to consume the hope and blessing from infinite worlds within your soul, to sense countless world remnants in the endless nightmare¡¯s depths, and resonate with the most hopeful world remnant, entering it to obtain possible counters to a desperate fate.]


    [¡ªThat is, by consuming the ¡°hope¡± bestowed upon yourself, actively choose to enter the nightmare instance you need. You must carefully consider it; consuming too much will cause you to lose ¡°hope¡±.]


    White King


    [Active Skill: Divine Awakening]


    [Note: An ordinary title born in the initial timeline, spread through countless timelines, nurtured by the faith and tales of infinite living beings across time and space, transforming an ordinary title to possess sacred qualities and a legend transcending time and space.]


    [White King equals Bai Yi, but Bai Yi does not necessarily equal White King. When youpletely merge with this title, it will be the moment of essential elevation to godhood.]


    [Beforepleting the elevation, you can only temporarily use this title¡¯s active skill, entering a ¡°Divine Awakening¡± state. This state will cause overwhelming brain stress, which onlyplete essential elevation can fully master, currently maintainable for a maximum of three minutes.]


    [In the Divine Awakening state, the ¡°Rhythm of All Things¡± talent will be forcibly elevated to 100%, achievingplete awakening. In the 100% awakened state of ¡°Rhythm of All Things¡±, you will listen to the voices of all things in the world, perceive rhythms from different time-spaces, and glimpse fragmented information from other time-spaces.]


    [Warning: Since your true talent ¡°Rhythm of All Things¡± has not awakened to 100%, and is forcibly temporarily elevated by the title, you cannot perfectly master this talent. You will only have a certain probability of briefly perceiving rhythms from different time-spaces. Before your essence ispletely elevated, please use the Divine Awakening state cautiously. Once you cannot control it, your thoughts and rationality will burn away.]


    Talent: Rhythm of All Things Lv50 (50% Awakened)


    [Note: Will temporarily awaken to 100% in Divine Awakening state.]


    Life Skills (not disyed below level 1):


    Bewitch Lv10


    [Note: Perfectly qualified as an evil cult leader. No special performance needed; followers would want to join actively.]


    Iron Stomach Lv10


    [Note: After experiencing upgraded dark cuisine and bodily transformation towards the supernatural, no poison in the current world could harm you¡ªto the extent of being able to eat poison as a snack. The only thing that might break through the Iron Stomach would be further developed dark cuisine by yourself.]


    Personality Mask Lv10


    [Note: Multiple personality was like an instinct for you. You could simultaneously y roles of protagonist, supporting character, viin, narrator, director, and screenwriter¡ªthe entire world was your stage.]


    Acting Lv10


    [Note: No one could see through your lies.]


    Extraordinary Skills:


    Culinary Art Lv10


    [Note: Evolved from dark cuisine skill, fully experienced on Bai Xiaoxi, your dark cuisine skill proficiency reached current limits, like an art form. Calling yourself a culinary artist would be no problem. To breakthrough the limit, feeding cats would no longer be useful; finding more diners might lead to a new stage of culinary art.]


    Praise of the Blind Lv10


    [Note: Whether hiding unremarkably in crowds or gaining others¡¯ favor was as simple as eating and drinking. Your essentially transformed self hadpletely mastered controlling your sense of existence, able to transform into the most unremarkable passerby or easily be the only dazzling existence under the spotlight.]


    Web of Thoughts Lv50


    [Note: A special skill rted to the ¡°Rhythm of All Things¡± talent, leveling up with the talent¡¯s awakening. Currently able to easily connect minds with people worldwide.]


    Points: 730


    Card Slots:


    ¡¾Ghost in the Rainy Night ¡ï¡ï¡¿


    ¡¾Flower Speak


    ¡¾Puppet Ma


    ¡¾Lawless Per


    ¡¾Depression Arti


    ¡¾Heavenly Master of Divine Calcti


    Inventory:


    Nightmare Crystal (Green) x120, Nightmare Crystal (White) x210, Puppet Master¡¯s Diary (Transformed into supernatural item, currently able to disy partial behaviors of those causally connected to the subject¡ªdeeper causality, clearer events)


    ****


    The distorted writing reflected in the youth¡¯s hazy pupils, he gazed distantly out the window, the night deep as ink.


    Something was about to happen¡­


    The phone beside the pillow lit up briefly, a news item appearing on the screen, not attracting much attention:


    <em>[2:10 AM, Multiple Locations in Edun Kingdom Experiencing Earthquakes¡­]</em>


    The youth¡¯s fingertips moved slightly, a card¡¯s light shing momentarily in mid-air, two virtual shadows gently floating within the radiance.


    Ten minutester, the Special Case Investigation Team¡¯s special contact phone rang, with the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction who had recently established contact on the other end.


    Li Fufeng heard the person on the other side speak softly, ¡°Be prepared.¡±


    ¡°¡­I saw the prelude to the Return to the Void.¡±


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 Chapter 151

    On the early morning of July 1st at 2 AM, leaders from various official extraordinary organizations ¨C the Special Case Investigation Team, the Special Affairs Bureau, the Haotian Temple, the Sun Temple, the Candlelight Society, and others ¨C were awakened from their dreams, along with the highest decision-makers from different countries.


    With the guarantee of the Special Case Investigation Team, the news from the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction shocked everyone, causing governments worldwide to begin emergency operations.


    One prophecy about disasters after another continuously reached their hands, predicting cmities that would ur in various locations around the world during the next week. From small incidents like ne crashes and ship disappearances to major events like earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions, the dense information was dizzying at a nce.


    If these events were to actually ur in the real world within a week, the devastating and hopeless consequences would be unimaginable.


    In the past, if someone had imed to predict disasters happening worldwide in the next week, people would have dismissed it as a joke. However, with extraordinary powers now present in reality, who would dare foolishly disregard a prophecy from the mysterious Heavenly Master of Divine Calction, only to be brutally confronted by an unexpected reality?


    ¡°Time is critical. Not a minute can be wasted.¡±


    This thought simultaneously emerged in everyone¡¯s minds.


    Some of the impending disasters could be preemptively avoided, while others were utterly unavoidable. Their only option was to prepare as best they could before the disasters struck, making maximum efforts to help more people escape.


    One directive after another was issued from the highest centers. Most countries on the began to take action.¡°Seven hours from now, a forest fire in Blue Forest can be preempted. Send people immediately to eliminate all potential fire-causing factors, set up istion zones as a precaution, and evacuate everyone living nearby¡­¡±


    ¡°Ten hours from now, the passenger ferry from Jiyuan to Gongxiang will encounter a massive storm and be lost in the winds and rain¡­¡±


    ¡°Two days from now, a dormant volcano on Z Ind will erupt. Don¡¯t consider any other possibilities. Mobilize all avable transportation, recruit fast martial artists to help, and ensure everyone is evacuated before the volcanic eruption¡­¡±


    ¡°Three days from now, a major earthquake in Xinyuan City will affect three neighboring cities. Notify local governments to begin resident evacuation immediately. Evacuate as many people as possible within three days, with all necessary supplies requested through emergency channels¡­¡±


    ¡°Seven days from now, a major tsunami will hit the southwestern coastal region. X City, XX City, and XXX City will be severely affected. Their protective capabilities are far insufficient to survive this massive tsunami. Residents must be evacuated to ind areas in advance¡­¡±


    Not only were government-dispatched personnel in motion, but people in areas about to be struck by natural disasters were also the first to initiate self-rescue. Numerous volunteers also began their efforts.


    In today¡¯s world where extraordinary powers were widespread, everyone possessed self-preservation abilities far stronger than in the past. Some powerful extraordinaries were even capable of saving many more lives.


    Of course, things did not proceed smoothly from the beginning. To mobilize governments and citizens worldwide, ordinary people and extraordinaries to act together for an unrealized prophecy, the credibility of national leadership was far from sufficient.


    Especially in some countries where senior officials had long lost the trust of their citizens, many people initially did not buy into their strange orders. Being forcibly relocated and abandoning homes they had lived in for years seemedpletely unreasonable. Some even developed conspiracy theories, suspecting that some aristocrat had set their sights on theirnd and was using the pretext of impending disaster to seize it ¨C after all, simr incidents had urred before.


    This was still a rtively better situation. Even if these national leaders were typically corrupt and oppressive towards the lower sses, they were at least willing to make efforts to save their citizens at critical moments and were not entirely irredeemable.


    The reason for saying this was because there were even more stark contrasts.


    In some countries that had not yet escaped feudal atmospheres, where armed uprisings by the lower sses were frequent and even emperors and nobles often faced assassinations from the people, when they learned of disasters about to erupt nearby, their first thought was to evacuate with their own families. They were unwilling to waste precious resources savingmon people who might oppose them, and they did not even intend to reveal the prophecies.


    If they had ample time, they would have been willing to save civilians to earn gratitude, polish their reputation, and wash away past scandals by portraying previous criticisms as terrorist nder. However, time was not on their side. The disasters were too imminent. All they could do was preserve themselves. Perhaps they might desperately try to save some civilians at all costs, but they clearly were not willing to do everything for themon people. Under these circumstances, who could predict how those rough mobs might react if they discovered they could not be saved after being told about the impending future?


    Rather than face that, they preferred to say nothing from the start, allowing unknowing people to die unknowingly when death arrived. After all, the impending natural disasters were not caused by them, and death was simply these people¡¯s destined fate.


    Unfortunately, their n did note to fruition.


    Because the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction had already publicly revealed the entire truth.


    As an unofficial extraordinary being, a Taoist cultivator ssified as a wandering cultivator who had experienced the mortal world for over a hundred years, the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction showed no particr favoritism towards official institutions. Qi Jiu had only contacted the Special Case Investigation Team because he found it more convenient.


    As an organized national government institution, letting them know the truth and providing unifiedmand was obviously far more efficient and sessful than ordinary people fleeing like headless flies.


    But this did not mean his stance aligned with the official perspective.


    Therefore, after notifying the Special Case Investigation Team in advance and transmitting his prophecies to more countries through them, and confirming they had begun action, the ¡°Heavenly Master of Divine Calction¡±work ount simultaneously published one disaster prophecy after another.


    The efforts of ¡°daily divination¡± over the past months were not in vain. Although no one had ever seen the real Heavenly Master of Divine Calction, and people were even unsure whether it was one or two individuals, this ount had undoubtedly be a powerful and reliable extraordinary entity in many people¡¯s minds, with a characteristic of ¡°prophecies alwaysing true.¡±


    The ¡°Heavenly Master of Divine Calction¡± had never been wrong in their predictions.


    The official orders issued also clearly demonstrated that this was not some sudden prank by an extraordinary being. Under thebined influence of national governments¡¯ credibility and the ount¡¯s own reputation, even those most unwilling to believe had to ept these cold, hard prophecies.


    From the prophecies published every ten minutes, they seemed to see burning seas of fire, ruthless surging tsunamis, aircraft wreckage falling from the sky, giant ships vanishing in storms, eruptingva, copsing skyscrapers, fractured earth, and merciless death ¨C their own death, their loved ones¡¯ deaths, the deaths of countless strangers.


    This involuntarily made every person tremble from the depths of their heart.


    It was the fear of death and the terror of nature¡¯s ruthless disasters that no amount of extraordinary power couldpletely erase.


    Therefore, they cooperated as never before.


    Some disasters could be preempted, but for events like earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions, the only option was to evacuate nearby people to safe zones before the disasters struck, and their time was incredibly limited.


    Yao Country was the fastest and most capable in its actions.


    Extraordinary powers, more precisely, the martial arts cultivation, had brought physical improvements to every person in this country. Even the weakest martial arts beginners were far stronger than their previous ordinary selves. They could temporarily endure hunger, were more adaptable to long journeys, had improved endurance and speed, and their willpower had been enhanced through martial arts training.


    All these factors allowed them to adapt to the impending natural disasters and the overnight evacuation much faster than anticipated.


    Throughout other regions, martial arts practitioners had already volunteered and began tirelessly rescuing people in disaster areas. All avable transportation had been mobilized, and powerful martial artists near the disaster zones, disdaining the slow vehicles and congested roads, directly took to the sky, leaping over vehicle rooftops and swiftly departing.


    In an instant, human silhouettes moved through the night. Countless vehicles on the roads formed a surging river, and bright headlights illuminated the hazy fog, with countless figures traversing through the mist, as if rushing to distant ces to meet the approaching dawn.


    With arrangements and mobilization from national institutions, everything proceeded methodically, with each person positioned like a precisely fitted screw, fulfilling their role.


    Compared to Yao Country¡¯s orderly response, Eastern nations like Sang Country and the Ind Alliance, though their upper echelons mobilized civilians less efficiently, still adapted to their circumstances in the shortest possible time due to the widespread practice of martial arts. They began to prepare for the impending natural disaster in ways previously impossible for ordinary people.


    ¡ªOrdinary people couldn¡¯t traverse dozens of miles overnight, but martial arts practitioners could. Ordinary people couldn¡¯t maintain their strength without food or drink for a day and night, but martial arts practitioners could. Ordinary people couldn¡¯t abandon vehicles during traffic jams caused bymand errors or forcibly move blocked vehicles, but martial arts practitioners could.


    In short, in a nation where martial arts were practiced by all, many problems that would trouble ordinary people were no problem at all.


    Their only enemy was time itself.


    They just needed to escape the disaster area before time ran out. If the government couldn¡¯t effectivelymand the situation, they would rely on their individual abilities, with martial artists from across the country supporting each other¡¯s survival.


    ¡ªThe high-level officials who had previously been troubled by the increasing number and strength of civilian martial arts practitioners, feeling the government¡¯s control weakening, finally saw the benefits of civilian power during the disaster. These people were not merely in need of state protection but possessed self-preservation capabilities.


    In Western countries where martial arts power hadn¡¯t spread widely, such as the Chenxing Empire and the Holy Federation¡ªnations with powerful governments and the ability to quickly mobilize state machinery¡ªthe situation was still manageable.


    Those countries where upper sses hastily sought refuge, or where governments tried butcked sufficient capability, faced much worse circumstances. People could only rely on their own efforts to escape after receiving information.


    Or if other countries had the capacity, they might help¡ªbut only after evacuating their own citizens.


    ¡ªAnd this would take at least several days.


    Until then, the entire world would undoubtedly be in chaos.


    In such a crisis, those who knew the truth could not rx even slightly, instead bing even more tense.


    They knew everything had only just begun.


    Until this point, the inte still harbored stubborn individuals questioning the prophecy: <em>[How could so many disasters happen worldwide in just a week? This seems too deliberate. Even the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction couldn¡¯t predict so precisely. I¡¯d rather believe powerful extraordinaries are toying with us weak mortals.]</em>


    <em>[¡­I live where a tsunami was predicted, and I¡¯ve never heard of tsunamis here. My researcher friends detected no unusual fluctuations. This world is ultimately scientific. Divination prophecies aren¡¯t 100% urate. Even if the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction has never been wrong, this is likely his first mistake. After all, extraordinaries aren¡¯t gods. The most valuable human trait is one¡¯s own intelligence. Those who 100% believe the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction have clearly abandoned their own thinking, and I don¡¯t want to be among such fools.]</em>


    <em>[Woken up in the middle of the night because of some inexplicable prophecy. I¡¯ve heard of divine calction, but predicting with such precision is absurd. Now migrating, it all feels like a farce.]</em>


    ¡°Sorry, there will always be people unable to ept things beyond their understanding¡­¡±


    Li Fufeng, who had been busy most of the night, hurriedly returned to the Special Case Investigation Team headquarters. After taking a sip of water, he saw two familiar figures before his desk.


    A young man dressed in silk clothes, resembling an aristocratic gentleman from ancient times, sat in his chair, eyes fixed intently on theputer screen. A young Taoist in a blue robe stood behind him, slightly bent, with an arm extending over the other¡¯s shoulder, fingers skillfully manipting the mouse to scroll the screen.


    The moment Li Fufeng entered and looked over, theputer screen was disying the skeptical and mockingments from the hardcore faction against the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction¡¯s prophecy.


    Li Fufeng nearly spat out his water.


    He hurriedly tried to exin, wanting to say something more, but saw that Qi Jiu was simply staring quietly at theputer screen, his expression barely changing, with an inexplicable curve perpetually lingering at the corners of his lips.


    In theputer screen¡¯s reflection, the blue-robed Taoist¡¯s gaze seemed to transcend the world, lending his slight smile a hint of irreverence.


    The other young man before him, in contrast, frowned unhappily and unusually spoke in front of others. ¡°These people truly know nothing about Brother Qi¡¯s abilities.¡±


    Saying this, Su Huaijia slightly tilted his head, looking at Li Fufeng, his tone revealing an inexplicable pride. ¡°No matter what kind of divination, even just in terms of disaster prediction, my good friend here is the absolute best.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Qi Jiu¡¯s gaze subtly shifted, and he smiled, ¡°Well, that¡¯s not entirely wrong.¡±


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 Chapter 152

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s not entirely wrong,¡± said the Taoist in blue robes, smiling and epting his friend¡¯s praise with a squint.


    While he might have been unremarkable in other forms of divination, when it came to predicting cmities, Qi Jiu was undoubtedly the strongest in this world.


    He silently stared at the skill column that emerged in the void.


    Spoken Prophecy Lv???:


    [Note: Halo skill, limited to curse-type divination. Paired with Spell Lv10 to create misfortune, efficiency will be higher. Originally Lv10, the skill broke through conventional limits by precisely predicting disasters across the entire world for the next week.]


    ¡°This is a horse river that can generate cmities even without existing ones! Disaster prediction is absolutely 100% urate,¡± Bai Yi muttered inside his vest, ¡°¡­though this time I didn¡¯t actually use my ability to manufacture misfortune.¡±


    ¡ªAll of this was the real, imminent natural disaster this world would face.Of course, divination was ultimately just a prediction and had its limits. The precision Qi Jiu demonstrated¡ªpredicting exactly what would happen at a specific time and ce¡ªhad already transcended prediction¡¯s boundaries, approaching something close to ¡°glimpsing the future¡±.


    Even Qi Jiu, with his ¡°Spoken Prophecy¡± skill, couldn¡¯t normally achieve such a degree. He was able to do so primarily because this world had opened a cheat mode for him.


    An invisible panel hung in mid-air.


    Title: Pseudo ? Child of the World


    [Passive Halo: Lucky Buff]


    [Note: Before you betray your current stance, you will always carry this title¡¯s halo bonus, like the world¡¯s spokesperson, receiving the world¡¯s entire momentum of fortune.]


    [¡ªAt this moment, the world watches over you.]


    In the way of divination, no one couldpletelyprehend heavenly secrets. Even if such a person existed, they couldn¡¯t reveal everything they saw. The more significant the heavenly secret, the less it could be easily disclosed.


    Otherwise, the more impact on human fate and worldlines, the heavier the karmic consequences for those revealing heavenly secrets¡ªdying on the spot would be considered a light punishment. This was the bacsh of changing worldlines.


    But ¡°Qi Jiu¡± didn¡¯t need to worry about the consequences of revealing heavenly secrets. Because behind him stood an infinite world.


    ¡ªLetting heavenly secrets be revealed, letting fate be changed, letting worldlines escape destruction was precisely what the world desired.


    Therefore, he wouldn¡¯t bear karmic consequences for revealing secrets. Even if karmic consequences did attach to him, for someone born already bearing the infinite world¡¯s karma, they werepletely insignificant.


    So when he used his skill to predict cmities, this world almost entirely unveiled its future to him. If the worldline locked by Return to the Void weren¡¯t so difficult to pry open, and if Bai Yi¡¯s current abilities weren¡¯t limited, what he would see now wouldn¡¯t be just a week, but an infinite future.


    This was why Bai Yi could predict the next week¡¯s disasters with such precise, cheat-like uracy.


    In a certain sense, thesepact and dense natural disasters were the world¡¯s reminder to all things before Return to the Void arrived. Just like how snakes, insects, rats, and ants flee in panic before a major earthquake, making people btedly realize a disaster is imminent¡ªthese abnormally dense cmities erupting worldwide were precisely those ¡°snakes, insects, rats, and ants fleeing in advance¡±! ?


    Qi Jiu¡¯s role was to discover the fleeing creatures and predict the impending disaster, bing the first to notify others.


    But he was merely a prophetic messenger.


    ¡ªThe fate of others would have to be saved by themselves.


    ¡ªAfter all, this was just the world¡¯s warning before Return to the Void, no more than a small prelude and test.


    If they couldn¡¯t even pass through this stage and instead required Bai Yi to deploy his vests everywhere to help, what would they do when Return to the Void truly arrived? Bai Yi never had the idea of protecting all of humanity under his wings or saving the world alone.


    Moreover, he didn¡¯t believe he possessed the ability to save all of humanity. So many failed timelines reminded him that his capabilities were limited. Even saving one person besides himself would be a victory amidst countless failures.


    Therefore, it was destined that many would remain unsaved.


    From the beginning, Bai Yi had prepared to abandon a portion of people, just as he had initially abandoned possible life forms ons beyond Blue Star. The continuous disasters descending on this were, in his view, merely a future rehearsal.


    In this rehearsal, Bai Yi was a pure spectator.


    Although several of his vests would perform necessary actions fitting their personas¡ªsuch as the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction¡¯s predictive warnings, Joey, who would certainly protect his fief after being ennobled in the Rnd Kingdom, and the Puppet Master, the behind-the-scenes maniptor of the Shadow Council who imed to be just¡ªtheir actions were more like addressing troubles in their own territories hit by natural disasters. They wouldn¡¯t actively venture out to save more innocent victims.


    ¡ªThose affected by cmities needed to save themselves.


    In the second-floor apartment of the old city district, Bai Yi spun around in his chair, swaying back and forth several times before jumping down.


    He raised his hand and lightly drew in the air.


    A vast, illusory world map unfolded before his eyes.


    Yao Country, Sang Country, Chenxing Empire¡­ one country, one region after another was sketched on the map, sparkling like stars in the sky, with ominous lights of varying depths of red flickering upon them. These represented the impending disasters.


    Gazing at this enormous illusory map, Bai Yi¡¯s consciousness seemed to rise from his vest, ascending high into the sky, overlooking this tiny and the myriad of living beings upon it.


    Only pure indifference remained in the depths of his pitch-ck pupils.


    Although he hadn¡¯t activated the ¡°White King¡¯s¡± primary skill of ¡°Divine Awakening¡±, at this moment he undoubtedly possessed extraordinary divinity, as if standing at a higher dimension, overlooking the approaching disaster and the fate of beings manipted by it.


    ¡­And attempting to sift out those who would resist fate.


    An illusory ck notebook slowly solidified in Bai Yi¡¯s hand and began to flip by itself.


    This notebook, which seemed like it could never be fully written, maintained its moderate thickness, with a hazy extraordinary spiritual light mysteriously reminiscent of moonlight.


    As pages continually turned, familiar and unfamiliar names appeared, their colors varying from deep to light, with more and more names shing before Bai Yi¡¯s eyes.


    When he focused on a particr name, fragmentary scenes would seem to drift before his eyes.


    A young man repeatedly returning through fire to rescue others¡­


    A muscr man abandoning his car to walk during migration¡­


    An elderly leader issuingmands from on high¡­


    A wealthy merchant leading his entire family into a bomb shelter¡­


    Cultists cheering before the imminent disaster¡­


    Countless scenes passed before Bai Yi¡¯s eyes. He saw innumerable people and their responses to the approaching cmity.


    But this was not enough, far from enough.


    The true natural disaster had not yet fully arrived.


    Some say that a person¡¯s essence is revealed in the most critical moments, the most perilous situations, the most unfortunate fates.


    If the next seven days of natural disasters were a rehearsal before Return to the Void, then let him carefully observe what choices different people in this world would make.


    ¡ªTheir choices would determine the future¡¯s fate.


    Bai Yi couldn¡¯t save everyone, only prioritize certain people. If during this selection, someone demonstrated the quality and ability to save more people, showing talents far beyond others, they would undoubtedly be the highest priority in Bai Yi¡¯s mind¡ªthe one he most needed to protect!


    Just like this time, when Qi Jiu merely spoke a few words, while officials from various countries ran themselves ragged. Bai Yi himself could still ck off at home. This was the benefit of having tool people.


    So, between ordinary people who could only save themselves and special subjects like Li Fufeng who could not only save themselves but also save more people, if a choice had to be made, Bai Yi would certainly choose to preserve thetter¡¯s life.


    And between trash and humans, the choice was even easier.


    ¡ªHumans in this world were not equal. At least in Bai Yi¡¯s eyes, there were extremely obvious priorities.


    ¡°¡­So, this is what you¡¯ll do,¡± he said, smiling and handing the Puppet Master¡¯s diary to Adams, his current soleborer. ¡°I¡¯ve opened part of the diary¡¯s permissions for you. It will randomly disy the actions of people with causal connections to me. The deeper the causality, the higher the frequency of appearance. Mundane activities like eating or sleeping won¡¯t show up. Only actions involving oues influenced by me will be disyed.¡±


    Seeing Adams looking confused, Bai Yi exined simply, ¡°In short, this time¡¯s natural disaster could be predicted in advance because I imposed a powerful cause. So anyone affected by this causality might appear in the log.¡±


    ¡°¡­Especially those who were supposed to die but survived due to knowing their fate in advance. The oues in the cause will naturally be their various choices during this natural disaster.¡±


    ¡ªThose whose predetermined fatal fate was changed by advance prediction, and who then made choices affecting more people¡¯s destinies in this natural disaster, were most likely to appear in the log. Others who were neither of these could also appear, but with lower probability.


    In this world, where the imminent natural disaster would affect everywhere, and Bai Yi¡¯s prophecy genuinely faced the entire world, perhaps there was no one who wouldn¡¯t be entangled in causality?


    Bai Yi spoke in the most casual tone what even the most heartless capitalist wouldn¡¯t dare say, attempting to exploit a minor through massive and arduous work.


    ¡°¡­Like sifting gold from sand, selecting the most worthy people to save in this world. If there¡¯s surplus, even categorizing different trash into recyble and non-recyblebels. Then submit the screening results to me.¡±


    At this point, his smile gradually became radiant.


    ¡°Decided! It¡¯ll be called the ¡®Human Screening Project¡¯!¡± Bai Yi tapped his hands together. ¡°This is version 1.0.¡±


    He tilted his head to look at Adams, ¡°You can do this, right?¡±


    Adams¡¯ eyes suddenly lit up.


    ¡°Of course, no problem!¡±


    He didn¡¯tprehend the capitalist exploitation and instead was happy to receive another task¡ªthis was proof of the White King¡¯s trust. After recently learning about this external identity from Bai Yi, Adams had already felt this weighty trust and was excited beyond measure.


    He solemnly received the ck diary with both hands, holding it high, and promised with a tone as if he were about to rush and blow up the Chenxing Empire¡¯s imperial pce:


    ¡°White King, leave everything to me! I¡¯llplete this mission even if it costs my life and never disappoint your expectations!¡±


    Bai Yi: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s no need to risk your life¡­ at most, you¡¯ll just work non-stop for seven days. It¡¯s not like there¡¯s any life-threatening danger. After all, I¡¯m not some devil.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not a viin from some fictional story! You¡¯re the only real god in this world! Even White King can¡¯t say such things about himself!¡± Adams shouted loudly.


    Bai Yi felt a rare twinge of conscience.


    But he quickly dispelled this illusion. After all, he wasn¡¯t deliberately exploiting childbor; there were more important things that needed his attention.


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll trouble you for the next seven days,¡± the youth¡¯s lips curved into a brilliant smile, using his passive bewitching skill to bewitch his irrational, fanatical follower. ¡°I, ah, have more important things to do.¡±


    He lightly tapped his toes on the ground, instantly approaching the windowsill, and suddenly reached out, scooping up Bai Xiaoxi who was crouching there.


    ¡°The world in the depths of nightmares is still waiting for me to save it.¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 153

    In the pitch-ck, viscous, and profound deep sea, like an unfathomable abyss, Bai Yi¡¯s consciousness continued to sink. Countless star fragments drifted around him, and in the suffocating feeling of approaching death, he slowly opened his eyes.


    In the deep sea illuminated by starlight, distorted and blurry text was imprinted on the youth¡¯s pupils, which were even darker than the seawater.


    Title: Bearer of Hope


    [Active Skill: Hope Resonance]


    [Note: You, symbolizing thest hope of the infinite world, are blessed with the root power from the infinite world.]


    [In a fate approaching despair, you can, through your unique nature, consume the hope and blessing from the infinite world within your soul amidst the endless nightmare depths and countless world remnants, thereby sensing these world remnants and resonating with the most hopeful world remnant, entering it, and obtaining potential chips to counter the fate of despair.]


    [¡ªThat is, by consuming the ¡°hope¡± bestowed upon yourself, actively choose to enter the nightmare instance you need. You must carefully consider, as excessive consumption will cause you to lose ¡°hope¡±.]Bai Yi¡¯s consciousness moved, actively selecting [Hope Resonance].


    ¡ªBy consuming hope and blessing from the infinite world, sensing the most helpful world remnant, or nightmare fragment instance, in the imminent Return to the Void.


    [The hope and blessing rooted in your own source are extremely precious, and casual consumption might even damage the yer¡¯s own essence. Detected that the yer has obtained a small amount of hope and blessing from external means. Would you like to prioritize consuming these?]


    ¡°Hope and blessing obtained from outside?¡±


    Bai Yi was slightly stunned, then thought of something.


    ¡°Could it be from clearing so many nightmare fragment instances¡­¡±


    He couldn¡¯t continue thinking.


    This deepest ocean of nightmares was never a ce where a living soul could linger for long. The increasingly suffocating feeling almost stopped his thinking, forcing him to quickly give an affirmative answer.


    The ¡°Bearer of Hope¡± title suddenly lit up.


    [¡°Hope Resonance¡± skill in use.]


    ¡ªUnlike previous passive waiting for random selection of world remnants and entering random nightmare instances, this time, Bai Yi had the right to actively choose which nightmare instance to enter. ?


    The next second, an illusory panel appeared, with one line of text noticeably flickering before Bai Yi¡¯s eyes:


    [Points: 730]


    Bai Yi realized. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is¡­¡±


    The hope and blessing from external sources were indeed obtained from continuously breaking down nightmare fragment instances and resolving the obsessions within those nightmares!


    He just hadn¡¯t expected them to manifest as game points. So each time he cleared an instance, the game points were essentially hope and blessing from the nightmare fragment instances?


    ¡­No wonder they were so versatile.


    As Bai Yi¡¯s thoughts churned, the game points flickered frantically.


    The numbers belonging to the game points changed rapidly, like a madly flowing hourss. 730 points descended at an unimaginable speed.


    730¡­630¡­530¡­


    As the points were continuously consumed, a mysterious sensation quietly arose in Bai Yi¡¯s heart.


    He felt like he had be a ma, with countless star fragments floating around him like scattered iron filings. He suddenly seemed able to vaguely sense the strength of attraction between each star fragment and himself, whether near or far.


    Following this mysterious sensation, Bai Yi traversed through countless star fragments until he finally stopped before one. He slowly reached out, his fingertip touching it.


    Bursting starlight engulfed his entire field of vision.


    ¡­..


    It was still a feeling like emerging from the deep sea. As the suffocating sensation gradually receded, Bai Yi slowly opened his eyes.


    ¡°???¡±


    Before him was absolute darkness.


    Even moreplete than the deep sea floating with star fragments.


    If it weren¡¯t for the absence of glowing star fragments, he would have almost thought he was still drifting in that concentrated nightmare sea of infinite worlds.


    The texture beneath him was soft, but not the softness of a bed. It felt more like rotten soil.


    He felt he was lying on the ground, and his nostrils faintly detected the smell of earth, but this earthy scent was mixed with murkiness, decay, and an indescribable odor.


    With vision temporarily useless, the body¡¯s sense of smell was surprisingly keen. What he first detected was the chaotic mix of smells from all around. Immediately after, hearing came into y.


    Silence. Not a single sound, not even the wind. The absolute quietness made the entire world seem so empty and void.


    Combined with the damp soil and polluted air¡­


    These characteristics inevitably brought to mind a graveyard.


    Oh, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder if a skeleton might suddenly emerge from the ground, its pale hand directly grabbing his ankle?


    Unfortunately, the imagined scene did not ur.


    In this dead silence where only the sound of his heart beating in his chest could be heard, the system¡¯s voiceover arrivedte.


    <em>-Don¡¯t ask how he could see the voiceover inplete darkness¡ªjust know the system¡¯s essence transcends the nightmare fragment¡¯s illusions.-</em>


    [This is a world shrouded in eternal night.]


    [From the day you were born, the world you have seen is nothing but endless darkness.]


    [The sun, moon, and stars are nothing more than stories and fantasies from your mother¡¯s mouth, their truth uncertain. They are products you have never seen, existing only in concept.]


    [She told you that long, long ago, the world was divided into two halves by day and night, with the moon and stars hanging in the night sky like gems embedded in the firmament. When the sun appeared, the moon, stars, and darkness would be driven back by its radiance.]


    [All things grew under the sun¡¯s brilliant illumination. Its light was warm and enduring, the source of life in this world.]


    [¡ªIt was an incredibly beautiful and splendid world.]


    [But you have never seen any of this.]


    [You cannot imagine the appearance of the sun, moon, and stars. Nor do you feel that light is such a warm existence.]


    [In this world of eternal night, light represents death.]


    [Beasts hidden in the dark depths, monsters even more savage than beasts¡ªany sudden spark of light would attract their attention. Those who create light sources in the darkness are the most foolish, destined to be prey for dark creatures.]


    [¡ªYour mother was such a tragic prey.]


    [She spent her entire life pursuing light, yearning for the sun in her stories. All her fantasies and longings came from the person who once saved her life, who told her stories of the sun, moon, and stars, saying this was the world¡¯s true reality.]


    [¡ªAnd that person devoted their entire life to seeking truth, hoping to make this world of eternal night bright and radiant once more.]


    [And so that person¡¯s yearning became her yearning.]


    [¡­She then passed this longing on to you.]


    [Embracing this yearning, light¡ªdangerous to everyone else¡ªbecame the very thing your mother continuously pursued.]


    [She carried you through this eternal night, continuously exploring and chasing the remnants of the past, wanting to approach that world of brilliance where the sun, moon, and stars had never fallen.]


    [But in the darkness, the closer one got to light, the more dangerous it became.]


    [Not long ago, she identally discovered a luminous nt and carefully concealed it. Shortly after, you unexpectedly uncovered the nt she wouldter name the calend flower, identally dropping it on the ground. The hidden light was mercilessly released, attracting monsters from the deepest part of the night.]


    [¡ªYoupletely lost the memory of that night.]


    [Only remembering your mother¡¯s scream: ¡°Run quickly!¡±]


    [These were herst spoken words.]


    [Then, your mother¡¯s gentle voice transformed into meaningless monster whispers, her soft hand holding yours rapidly morphing and slipping away¡­ With her final rational thought, she forcefully pushed you deep into the darkness.]


    [You ran in chaos for an unknown duration.]


    [Until you unknowingly crashed into something, rolling, rolling, rolling, before finally stopping.]


    [You stumbled like a newborn first arriving in the world, bewildered and chaotic, knowing neither the joy of life nor the pain of death, uncertain of your meaning in this world.]


    [Lying in the soft, decaying soil emanating a foul atmosphere, you suddenly recalled your mother¡¯s words from childhood.]


    [Especially her infinite longing for the sun that brought life to all things, bestowed world brilliance, and banished all darkness.]


    [¡°If one doesn¡¯t know the meaning of living in this world¡­¡±]


    [A thought suddenly emerged in your mind.]


    [¡°Then try to chase the world she longed for.¡±]


    [The one who saved her life and gave her aspirations had told her¡ª]


    [¡°Never give up chasing the sun. In this eternal night world, this is our final human persistence.¡±]


    [If the sun that banishes all darkness were to rise again, perhaps your mother, who died in monster form, would also find redemption.]


    [¡ªYour hollow heart reignited with me.]


    [¡°This world is a mistake.¡±]


    [¡°Eternal night is wrong, monsters should not exist.¡±]


    [¡°Only the eternal sun can purify everything.¡±]


    <em>[Mission: Sun! Sun! Sun!]</em>


    <em>[¡ªLet the eternal sun descend upon the world and burn away all filth!]</em>


    ¡°Creating a sun in a world without sun¡­¡±


    ¡°Indeed, just a child¡¯s wild fantasy.¡±


    Bai Yi¡¯s hand pressed against the ground, slowly sitting up. From the appearance of his childlike hand, this body was probably no more than ten years old.


    He didn¡¯t care about the mud on his hand, instead tilting his head to look at the sky. The darkness, thicker than ink, was like a vast empty hole, with no trace of any stars, as if this world was just a lonely ind drifting in the cosmos, a mote of dust wandering in the void.


    Bai Yi blinked and suddenlyughed.


    ¡°But, I happen to like such a challenging mission~¡±


    He stood up, casually choosing a direction, preparing to explore this brand new nightmare fragment instance. But after just two steps, Bai Yi suddenly felt something was wrong.


    Between his legs, something seemed off¡­


    He slowly lowered his head, though seeing nothing, but a bad feeling had already emerged in his depths¡­


    His smile subtly began to crack.


    ¡°Actually¡­..a girl?¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 154

    Chapter 154


    In darkness deeper and more viscous than thick ink, with not a sound to be heard, a small figure walked through the silent ckness, moving more gracefully and nimbly than a cat.


    ¡°She¡± was like a ghost with no known origin or destination, wandering aimlessly through this endless night. Around her were boundless darkness and endless void.


    Bai Yi had already been wandering in this ck night for three days.


    He could see nothing, had not encountered a single living being, and even the beasts and monsters supposedly lurking in the deep darkness were nowhere to be found, as if the entire world contained only him.


    ¡ª¡ª Under such conditions, even a few hours, let alone three days, would be unbearable for an ordinary person. Prolonging it would drive anyone to the brink of copse.


    While Bai Yi was not on the verge of copse, he was inevitably frustrated. He grewzy andy down on the ground, rolling left and right. ¡°Really¡­ boring, boring, boring, so boring! This is the most boring instance opening I¡¯ve ever yed!¡±


    ¡°¡­Walking for three days without encountering a single NPC, unable to even catch a couple of monsters to y with. Despite spending so many game resonance points to generate this instance, how did it end up looking like it was alreadypletely looted and destroyed!¡± After a period of awkwardness, Bai Yi hadpletely stopped minding the body of a different gender. Heined in the sweet, tender voice of a ten-year-old girl, ¡°If I ever find the culprit who ruined my gaming experience¡­¡±


    Here, he stretched out the end of his sentence, striking the ground heavily with a little girl¡¯s fist, puffing out his cheeks without any sense of dissonance, his tone growing more sullen.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m afraid I wouldn¡¯t even be able to punish Them.¡±¡ª¡ª How infuriating!


    Hammering the ground again in frustration, the little girl lying on the ground unknowingly fell into a strange silence.


    ¡­If the cause of all this were not a conscious being, but the rules of the universe, what could he do?


    ¡­How could a world already dead be saved?


    ¡ª¡ª This was a hypothesis that would make anyone abandon hope, but Bai Yi was certain it was infinitely close to the truth.


    Although he was well aware that all nightmare fragment instances were remnants of worlds long dead, the nightmare fragment instances he had previously seen often presented themselves as they were before world destruction, with every wisp of the dead¡¯s residual consciousness vividly existing within, unaware they had died along with their world, more like being in a beautiful dream.


    But this nightmare fragment instance was clearly different.


    ¡ª¡ª Even manifested in the nightmare, it was infinitely close to the edge of death and destruction, with every remnant consciousness in the nightmare cycling endlessly in an unceasing purgatory.


    ¡ª¡ª This was a true nightmare.


    How could he save the obsessions that, even after death, still endured torment in nightmares, struggling in endless cycles?


    Perhaps what the ¡°people¡± in this world needed was not false redemption or illusory dreams, but genuine liberation?


    ¡®Sun¡¯¡­


    A non-existent thing symbolizing liberation and harboring hope?


    ¡°So, what a childish fantasy!¡±


    Bai Yi, who had been lying like a dead fish on the ground, suddenly rolled over and stood up, seemingly reinvigorated.


    ¡°No matter what, there¡¯s no instance in this world that the strongest yer can¡¯t clear! It¡¯s just a little girl¡¯s wish. I¡¯ll reluctantly y the role of a god who fulfills wishes!¡±


    Just then, Bai Yi¡¯s ears slightly twitched.


    He faintly heard whispers from the depths of darkness.


    Bai Yi quickly suppressed his breathing, controlled his heartbeat, and his entire aura instantly became as thin and ethereal as air.


    He seemed to transform into a ghost non-existent in the present world in an instant, merging with the surrounding darkness, silently moving towards the dark depths from where the sound originated, more professionally stealthy than an assassin.


    ¡ª¡ª Based on bone age, this body was probably only ten years old, but its physique was far stronger than a ten-year-old girl in reality. Because of long-term living in perpetual night, visual perception was useless, so other senses like hearing and smell naturally enhanced several times over, like a result of natural selection.


    Bai Yi moved swiftly through the night, more agile than a cat, with a running posture resembling a hunting leopard.


    Everything perceived by hearing and smell transformed into information passed back to his brain, constructing a continuously updating three-dimensional map of the surrounding environment in his mind.


    Ahead was a vast and deste wilderness, with rotting soil emitting a decaying scent and strange nt odors. The air passing by on both sides carried continuous bizarre emanations, the smell of metal minerals from distorted, stacked ¡°mountain peaks¡±.


    ¡ª¡ª He was traversing the central area of such a mountain of stacked metal minerals, within a canyon that was neither clearly human-made nor naturally formed. Hundreds of meters ahead was the canyon¡¯s exit, also the direction of that strange sound, leading to the deste wilderness.


    During Bai Yi¡¯s rapid stealth, a skill on the yer¡¯s information panel was silently activated¡ª


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Praise of the Blind (Level 10)


    1. Aura-type skill. Passively increases affinity, enhances others¡¯ goodwill, reduces others¡¯ vignce and hostility.


    2. Active skill. Reduces self-existence perception, causing others to subconsciously ignore the yer¡¯s existence. Once the yer makes an overly conspicuous move, this effect will automatically break. Skill effect and range depend on the yer¡¯s mental strength.


    3. Active skill. Temporarily reduces self-visual ability in exchange for a short-term power enhancement. Power enhancement degree is proportional to visual impairment. Atplete blindness, power will be enhanced by 300%. Maximum duration of thirty minutes.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    After entering this nightmare fragment instance, Bai Yi realized that the ¡°Praise of the Blind¡± skill was extremelypatible with this instance¡¯s environment, as if tailor-made.


    Leaving aside the passive goodwill-increasing aura, both the skill of reducing self-existence perception and the ability to enhance power by reducing visual ability undoubtedly fit perfectly with this world of perpetual night and this young body.


    Bai Yi tested skill effect 3.


    Under an invisible force¡¯s support, his speed instantly surged again, and the blood flowing through his body seemed to boil even more cheerfully. He could genuinely feel his strength had increased several times¡­ As for the cost? Anyway, it was all pitch ck around, so whether vision was reduced was hardly distinguishable.


    In the night, the little girl revealed a satisfied smile.


    Closer, closer¡­


    The sound reaching his ears became increasingly distinct.


    In the lightless dark depths, across vast expanses of soft mud-covered ground, something was squirming.


    <em>Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle, gurgle.</em>


    Bai Yi seemed to hear the sound of a swamp bubbling.


    Information from smell and hearing converged into an image. He ¡°saw¡± a strange, oddly-shaped substance writhing on the ground ahead, releasing an incredibly turbid and foul odor.


    Bai Yi feltpletely disgusted.


    ¡°Yuck!¡±


    It was even more revolting than the most disgusting trash he had ever cleaned up!


    Bai Yi acted without hesitation.


    The moment he burst out from the canyon, he kicked the ground. While still mid-air, he grabbed a sharp metal bar he had casually taken from the mountain of metal minerals, and like throwing a javelin, hurled it forcefully towards his target!


    <em>Whoosh!</em>


    In the night, it was as if a sharp lightning bolt had streaked across.


    The javelin, with an incredibly surprising speed and tremendous force, carried Bai Yi¡¯s ¡°trash elimination special attack¡± intent, piercing through the monster on the ground like thunder without mercy.


    Following the ¡°javelin¡± was the small figure descending from the sky. As ¡°she¡±nded heavily, both hands pressed forcefully on the ¡°javelin¡±¡ª


    <em>St!</em>


    Like prating a blob of jelly, the ¡°javelin¡± heavily pierced through the monster¡¯s body, firmly nailing it to the ground, immobilized.


    ¡°£¤%#*&£¤%¡­¡±


    The monster seemed to feel no pain, no sense of being attacked, and showed no intention of counterattacking, only continuously emitting iprehensible, chaotic whispers.


    As Bai Yi approached, the sound grew louder in his ears.


    It was like an endless stream of cement directly prying open his skull, then pouring in a jumbled mix of unidentifiable garbage, messy filth, andrge chunks of blood-tinged ck mud¡­


    ¡ª¡ª Compared to this ¡°crazy garbage dumping¡± happening right before his eyes, the pollution unconsciously emitted by those trash beings in his past decade of life seemed like child¡¯s y, almost gentle.


    If Bai Yi¡¯s essence had not begun transforming towards the non-human, he might not have withstood this mental pollution assault. In other words, if he had first encountered this nightmare in this instance, Bai Yi would have likely gone mad by now.


    ¡°Truly an instance quite unfriendly to yers,¡± Bai Yi quipped, the curve of his mouth growing deeper.


    He bent down ¡°looking¡± at the monster on the ground, but his gaze was not as coldly cruel as when he used to look at trash on his cleaning list, nor was it particrly disgusted. Instead, it was oveid with an inexplicablepassion. His tone was almost tender.


    ¡°¡­Please be quiet, okay.¡±


    Saying this, he endured the mental pollution right before him, slowly extending his hand downward, touching the monster.


    The moment he made contact, an incredibly intense, distorted malevolence surged towards Bai Yi¡¯s soul. He remained unfazed, continuing to reach down, sinking into the soft mud.


    Bai Yi¡¯s expression nked for an instant.


    ¡°¡­A mud monster?¡±


    He recalled the soft mud-covered ground he hadin upon when first entering the instance, remembered the muddennd beneath his feet now, and a suffocating spection emerged in his mind.


    ¡­Had the surface of this continent already been covered with the corpses of ¡°mud monsters¡± that had died?


    ¡­And before bing ¡°mud monsters¡±, what was their true essence?


    Even for someone like him, who felt little emotional response to human death, he now experienced an indescribable feeling.


    Bai Yi slowly withdrew his hand and stood up.


    Pulling out the long ¡°javelin¡± again, he hung his head, gazing at the mud monster on the ground.


    ¡°Sorry, let me verify something, okay~¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 155

    The night was dark, covering everything in ckness.


    Bai Yi brought the slime monster he had captured to a temporary shelter and immediately began his research.


    If one only looked at the initial narrative when entering the nightmare instance, the slime monster would seem like a ¡°monster lurking in the darkness, always ready to hunt anyone exposed before them.¡± However, the reality was quite different.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t possess any characteristics of a living organism, more like a moving, distorted corpse. It could remainpletely motionless in one spot for hours. Even if someone passed by, it would not actively attack. No, to be precise, it wouldn¡¯t even counterattack if actively attacked. It¡¯s simply like a soft stone¡­¡±


    ¡ªIf this was the case, then how could one exin the experience of this body? How could one exin those monsters that madly pounced on the mother and daughter in the darkness?


    ¡°The only difference is¡­ golden flower?¡±


    ¡°¡­Or rather, light?¡±


    ¡°¡­Would these monsters be aggressive when seeing light? Would carrying a luminous object trigger their attack?¡±


    Was this the origin of the narrative line ¡°light represents death¡±?Not possessing the memories of this body, Bai Yi could only specte about what happened based on the narrative description. He felt he was still overlooking something.


    ¡­What was he missing?


    Unfortunately, he currently had no light-emitting objects, so he could only continue researching the behavior and body structure of the slime monster under lightless conditions.


    Because his visual function was stripped away, and this dark world resembled a post-world war wastnd or a primitive savage wildernesscking technological civilization equipment, Bai Yi could only use collected metal minerals and stone tools he had polished, along with his own hands, to conduct research on the slime monster in a manner that could be described as primitively bloody and maddening.


    His movements were crisp and decisive, without hesitation, more deft than gutting a fish, though his expression was far less pleasant than when gutting fish.


    The deeper he researched, the more impatient his expression became, and his mood steadily declined.


    ¡ªThis wasn¡¯t due to emotions of sympathy or reluctance; in fact, he didn¡¯t have such emotions at all.


    Bai Yi had long since discovered that the slime monster he captured didn¡¯t possess the emotions of a living being. It wouldn¡¯t experience pain from his research, being even more monotonous than a paramecium. Researching the slime monster required less psychological barrier than researching a zombie, which at least retained a human form.


    The reason Bai Yi couldn¡¯t maintain a pleasant mood was purely because of the noise constantly ringing in his ears.


    ¡ªEven after dissecting the slime monster inside and out, even after cutting it into multiple pieces, this sticky monster would neither feel pain from being attacked nor make any counterattack. It would just remain spread out on the ground in its cut-open state, continuously emitting a muddy noise pollution.


    ¡ªLike an indestructible sound system.


    And such slime monsters were not singr. Countless slime monsters were hidden in this darkness. As long as he continued to explore this world, he could encounter more slime monsters at any moment, potentially getting submerged in a world of ck mud.


    The slime monster beside him continued to emit noise.


    The chaotic sounds were like ants crawling beneath his skull, tormenting his nerves.


    Bai Yi waspletely overwhelmed.


    ¡­What kind of hellish ce was this!


    He felt the nightmare fragment instance was torturing him for the first time.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    After thoroughly dismembering the slime monster into countless pieces of mush, Bai Yi casually tossed it aside and dramatically spread himself out on the ground in a star shape, dering a temporary work stoppage. ?


    But the moment he sprawled down, he suddenly realized the true nature of the soft ground beneath him, and Bai Yi went: ¡°!!!¡±


    He jolted up instantly, like someone with severe germophobia suddenly thrown into a bacteria-infested alternate world, beginning to doubt his entire existence.


    In the darkness, only the system panel continued to glow.


    <em>[Mission: Sun! Sun! Sun!]</em>


    <em>[¡ªLet the eternal sun descend upon the world and burn away all filth!]</em>


    Bai Yi stared at the main mission panel for a long time, then couldn¡¯t help but slowly raise the corners of his mouth. ¡°Oh my oh my.¡±


    His smile was almostpletely ckened.


    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve felt such empathy with a game character.¡±


    A powerful, twisted spiritual storm began to rage around him, with his elevated spirituality burning to its extreme.


    The learning achievements from his previous research of the dark sacred text ¡°Sabbath¡± were now ruthlessly put into practice.


    In this moment, Bai Yi was burning and melting. He seemed to have touched the most extreme, obsessive emotions at the core of this body¡¯s soul, released simultaneously with his own will.


    In the eternal night, it was as if a burning ck sun rose, releasing an incredibly twisted and massive emotion that wed out in all directions, instantly dissolving the boundless darkness.


    ¡°Really can¡¯t help it¡­¡±


    The young girl¡¯s tender, soft voice carried a hint of helplessness.


    <em>¡­I didn¡¯t intentionally not want to clear the level.</em>


    <em>¡­I¡¯ll just reload another cycle. So for now, venting my emotions is more important.</em>


    The twisted ck sun exploded like a firework.


    ¡°Be destroyed, this world! Be destroyed, slime monsters!¡±


    At dawn, soft sunlight filtered through the second-floor apartment window, falling on the sleeping youth¡¯s face.


    Bai Yi opened his eyes in a daze, and the first thing that caught his vision was the distorted text floating in mid-air.


    <em>[Achievement System Refreshed.]</em>


    <em>[You¡¯ve achieved the achievement [Burning ck Sun that Destroys All].]</em>


    [Note: Discovering the entire nightmare fragment instance was just a massive garbage dump, and one that was a thousand times more putrid than the real world, forcibly dumping garbage pollution into your brain. Finally unable to endure it, you decided to overturn the garbage heap, physically destroying all garbage that dared to pollute you. You sacrificed everything, drawing a phantom ck sun with blood and soul, burning your spirituality, fighting poison with poison, and using an even more crazy and twisted spiritual will to distort the pollution spreading through the nightmare.]


    [All twisted monsters were destroyed by an even greater distorting force, and all living people had their souls destroyed by an even greater distorting force, falling into eternal slumber along with the entire world.]


    [You created a new legend¡ª]


    [When the ck sun descends, the world will be burned away.]


    <em>[You¡¯ve achieved the achievement [World-Destroying Savior].]</em>


    <em>[You¡¯ve achieved the achievement [Return to the Void Intercepted].]</em>


    [Note: As long as you destroy the world with your own methods before the worldpletely returns to the void, isn¡¯t that also stopping the world¡¯s return to the void? Congrattions on sessfully intercepting the ¡°return to the void¡± and stealing the first strike of world destruction.]


    [You sessfully reced the Return to the Void, bing the new terror of the eternal night world, eliminating thest survivors of the world.]


    [¡ªYou have be the synonym of destruction.]


    ¡°Ah¡­ did I identally go too far?¡±


    Bai Yi blinked, his expression innocent.


    As for being the synonym of destruction and such, he pretended not to see it. After all, he had perfectlypleted the main mission¡¯s requirement of ¡°letting the eternal sun descend upon the world and burn away all filth¡±! Whether human or monster, nothing remained¡ªwasn¡¯t that thorough enough?


    Shifting the me to the game¡¯s protagonist, Bai Yi¡¯s tiny bit of guilt quickly disappeared, and he became righteous again.


    ¡°But this time, I did get to practice an idea I couldn¡¯t implement in reality.¡±


    ¡ªUsing a wife¡¯s blood, a daughter¡¯s flesh, the souls of the dead, and twisted love could create ¡°Sabbath¡±. But what if everything was reced by the artist themselves?


    ¡ªAn artwork created by sacrificing the artist¡¯s blood, flesh, soul, and everything would certainly be far more terrifying than ¡°Sabbath¡±.


    Although always curious about this answer, implementing it would obviously require sacrificing everything. While Joey, who was extremely passionate about art, wouldn¡¯t mind sacrificing himself to explore a higher realm of art, Bai Yi was not Joey.


    So he would only experiment in a nightmare instance.


    Unexpectedly, he actually did it this time.


    Evidence proved that ¡°Purgatory Art¡± through self-sacrifice was indeed quite terrifying¡ªin the short seconds after waking, Bai Yi had already named this new skill he had practiced.


    That ck sun, created by burning his entire self out of thin air, directly elerated the world¡¯s destruction.


    However, using this skill in the real world would probably not be as devastating.


    The oue of the nightmare fragment instance was determined by two aspects. On one hand, the nightmare fragment instance was just a remnant of a phantom world, several levels lower than the real world. On the other hand, Bai Yi possessed non-human qualities and the power of infinite world origins, one level higher than the real world. His self-sacrifice in the nightmare fragment instance was like a three-dimensional soul self-destructing in a two-dimensional paper world¡ªhigh-dimensional energy delivering a crushing blow to a low-dimensional world.


    If it weren¡¯t just the soul projection entering the nightmare fragment instance, merely burning part of his own spirit, the result would have been even more outrageous.


    At that moment, the text in midair began to change rapidly. A line indicating missionpletion had just appeared, then was instantly erased by an invisible force and reced with a new line, which scattered the next second and turned back to the originalpletion text, repeating continuously.


    <em>[Main Mission Completed¡­]</em>


    <em>[Main Mission Iplete¡­]</em>


    <em>[Main Mission Completed¡­]</em>


    Bai Yi: ¡°???¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey, hey, are you okay, system?¡± He could no longer resist sitting up and reaching out from the nket to poke the constantly changing text in midair, ¡°Are you malfunctioning? You¡¯re not a real intelligent machine. Weren¡¯t you supposed to be the supreme Principle of All Things?¡±


    The youth curled his lips, his tone full of disdain that wasn¡¯t worried at all, but instead carried a tant mockery.


    ¡°¡­Hahaha, you¡¯re too weak!¡±


    Whether due to Bai Yi¡¯s excessive mockery or the system itself not having major issues, the moment his words fell, the constantly changing text finally stabilized.


    <em>[Main Mission 1/2 Completed.]</em>


    <em>[Although your actions do not align with the character ¡°Day¡¯s¡± original heart, they meet the mission¡¯spletion requirements. You have demonstrated a brand new possibility for the character ¡°Day¡±.]</em>


    <em>[Please follow her heart and achieve another possibility.]</em>


    <em>[Beyond destruction, is there still hope for redemption?]</em><hr>


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 Chapter 156

    ¡°Another possibility beyond destruction?¡±


    ¡°Is this asking me to y the role of a savior in this nightmare fragment instance? What is this, a savior drill?¡±


    The system¡¯s mission settlement threw Bai Yi into a brainstorming session.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s fundamentally an impossible mission. The world where the nightmare fragment instance exists is beyond salvation. The time point when the instance begins is toote. If it were before everything happened, perhaps the fate of destruction could be changed. But at the point the instance begins, the world had already been destroyed by ny percent, right?¡±


    ¡°So the key is ¡®redemption¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Every nightmare fragment instance¡¯s missiones from the deepest desire within the character¡¯s heart. The so-called ¡®redemption¡¯ doesn¡¯t necessarily mean stopping the world¡¯s destruction¡­¡±


    ¡°In fact, the little girl in the instance might not even be aware that the world is being destroyed. So her belief and obsession should originate from her own understanding of the world¡­¡±


    In an extremely short time, a massive brainstorming session unfolded in Bai Yi¡¯s mind. He suddenly remembered something and couldn¡¯t help but snap his fingers.


    ¡°Aha, I¡¯ve got it, her obsession.¡±¡°¡ªBing the mother of a monster, and her mother¡¯s long-standing yearning and pursuit of the sun.¡±


    ¡ªIf that child, in real history, had ended her life wandering and running in eternal night, even transforming into a monster, then, not knowing the world was being destroyed, her deepest wish before dying would surely be to see her mother in human form again, and she would absolutely not want to be a monster herself. Perhaps she had also longed to understand what sun her mother chased, unable to help but look forward to the day she might realize her mother¡¯s dream.


    By achieving these things, wouldn¡¯t he have redeemed her entire world?


    Bai Yi simply summarized. ¡°So, what I need to do next is research how to restore the slime monster back to human form?¡± ¡ªThis should be the core element of clearing the instance.


    Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Bai Yi stared eye-to-eye with Bai Xiaoxi, who was crouching on the nket. He fell into a brief contemtion.


    After his contemtion, Bai Yi let out a light sigh. He pushed up non-existent sses on the bridge of his nose, put on a serious expression, and raised Bai Xiaoxi high with both hands, like lifting a magical artifact, his movements reminiscent of a magical girl¡¯s transformation prelude. ¡°Hmm hmm hmm, it¡¯s time for Bai¡¤Genius Researcher¡¤Yi to take the stage!¡±


    ¡°Meow meow meow! Meow meow meow!¡±


    ¡°Pets created through special gic coding are far more intelligent than ordinary humans. This is the terrifying power of a genius researcher!¡±


    While Bai Xiaoxi struggled with iling paws, Bai Yi brought the cat back down.


    He stared seriously into Bai Xiaoxi¡¯s gem-like eyes. ¡°Assistant Bai Xiaoxi, I now have an important mission for you, concerning the redemption n of an entire nightmare world.¡±


    ¡°¡­Meow!¡±


    Bai Xiaoxi perked up its ears, its curious gaze mixed with wariness, a wariness seemingly born from being tricked multiple times.


    ¡°After visiting that pollution-filled nightmare, I feel I¡¯ve had a breakthrough in healing arts. This might be the key to resolving pollution!¡± Bai Yi spoke with a cheerful, lively tone, but the next second he pouted, ¡°Of course, this could also be my illusion¡­¡±


    ¡°So I need to verify it thoroughly.¡±


    Other types of art creation were time-consuming and difficult to verify, but culinary art was the simplest. Especially since this was what Bai Yi was most skilled and confident in.


    ¡ªHe didn¡¯t n to feed the slime monster, but all art fundamentally involves manipting spirituality. If he verified a breakthrough in culinary art and made new progress in spiritual maniption, it would apply to other arts as well.


    ¡°As the long-time connoisseur of my culinary art, with an aesthetic sense beyond ordinary humans, Bai Xiaoxi, you are indeed the ultimate feline choice for advanced culinary art appreciation!¡± Bai Yi once again lifted the cat high, gazing at it with eager and excited eyes.


    The soft body in his hands suddenly stiffened, with a subtle tendency to escape, but Bai Yi held it firmly. Three secondster, Bai Xiaoxi¡¯s perked ears drooped. Looking into the boy¡¯s smiling eyes, it let out a sound of utter resignation.


    ¡°¡­Meow.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re already excited beyond control.¡±


    Bai Yi pinched the cat¡¯s paws.


    ¡°This is justified. You¡¯re about to redeem an entire nightmare world. Hehe, savior cat, charge ahead!¡±


    ****


    <em>[You havepleted seven consecutive world destructions.]</em>


    <em>[You have obtained the achievement ¡°Hundred Possibilities of World Destruction¡±.]</em>


    <em>[You have obtained the achievement ¡°World¡¯s Undertaker¡±.]</em>


    [Due to your repeated actions of destroying the world, leaving a profound imprint on the nightmare fragment instance that cannot bepletely erased even if everything restarts, your character ¡°Day¡± has undergone a certain deviation in persona and route within the nightmare fragment instance.]


    [Your character ¡°Day¡± has transformed from an ¡°ordinary little girl with no rtives¡± to a ¡°mysterious girl with special powers hidden within, who might ignite and destroy the world in extreme emotions if not given positive guidance¡±.]


    Upon entering the nightmare fragment instance again, the first thing that appeared in Bai Yi¡¯s vision was line after line of system notifications.


    The eternal night around him was silent to the extreme. Hey on soft soil, with polluted air continuously prating his nostrils.


    Everything seemed to have started over again.


    Only the system¡¯s narration had changed¡ª


    [This is a world shrouded in eternal night.]


    [From the day you were born, the world you¡¯ve seen is nothing but endless darkness. And the monsters lurking in the depths of the night, said to devour human souls.]


    [But you have never seen the existence of monsters.]


    [Until recently, when your mother, who was obsessed with chasing the sun and everything rted to it, was stalked by monsters while pursuing light, and gradually transformed into a monster before your eyes.]


    [Only you miraculously escaped the monsters¡¯ pursuit. You even identally ignited the power deep within your soul, transforming into a ck sun suspended in the sky, burning away all the pollution before you.]


    [You suddenly realized that you are different.]


    [Your soul harbors a terror deeper than the monsters. Monsters destroy humans, while you can destroy monsters.]


    [¡ªYou are a higher-level existence than them.]


    [As you became aware of this, you suddenly understood: perhaps your birth was extraordinary from the start. You, who were born able to destroy monsters, should naturally bear a different mission.]


    [You can¡¯t help but recall your mother, who was alive and then corrupted into a monster before your eyes. You think of the endless monsters spread across the eternal night¡ªwho were supposed to be someone¡¯s mother, someone¡¯s child?]


    [Has anyone ever seen the true sun, moon, and stars?]


    [Burning away all filth, allowing humans twisted into monsters to be redeemed, dispelling this longsting despair and pain¡­ the ¡°sun¡± your mother always chased was like this. It was not arge, bright sphere, but a synonym for hope.]


    [One who can redeem all beings is the true ¡°sun¡±.]


    [¡°¡­Can I do this?¡±]


    [¡°¡ªI definitely can.¡±]


    ¡°Indeed¡­ the idea of redemption is feasible.¡±


    Bai Yi¡¯s face broke into a wide smile.


    He also noticed the system¡¯s mention of ¡°character persona route deviation¡±¡ªhad it actually transformed from an ordinary little girl to a girl with monster-controlling power deep in her soul?


    <em>¡ªGreat!</em>


    As for ¡°seven consecutive world destructions¡±?


    <em>Cough.</em>


    In a world that was already destroyed, destroying the world again within a nightmare to redeem the humans in the nightmare, destroying the world in a dream¡ªcould that really count as destroying the world?


    This was all just necessary tempering beforepleting the mission.


    In short, although Bai Yi intended to redeem the polluted slime monsters in the nightmare and restore their human form, his previous entries into the nightmare fragment instance had invariably resulted in destruction within an extremely short time: the omnipresent garbage pollution was terrifyingly overwhelming!


    Most importantly, to research how to twist the slime monsters¡¯ bodies back to their original state, he would inevitably have to deeply engage with more slime monsters in the darkness, searching for more samples, and even delving into the essence of slime monsters, constantly epting the chaotic pollution they brought¡­ This was far more than just a germaphobe diving into a garbage heap; this was clearly about carefully sifting through the garbage pile and meticulously wiping each piece of trash!


    Bai Yi¡¯s thought: <em>Yuck!</em>


    And just like that, inadvertently, the nightmare fragment instance was destroyed again.


    Fortunately, Bai Yi¡¯s persistence grew longer each time, so in every cycle he could expand new game storylines, walking a path further than before and exploring more.


    For instance, the calend flower he finally discovered.


    ¡ªIt was tiny, brilliantly golden, burning like a sr me, with its flower core flickering with delicate mes.


    That faint light illuminated the endless darkness.


    Bai Yi¡¯s vision blurred for an instant in the sudden brightness.


    He initially thought it was an illusion from being in darkness for too long, but after adapting for a while, Bai Yi finally realized that the world before him was indeed slightly blurry, approximately equivalent to being 100 degrees nearsighted without sses.


    Extremely subtle, yet he noticed it.


    Bai Yi suddenly remembered something.


    ¡­Was this the negative effect of the ¡°Praise of the Blind¡±?


    Because this young body originallycked extraordinary powers, he frequently used ¡°Praise of the Blind¡± to enhance hisbat abilities while capturing slime monsters for experiments.


    This skill would temporarily reduce vision with each short use, recovering afterward without side effects. However, with prolonged and frequent usage, things would be different.


    Bai Yi indeed found a hint in the historical records.


    [Your character¡¯s vision attribute has permanently decreased by one point.]


    Merely a slight vision attribute reduction¡­ if he hadn¡¯t been not using his eyes before, he wouldn¡¯t have even noticed.


    After understanding this, Bai Yi¡¯s attention returned to the calend flower ¨C the ¡°mastermind¡± that had polluted this body¡¯s mother, symbolizing ¡°light¡± in this eternal night world.


    ¡ªBai Yi had identally discovered it in the depths of a mountain cave. When found, it was buried beneath arge expanse of leaves resembling lotus leaves, its lightpletely covered.


    Almost the moment Bai Yi removed the light-burning calend flower from beneath the leaves, endless movement sounds erupted from the darkness in all directions. Like an octopus discovering prey, writhing tentacles extended.


    He quickly exited the cave with the calend flower.


    In the golden, shimmering light, Bai Yi saw the true face of the slime monsters for the first time. He also saw for the first time the slime monsters he had repeatedly researched andbeled as pletely non-aggressive¡±, ¡°able to lie motionless for hours¡±, and ¡°no different from stones, with the only distinction being softness¡± ¨C actually moving so rapidly!


    Apanied by illogical, chaotic murmurs, clusters of slime monsters glided from all directions, like a surrounding swamp, lunging toward Bai Yi, or more precisely, toward the golden lotus in his hand!


    The ¡°Praise of the Blind¡± triple light ring activated simultaneously.


    His brain operated at high speed in an instant. The little girl¡¯s figure, like a true phantom shadow, instantly traversed the gaps between slime monsters, the metal rod mercilessly sweeping aside the slime monsters blocking his path, breaking through the encirclement.


    But Bai Yi didn¡¯t rush to flee.


    Instead, he first saved a file the moment he broke out, then turned back and threw the calend toward the slime monsters that had missed their first attack and were rapidly adjusting to pounce again.


    <em>Ssh!</em>


    It was like a torpedo exploding in a fish pond. All slime monsters fell into madness, and from deeper, more distant darkness, even more slime monsters wandered toward this direction.


    The calend radiating sr brilliance was engulfed by the slime monsters.


    And Bai Yi standing to the side waspletely ignored.


    ¡°Just as I thought¡­¡±


    Watching this scene, Bai Yipletely understood what had happened to the character he was controlling.


    Slime monsters themselves were indeed not aggressive and would not hunt humans, but humans merely approaching slime monsters was like approaching an abyss, bing polluted by their chaotic murmurs.


    Because of this, the eternal night world was filled with stories of monsters hunting humans in the ck night, as most humans near slime monsters would be polluted and transformed into monsters.


    However, slime monsters themselves were like stones, disinclined to move. So walking through the eternal night, if one was lucky enough to avoid ces where slime monsters existed, one would be safe.


    The only exception was when one carried ¡°light¡± on themselves.


    That would incite the slime monsters¡¯ frenzied pursuit. Even though they would not attack humans, merely approaching during the chase would be a terrifying disaster for humans.


    ¡ªThis was the truth behind ¡°light represents death¡±.


    But this did not mean the slime monsters¡¯ purpose was to eliminate ¡°light¡±.


    Bai Yi¡¯s gaze swept over the slime monsters still continuously gathering, countless monsters almost forming a turbid swamp before him, and in the center of that swamp, amidst the undting slime, a tiny calend bloomed, with sun-like mes burning in its core.


    All the slime monsters gathered around it, as if in pilgrimage.


    The facts were already clear: the slime monsters¡¯ purpose was never to eliminate the ¡°light¡± suddenly appearing in eternal night. Instead, ¡°light¡± held infinite attraction for slime monsters in the darkness, and they instinctively approached the light source, like sunflowers yearning for the sun.


    Bai Yi quietly observed the scene before him.


    ¡°Having lost all reason and emotion, with souls already transformed into misshapen forms, reduced to empty walking corpses, yet still retaining an instinctive longing for light?¡±


    ¡­What a terrifying, what a persistent pursuit this was!


    ¡­And how tragic!


    ¡°How tragic, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    At that moment, a voice sounded from behind, t and hoarse, with an uncontroble tremor. It seemed to contain an emotion that even the voice¡¯s owner could not control.


    Bai Yi suddenly turned around, as if just discovering the person¡¯s appearance, his gaze falling on the other, his expression wary.


    The person who had suddenly appeared was indeed enough to provoke wariness. Just from their attire, one could frantically sound an rm.


    The neer was entirely wrapped in a white robe, from head to toe, without even a hint of a gap, even wearing a white mask on their face. Golden patterns crawled across the mask and robe, seeming to contain a special power that bore some simrity to the healing arts Bai Yi was proficient in.


    ¡ªBai Yi roughly discerned that this outfit could weaken the slime monsters¡¯ spiritual pollution, which was why the person could approach this area. After all, this was not one or two, but arge group of slime monsters. Yet even so, the person stopped ten meters away from Bai Yi, showing no intention toe closer.


    ¡ªIt seemed this was the limit of the outfit¡¯s capabilities.


    He had almost guessed the other¡¯s identity.


    The system¡¯s narration never gave useless information. When first entering the instance, the narration mentioned three people: this character, the deceased mother, and the person who guided the mother to chase the sun¡ªthe person appearing now must be simr to that guide.


    ¡­Looking at this equipment, they might even have formed an organization.


    As these thoughts crossed their mind, Bai Yi was overjoyed. ¡°Great! The guidance NPC from the nightmare fragment instance hase to me!¡±


    ¡­This person must know far more than he did, right?


    Moreover, this world clearly possessed extraordinary powers. Perhaps this NPC could even help him change to this world¡¯s extraordinary ss?


    The neer couldn¡¯t know what was going through this seemingly fragile little girl¡¯s mind. He only saw the little girl quickly turn around, her gaze scanning him up and down, her childish face showing unconcealed surprise. Seemingly startled by this strange person¡¯s appearance, she couldn¡¯t help taking a step back, looking at the neer with caution and vignce.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    The suddenly appearing white-robed person didn¡¯t mind the little girl¡¯s vignce and wariness at all. His eyes behind the mask burned with wild joy.


    ¡°Who I am isn¡¯t important. What¡¯s important is you.¡±


    ¡°I originally came following the guidance of the light element¡­¡± but at this moment, hepletely ignored the calend that had attracted him, focusing all his attention on the little girl, ¡°I never expected to find you.¡±


    At this point, his voice trembled even more intensely.


    He looked with immense joy at the girl who stood before the swamp formed by countless slime monsters, yet remainedpletely unaffected by them, like a devotee finally seeing the divine creation described in sacred texts.


    Strong excitement drove the white-robed person to involuntarily step forward, but in the next moment, the endless chaotic mumblings from the slime monsters broke through his barrier. He stumbled, his body suddenly dropping to his knees, letting out a slight tremor of either pain or excitement.


    But he clearly didn¡¯t care about any of this.


    The white-robed person raised his head while trembling, looking up at the girl who had somehow walked in front of him, as if a drowning person had grabbed their final lifeline, as if earnest prayers had finally brought about the descent of a deity.


    ¡°Child of the Sun¡­¡±


    ¡°The prophecy is true¡­¡±


    He stared at Bai Yi, yet seemed to be looking at someone else. A non-existent, illusory deity in whom all hope was ced.


    ¡°O Child of the Sun, forever radiant! Have you finally descended?¡±<hr>


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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 157

    Madman? Delusion? Fanatic?


    Bai Yi stared at the white-robed person before him, his expression unchanged.


    No matter which category this person fell into, he could easily handle it. During the first decade of his life, he had grown up surrounded by ¡°madmen¡± rejected by normal society, and he had even transformed Li Daotian into someone who unterally shared his beliefs. Every day in the nightmare game, he had to deal with various bizarre and strange instance NPCs. In the year after obtaining the system, things had be even more absurd ¨C he seemingly acquired a passive aura that inexplicably attracted cultists, and he could be considered experienced in dealing with madmen and fanatics.


    Therefore, he merely lowered his head slightly, looking at the kneeling white-robed person, and curiously asked, ¡°What is the Child of the Sun? What does the prophecy mean? And who are you?¡±


    The weak and brilliant calend light only dispersed a short distance in the ck night, and every inch ofnd it illuminated was submerged by swamp-like slime monsters. Bai Yi stood just outside the edge of the light, with his back to the hazy light in the night, looking down.


    The little girl¡¯s golden pupils had a divine beauty.


    It inexplicably created an impulse to confess everything.


    The white-robed person¡¯s gaze became momentarily lost.


    ¡­..Bai Yi, with his fully-leveled Bewitch skill that was especially effective against cultists, easily extracted the information he wanted from this NPC and obtained the basic information about this world.


    <em>[You are decrypting the hidden worldview of the Nightmare Fragment instance, progress 1%¡ú2%¡ú3%¡ú4%¡­30%.]</em>


    <em>[You have revealed part of the world¡¯s truth.]</em>


    Simultaneously, the familiar system prompt appeared before his eyes.


    [This continent, shrouded in eternal night, had another name in the not-too-distant past ¨C the Holy Light Continent.]


    [On the continent, mystical powers were widely spread. Magicians drew elemental power from the sun, moon, and stars, condensing their own holy light magic.]


    [Through tens of thousands of years of propagation, holy light magic had already formed aprehensive and omnipotent system, capable of attack, defense, healing¡­ holy light magic could almost do everything.]


    [The most powerful holy light magic was said to be able to resurrect the dead. It had touched the realm of the gods.]


    [Thus, the gods above the sun, moon, and stars withdrew the powers granted to mortals, equally bestowing death upon everyone. They were then pushed from their divine thrones by enraged magicians.]


    [As the gods fell, the world-destroying ck rain descended.]


    [The sun, moon, and stars were extinguished together. Darkness enveloped the earth. Thews of destruction eroded everything.]


    [The world-destroying ck rain corroded everything it touched. Towering towers copsed, precious gems rusted, lush nts withered and decayed, beasts swelled and mutated, attacking every living thing in sight. Humans struggled and screamed in the ck rain, their bodies transforming, their consciousness scattering, turning into the most corrupt and rotten mud in the swamp. The light elements that holy light magic must draw became increasingly weak, chaotic, twisted, and destructive spreading continuously in this world.]


    [Some said it was the curse of the dying gods.]


    [They wanted to make the humanity that dared to defy the gods lose what humans treasured most ¨C human wisdom and dignity. To forever be the most chaotic, maddest, and most self-degrading monsters.]


    [And they had indeed seeded.]


    [When the survivors emerged from their hiding ces, what weed them was a world of despair plunged into endless night. Inedible mutated nts and animals, the destend covered by infinite night, horrifyingly polluted slime monsters¡­]


    [Perhaps the only choice they had was how they would die ¨C by starvation, killed by beasts, or contaminated by the slime monsters, losing all consciousness in the form of a slime monster.]


    [But in fact, unlesspletely devoured by beasts, any other form of death would cause even the corpse to transform into a monster by the twisted forces pervading the entire world.]


    [And every living person was constantly affected by the pollution of this absurd, twisted world.]


    [Among the survivors, there was a special group. They were the Holy Light Mages who stood above ordinary people.]


    [¡ªAlthough the light elements on the continent shrouded in eternal night had be extremely scarce, severely weakening their power, their realm did not fall because of this.]


    [¡ªThey were the predecessors of the ¡°Chasers of the Sun¡±.]


    [Wandering above this continent covered in infinite darkness, they searched everywhere for scarce light elements, simultaneously developing holy light magic to counter the destructive twistedws that filled this world, to deal with the endless slime monsters that emitted pollution, to explore the ruins of the past, to find a way to break the gods¡¯ curse, and to explore the nature of the world-destroying ck rain¡­ This was the initial approach of the surviving Holy Light Mages.]


    [Their efforts yielded minimal results, with only two sesses: searching for light elements and developing magic to counter pollution.]


    [And thetter could not even be considered aplete sess.]


    [The holy light magic called ¡°Purification¡± could only temporarily weaken the pollution from slime monsters, limited by time and distance, with the greatest limitation being theck of light elements. Each Purification spell was too luxurious for them.]


    [As for how to break the curse? They had absolutely no clue.]


    [In this cursed continent, pollution from the ck night could be encountered at any moment, and the light elements they searched for could not even release three Purification spells¡­ Continuing like this, almost everyone could foresee a fate of destruction.]


    [Despair began to spread.]


    [Just then, a prophecy suddenly circted.]


    [It came from the top few among the Holy Light Mages. Even the strongest Holy Light Mages deeply believed in this prophecy.]


    [¡°When the Child of the Sun arrives, the stars will rise again.¡±]


    [¡°The radiance of the Child of the Sun will dissolve the gods¡¯ curse.¡±]


    [¡°Each of us will return to the embrace of holy light.¡±]


    [¡ªThe ¡°Chasers of the Sun¡± were born from this moment.]


    [What they chased was not a phantom sun, but the sun, moon, and stars that carried the heavenly gods, the ¡°Child of the Sun¡± who would redeem everyone ording to the prophecy.]


    [Hope and faith possessed the power to defeat destiny.]


    [Driven by their yearning for the ¡°Child of the Sun¡±, the ¡°Chasers¡± overcame despair and struggled through the darkness.]


    [They even improved the Purification spell, transforming it from a healing spell that consumed light elements with each release into an enchantment spell that could be stored on clothing, weapons, and other equipment. The light elements that once consumed a single Purification spell could now be maintained for at least ten days through enchantment, as long as they did not encounter a strong source of pollution.]


    [And on this day, a Chaser who went out to seek light elements made a surprising discovery ¨C a little girl who remainedpletely unaffected while in the midst of numerous slime monsters with strong pollution.]


    [He believed he had finally waited for the day the prophecy woulde true.]


    [¡°Child of the Sun, have you finally descended?¡±]


    [He was excited and overjoyed, trembling as he looked up at the divine being.]


    [And the divine being lowered his head and responded to him.]


    ¡°Chasers of the Sun? Interesting,¡± Bai Yi lightly smiled at the white-robed person who had just exined the world¡¯s background and the origin of the ¡°Chasers¡±, and then without any hesitation, ordered, ¡°Take me to your headquarters.¡±


    ¡ªHe knew the other would not disobey hismand. Not only because of the followers¡¯ fanaticism, but also because it was precisely what the other wanted to do. So he simply skipped the unnecessary intermediate steps.


    As expected, the white-robed person immediately agreed without a word.


    Just before leaving, Bai Yi suddenly remembered something and looked back at the swamp. ¡°I almost forgot about my calend¡­ You should know how to shield it from the slime monsters¡¯ perception and take it away, right?¡±


    He certainly couldn¡¯t run away with the calend while having a bunch of slime monsters following him to the ¡°Chasers of the Sun¡± headquarters.


    Bai Yi didn¡¯t mind, but he was worried about potentially harming the ¡°Chasers¡±.


    The white-robed person was silent, then slowly spoke, ¡°We don¡¯t have special equipment to shield and store light elements. Generally, when we discover nts containing light elements, we absorb them immediately.¡±


    ¡­In the past Holy Light Continent, such equipment definitely existed, but now the continent¡¯s light elements were pathetically weak. If one didn¡¯t quickly absorb the light elements and convert them into their own power, but instead tried to store them in equipment and find ways to shield them from the slime monsters¡¯ perception¡­ wouldn¡¯t that be looking for trouble?


    Bai Yi quickly understood this point.


    He sighed in disappointment, then suddenly thought of something and said, ¡°Then teach me holy light magic. Just the simplest entry-level first step, as long as I can absorb light elements.¡± At this point, he hummed, and the little girl¡¯s face puffed up, ¡°How could my calend be taken so easily by those despicable slime monsters? I want them to know that getting something for nothing is shameful!¡±


    If it were someone else, they might have questioned the absurdity of teaching holy light magic on the spot ¨C would anyone really believe holy light magic could be learned instantly? But the white-robed person here was clearly the most devout among the Chasers, the most fanatical of fanatics.


    He didn¡¯t question it at all. Instead, he immediately taught Bai Yi theplete meditation technique, looking at him with an expression that said, ¡°Mere holy light magic, the Child of the Sun will definitely learn it in an instant.¡±


    The facts proved that learning it instantly was impossible.


    But yers have their own ways of ying.


    After repeatedly loading saves and umting experience over N cycles, Bai Yi learned it.


    And in the eyes of the white-robed person in this new cycle, it appeared that he had just taught Bai Yi the meditation technique, and Bai Yi had indeed learned it instantly.


    ¡ªTruly worthy of the Child of the Sun in the prophecy!


    Just like that, Bai Yi casually parted the slime monsters, casually picked up the calend, and skillfully used the meditation technique.


    The sun¡¯s me, burning like fire, slowly spread in mid-air. The dposed light elements surged like a tide for a moment before quickly converging into his body.


    As the light elements dissipated, the slime monsters that had been frantically chasing the light elements stopped moving, copsing onto the ground like real mud. They were like a group of salted fish sprawled on a sofa after dancing passionately all night.


    Bai Yi walked out from among the slime monsters, seemingly unaware of their presence.


    He felt the light elements wandering through his body ¨C a power different from internal energy and spiritual power.


    Bai Yi had never felt better.


    He nodded to the white-robed person. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go.¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 158

    In the endless night, a figure in white robes kept moving forward, carefully carrying a small figure in their arms, their wide robes flowing around them.


    Bai Yi, being carried like a child, felt no difort at all. Instead, he was d to be spared the trouble of walking. Having nothing else to do, he decided to use all his senses except vision to perceive everything in this darkness.


    Soon, Bai Yi noticed that during the white-robed person¡¯s navigation, their clothing asionally emitted dim energy fluctuations. He could sense these were waves of light element being consumed. The white-robed person would adjust their steps ording to these fluctuations, sometimes even taking long detours to avoid ces where the light element was being rapidly consumed.


    ¡ªIn Bai Yi¡¯s perception, these areas were ces where slime monsters gathered inrge numbers ¨C essentially ¡°heavy pollution¡± sources.


    ¡ªSo this is a special way to avoid slime monsters?


    He asked out of curiosity.


    Given the white-robed person¡¯s attitude toward him, they would likely answer any question that didn¡¯t involve particrly sensitive information.


    Sure enough, the white-robed person exined the mystery without hesitation.


    The enchanted Holy Light Robe they wore would react when approaching sources of pollution, automatically triggering purification magic. The stronger the pollution source, the more light element the purification magic needed to consume. So even though they had no direct means of monitoring slime monsters, they could judge where the monsters were concentrated just by the level of light element consumption. This allowed them to avoid areas with high monster concentrations while walking through this darkness, preventing unnecessary energy consumption. After all, in this eternal night, light element was rare and precious.Bai Yi indicated his understanding and couldn¡¯t help touching the white-robed person¡¯s sleeve, eximing with a mix of amazement and longing. ¡°So that¡¯s how it works. What an amazing Holy Light Robe!¡±


    Inparison, his own clothes were quite ordinary.


    After entering this character¡¯s body, Bai Yi had discovered that the little girl¡¯s clothes felt like they were made of hemp, but were actually woven from some unknown nt. Their only advantage seemed to be durability. Even the shoes appeared to be woven from the same nt. While the materials were primitive, the style was simr to medieval Western riding gear, with everything colored in a dull gray.


    Their attire certainly couldn¡¯t be called refined ¨C it was essentially the appearance of a drifter in this eternal night world. The woven materials themselves had no special properties.


    The Holy Light Robe, in contrast, was quite impressive.


    So the little girl in their arms ¡°couldn¡¯t help¡± looking up and asking, ¡°Now that I¡¯ve learned meditation, am I considered a Holy Light Mage? Can I have a Holy Light Robe like this too?¡±


    ¡°Her¡± longing and amazement were clearly evident.


    ¡°Yes, you will have the very best,¡± the white-robed person replied softly but firmly. ¡°Please believe me.¡±


    They adjusted their arms, using their wide sleeves to cover the girl more thoroughly. The golden magical arrays inscribed on the robe emitted invisible waves in the darkness, continuously consuming light element to maintain an outward purification spell thatpletely enveloped the little girl.


    This prevented any impurity from approaching ¡°her.¡±


    Using purification magic this way consumed far more light element than the passive purification triggered when the Holy Light Robe encountered slime monsters.


    Yet they clearly preferred to consume this precious light element rather than let Bai Yi face even the slightest contamination, despite Bai Yi previously demonstrating considerable resistance by moving freely through the slime monster swamps.


    Bai Yi certainly noticed this.


    His eyes flickered slightly in the darkness.


    Hepletely understood the other¡¯s thinking.


    After all, the prophecy didn¡¯t specify that the Child of the Sun waspletely immune to slime monsters. Moreover, this was clearly an immature Child of the Sun. What if they just had higher resistance than normal people and sumbed to contamination more slowly? Given how long they had waited for this prophesied one, someone with this white-robed person¡¯s attitude definitely wouldn¡¯t want even the slightest mishap.


    That¡¯s why they were being so extremely careful and cautious.


    But normally, wouldn¡¯t it be both more convenient and more prudent for them to simply drape their Holy Light Robe over Bai Yi, covering thempletely from head to toe? It would eliminate the need for constantly releasing purification magic and consuming energy.


    Given the white-robed person¡¯s protective attitude toward the ¡°Child of the Sun,¡± they surely wouldn¡¯t begrudge lending a Holy Light Robe, especially just for temporary use on the way back to the Chasers of the Sun¡¯s headquarters?


    So it wasn¡¯t that they were unwilling, but that they were unable to do so.


    ¨CThey couldn¡¯t remove their Holy Light Robe, yet had to protect Bai Yi¡¯s safety, so they could only use this troublesome method. That¡¯s why Bai Yi hadn¡¯t refused being carried by the NPC.


    Well, it definitely wasn¡¯t because a free ride had presented itself.


    However, being unable to remove the Holy Light Robe suggested there would be severe consequences if removed. Would they even lose the ability to escort Bai Yi to stop the headquarters?


    Was the body so carefully wrapped in the Holy Light Robe still truly aplete human form?


    Remembering the strange rubber-like sensation felt through the Holy Light Robe when their arm had seemingly carelessly pressed backward earlier, Bai Yi had formed a rough guess in his mind.


    He suddenly spoke up. ¡°You said the gods¡¯ curse polluted this world, and only the Child of the Sun can break the curse. You say I¡¯m the Child of the Sun, but I don¡¯t know how to break the curse ¨C I don¡¯t even know what the curse is. Is it what those slime monsters keep mumbling about?¡±


    The white-robed person paused, then sighed softly. ¡°You call the Lost Ones slime monsters? That¡¯s quite fitting. The curse isn¡¯t such a simple thing ¨C it¡¯s an omnipresent rule. As long as the gods¡¯ curse remains unbroken, the souls still living in this eternal night cannot be freed. Because this world¡¯s foundation has been polluted by the curse, everything created from the world¡¯s foundation cannot escape it.¡±


    Their tone carried heavy sorrow.


    Seemingly noticing the little girl watching them, the white-robed person changed their tone, regaining their spirit. ¡°But now things are different. I believe you can change everything.¡±


    ¡°¡­It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t know what the curse is, or don¡¯t know what to do. You¡¯ve never encountered these things before, so it¡¯s natural not to know. Please don¡¯t worry, we have the most knowledgeable Grand Mage, from whom you can learn everything you don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°¡­Just like how you¡¯d never learned meditation before, yet mastered it as soon as you were taught, right?¡±


    Their tone was extremely careful.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know how to break the curse, but you certainly can. Even if you can¡¯t do it now, you¡¯ll definitely be able to in the future! Because that¡¯s what the prophecy says!¡±


    The white-robed person¡¯s tone grew intense. They held the little girl as if holding a small sun, seeming willing to be melted by the sun¡¯s fierce mes just to lift it up. They gazed at Bai Yi, openly expressing their fervent, intense, and persistent hope.


    ¡°We can do it! No matter how long we must wait, we¡¯ll surely see that day! All our perseverance and endurance has been for waiting for that day toe!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll surely end this hopeless fate, won¡¯t you?¡±


    In thest sentence, Bai Yi heard a tremor that the speaker hadn¡¯t noticed themselves ¨C perhaps they didn¡¯t unconditionally believe in the prophecy either, but forced themselves to believe it.


    Bai Yi couldn¡¯t help but look at them seriously.


    In the silent darkness, though neither could see anything, their gazes seemed to truly meet.


    The white-robed person heard the childish yet calm voice from the child in their arms.


    ¡°Ah, of course. I am the Child of the Sun from the prophecy, after all.¡±


    At this, they smiled from their heart.


    Under the mask, on that face bearing traces of corruption and decay, a genuinely heartfelt smile bloomed for the first time.


    ¡°Yes, you are the Child of the Sun from the prophecy.¡±


    ****


    The Chasers of the Sun¡¯s ¡°headquarters,¡± despite its name, was merely a valley within a mountain¡¯s belly. In Bai Yi¡¯s perception, the closer they got to headquarters, the fewer slime monsters there were nearby. It wasn¡¯t clear if this was a carefully chosen location or if they had cleared away the nearby slime monsters.


    But that wasn¡¯t important.


    The arrival of Bai Yi and theirpanion stirred the entire valley.


    In theyered mountain paths that had been specially excavated, Bai Yi could sense constant sounds of rustling clothes, footsteps, and distant conversations. Though invisible, he could imagine the Chasers of the Sun emerging from their ¡°rooms¡± to ¡°gather around¡± and observe him.


    Clearly, the title of ¡°Child of the Sun¡± carried significant weight.


    However, precisely because of its importance, the people here couldn¡¯t rush to judgment, and instead needed to treat Bai Yi with extra caution.


    The white-robed person who brought Bai Yi back¡ªa man called Gadley¡ªsaid something to the others. The news spreadyer byyer, and soon someone informed Bai Yi that the legendary Grand Mage wanted to meet them.


    The Grand Mage was said to be the strongest and highest-ranking among the current Chasers of the Sun, and thest surviving member of the Holy Light Mages who made the prophecy years ago. Now that seniors andpanions had departed, hemanded nearly absolute authority among the remaining Chasers of the Sun.


    ¡ªOnce he acknowledged Bai Yi, his identity as the ¡°Child of the Sun¡± would be undisputed.


    However, Bai Yi knew his own situation¡ªbefore he, a yer, descended into this character, this role was probably already dead. So regardless of whether the so-called ¡°Child of the Sun¡± truly existed, it certainly couldn¡¯t be the character he now controlled.


    But he wasn¡¯t worried at all, and walked forward without hesitation.


    He believed that regardless of initial thoughts, after meeting him, the Grand Mage would never deny his identity.


    ¡ªWasn¡¯t turning falsehood into truth what he did best?


    After descending long stairs to the dark underground, an extremely faint light appeared before Bai Yi¡¯s eyes.


    He looked ahead in surprise to find a very simple stone chamber. In its center, starlight-like weak rays swirled in mid-air, like a vortexposed of ster points of light.


    Beneath the vortex¡¯s center sat a white-robed person.


    They wore a Holy Light Robe and the same mask as Gadley, but their whole being carried a weathered quality shaped by time¡¯s passage. Even without seeing their face, one could tell they were a wise elder.


    The Grand Mage nced at Bai Yi, and without mentioning the prophecy, spoke in a gentle, loving voice, ¡°Are you the little girl Gadley brought back today?¡±


    ¡°No, not a little girl, but the Child of the Sun.¡±


    Bai Yi walked forward a few steps to correct him.


    The Grand Mage paused, couldn¡¯t help looking at him deeply, ¡°Do you know what being the Child of the Sun means?¡±


    ¡­Are you truly determined to shoulder this title?


    ¡­Instead of being an ordinary little girl unrted to the prophecy, a lucky one they picked up, living out the remaining time under their protection?


    The little girl before him seemed to see through his thoughts and suddenly tilted her head slightly, saying, ¡°Actually, the prophecy is a lie, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    The Grand Mage was stunned again.


    ¡°I mean, from beginning to end, there was never any Child of the Sun, right?¡± Bai Yi pressed on. ¡°So you don¡¯t need any verification to know I can¡¯t be the Child of the Sun.¡±


    ¡°¡­Because the Child of the Sun never existed!¡±


    The quiet stone chamber fell into silence, with only the ster points of light continuing to swirl like a vortex.


    ¡°Little girl, you¡¯re very clever.¡± After a long while, the Grand Mage sighed and looked at Bai Yi in surprise,ying out the truth, ¡°You¡¯re right. The Child of the Sun doesn¡¯t exist.¡±


    ¡°To be precise, there was never any divine curse.¡±


    ¡°So naturally, there¡¯s no Child of the Sun to save the world.¡±


    ¡°This was all just an borately woven lie.¡±


    Under the little girl¡¯s all-seeing gaze, the Grand Mage slowly removed his mask, revealing a horrifying face.


    Half his face was intact, with aged muscles folded together, while the other half waspletely distorted, like corrupt mud growing wildly, having lost human form.


    ¡°It was never gods who cursed us, but fate,¡± the Grand Mage sighed as he spoke. ¡°From the beginning, destruction was this world¡¯s inevitable destiny.¡±


    ¡°Fate wants this world to perish, so no matter what, we have no way to save it.¡±


    ¡°The prophecy mages were the first to discover this¡­¡±<hr>


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 Chapter 159

    Amidst the Grand Mage¡¯s voice, a system prompt suddenly appeared.


    <em>[Hidden world setting of the nightmare fragment instance has been decoded.]</em>


    ¡°¡­It was a sudden day when the most powerful prophecy mage on the Holy Light Continent glimpsed a dark future. All was silent, ck rain fell, and the world perished in darkness. That prophet told us that was the Return to the Void.¡±


    ¡°It was the inevitable end and destruction that infinite worlds would face. An absolute destiny that we small mortals could not resist. But of course, we refused to believe it.¡±


    ¡°We did everything possible to change fate, struggled with every method we had, but only when the Return to the Void truly descended did we understand the invibility of destiny.¡±


    ¡°¡ªSo this was not a struggle between humans and gods, but against fate itself. The gods weren¡¯t frightening ¨C the deities in heaven originally came from humans and weren¡¯t invincible.¡±


    ¡°¡­What was truly invincible was fate itself.¡±


    The weight in the Grand Mage¡¯s voice was enough to make anyone hold their breath, infected by that heavy despair and sorrow. But Bai Yi focused on a different question¡ª


    ¡°So gods really exist in this world?¡±¡­He had thought they were just made-up antagonists.


    The Grand Mage was taken aback. ¡°You could say they exist, and you could say they don¡¯t.¡±


    [Originally there were no gods in this world ¨C those who dwelled in the sun, moon, and stars were merely Holy Light Mages who had grown powerful beyond ordinary humanprehension. They absorbed the purest light elements from the morning star to continuously strengthen themselves.]


    [Living in seclusion while researching magic, with their power already transcendent and making their homes among the celestial stars, they asionally spread various miraculous holy light spells to the mortal realm. As time passed, they unconsciously became gods in the hearts of countless people.]


    [When the Return to the Void descended, the world¡¯sws were eroded by the void energy. Starting from a distant corner of space, it began to copse, then surged forward like rolling waves, with destruction spreading like earthquakes, shattering star after star.]


    [Until the sun, moon, and stars, along with the Holy Light Mages viewed as gods upon them, vanished into eternal silence, leaving seemingly only the Holy Light Continent in this vast boundless world.]


    [Before destruction descended, the ¡°gods¡± among the stars made one final effort, exhausting everything they had to preserve the Holy Light Continent. It was precisely because they poured all their energy into the Holy Light Continent that the sun, moon, and stars were easily destroyed, and they themselves perished along with them.]


    [But a small portion of people on the Holy Light Continent survived. It was like having a death sentencemuted to a stay of execution ¨C there was room to struggle.]


    [Even so, this world no longer had a future ¨C when the surviving Holy Light Mages emerged from their shelters back into the world, they discovered this painful and desperate truth.]


    [The descent of the Return to the Void had destroyed the Holy Light Continent at its peak, with the world¡¯s rules destroyed, eroded, and twisted.]


    [What greeted them was a world fallen into eternal night, filled with void energy, and void beasts everywhere.]


    [These were the so-called Out of Control.]


    [A group of ordinary people with higher resistance to void energy survived, but could only barely subsist like wild dogs, hiding from the omnipresent slime monsters in the darkness, dying of hunger, dying from madness at being unable to ept reality ¨C and even their corpses after death became void beasts.]


    [Living beings eroded by void energy became void beasts. They themselves became new sources of contamination, emanating void energy more concentrated than that floating in space. Living beings that approached them would suffer more intense erosion.]


    [Even staying away from void beasts only slowed the speed of erosion by void energy, because void energy was everywhere.]


    [Therefore, being eroded, twisted, and contaminated was everyone¡¯s inevitable fate. Until the day this worldpletely returned to the void.]


    [And they had no way to stop it.]


    [Even the purification techniques they devoted themselves to researching only treated the symptoms, not the root cause. Continuing to struggle in this mortal world, they would ultimately lose control and be void beasts, perishing along with the world.] ??


    [This hopeless and dark future left them in despair.]


    [But they weren¡¯t willing to waste the ¡°gods''¡± sacrifice, and were even less willing to imagine the consequences of giving up.]


    [In the infinitely distant future, if other beings were fortunate enough to arrive in this world, would they see only endless darkness and countless void beasts wandering within? Would they still be able to discover that a great human civilization once existed on this continent, find traces of holy light magic?]


    [More terrifying than death was forgetfulness.]


    [¡ªThat would be the extinction of an entire civilization.]


    [Their glory, their fall, their resistance, their struggles ¨C none would remain to know of them.]


    [The barely surviving survivors couldn¡¯t ept such a fate. The few remaining mages gathered together and made a decision¡ª]


    [They would pass down holy light magic forever.]


    [If they couldn¡¯t, they would at least die in human form.]


    [So that when outsiders came to this continent millions of yearster, they would at least see human remains, and from these scattered traces, discover and remember their civilization.]


    [Thus, the highest-ranking and most powerful Holy Light Mage of that time, along with hispanions, told a massive lie.]


    [¡ªTo prevent others from giving up their struggle due to the overly desperate truth, they altered the history of the world¡¯s destruction, changing the inevitable destruction into a curse and punishment from the gods. It was humans who had angered the gods, bringing this bitter fruit upon themselves.]


    [Since it was punishment, there was a possibility of it being lifted.]


    [The prophecy of the Child of the Sun was thus born.]


    [This was false hope constructed entirely of lies, but it was the only hope that could keep the survivors from giving up, to continue struggling in this eternal night.]


    [With this lie, they gave others hope to struggle with all their might, maintaining human continuation as long as possible, even if just for one more day, month, or year, using more time to gamble on the slight possibility that true hope might appear in the future¡ªhope of passing down holy light magic, or hope of recovering human form, before thest human perished.]


    [And during these years of struggle¡­]


    [¡­Since they had fallen to this state due to the gods¡¯ curse, wasn¡¯t it reasonable for the Chasers of the Sun to constantly seek traces of the past, attempting to find ways to lift the curse?]


    [In this process, striving to preserve traces of the holy light civilization and human history became natural.]


    [This is the truth of everything.]


    ¡°So that¡¯s how it was? All the stars, all continents, all nes where life might exist beyond this continent have already been destroyed?¡±


    At this moment, Bai Yi suddenly understood why the Holy Light Continent was left with only darkness. Surely the infinite space outside was now just empty ck holes ¨C where could lighte from to illuminate this world?


    nts containing light elements, like calends, were already considered remaining miracles. He suspected that the Holy Light Continent¡¯s ability to retain a small amount of light elements was rted to the fallen ¡°gods.¡±


    ¡ªThis was the hope they left for the Holy Light Mages.


    Otherwise, the first ¡°Chasers of the Sun¡± couldn¡¯t have been born, Holy Light Mages¡¯ spells would havepletely failed, and everyone could only hopelessly give up and be void beasts, without even room to struggle.


    ¡°Now you understand what the title ¡®Child of the Sun¡¯ symbolizes?¡± The Grand Mage¡¯s words interrupted Bai Yi¡¯s increasingly distant thoughts. ¡°Do you still dare to take on this title?¡±


    ¡ªIt was a fabricated false hope. Yet it was the spiritual support and faith that kept many Chasers of the Sun alive until now.


    If someone took on this title without being able to live up to it, the Grand Mage could hardly imagine what the Chasers of the Sun would do when their hope was shattered.


    Even though he felt Bai Yi was somewhat special, he couldn¡¯t arbitrarily let her shoulder such a heavy burden. ¡°Are you prepared to be thest remaining hope for this world¡¯s final survivors?¡±


    ¡°No problem, I can do it, I¡¯m ready.¡± Bai Yi promptly gave three affirmative responses, looking at the Grand Mage without blinking.


    ¡­So, bring on the identity of the ¡®Child of the Sun¡¯!


    The Grand Mage was bewildered by her unconventional response. ¡°Little girl, you need to think this through¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve thought it through clearly. From the moment I appeared in this world, even if the prophecy isn¡¯t true, I¡¯ll make ite true!¡± The young girl with baby fat still on her cheeks held her head high, her tone revealing inexplicable confidence. ¡°After all, I have the power to easily destroy this world.¡±


    As her words fell, mysterious power surged from ¡°her¡± brow, an invisible mental storm swirling around her, like intangible dark currents slowly churning in the depths of a pitch-ck ocean.


    This was his new utilization and development of mental energy afterbining the Spirit Forger system with holy light meditation.


    The Grand Mage suddenly stood up, both shocked and delighted.


    His gaze locked firmly on Bai Yi, and after the initial joy came regret. ¡°Such powerful and pure mental force, and rarely leaning toward negative energy¡­ If the Return to the Void hadn¡¯t descended, you surely would have be a pioneer of a new branch of holy light magic!¡±


    As the mental storm gathered, an illusory ck sun traced itself behind Bai Yi. The increasingly dangerous aura made the Grand Mage¡¯s expression constantly shift. The crisis sense from his intuition stabbed at his heart, as if that ck sun might explode the next second, its iparable power sweeping away everything. In his daze, he even had the illusion of having died many times over.


    He snapped out of his trance, realizing cold sweat had seeped through his skin under his robes, yet his expression showed joy rather than fear. ¡°Your talent is beyond question, far exceeding my expectations¡­¡±


    Having witnessed the power of the ¡°gods¡± above the stars in his youth, he knew deeply that the little girl before him had the talent to stand alongside the gods in the future. Such a genius might truly be able to aplish things he, a mere mortal, couldn¡¯t imagine¡­


    ¡°Perhaps, perhaps the prophecy really has a chance ofing true?¡±


    After Bai Yi demonstrated his artistic attainments, which he had upgraded after testing earlier on Bai Xiaoxi, this Grand Mage was even more shocked¡ªactually, the effects Bai Yi demonstrated weren¡¯t as good as purification techniques, but he wasn¡¯t using purification techniques at all.


    What did this mean?


    It meant that this child before him had figured out another method different from purification techniques, yet equally effective at weakening contamination, just by wandering alone in the eternal night. Even though this method¡¯s effects weren¡¯t ideal yet, the mere fact that it used mental force instead of light elements was already remarkable.


    Moreover, didn¡¯t this further prove that Bai Yi really might make the prophecye true, changing that hopeless future?


    If just cultivated properly, it was really quite possible.


    The Grand Mage made an immediate decision. ¡°Child, from today forward, you are the prophesied Child of the Sun, possessing authority equal to mine in this camp. I will pass on all the knowledge I possess to you without reservation. There are many magical knowledge records from our predecessors preserved here, which you may browse at any time.¡±


    He stood up and led Bai Yi out of the underground stone chamber. He didn¡¯t forget to add, ¡°This is yourst chance to back out.¡±


    ¡°I will announce your arrival to everyone.¡±


    ¡°¡ªYou will have to be the Child of the Sun in everyone¡¯s eyes, bearing their hopes and future.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± He heard the child¡¯s light response, her tone still somewhat lively, ¡°I¡¯m super looking forward to it!¡±


    At the same time, Bai Yi addressed the system. ¡°Prepare to go AFK. It¡¯s time to let the character level up and gain experience on their own.¡±


    The world froze in an instant.<hr>


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 Chapter 160

    [AFK mode will be activated.]


    [In AFK mode, time elerates within the nightmare fragment instance. The game character will continue to grow ording to the traits given by the yer, with the system simting their destiny timeline until they reasonably reach their destined peak.]


    [The main traits the yer has given to the game character [Day] are: [Self-reliant] [Obsessive] [Immune to corruption] [Special mental power] [Love of learning] [Natural talent for magic] and [Determination to be the true Child of the Sun].]


    [Based on the nightmare fragment instance¡¯s worldview, in theing time, the character [Day] will continuously learn and grow, striving tirelessly to be the true Child of the Sun until achieving this goal and making the prophecye true¡­ The system will simte the character¡¯s destiny timeline ordingly.]


    [Activate AFK mode?]


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    [AFK mode activated, simting character destiny.]


    [Under your nurturing and influence, your character [Day] has evolved from ¡°a weak little girl who could die at any moment¡± to a ¡°Child of the Sun candidate¡± with exceptional talent, special powers, and the desire to save everyone.]


    [On the first day of being left alone, your character ¡°Day¡± became famous throughout the Chasers of the Sun headquarters. The Chasers were overjoyed and came to pay respects but were turned away by the Grand Mage. The Grand Mage provided you with apletely safe and quiet space for learning. Everyone awaited your growth.][In the first month of being left alone, your character ¡°Day¡± finished reading all of the Grand Mage¡¯s books, learned all basic Holy Light magic, gained a deep understanding of this power system, and became an elite among Holy Light mages.]


    [That month, thirteen Chasers became void beasts.]


    [In the second month of being left alone, your character ¡°Day¡± mastered Holy Light magic more deeply and began researching purification magic. Returning Chasers brought news that all ordinary people without Holy Light magic had died and be void beasts in this eternal night wastnd. Only the Chasers remained as thest survivors.]


    [That month, twenty-three Chasers became void beasts.]


    [In the third month of being left alone, your character ¡°Day¡± improved the purification magic,bining it with healing arts to create a new version, temporarily called version 1.0. Light element consumption was reduced by 30% while power remained unchanged. The Chasers were overjoyed at this news, believing more strongly that your character ¡°Day¡± was the prophesied Child of the Sun who would break the curse.]


    [That month, neen Chasers became void beasts.]


    [In the third month of being left alone, your character ¡°Day¡± continued improving the purification magic, reducing consumption and increasing power. All Chasers learned your improved purification magic, slowing their descent into losing control, but it wasn¡¯t enough.]


    [That month, twenty Chasers became void beasts.]


    [Due to your character ¡°Day¡¯s¡± improved purification magic, the monthly increasing number of Chasers losing control stabilized somewhat. But few remained.]


    [In the fourth month of being left alone, your character ¡°Day¡± further developed purification magic to version 3.0, but still couldn¡¯tpletely resolve the deepening corruption of the void energy.]


    [The Grand Mage could no longer resist the corruption andpletely lost control.]


    [Now, only seven Chasers remained.]


    [In the fifth month of being left alone, your character ¡°Day¡± watched thest Chaser lose control and be a void beast. This deste eternal night had only her left, along with countless void beasts.]


    [Your character¡¯s mentality shattered, bingpletely corrupted.]


    [The shadow of the Dark Sun descended upon the entire world.]


    [Mission failed.]


    [A new record added to your world destruction achievements.]


    [Try again?]


    ¡°Load previous save.¡±


    [In the first month of being left alone, your character ¡°Day¡¯s¡± amazing talent naturally gained everyone¡¯s recognition. Building on the previous weekend¡¯s progress, your character ¡°Day¡± continued developing purification magic and achieved version 4.0.]


    [Due to your improvements to the purification magic, this month only three Chasers became void beasts, fewer than ever before. You gained everyone¡¯s trust and expectations earlier than in the previous timeline.]


    ¡­


    [In the sixth month of being left alone, your character ¡°Day¡± improved purification magic to version 9.0. Despite living two months longer thanks to the purification magic, the Grand Mage still couldn¡¯t resist the void energy¡¯s corruption and once again inevitably fell into the abyss of losing control.]


    [Thest Chaser fell before your character ¡°Day.¡± Your character ¡°Day¡± once again had a mental breakdown.]


    [Your character ¡°Day¡¯s¡± mentality shattered, bingpletely corrupted.]


    [The shadow of the Dark Sun descended upon the entire world.]


    [Mission failed.]


    [A new record added to your world destruction achievements.]


    [Try again?]


    ¡°Load previous save.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Load previous save.¡±


    ¡­


    Bai Yi felt he had be a heartless save-and-reload machine, only needing to load the previous save after each auto-y mission failure, then continue generating new timelines and auto-ying.


    [Try again?]


    After countless retries, when this familiar question appeared before his eyes again, Bai Yi felt an unfamiliar weariness, even though all he had to do was make a choice.


    ¡°Speaking of which, do you think there¡¯s any other choice? Why do I have to manually load saves over and over? A mature system should be able to load saves itself¡­¡± Watching the constantly refreshing world destruction records in the achievement system, Bai Yi became emotional.


    He puffed his cheeks and casually said, ¡°AFK is meant to save time, right? System, why don¡¯t you upgrade yourself and add the save-and-reload possibility to the auto-y process, and directly simte a sessful timeline through auto-y before telling me?¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, the system actually made a change.


    [Character has been given a new trait: [Infinite Reload]]


    [Whenever the destiny timeline reaches its end without sessfully saving this world, [Infinite Reload] will automatically activate, and your character ¡°Day¡± will return to the initial time point of entering the Chasers¡¯ headquarters with memories intact, starting over.]


    [Because of having memories from previous timelines, your character ¡°Day¡± will continuously umte Holy Light magic experience through [Infinite Reload]. Theoretically, in infinite cycles, your character will eventually reach the peak and find a way to save this world.]


    [The system will directly simte the final timeline, which is also your character¡¯s limit reached through infinite cycles.]


    [AFK mode activated, simting character destiny.]


    [After countless reloads, your character returned to the initial point, the Chasers¡¯ headquarters, conquering the Grand Mage and other Chasers with amazing talent and ability.]


    [The purification magic, continuously improved through countless reloads, was now in its most perfect version. The new purification magic quickly reced the old version, and your character ¡°Day¡± became revered by all Chasers at once, carrying all their aspirations and expectations.]


    [Since your character ¡°Day¡¯s¡± arrival and passing down of the new purification magic, everyone¡¯s corruption levels were effectively suppressed, and for six whole months, not a single Chaserpletely lost control.]


    [But thews of Return to the Void hadpletely corrupted this world¡¯s foundation. Even perfect purification magic could only temporarily drive away the void energy¡¯s corruption within a person¡¯s body, unable to stop the omnipresent void energy from polluting living beings in this world.]


    [The purification of the purification magic and the corruption of void energy began a prolonged war, with each person¡¯s body as the battlefield.]


    [In the ninth month of being left alone, the first Chaser couldn¡¯t resist the corruption and gradually lost control, bing a void beast.]


    [¡ªThis would also be the fate of every Chaser in the future.]


    [The hope that had risen was once again extinguished.]


    [This brought them even deeper despair.]


    [It even destroyed many people¡¯s courage to continue struggling.]


    [¡°The prophecy ispletely useless. Even the Child of the Sun can¡¯t resist the gods¡¯ curse.¡±]


    [¡°We are destined to perish in this curse.¡±]


    [¡°Forget it, forget it, let it be.¡±]


    [Through countless reloads, facing failure after failure, your character ¡°Day¡¯s¡± corruption level kept rising.]


    [This time, shepletely despaired.]


    [The mes of the Dark Sun spread across the entire world.]


    [Your character ¡°Day¡¯s¡± own beliefs began to waver.]


    [¡°I¡¯ve already done my utmost, everything I could. Perhaps I shouldn¡¯t have forced it from the beginning?¡±]


    [¡°The prophecy was just a lie. No matter what I do, I cannot turn a lie into truth. Should I give up?¡±]


    [yer attention: AFK mode ended. Your character ¡°Day¡± cannot achieve the goal no matter what. Even starting a new timeline with auto-y won¡¯t change this result.]


    [Your character ¡°Day¡± has reached the major failure route.]


    [Would you like to start over, choose a new path, and give your characterpletely new traits from the beginning?]


    Distorted and blurry text appeared in the frozen world as Bai Yi floated like a ghost, deep in thought.


    He scrolled through the long auto-y record, growing increasingly astonished. Finally, he felt a surge of sympathy for the character¡ªtrying to save the world in countless blocked timelines, failing again and again, repeating over and over, only to reach a bad ending. Just thinking about it was an unbearably tragic life!


    ¡­If such a person really existed, they would be the temte of a beautiful, powerful, yet tragic hero¡ªa tragic hero among saviors.


    ¡ªHe suddenly understood why the Bai Yi from other timelines hadn¡¯t stored memories in the system, but only gave vague hints, guiding himself step by step to unveil the truth.


    If he could receive memories from other timelines the moment he got the system, Bai Yi wouldn¡¯t need to waste so much time figuring out how to use the system. He could start acting quickly because he¡¯d know everything that would happen in the future, and handle Return to the Void more confidently¡­


    But leaving aside how this would rob him of creativity, making him follow sessful experiences from other timelines rather than exploring new paths, more importantly, could his mind handle the ovey of so many timeline memories? Would he still be himself then?


    Perhaps one day he would be strong enough to receive memories from infinite timelines without any effect, but not now.


    ¡ªOnly sending the system, without memories or game instructions. This was Bai Yi¡¯s consideration for Bai Yi, and also Bai Yi¡¯s trust in Bai Yi. He believed this was enough.


    Inparison, Bai Yi¡¯s treatment of the game character seemed quite cruel. Fortunately, the character¡¯s auto-y was just the system¡¯s simtion of destiny, not actually repeating N times.


    However, this was his first time encountering an instance where the character¡¯s auto-y simtion couldn¡¯t meet thepletion requirements no matter how many times it tried.


    Although he knew the mission requirements were difficult, game yers could alwaysplete it if they were willing to spend time constantly reloading.


    Moreover, the system had introduced the infinite reload auto-y mode.


    Bai Yi had thought that with the possibility of endless retries, infinite timeline cycles, and countless save-reload attempts, the system¡¯s auto-y mode would just skip unnecessary intermediate processes. Like aputer eliminating all impossible sessful ns and only showing the final sessful result, the finalpletion¡­ but it wasn¡¯t that simple. Should he say the goal was set too high?


    Was [dispelling the void energy¡¯s corruption and saving this world] impossible even with countless reloads?


    ¡ªIf there was even a sliver of possibility for sess, the system could find that sessful path through simtion and countless attempts. Unless all possibilities faced failure.


    ¡°So, was this goal really set too high?¡±


    Regarding this, Bai Yi was actually mentally prepared.


    After all, he was trying to dispel the void energy¡¯s corruption, which was not only the cause of this world¡¯s destruction but probably also the cause of countless real-world timeline destructions.


    If dispelling void energy was so easy, countless previous Bai Yis wouldn¡¯t have all failed. So many timelines thatpletely lost their future had already told him that with his current power, attempting to oppose Return to the Void was still too weak.


    But in that case, when the one-month countdown ends and Return to the Void descends upon reality, wouldn¡¯t he be equally helpless?


    As soon as this thought arose, Bai Yi dismissed it.


    ¡ªHe had spent so many game points to arrive in this world, guided by the hope fragment to this nightmare fragment instance. This meant the gains from this instance couldn¡¯t possibly be useless; they should help resist Return to the Void in reality.


    So, what was the difference between Return to the Void in reality and this world?


    ¡ª¡±It¡¯


    This world¡¯s current time point was infinitely close to death, void energy permeated everywhere, and its foundation was 99.9% corrupted, so Bai Yi could only make futile efforts.


    But the real world was different.


    It was likeparing terminal illness to early stages, or even just initial symptoms¡­


    His improved purification magic couldn¡¯t treat a ¡°terminal patient,¡± but that didn¡¯t mean it couldn¡¯t save an ¡°early-stage patient.¡±


    If Return to the Void had just descended and this world had just encountered void energy corruption, Bai Yi believed that with his mastery of purification magic, the result wouldn¡¯t be countless failures.


    ¡°¡­So this is why the hope fragment guided me to this nightmare fragment instance? To obtain some power that could dispel void energy corruption in its early stages?¡±


    If so, even if he couldn¡¯t perfectlyplete this nightmare fragment instance, it didn¡¯t seem to matter anymore.


    Even if he withdrew now, the gains would be sufficient.


    Bai Yi gazed at this world in frozen time.


    Endless night, darkness that could never be daylight, and those struggling to survive, abandoned in the night.


    He seemed to faintly see countless figures looking toward him, like looking at the only lit torch in the darkness.


    Bai Yi suddenly smiled.


    ¡°Really, fleeing in panic isn¡¯t my style! It¡¯s just a mere nightmare fragment instance¡­¡±


    ¡°I almost forgot, I¡¯m not really trying to save the world¡ªI just need to resolve the obsession¡­¡±


    There was one more thing unsaid: besides the difference in corruption strength due to earlier versuster time points, the Return to the Void in reality and this world had an even more important difference¡ªthese two worlds themselves were different.


    ¡ªHe hadn¡¯t forgotten that he was currently only in a nightmare fragment instance, not the real Holy Light Continent.


    The real Holy Light Continent had long been destroyed by Return to the Void. The nightmare instance was just the remnants of a dead world and a dream woven from the lingering thoughts of the long-dead.


    Compared to the truly dead Holy Light Continent, the nightmare instance was just a lower-dimensional illusory world. If he couldn¡¯t save the real Holy Light Continent, couldn¡¯t he at least change this nightmare?


    The reason so many previous simtions couldn¡¯t seed was because, for the character ¡°Day¡± in the nightmare instance, the illusory nightmare instance was reality.


    The Return to the Void energy was like an overpowered boss viin, and ¡°Day¡± as a game character had her limitations ¨C she could never defeat it no matter what. But yers outside the game were different.


    yers only needed to lightly tap the keyboard, modify data, set up special programs, and they could give game characters infinite power-ups, allowing them to gain the ability to defeat boss viins.


    In other words¡­


    ¡°Time to activate some cheats!¡±


    For a long time, Bai Yi had spent more time in the Nightmare Fragment instance than in reality, and his understanding of the Nightmare Fragment instance was deeper than anyone could imagine.


    The Nightmare Fragment instance was essentially dominated by the lingering thoughts of the dead. Those who had died thought they were still alive, and thus constructed the world within the nightmare instance, where all the deceased lived just as they had when alive.


    This world should have been the same way.


    Yet oddly in this world, even though it was a constructed nightmare, most people¡¯s souls were deeply imprinted with their own death and the world¡¯s despair, as evidenced by the slime monsters everywhere. The living were a tiny minority.


    Even those who were alive struggled in the nightmare, constantly sliding toward the abyss of losing control.


    But these few people still struggling against losing control,pared to the widespread slime monsters, were the ones with the most steadfast humanity and strongest desire to live in this world.


    If possible, they absolutely didn¡¯t want to die or lose control ¨C it was just that their subconscious told them destruction was their inevitable fate, and no one could obtain salvation.


    Thus, this despairing Nightmare Fragment instance came to be.


    Therefore, Bai Yi didn¡¯t need to actually have the ability to dispel the Return to the Void energy and save everyone ¨C he just needed to make them believe he could.


    What he needed to do was deceive everyone, deceive this world.


    Just as dream owners believe they¡¯re immune to all harm, and thus nothing in the dream can hurt them¡­ as long as he could make everyone in the Nightmare Fragment instance believe the Child of the Sun could save them and protect them from the Return to the Void energy¡¯s corruption, then the Child of the Sun in the dream could aplish all this!


    It seemed simr to earning Legend degree points? Except previously, earned Legend degree points would be submitted to the system, and then the system would consume the Legend degree points to turn falsehoods into truth.


    Though it was just a guess, Bai Yi felt this must be the correct answer. And so he acted¡ª


    On his status panel, the maxed-out ¡°Bewitch¡± skill was glowing.


    He looked down at all the motionless people below.


    Everyone gazed up at him with eyes full of anticipation.


    ¡ªAnd he would turn this anticipation into absolute trust, into fervent belief that he could aplish anything he imed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s load from this checkpoint~¡±


    The frozen world began turning like pushed gears.


    A new ythrough began.


    This time, it was a brand new start. He would deceive the entire world, turning lies into the world¡¯s reality.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 161

    ¡°This was thest chance to regret.¡±


    ¡°I will announce your arrival to everyone.¡±


    ¡°¡ªYou will have to be the Child of the Sub in everyone¡¯s eyes, bearing everyone¡¯s hopes and future.¡±


    He opened his eyes, hearing the Grand Mage¡¯s familiar words.


    Bai Yi gazed at the back of the figure walking ahead and, just as he had done countless times before without changing, he spoke cheerfully:


    ¡°Great! I¡¯m super excited!¡±


    Character: Day


    Age: 10Skills: Mastery of All Holy Light Spells, Purification Technique (Perfect Grade), Praise of the Blind, Falling mes (Day of Darkness)¡­


    This was the character¡¯s basic information panel newly added by the system after Bai Yi¡¯s suggestion. He was using this new function for the first time.


    Bai Yi nced at the character¡¯s skill column.


    All skills that originally needed learning had be max level due to infinite rollback and hanging, and obviously the NPCs in this world couldn¡¯t know about Bai Yi¡¯s cheat-like method.


    Thus, in the short days that followed, Bai Yi¡¯s performance shocked everyone watching him¡ª


    [You received Holy Light attack spells from the Grand Mage: Seven basic spells.]


    [You learned them instantly, experience maxed out. Additionally, you derived advanced Holy Light spells bybining basic spells.]


    [You received Holy Light defensive spells from the Grand Mage: Three basic spells.]


    [You learned them instantly, experience maxed out. Additionally, you derived advanced Holy Light spells bybining basic spells.]


    [You received Holy Light healing spells from the Grand Mage: One basic spell.]


    [You learned it instantly, experience maxed out. Additionally, bybining healing arts, you improved the original healing spell from physical healing to physical and mental dual healing. You integrated the core characteristics of mncholy arts, where the greater the mncholy critical hit on the healer, the better the healing effect.]


    [The Grand Mage was astonished by your talent, believing you possessed the potential to surpass gods and create miracles.]


    [After your performance spread, all Chasers of the Sun no longer doubted and firmly believed in your identity as the ¡°Child of the Sun¡±.]


    [You received Purification Technique from the Grand Mage.]


    [You learned it instantly, experience maxed out. Additionally, you independently improved it to perfect grade, creating an entirely new purification technique.]


    The experience from multiple solo hangings allowed Bai Yi to learn extremely quickly, rapidly pushing the game progress to the most critical point of each cycle¡ªwhether he could change the oue of this nightmare fragment instance and alter everyone¡¯s fate depended on now!


    In the depths of a dark valley shrouded in darkness, a white-robed figure wearing a white holy light robe, with a face hidden behind a white mask, seemed to have been waiting quietly for a long time, until light footsteps sounded.


    He turned around. The small girl, also wearing a white holy light robe, appeared before him like a nimble white cat.


    He heard the little girl politely greet him.


    ¡°Good evening, Mr. Gadley.¡±


    Although Bai Yi wasn¡¯t sure if it was actually evening¡ªin this instance, it was always ¡°good evening¡± regardless of day or night¡­


    ¡°Good evening, Your Highness,¡± Gadley responded, slightly bowing, ¡°You summoned me suddenly. What are your orders?¡±


    ¡­Regardless of the title of Child of the Sun or his current status as the Grand Mage¡¯s student, Bai Yi¡¯s position among the Chasers of the Sun certainly warranted such an address. ?


    Bai Yi did not answer but instead asked, ¡°Mr. Gadley, do you remember what we discussed on the way here? I want to know, your attitude remains unchanged, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    What they discussed on the way? Gadley quickly recalled, then nodded firmly. ¡°Yes. I always believed that you are the one who can end the desperate fate.¡±


    ¡°¡­Or rather, I am now more convinced than before.¡±


    The girl in the white robeughed, herughter mysterious and profound in the night: ¡°Then, please continue to hold firm and do not waver. I have a surprise to share with you.¡±


    Saying this, ¡°she¡± walked towards the valley¡¯s exit. ¡°Please follow me.¡±


    As for what the surprise was, of course, it was the Purification Technique!


    ¡ªIn this cycle, Bai Yi did not choose to directly pass on the improved perfect-grade Purification Technique to everyone like the characters in infinite rollback, but instead quietly contacted Gadley.


    As the person who discovered him and brought him back to the Chasers of the Sun¡¯s headquarters, Gadley was undoubtedly the one who most believed in his identity as the Child of the Sun¡ªwhether he truly believed or was just clinging to a lifeline, Bai Yi would make it real.


    Long before realizing that the key to clearing the game was not truly saving the world, but deceiving everyone into believing they could be saved, Bai Yi had understood why previous cycles had failed¡ª


    Because he wasn¡¯t enough of a chatan!


    Having already created an astonishingly effective perfect Purification Technique, although still unable topletely root out the erosion of the Void, its amazing effect should have been a miracle in the Chasers of the Sun¡¯s hearts. On this basis, with just a bit of his mesmerization skill to exaggerate the technique¡¯s effects, fooling everyone would not be difficult.


    Some true chatans in history had deceived peoplepletely with a bowl of water that had absolutely no effect.


    In previous cycles, he had been obsessed with using the Purification Technique to eliminate erosion, so the character imbued with obsessive traits could only repeatedly improve the technique and conduct in-depth experiments on each version¡¯s actual effects, informing everyone of the results.


    ¡ªThis was nothing like a mage. It was clearly an extremely rigorous scientist. Whether it could or could not do something, how much it could reduce the Return to the Void¡¯s erosion¡­ ¡°She¡± told the Chasers of the Sun everything without reservation.


    The Chasers of the Sun, upon being told the truth, would indeed be amazed by his talent and the improved Purification Technique¡¯s effects, but would be even more desperate that such a powerful Purification Technique still could not resolve the erosion.


    This was the pain of facing the truth.


    No wonder the Holy Light Mages of the past had fabricated false prophecies rather than directly revealing the cruel truth.


    So, the previous cycles had indeed gone astray.


    ¡ªThe most correct path should not be a rigorous genius scientist, but a chatan who could deceive the entire world.


    What Bai Yi needed to do now was actually simr to what that batch of Holy Light Mages did back then, except that making everyone believe his lie was not as simple as randomly inventing a prophecy¡ªhe also needed concrete hope that would make them waver.


    The perfect-grade Purification Technique was this key element.


    He still needed the one most likely to believe his lie.


    And for this breakthrough, Bai Yi chose Gadley.


    Not only because of Gadley¡¯s high level of trust in him, but also because Gadley¡¯s level of erosion was not deep, so the perfect Purification Technique would show very obvious effects when applied to him.


    ¡°Although it might sound incredible, through my understanding of Holy Light spells andbining some of my own insights, I have improved the original Purification Technique¡­ Now, apart from sharing the same name, both its principles and effects have undergone earth-shattering changes,¡± he said before Gadley. ¡°I believe it is the hope you have been pursuing.¡±


    In the night, a faint light emerged between the little girl¡¯s fingers. Just a trace of this subtle aura made Gadley feel incrediblyfortable.


    ¡°How about it? Want to try?¡±


    Feeling the mysterious aura surrounding the girl, Gadley¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief, his voice slightly trembling. ¡°Are you saying this is the method to dissolve the curse?¡±


    ¡°Of course, as long as you believe.¡±


    The subtle smile on Bai Yi¡¯s lips was enigmatic, like that of a profound mystic.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say I am the Child of the Sun in the prophecy?¡±


    Whether it was his own max-level Bewitch skill or the vests Flower Speaker, Heavenly Master of Divine Calction, and other card personas, he possessed extraordinarily rich experience in bewitching people¡¯s hearts.


    Gadley quickly realized from his subtle tone and other hints, lost in thought.


    ¡­The ¡°Child of the Sun¡± in the prophecy?


    The sun, moon, and stars had once been the dwelling of gods! To dissolve the gods¡¯ curse, why must it be the ¡°Child of the Sun¡±? What kind of existence could dissolve the gods¡¯ curse?


    ¡­Of course, it must at least be on the same level as the gods.


    And no matter how talented the girl before him was, she couldn¡¯t possibly reach the gods¡¯ level in such a short time.


    ¡ªSo, the key was the Purification Technique? A spell on par with the gods¡¯ curse? It must be!


    Gadley suddenly understood. ¡°Could it be¡­ a divine spell?¡±


    He quickly found an exnation for the special energy around the little girl that he couldn¡¯t see through. ¡°Yes, only a truly divine spell could have such an astonishing effect!¡±


    Following this train of thought, Gadley immediately understood why Bai Yi said the Purification Technique could dissolve the curse as long as he believed.


    Gods in legends were always associated with faith. Divine spells were likely the same. Thus, they could dissolve the gods¡¯ curse.


    Nicely done! Bai Yi nodded inwardly.


    This way, he could save himself some effort and didn¡¯t need to exin further.


    Those many previous rollbacks were not in vain. He was already quite familiar with Gadley and the Grand Mage¡¯s personalities, and knew exactly how to guide their actions.


    The Grand Mage, the only one who knew the true nature of the gods¡¯ curse, would not expose his lie. Bai Yi asked again, ¡°So, want to try?¡±


    ¡°¡­In honor of being my first believer.¡±


    Gadley looked so excited he could barely speak.


    After a long while, he calmed down and nodded heavily.


    ¡°¡ªIt is my honor.¡±


    Gadley took the bait. Bai Yi almost saw the light of clearing the game. Without another word, he cast the Purification Technique on the spot.


    The abnormal bodily conditions rapidly receded. The distorted body under his robes gradually returned to its original state. The curse surrounding him, like thick darkness, was quickly dispersed by light. Although his body had notpletely recovered, Gadley had reason to believe that in at most a quarter of an hour¡­


    At the moment he realized hope was about to be realized, enormous joy overwhelmed his heart, and he suddenly knelt to the ground.


    Hazy light elements surrounded the area, like stars descending from the sky. He looked up at the person before him in the starlight.


    At this moment, he was utterly certain. The prophecy was true. The Child of the Sun from the prophecy had descended to the world ande to his side.


    Simultaneously, an incredibly pure faith power surged from this person towards Bai Yi.


    The nightmare world manifested by obsession seemed to undergo an invisible change¡ªwhen the dreamer believed themselves omnipotent, they became omnipotent. Gadley¡¯s faith alone was not enough to save everyone, but it was sufficient to save Gadley himself.


    ¡­With this one miracle born, alive and visible to others, who wouldn¡¯t believe?


    The subsequent developments were exactly as Bai Yi expected. For him, it was like entering a professional chatan¡¯s domain.


    In the end, even the Grand Mage who originally helped fabricate the prophecy couldn¡¯t help but wonder: Could their randomly invented prophecy have identally aligned with the true fate?


    But more and more people who sincerely believed in Bai Yi truly obtained salvation. The truth before their eyes forced him to believe.


    After a long time, the Grand Mage revealed a bitter smile.


    ¡­Fate was never something ordinary people couldprehend. We are mere mortals beneath fate, and when we fabricate lies in its name, who knows if we¡¯ve already plucked the strings of fate, bing part of its coincidence and drama?


    ¡°Is fate so fond of ying tricks?¡± In the end, the Grand Mage could only sigh from the heart, ¡°Bringing us destruction, yet also giving us hope and salvation?¡±


    ¡°No, giving us hope and salvation was never fate, but the Child of the Sun who helps us defeat fate!¡± The now fanatical Gadley immediately retorted.


    More people enthusiastically agreed with him.


    As more Chasers of the Sun in the headquarters dissolved erosion through the Purification Technique, the reputation of the Child of the Sun spread wider. Chasers scattered elsewhere began rushing from far and wide.


    The faith converging on Bai Yi grew deeper and more extensive.


    When all the obsessions in this nightmare fully believed he would save them, the entire nightmare fragment instance began to tremble from its deepest parts, like waves rising in the deep sea.


    And at this moment, the ¡°god¡± they believed in said, ¡°The gods¡¯ curse has prated deeply into this world. Even if I drive away the curse from your bodies, as long as the curse covering this world remains unresolved, you will continue to be eroded by the curse¡­¡±


    All the Chasers gathered together, looking at the little girl standing atop the highest rock. She had summoned them together for this day. Each person still seemed to hear the previous words of this Child of the Sun¡ª


    ¡°So, on this day, I will gather everyone together and, borrowing your faith, cast the most recentlyprehended divine spell to dissolve the curse covering the entire world.¡±


    ¡°And each of you will obtainplete salvation.¡±


    With those previous words still echoing, everyone¡¯s gaze turned to the figure shrouded in white robes.


    ¡ªIf it were Her Highness, they would surely be able to do it!


    As this belief rose, the nightmare fragment instance shrouded in despairpletely trembled, and countless Return to the Void energies began to dissipate.


    The master of the dream hadpletely reversed the nightmare.


    Bai Yi was the first to notice the changes in the nightmare fragment instance.


    ¡ªAwesome!


    He cheered internally, activated the Purification Technique, and added some special effects for himself. After all, it was just for show. Essentially, the true force changing this nightmare fragment was the will of those people.


    Since they now believed the world would be saved, the Return to the Void energies would dissipate no matter how casually he performed.


    Apletion notification slowly emerged in mid-air.


    Clearly, the system had also determined the instance was cleared.


    However, Bai Yi did not choose to exit immediately.


    The corner of his mouth curved slightly. ¡°As the Child of the Sun, I naturally need a Child of the Sun¡¯s way of exiting~¡±


    Gathering so many people together was not just to strengthen their belief, but for this grand performance¡¯s finale!


    The curve at the corner of Bai Yi¡¯s mouth grewrger andrger.


    Above the valley, a massive magical array rose beneath the feet of the girl in white robes, gradually enveloping everyone.


    Massive light elements surged from the array, and together with the girl in the array, it seemed like an incredibly brilliant sun rose from the mountaintop, burning light flooding the entire world and engulfing everyone.


    In the sun-like mes, numerous soft monsters shed their distorted bodies and recovered human form. The Chasers of the Sun stared nkly at the light, tears welling in their eyes at the figure disappearing within the brilliance.


    Gadley suddenly knelt to the ground.


    ¡°¡­Child of the Sun, Your Highness!¡±


    More and more people fell to their knees.


    ¡°May your radiance shine eternally!¡±

 Chapter 162

    Chapter 162


    [Sessfully cleared Nightmare Fragment [Land of Eternal Night]]


    [Instance Level: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï]


    [Clearance Rating: S]


    [Points Earned: 100]


    [Unlocked Achievements: [One Hundred Possibilities of World Destruction]


    [World¡¯s Undertaker] [Return to the Void Cannot Catch Up with My Footsteps]


    [Note: You, who were drawn into the vortex by a false prophecy, were never truly the Child of the Sun,cking the ability to save humanity. Every time people ced their hopes in you, it ultimately ended in despair. In countless resets, the world was destroyed countless times in your hands. Your technique and experience in destroying the world have reached their peak, to the point where even Return to the Void cannot catch up with your footsteps.]


    [¡®As long as I destroy the world fast enough, the world won¡¯t be buried in Return to the Void!¡¯]


    [Lies Be Truth] [Great Prophet][Note: False Great Prophet: Talking nonsense. True Great Prophet: Making false lies be real facts. Undoubtedly, the Holy Light Mage who originally fabricated the ¡°prophecy¡± was merely a false Great Prophet. You, who ultimately transformed everything into reality, are the true Great Prophet.]


    Special Achievement: [Disaster of Despair and Light of Salvation]


    [Note: Your actions in the Nightmare Fragment instance have deeply imprinted the entire world. You are both the Child of the Sun who saves humanity and the Dark Day that burns the world. Despair and hope, destruction and salvation, end and rebirth¡­ In this world, you have be the embodiment of two opposing concepts. Moreover, you symbolize the concept of ¡®Sun¡¯. You will thus possess special abilities and authority in rted domains.]


    [Beginning special reward draw.]


    [You obtained special drop: Nightmare Crystal (Purple) ¡Á 100.]


    [Note: Purple Nightmare Crystal is the highest-grade nightmare crystal, originating from the highest-quality world root. You have saved the entire nightmare world; this is a gift from the world.]


    [You obtained special character card [???].]


    ¡°Oh my.¡±


    As the brand new character card slowly emerged in the pale golden ripples, Bai Yi looked at the card¡¯s description, his eyes involuntarily opening slightly wider, letting out a surprised short sound.


    The card¡¯s effect was quite unexpected.


    ¡°Actually¡­¡± Bai Yi¡¯s widened eyes blinked slowly, then curved into a smile, ¡°how interesting.¡±


    ¡­The moment he saw this character card, a series of plot associations naturally unfolded in Bai Yi¡¯s mind. It seemed he had already thought about how to arrange this card¡¯s appearance in the future.


    But now, that wasn¡¯t important. What was more important was¡­


    The youth in the second-floor apartment in the old city district slowly closed his eyes. Golden sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating his entire face. The paleness, coldness, and intense inhuman sensation ultimately melted in the sunlight, giving an impression of ultimate perfection.


    ¡ªThat was divinity.


    An invisible and colorless aura that ordinary people could neither perceive nor distinguish surged around him, like misty sea vapor rising at dusk, spreading from him to the entire world he upied, as if to cleanse all impurities and dissect their original true essence.


    In mid-air, blurry and distorted text appeared, sometimes taking shape, sometimes twisting, sometimes dissipating. One rule symbol after another continuously emerged, centering on Bai Yi, like countless invisible chains spreading out, with the chains¡¯ ends extending into the void beyond the world¡ªthat was the Principle of All Things thatposed the system, the core of rules.


    ¡ªThe constantly surging aura around Bai Yi triggered the Principle of All Things that formed the system, making the system seem to be losing control.


    Simultaneously bing aware of this, an extraordinary understanding surged in Bai Yi¡¯s mind. His consciousness suddenly rose to the high heavens, drifting to the depths of the universe, and a specialw and principle were born.


    Many fragments simultaneously rose in his mind. These were scenes of him weaving plots to deceive the world and earn massive legend degree.


    Cards that originallycked extraordinary power thus gained extraordinary power, the legend of the Lord of the Heavenly Capital and the twelve cities of the Heavenly Capital still circted in the world, lies transformed into reality, illusory things bing real in reality¡­ He had experienced the process of ¡°forging lies into truth¡± countless times since the system first appeared beside him. However, in the past, each time was merely by borrowing the system¡¯s power.


    This time, he had truly experienced ¡°forging lies into truth¡± in the Nightmare Fragment instance, even saving the entire nightmare world, and touched the root of the nightmare world before returning to reality¡ªthis was the final puzzle piece.


    At this moment, hepletely understood the rules of forging lies into truth.


    Bai Yi suddenly stretched out his hand, virtually grasping.


    <em>Crash</em>, crackling sounds seemed to ring out.


    The rule symbols intersecting in mid-air, constantly extending beyond the world,posed of countless chains, at this moment, seemed to have received somemand, all converging toward his palm. Countless symbols jumped, ultimately condensing together. All the rule chains rotated in a vortex above his palm, continuouslypressing, like a glowing light ball, and finally transformed into a glowing special symbol, falling into Bai Yi¡¯s palm andpletely disappearing.


    ¡°So, this is forging lies into truth¡­¡±


    ¡± ¡ªIs this your essence, system?¡±


    No text appeared in mid-air, nor was there any anomaly.


    ¡°Oh, I almost forgot, the system is in upgrade mode right now.¡±


    ¡ªBai Yi integrated the Principle of All Things he had justprehended into the system, performing a manual upgrade.


    Unable to tease the system, Bai Yi felt bored.


    He ran pitter-patter into the living room, found Bai Xiaoxi sleeping on the sofa, then did a cat pounce,nding on the ck furball, and began massaging Bai Xiaoxi, expressing his rare excitement this way.


    Bai Xiaoxi, who was awakened and was being massaged frantically: ¡°Meow meow meow?¡±


    ¡­¡­Just be a good cat!


    Bai Yi didn¡¯t care about the cat¡¯s struggle at all.


    He excitedly lifted the cat and said in a pleasant tone, ¡°I¡¯m feeling a bit happy, so to share this joy, I dere that lunch will have dried fish!¡±


    Bai Xiaoxi tilted its head, looking at the strange two-legged beast, letting out a powerless sound, ¡°¡­Meow.¡±


    The two-legged beast¡¯s dark cuisine¡­?


    ¡­¡­Forget it, as long as you¡¯re happy.


    ****


    After lunch, Bai Xiaoxiy copsed on the sofa.


    Bai Yi began researching the Principle of All Things he had justprehended, and also took the opportunity to research the system currently being upgraded.


    ¡ªFor his previous self, the system was an iprehensible rule-based entity. But afterprehending the rules of forging lies into truth, the system became observable, learnable, and researchable for him. However, if his current understanding of the Principle of All Things was at an elementary school level, then the system forged by Bai Yi across infinite timelines using the Principle of All Things was undoubtedly doctoral-level knowledge. To fully grasp and understand it thoroughly would require significant time.


    ¡°¡­With so many conditional restrictions, saying that achieving certain goals would unlock the system creator¡¯s permissions, it was all a lie.¡±


    ¡ªThe so-called creator¡¯s permissions were never determined by the system from the beginning, but depended on Bai Yi himself.


    ¡°¡­Whenever Iprehend the Principle of All Things, I can perform deep operations on the system. Is this the so-called creator¡¯s permissions?¡±


    Bai Yi unmercifully criticized other versions of himself.


    ¡°How unfair, deceiving even myself.¡±


    However, based on the system¡¯s originally given timeline for unlocking creator¡¯s permissions, the other Bai Yis probably never expected that he would master the Principle of All Things so early?


    ¡­¡­There was a subtle feeling of having won.


    If Bai Xiaoxi, who was lying on the sofa due to the dark cuisine¡¯s power, knew that the two-legged beast next to him was so excited because he discovered his progress had exceeded other Bai Yis¡¯ expectations, childishly believing he had won a small victory, and that his strangepetitive spirit had been satisfied¡­ even Bai Xiaoxi would probably roll his eyes.


    ¡ªWhat a childish two-legged beast.


    And after Bai Yiprehended the original Principle of All Things thatposed the system, all character cards derived from the system¡¯s capabilities began to change.


    This time, without going through the system, Bai Yi himself could upgrade the cards using the legend degree he had collected.


    Golden ripples boiled like an ocean in mid-air, and every character card underwent earth-shattering changes.


    Simultaneously, as Bai Yi¡¯s own divinity increased, the awakening degree of the [Rhythm of All Things] talent began to rise.


    At this moment, the outside world had just reached the seventh day of the disaster.


    Bai Yi¡¯s perception silently spread outward with the enhancement of the Rhythm of All Things, from the old city district apartment, to Yuanyang, to Yao Country, to the continent where Yao Country was located, and to other continents beyond the ocean¡­


    He heard countless sounds and perceived the rhythm of all things.


    The rhythm of tectonic tes cracking, of small inds being submerged by volcanoes in the ocean, of surging tsunamis in storms, of aircraft wings falling from the sky, and the voices of countless people running and seeking help¡­


    He perceived the flow of spiritual qi when numerous extraordinary beings used their abilities¡­


    Sensing all these rhythms and the evolution of his own cards, Bai Yi¡¯s thoughts slightly moved.


    He made some more suitable modifications to his original plot.


    ¡°It seems¡­ I can slightly adjust the n?¡±

 Chapter 163

    Chapter 163


    ¡°So, diamonds and ss, when mixed with stic products that only serve to pollute the environment, might be hard to distinguish. But after a great fire, the difference bes crystal clear.¡±


    Retrieving the ¡°Puppet Master¡¯s Journal¡± from Adams¡¯ hands, Bai Yi flipped through all the entries that Adams had marked, gaining aprehensive understanding of the world¡¯s changes over the past few days. He smiled and uttered these words.


    Adams had perfectlypleted the task Bai Yi had assigned him.


    Not only did he mark the valuable content appearing in the journal, and screen a group of humans matching the ¡°diamond¡± description ording to Bai Yi¡¯s previous instructions, but he had also deliberately observed up close and recorded everything he witnessed.


    Whether it was basic information about the individuals ¨C their names, identities, personalities, abilities ¨C or their performance during the natural disasters, including some unknown secrets, everything was recorded and ultimately became part of the ¡°Human Selection n 1.0¡± version.


    After Bai Yi finished the Eternal Night instance, all these observational contents were naturally handed over to him.


    Adams¡¯ efficiency undoubtedly saved Bai Yi a considerable amount of time.


    Bai Yi went through the entire diamond list that Adams had included in the human selection n ¨C these were undoubtedly individuals who had performed outstandingly during these few days, standing out from the ordinary masses and worthy of being called ¡°high-quality humans¡±.


    The list contained familiar names to Bai Yi, such as Li Fufeng and Liu Ningshuang from the Special Case Investigation Team, Baili Zhaoxue from the Haotian Temple, and other elites from official extraordinary organizations worldwide ¨C as official elites, they had all yed their respective roles during the global disasters of the past few days.There were also names Bai Yi didn¡¯t recognize, apparently hidden civilians who had rapidly risen during the sudden catastrophe. Whether through powerful extraordinary abilities, extraordinary calmness and wisdom, or their breadth of heart in saving others, their courage and responsibility at critical moments ¨C all of these were revealed in the Puppet Master¡¯s Journal, entering Adams¡¯ observation, and after being carefully examined, their names made it onto the human selection list.


    ¡ªAfter all, in the sudden raging fire, stic products would quickly deform, twist, and expose their ugly state of environmental pollution. True diamonds would only shine more brightly in the fire sea, with their radiance even illuminating those around them and saving more helpless ordinary people.


    While Bai Yi was flipping through the list, Adams quietly floated beside him, his dark eyes flickering, seemingly still able to recall everything he had seen and heard during these days.


    How marvelous, he thought.


    ¡­¡­The White King was right.


    Diamonds, ss, and stic might blend together in ordinary times, pretending to be the same, but this was ultimately just an illusion. When they needed to reveal their true nature, thisyer of illusion was more fragile than bubbles in sunlight ¨C perhaps blown away by a mere breeze.


    The little ghost directly faced the bursting of this bubble for the first time.


    Life and death, destruction and salvation, all yed out numerous times across the world in these few short days amid continuously erupting disasters, leaving a deep impression on Adams.


    There were those who exposed their ugly nature at critical moments, pushing others to die just to secure their own escape; those who went against the fleeing crowd, rushing toward disaster zones to savepletely unrted strangers. Some national leaders worked tirelessly day and night to develop ns for evacuating all potentially affected citizens, while others who had monopolized the most national resources would flee with their families at the first sign of disaster,pletely disregarding the life and death of those whose resources they had exploited¡­


    People abandoning their spouses, parents sacrificing their lives for their children, strangers with no prior connectioning together in solidarity during disasters, cultivators exhausting themselves to save more people with their extraordinary powers, criminals who reveled in the apocalyptic chaos and unabashedly released human evil, making the disaster even worse¡­


    And extraordinary organizations attempting to enve ordinary people amid the social order¡¯s copse, and cult members seizing the opportunity of people¡¯s panic to preach and expand their religious enterprises¡­


    Everything Adams observed in these few short days was enough to write an essay titled ¡°Human Diversity¡±.


    At that moment, Bai Yi, who had been reviewing the human selection n list, suddenly paused, his finger stopping on a particr name.


    ¡°Oh my!¡±


    He let out a slightly shocked short syble.


    The stopped finger was on a name he knew extremely well ¨C Li Daotian.


    ¡°¡­This is truly unexpected.¡±


    His former ¡°fellow cultivator¡± had actually appeared on Adams¡¯ list, bing one of the noted ¡°diamonds¡±.


    ¡ªIf this list were to spread, the others on the list would definitely think the list-maker had gone mad.


    ¡°White King, is there something wrong with this selection list?¡±


    Adams, disturbed by Bai Yi¡¯s movement, floated over like the wind and carefully asked.


    ¡°No, you did very well,¡±


    Bai Yi smiled and patted the ghost.


    ¡°¡­I just felt a bit surprised to suddenly see a familiar name on the list.¡±


    Adams¡¯ gaze followed his finger¡¯s direction, paused for a second, and then recalled, ¡°Oh, that person! I remember that not just him, but quite a few people from that hospital were also included in my selection list.¡±


    ¡°?¡± Bai Yi was genuinely surprised, raising one eyebrow high, ¡°Are you saying that from that hospital, quite a few people were actually observed and selected???¡±


    He repeated the key words from Adams¡¯ sentence.


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Adams nodded repeatedly, ¡°Although it was a psychiatric hospital before, the patients were unexpectedly talented. They were all self-awakened Spirit Forgers.¡±


    A long line of question marks formed in Bai Yi¡¯s mind.


    ¡­¡­Self-awakened Spirit Forgers? Seriously?


    Adams answered seriously, ¡°It¡¯s true. Not just the Seventh Hospital, many psychiatric hospitals had patients bing Spirit Forgers during this time, across various countries.¡±


    ¡ªEver since Joey publicly appeared in the Rnd Kingdom, introducing the new extraordinary system of Spirit Forging to the world, and with Bai Yi¡¯s deliberate promotion, everything progressed like a fast-forwarded film. The spread of the Spirit Forging system elerated rapidly.


    The Rnd Kingdom, with the world¡¯s strongest Spirit Forger Joey stationed there, had already be the headquarters of Spirit Forgers. Countless art academy students and teachers embarked on this new artistic path.


    Countries like Yao Country and the Chenxing Empire, having established cooperation with Joey, obtained methods of cultivating Spirit Forgers from him and began selecting and nurturing talents with relevant potential within their borders ¨C the selection methods, of course, were also provided by Joey.


    After a round of selections across various countries, they discovered a shocking fact ¨C psychiatric hospitals actually had numerous potential Spirit Forgers. At least each hospital could find one or two, and some hospitals discovered even more.


    Like the Seventh Hospital, which had exactly five.


    Even patients who weren¡¯t discovered to have relevant potential had an extremely high probability of being cured by the Spirit Forging system and returning to normal. Therefore, Joey¡¯s emergence first changed not the fate of art students, but the fate of mental health patients worldwide, allowing many hospital patients to be discharged, almost causing doctors and nurses to lose their jobs.


    Bai Yi was greatly amazed. ¡°It seems I¡¯ve been paying too little attention to reality and have missed some interesting developments.¡±


    Seeing his interest, Adams naturally continued talking.


    Although many psychiatric hospital patients left, there were certainly those who chose to stay.


    After all, many werepletely alone, abandoned by their families and thrown into psychiatric hospitals. They might as well stay in the familiar hospital with their fellow patients.


    Most people in the Seventh Hospital were in this situation.


    This time, the Seventh Hospital was caught in a fire during a thunderstorm. Due to causal connections, everything happening in the hospital was revealed in the Puppet Master¡¯s journal and naturally entered Adams¡¯ constantly observing eyes.


    ¡ªBecause of the scale, this fire wasn¡¯t in the ¡°Heavenly Master of Divine Calction¡¯s¡± prophecy. After all, there were too many disasters erupting worldwide for Bai Yi to see everything. His prophecy targetedrge-scale disasters.


    Thus, when the unexpected arrived, everyone was caught off guard.


    However, the Special Case Investigation Team had previously distributed basic Spirit Forging techniques to those with aptitude and a clean past. This included the five people from the Seventh Hospital.


    ¡ªThey yed a remarkable role in this unexpected incident.


    Especially Li Daotian, who had fantasized about immortal cultivation for decades. Nicknamed the ¡°Immortal Guest¡±, after obtaining Spirit Forging techniques, he stubbornly believed this was an immortal secret method. Excitedly, he practiced intensively for a day and night. His intensely concentrated emotions and will actually merged, genuinely igniting his spiritual nature. Suddenly, an ethereal immortal robe materialized on his body, with lifelike immortal cranes floating across it.


    Others: !!!


    Upon verification, they discovered this was a type of illusion simr to the Painting Spirit, which could add floating abilities, physical defense against des and swords, and other yet-to-be-verified ¡°magical techniques¡±.


    Everyone was overwhelmed.


    ¡­¡­Fine, if he says he¡¯s cultivating immortality, then he¡¯s cultivating immortality. After all, no one has defined exactly how immortality is cultivated, so they might as well let him be.


    Recalling how Joey insistently called Spirit Forgers artists and transformed his bizarrely aesthetic works into new artistic movements, they suddenly felt Li Daotian was quite normal.


    Especially the Special Case Investigation Team, they had recently witnessed Shi Cheng, who had followed Joey, manifest an invisible sword during a mission to chase a wanted criminal, directly disrupting the target¡¯s mental awareness and causing immediate remorse ¨C and he insisted on calling this ¡°martial arts¡±.


    ¡­¡­Perhaps this was the traditional skill of Spirit Forgers?


    After hearing the entire sequence of events from Adams, Bai Yi also fell into a strange silence.


    ¡­¡­He suddenly felt like a random ck pot had been ced on his head?

 Chapter 164

    Chapter 164


    The city after the earthquake resembled toppled building blocks, with schools, hospitals, shopping centers, supermarkets, and factories¡­ everything that once belonged to an orderly world now reduced to ruins and debris, starkly disying the chaos that had nearly destroyed millions just moments ago.


    Despite the prophecy of the Heavenly Master of Divine Calction and the full mobilization of state machinery, seven days was ultimately too short. Even though most fortunate ones had escaped before the disaster struck, there were still unfortunate souls who couldn¡¯t evacuate in time, buried beneath the rubble.


    On the ground paved with ruins, rescue workers hurried about, looking like ants wandering through a soil mazepared to the endless devastation. Above the ruins, in areas not yet searched by rescue teams, several figures moved back and forth high in the air, looking down as if investigating something.


    Suddenly, a figure swiftly swept past, seemingly precisely targeting something, leaping down in a specific direction. Gradually treading several steps on the bricks and stones to dissipate momentum, hended steadily in front of arge copsed steel te.


    Li Fufeng released his perception, actively exploring beneath the steel te, confirming his earlier mid-air judgment, and quickly turned back to call out. ¡°Here! There are several living life forces underneath. The distance is¡­ about seven meters deep?¡±


    ¡°Coming!¡± Someone responded.


    Before the voice finished, a figure silentlynded beside him, as light as a bird floating from a tree branch.


    ¡°Here?¡± Liu Ningshuang¡¯s face bore the same exhaustion as Li Fufeng¡¯s, having worked almost non-stop for several days. She rubbed her eyes and, following her partner¡¯s indication, immediately stepped forward, grabbing the massive steel te and preparing to lift it with a single effort.


    ¡°Be careful,¡± Li Fufeng habitually reminded her, ¡°Don¡¯t destabilize the underlying structure and cause secondary trauma to survivors.¡± He then concentrated, mobilizing his pure spiritual sense, feeling the position and state of the fragile life mes in the spiritual world, asionally directing Liu Ningshuang, ¡°A bit to the left, right there, the wall structure is very fragile, absolutely do not move¡­¡±He spoke while approaching, and after Liu Ningshuang finally cleared awayyer afteryer of obstacles, he carefully approached the area above the life mes he sensed, gently creating some gaps in the diagonally tilted wall, then sensed again before looking up.


    ¡°It¡¯s right below, the people are probably unconscious. Not crushed by this wall, with a gap in between, creating a perfect space¡­¡±


    He hadn¡¯t finished speaking when wind rushed toward his face.


    Li Fufeng instinctively slightly tilted his head to the side.


    <em>Bang!</em>


    The iing punch¡¯s wind was almost like a substantial de, with invisible shockwaves rolling through the air.


    More significantly, the wall¡¯s disintegration created massive amounts of dust violently dispersing in the air. The wall¡¯s vanished space revealed several human figures huddled within.


    Liu Ningshuang withdrew her hand, blowing on her fist.


    One punch!


    Just one punch had pulverized an entire wall into dust! This was even more difficult than simply breaking it into fragments. Being able to evenly transmit force topletely destroy a wall was extremely rare even among martial arts practitioners.


    Liu Ningshuang¡¯s punch possessed its own will.


    ¡ªThis was probably what Qing Fei had meant by ¡°seeing oneself¡±.


    The substantial punch wind had dissipated but left a profound mark on the ruins ¨C the surroundings looked as if swept by a sandstorm, with the wall¡¯s dust lingering like endless battlefield smoke.


    Even having witnessed such scenes multiple times, Li Fufeng couldn¡¯t help but marvel at Liu Ningshuang¡¯s martial arts talent.


    Byparison, his martial arts aptitude was quite ordinary. Recently, however, the Spirit Forging system he¡¯d encountered had benefited him more, directly enhancing his keen perception into an ability.


    ¡°<em>Cough cough cough cough cough</em>.¡± Even though Li Fufeng had covered his mouth and nose as quickly as possible, he still bent over, coughing. After the dust finally dispersed, he raised his head, rolling his eyes helplessly.


    ¡°I¡¯m saying, could you give me a heads up next time? Dying from overwork is one thing, but being killed by a partner would be too miserable.¡±


    Liu Ningshuang sheepishly shrank her neck. ¡°Well, don¡¯t mind such small matters. Aren¡¯t we perfectly in sync?¡±


    ¡°You think this sync just happened by itself?!¡± Recalling their previous experience of building this sync made Li Fufeng even more exasperated.


    Liu Ningshuang avoided his reproachful gaze even more guiltily, stepping forward, ¡°Got it, got it. I¡¯ll definitely be more careful next time. Now isn¡¯t the time to argue about this. Let¡¯s rescue people quickly!¡±


    Li Fufeng immediately dropped the topic and hurried to help rescue.


    The two divided tasks and quickly rescued the five people trapped in the ruins. Arriving rescue workers swiftly ced them on stretchers and sent them for emergency treatment.


    ¡°How are their injuries?¡± ¡°Apart from one serious injury, the other four are okay¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s good¡­¡±


    They only had time for a few quick words with the rescue workers before diving back into search work.


    ¡ªAs extraordinaries who had stepped onto the extraordinary path, their physical strength was already much stronger than ordinary people. They were destined to shoulder more work. One had tremendousbat power, making debris clearing far more efficient than clumsy tools, while the other had powerful perception, being uniquely talented in search operations. Years of tacit cooperation made their work efficiency incredibly high. Even other extraordinaries were far from matching their taskpletion rate, though they also bore a correspondingly highbor intensity.


    ¡ªFrom the Heavenly Master¡¯s prophecy until now, less than seven days had passed, and they had already traversed three cities. Before today¡¯s earthquake, their figures had appeared at numerous disaster sites, both before and after the disasters.


    This was actually the standard state for most Special Case Investigation Team members.


    After all, in today¡¯s Yao Country, there was far too much work to be done. Not just the Special Case Investigation Team, but other departments were also working non-stop. Even just settling disaster victims was a considerable challenge.


    ¡°Phew¡­¡±


    After sending another rescued injured person onto a stretcher, Li Fufeng epted water from a rescue worker and took a heavy breath, temporarily resting.


    He passed another water bottle to Liu Ningshuang, who was equally exhausted.


    They casually sat on arge rock.


    ¡°I can¡¯t take it anymore. We might actually die from overwork.¡±


    Liu Ningshuang suddenly remembered her partner¡¯s previous concern. After bing a martial arts practitioner, this was the first time she felt so tired.


    Li Fufeng nced at the notifications on his phone. ¡°Most of the subsequent work should be handled by other departments. We were involved earlier due to personnel shortages, but the Special Case Investigation Team ultimately needs to focus on its primary duties.¡±


    Li Fufeng understood the higher-ups¡¯ intentions very clearly.


    ¡ªExtraordinaries of Liu Ningshuang¡¯s caliber were not numerous. Using them merely for post-disaster reconstruction would be a waste. What she could do, slightly weaker extraordinaries could also do, and while ordinary people would be less efficient, they could manage. Thus, there was no need to squander her power.


    ¡ªOtherwise, what would they do when extraordinary power was needed in future situations?


    ¡ªIn the Heavenly Master¡¯s prophecy, this was just the beginning.


    So, one cannot use a butcher¡¯s knife to kill a chicken.


    Liu Ningshuang, while not thinking too deeply about it,pletely agreed with his words. She yawned. ¡°Looks like we can finally go home and sleep. I really miss my cozy bed.¡±


    ¡­¡­Although she would never refuse rescue work, she felt she might suddenly drop dead if they continued.


    The two swayed as they walked towards the return city vehicle.


    In the invisible half-space above them, an imperceptible ghost circled around the two. Had they been able to see it, they would have immediately recognized its identity.


    Suddenly, Liu Ningshuang jolted, and Li Fufeng simultaneously stopped, instinctively touching his forehead.


    ¡°¡­What¡¯s going on?¡± His forehead had just felt suddenly cool, like something gtin-like had been stuck on it.


    Seeing Li Fufeng¡¯s identical motion, Liu Ningshuang was taken aback. She quickly withdrew her hand and grabbed Li Fufeng¡¯s arm, lowering her voice. ¡°You felt it too, right?!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Li Fufeng was stunned.


    ¡°A ghost! It¡¯s a ghost! There¡¯s a ghost here. I should have thought of this¡­¡± Liu Ningshuang struggled to maintain her expression.


    ¡­¡­How could an earthquake with insufficient evacuation not have casualties? In this world where spiritual energy was reviving, wouldn¡¯t bing a ghost be reasonable? She should have thought of this earlier!


    Her hand holding Li Fufeng¡¯s arm trembled slightly. She lowered her voice even more. ¡°These ghosts¡­ they won¡¯t allow us to leave like this, right?¡±


    Li Fufeng couldn¡¯t help but cover his face. ¡°¡­No, you¡¯re overthinking.¡±


    ¡°You clearly felt it too. How could I be overthinking?¡± Liu Ningshuang¡¯s expression was serious. She wanted to grab her partner and shake him frantically. ¡°Have you forgotten? When we first met Adams at the inn, that chilly feeling was exactly the same as back then!¡±


    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s just Adams!¡±


    Seeing Liu Ningshuang¡¯s increasingly absurd spection, Li Fufeng was both amused and exasperated. He finally helplessly revealed his discovery.


    ¡°¡­There¡¯s no other ghost. Just Adams.¡±


    In the past, he might not have noticed.


    But after learning Spirit Forging techniques, his perception, enhanced by spiritual sensitivity, had keenly captured that the cold touch just now was identical to the feeling Adams had given him.


    Speaking thus, Li Fufeng looked toward the empty air before him, extending a hand with a tone as natural as greeting an old friend. ¡°¡­Is that you, Adams? Suddenlying to find us, do you need us to do something?¡±


    Got discovered?!


    Adams, who had left his mark and was about to depart, paused. The small boy in mid-air showed a hesitant expression.


    ¡­¡­He was currently executing the White King¡¯s task. Should he acknowledge it? Might it affect the White King¡¯s assigned mission?


    The ghost in mid-air anxiously looked down.


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s okay, Adams.¡±


    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t hide. They¡¯ll find out eventually.¡±


    At this moment, another voice resonated in the ghost¡¯s consciousness, making the decision for him.


    The boy¡¯s eyes instantly brightened. ¡°Yes, White King.¡±


    In the next second, the invisible ghost materialized before them, revealing the thin, pale figure of a small boy. His icy little hand reached out, cing it on Li Fufeng¡¯s extended palm in a handshake. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±


    The ghost¡¯s pitch-ck eyes stared at the two before him.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯vee to deliver something for the White King.¡±


    ¡°An invitation to a new world, or perhaps a qualification certificate.¡±


    White King?


    This familiar title triggered Li Fufeng¡¯s memory. He cautiously asked, ¡°I heard about this White King from Master Qi Tian. Apparently, He maintains order and human reason, transcending extraordinaries and ordinary people. He has always established the rules of the extraordinary world and maintained world order. I unterally understand it as something like a game GM¡­ may I ask if this White King is the same person who invited us?¡±


    In fact, while Qi Jiu had mentioned the White King¡¯s existence, he had also said he wasn¡¯t clear about the White King¡¯s true nature, uncertain whether it had always been the same person or a generationally inherited position.


    Li Fufeng¡¯s current interpretation leaned towards the former, also serving as a probe into Adams¡¯ obvious familiarity with the White King. Adams¡¯ response would reveal the answer.


    Adams was unaware of Li Fufeng¡¯s roundabout approach but, since this could be discussed, he directly nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. Compared to those extraordinaries who are worshipped like gods with just a bit of power, the White King is the world¡¯s only true god!¡±


    Liu Ningshuang had also recovered from her initial shock. Discovering the ghost was Adams, she immediately forgot her previous fear and, hearing their conversation, suddenly remembered something, ¡°Right, when we first met you, didn¡¯t you say you inexplicably awoke as a ghost in this world, originally wandering outside the inn? A mysterious person sent you back to the inn and told you that this world then didn¡¯t allow ghosts to exist, that physicalws would erase you¡­¡±


    The fear of thinking there was a ghost was so profound that she vividly recalled the memories of being startled by Adams before, roughly repeating what he had said. ¡°Now we know that spiritual energy hadn¡¯t yet revived then, and except for the Flower Speaker, this world shouldn¡¯t have had such powerful extraordinaries¡­so could that mysterious person have been the White King?¡±


    ¡­¡­This fit His persona perfectly!


    Liu Ningshuang stared intently at the small boy in mid-air.


    Li Fufeng also couldn¡¯t help looking at him.


    ¡°Yes, that person was the White King. Without Him, I would have long lost the opportunity to appear in this world,¡± Adams didn¡¯t hesitate for a second, a smile spreading across his face. ¡°I recently met the White King again and am now working for Him.¡±


    After Liu Ningshuang and Li Fufeng absorbed this shocking news, the small boy continued, ¡°Well, farewell for now. This invitation from the White King is not just for you. I still need to find others.¡± He seriously warned them. ¡°This is a qualification certificate for a new world. Please choose carefully.¡±


    Their expressions became solemn, and Adams¡¯ little face tightened as well.


    This was perhaps his special warning to ¡°friends¡± ¡ª


    ¡°¡­¡­If you choose to give up, what you¡¯ll miss¡­is probably beyond your imagination.¡±

 Chapter 165

    Chapter 165


    ¡°Hahaha, let¡¯s wee the apocalyptic revelry together!¡±


    After the typhoon struck the ind, an atmosphere of panic permeated everywhere.


    A group of doomsday-preaching madmen took advantage of the chaos to wreak havoc, destroying everything they saw. Crying, screaming, roaring, blood, fighting, death¡­ Such scenes yed out continuously across the ind, making the chaos grow everrger.


    The culprits reveled in this chaos and spread it further. More criminals seized the opportunity to do things they wouldn¡¯t dare do normally. Theft, robbery, murder, arson¡­ This ind ravaged by disaster could not find peace for a long time.


    <em>Whoosh¡ª</em>


    Suddenly, an intense chill spread from afar, continuously sweeping across the ind. The extreme cold seemed to freeze everyone¡¯s souls, making their thoughts move more and more slowly, like wind-up dolls whose springs were about to unwind, their every movement bing increasingly sluggish and stiff.


    Someone descended, riding this invisible storm that froze everything. A young woman dressed as a shrine maiden wore an icy expression. Her gaze swept over the people on the street who were caught in the spiritual storm¡¯s cleansing, especially falling on those who were recklessly killing and setting fires¡­


    <em>Thud thud thud thud.</em>


    Throughout the crowd, people kept falling to the ground.Their minds and willpower were mercilessly crushed by the young woman, turning them into empty-headed idiots.


    Others gradually came back to their senses in their daze, looking at the fallen criminals in horror, all showing expressions as if waking from a dream.


    When these people saw the young woman who had appeared in their vision, many recognized her identity and realized what had happened, and could only marvel, ¡°As expected of the Holy Maiden of the Haotian Temple¡­¡±


    Although such words of praise had been repeated many times, they were once again ying out like a routine, because besides such exmations and admiration, they really didn¡¯t know what else could be used to praise this genius who had developed such a powerful spiritual storm technique after practicing Spirit Forging for only a short time.


    ¡ªIt was said that when she mobilized her spirituality, she could instantly sketch out a blizzard in her mind¡¯s eye that could freeze enemies¡¯ souls.


    However, such a spiritual storm clearly took a heavy toll on Baili Zhaoxue herself, who had only recently begun Spirit Forging. After this wave of power moves, the young woman¡¯splexion rapidly turned deathly pale.


    Finally, she swayed slightly, and a maid following behind quickly stepped forward to support her, her tone unable to hide her worry. ¡°Your Highness Baili, are you alright? Such vile criminals aren¡¯t worth you exhausting yourself like this. The people below could have handled it.¡±


    ¡°¡­Wait for those people below to handle it?¡± Baili Zhaoxue looked at the Haotian Temple members, government workers, and recently recruited volunteers maintaining order on the ind. ¡°By the time they handle it, who knows how many people would have died.¡±


    She shot a slightly dissatisfied nce at the maid, her tone cold. ¡°The people below need more training. We survived a natural disaster, are we going to fall to human-made cmities?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s mainly that those viins are too cunning, like rats in the gutter, specifically targeting ces where order is weak. By the time we send people, they quickly hide away¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about these excuses. Don¡¯t tell me that you all, trained with full state support, can¡¯t match some wild rats.¡±


    Baili Zhaoxue cut off the other¡¯s exnations.


    ¡°¡­Alright, let¡¯s continue patrolling other areas.¡±


    In this short time, she had recovered considerably and refused the maid¡¯s support, preparing to inspect the next ind.


    But at this moment, her footstep paused slightly.


    A cool spotnded on her brow.


    Vaguely, she seemed to receive some kind of message.


    ¡­It seemed like an invitation from someone?


    ¡°It¡¯s an invitation from White King, not just anyone,¡± a dissatisfied voice sounded by her ear, its owner sounding very young.


    ¡­Only then did she realize she had been mumbling out loud.


    Baili Zhaoxue raised her head alertly to see a transparent ghost materializing in mid-air ¨C it was a young boy who appeared to still be in his childhood.


    He looked down at Baili Zhaoxue from above, his tone matter-of-fact. ¡°As one chosen by White King, you should feel honored!¡±


    ¡ªAdams hadn¡¯t originally nned to appear, or even let those chosen know what was happening. He had only nned to quietly mark these people and ¡°force buy force sell¡± them when the time came. Unexpectedly, at his first stop, Li Fufeng and hispanion had seen through his identity. At Bai Yi¡¯s indication, he had also changed his ns ordingly. He added simple messages about the invitation to what were originally nk marks, giving the chosen ones some advance notice.


    But appearing before Baili Zhaoxue was still not part of the n. After this impulsive act, he quickly realized his mistake and retreated a step in frustration, his form slowly fading into mid-air.


    ¡°You are¡­?¡± Baili Zhaoxue watched as the suddenly appeared figure suddenly vanished again, with half her sentence stuck in her throat. A thoughtful look colored her gaze.


    ¡°¡­White King?¡±


    ****


    Chandler sat in the same secret meeting room where he had once met Joey, in the same position, but sharing the room with him were two different people.


    Two people who would cause an uproar throughout the empire if word got out.


    Fina Andre, the eleventh princess of the Chenxing Empire and Emperor Andre II¡¯s most beloved daughter.


    And Leiyin ¨C the revealer of the truth about experimental subjects who had surpassed the n, once wanted throughout the Chenxing Empire,ter joining the Shadow Council as one of its Four Pirs¡ªsince joining the Shadow Council, this extraordinary who was considered invincible in terms of physical enhancement hadpleted numerous cleanup missions and was notorious in the underground world. The other two present had heard about him through various channels.


    After all, among the garbage he had cleaned up, there were quite a few involving Chenxing Empire nobles and high-level officials.


    If it weren¡¯t for his own powerful strength and mysterious backing, just the increasingly high bounties offered by those nobles who hated him would have been enough to end this fellow¡¯s life.


    And now, the princess of the Chenxing Empire¡¯s royal family, the director of the Special Affairs Bureau, and the infamous wanted criminal who was also a core member of the mysterious extraordinary organization Shadow Council ¨C three such unrted roles had quietly gathered together.


    Even the most foolish person would probably guess, upon learning of this news, that there must be an enormous secret involved.


    What kind of existence were they targeting, that could make three people of different positions gather and cooperate?


    ¡­It couldn¡¯t possibly be the Emperor of the Chenxing Empire, could it?


    ¡°¡­I ept the Shadow Council¡¯s proposal.¡±


    In the quiet room, the woman¡¯s slightly trembling voice rang out. This imperial princess seemed to have mustered her courage and finally made up her mind. ¡°Because of those people¡¯s wrong decisions, because of their cowardice, stupidity, and inaction, too many innocent people have died. The empire¡¯s foundations are being corroded, while Father Emperor remains indifferent, focused only on extending his life at any cost. I can¡¯t endure it anymore¡ª¡±


    She should have recognized certain people¡¯s true faces during the incident when the Transcendence Project was exposed. She had opposed the Transcendence Project from the beginning, but being too indecisive andcking any real power, she hadn¡¯t been able to stop that evil n from proceeding, and could only witness its bitter fruits in Leiyin¡¯s exposure and the public¡¯s outburst.


    She had wanted to do everything in her power to make amends at that time. That¡¯s why she had been the first to stand up and admit the mistakes, confessing the truth to everyone.


    But this made her an outsider among the upper echelons who wanted to cover everything up. She was ostracized by those who had once been on the same side, and what little political power she had just gained was taken away. If her actions hadn¡¯t won her support from another faction, bringing unexpected gains from misfortune, she would probably have been locked up in the pce by now, bing a tool for political marriage.


    And Leiyin had contacted her shortly after that incident.


    ¡ªFina had thus established contact with the organization known as the Shadow Council behind him, asionally even cooperating with them.


    But these coborations were all based on not harming the empire¡¯s interests. While Fina used this mysterious organization¡¯s power, her vignce also grew daily.


    Until this time, when natural disasters erupted and the Chenxing Empire¡¯s corrupt upper ss¡¯s performance during the disasters made this highly responsible imperial princess unable to endure any longer. The Shadow Council formally approached her at this time, wanting to reach an unprecedented cooperation with her.


    This was a n that, once agreed to, would affect the entire empire¡¯s structure and determine countless people¡¯s futures.


    After much internal struggle, this previously somewhat naive princess now showed an efficient side ¨C once she made up her mind, there was no more hesitation. ¡°I think you¡¯re right. Those people exposed during this disaster only corrupt the empire¡¯s foundations, hold the empire back, and persecute the empire¡¯s citizens, without making any contribution whatsoever¡­ Continuing to allow these parasites to remain unworthy of their positions will destroy the empire¡¯s future. They indeed cannot be allowed to continue being unworthy of their positions.¡±


    ¡°However, I hope to resolve this my way first. If that doesn¡¯t work, then we can consider your n. After all, politics can¡¯t rely solely on violence. If the Shadow Council steps in to physically eliminate them, it will surely cause greater crisis and panic, which isn¡¯t conducive to the empire¡¯s stability¡­¡± It would also be leverage against her ¨C unless absolutely necessary, she would never choose that option.


    ¡°¡ªI will use gentler methods to drive them out.¡±


    Saying this, she looked at Chandler with a smile. ¡°At that time, I may need some help from Director Chandler. My current influence isn¡¯t enough to quell all the storms. With your support, things will surely progress more smoothly.¡±


    The Special Affairs Bureau¡¯s unique nature gave it considerable influence in the current situation, and Chandler himself had years of connections and power, which would also be significant help for her.


    Chandler was very clear about his role. He nodded and gave his promise. ¡°Rest assured, Your Highness. We all want what¡¯s best for the empire.¡±


    The benefits offered and the favor of an imperial princess were enough for Chandler to act. Moreover, he also disapproved of certain parasites who only hindered the empire¡¯s development while upying positions.


    As a soldier who considered himself patriotic, he believed his current choice was guiding the empire in a better direction.


    ¡°Well then, that¡¯s that, Mr. Leiyin.¡± Fina looked back at Leiyin, asking in a seeking tone, ¡°If things don¡¯t progress smoothly, I will consider your proposed cooperation n. At that time, I suppose I¡¯ll have to trouble the Shadow Council to step in, what do you think?¡±


    Whether genuine or fake, her attitude appeared thoroughly sincere and polite. Leiyin thought of the Shadow Council President¡¯s instructions beforeing and didn¡¯t object, only giving a subtle smile.


    ¡°That works. I hope you¡¯ll still think this wayter. Naive Royal Highness the Princess.¡±


    Saying this, he stood up, his tall frame casting a shadow thatpletely enveloped the seated Fina. ¡°If you change your mindter, contact me again.¡±


    As his words fell, the shadow under Leiyin¡¯s feet slowly melted, gathering into a deep vortex like a swamp, directly absorbing his entire person into it,pletely disappearing from the two people¡¯s sight.


    The two remaining in the room stared at where he had vanished, silent for a long time, discovering in each other¡¯s eyes the same gravity and deep vignce.


    From the moment they sat here, they had been on edge every second, as if ced in a jungle facing the king of beasts preparing to strike. They only felt an extremely terrifying aura from that man. They had no doubt that even though they had stepped onto the path of the extraordinary, that man could tear them apart with just his extremely powerful physical body.


    But what they were wary of wasn¡¯t Leiyin¡¯s personalbat power, but rather everything shown by the organization behind him, the mysterious Shadow Council: whether it was the vast intelligencework whose depths still couldn¡¯t be fathomed, or this ghostly method of transportation, the unclear number of extraordinaries, or that behind-the-scenes existence controlling it all.


    Although their wariness and investigative spirit hadn¡¯t diminished, the primary purpose now clearly wasn¡¯t to investigate the Shadow Council. Both were not ordinary people and quickly set aside their vignce and gravity. They exchanged a nce and began discussing how to deal with the parasites.


    They didn¡¯t notice a transparent ghost appearing in this room, cool fingers touching their brows.


    The next second, fragmentary messages floated up in their minds.


    ¡°¡­White King¡¯s¡­ invitation?¡±


    ¡°¡­A qualification certificate for the new world?¡±


    ****


    This was an ind belonging to the Ind Alliance. The boiling tsunami had just calmed, and the city destroyed by the tsunami was like rotting bones of a broken boat, drifting in the ocean.


    Among these were many unfortunate victims¡¯ bodies.


    In the tsunami, they were buried along with the city that had be ruins.


    Even with preparation, when the moment came, they always found the preparation was never enough. Moreover, they hadn¡¯t been given much time to prepare.


    Another city untouched by the tsunami weedrge numbers of refugees. The original order was broken by the wave-like crowds of people flowing in endlessly, with noise filling every corner. The discontent of original residents whose lives had been disrupted mixed with sympathy and pity for their unfortunatepatriots, the relief and lingering fear of those who had escaped death, confusion and despair about the future, the grief and anger of those whose friends and family had unfortunately perished¡­ If Bai Yi had been present, he would probably have been overwhelmed by this surging whirlpool of emotions, like a lonely boat drifting in a tsunami.


    Ind Alliance staff and volunteers moved through the crowds, their feet barely touching the ground as they stayed busy maintaining order, arranging amodation and three meals a day for refugees,forting people, and nning future post-disaster reconstruction¡­ Many people woke up losing hair every day, tirelessly working on the front lines with huge dark circles under their eyes.


    But among the chaotic crowds, one group of people stood out distinctly¡ªthey showed neither the grief, confusion, and anxiety of outsiders, nor the depression, sympathy, or dissatisfaction of locals, nor the exhaustion and hardship of ordinary volunteers. Instead, they all wore almost identical smiles, carrying a kind of joy immersed in saving people.


    These highly infectious smiles also revealedpassion, optimism, and unusually twisted fervor. They seemed to move tirelessly among the refugees who had lost their homes, doing whatever they could, helping every refugee they met, andforting people in their unique way.


    Wherever these people passed, those who had been confused and grieving seemed to find new direction, gradually having hopeful light reappear in their faces, as if grabbing a lifeline in water. Thus the depressing atmosphere gradually improved, no longerpletely lifeless.


    Simr scenes yed out repeatedly in different ces.


    ¡ªLike a healing fresh breeze, starting from one corner of this city and blowing toward more and more ces, many people deep in despair were encouraged to stand up again after these people¡¯s constion.


    A volunteer who had just arrived recently identally witnessed such a scene, discovering that an elderly person they had just settled ¨C who had been inconsble after losing their child ¨C seemed to walk out of deathly despair after talking with someone. They couldn¡¯t help showing an amazed expression, not quite understanding, ¡°That¡¯s- that¡¯s amazing! How did they do that?¡±


    Beside them, a more experienced volunteer senior who had been here for some time looked where they were pointing and immediately understood, their expression bing veryplicated.


    Seeing this, the former couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°You know what¡¯s going on? Tell me! This is too impressive, being able to encourage that elderly person so quickly, I wonder what they said, could there be some policy I don¡¯t know about¡­¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡± The other person denied without hesitation, ¡°It¡¯s just that person used a special method¡­¡± Mentioning the special method, they couldn¡¯t help showing an expression of being unable to exin in a few words.


    This instead aroused the other person¡¯s curiosity even more, making them even more unwilling to give up asking, ¡°What is it, what is it? If we could use it too, maybe we could help more people¡­¡±


    Being questioned like this, that experienced volunteer had no choice but to speak. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll tell you.¡±


    ¡°¡­That person is a member of the Candlelight Society.¡±


    ¡°Candlelight Society¡­¡± Hearing this, the person who had been asking was stunned for a moment, quickly realizing, ¡°That¡¯s the organization reportedly created spontaneously by followers of the Flower Speaker!¡±


    ¡°¡­Wait, wasn¡¯t the Candlelight Society¡¯s headquarters in the Holy Federation?¡± After realizing this, this person¡¯s expression immediately became very interesting, ¡°They¡¯ve already developed to our Ind Alliance so quickly? Should we say that Candlelight Society¡¯s pope is too amazing?¡±


    The other person said helplessly, ¡°So now you understand what¡¯s going on, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­Indeed, that kind of despair and grief couldn¡¯t be ovee in a short time, only by believing in a deity and cing hope in that deity could one possibly receive temporary salvation.¡± The person who had been asking suddenly understood, caught betweenughter and tears, ¡°So, the Candlelight Society is taking this opportunity to develop followers?¡±


    Theirpanion smiled bitterly. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t want to say it earlier. Because the higher-ups actually don¡¯t know how to deal with these Candlelight Society people. They have indeed participated in helping refugees, even doing more than ordinary volunteers, and we need every bit of help we can get now ¨C we can¡¯t drive them away just because they¡¯re a foreign religion. Moreover, the deity they worship is a real ¡®god in the world¡¯! Although this organization was spontaneously created by followers, no one dares to treat them as an ordinary cult¡­ But openly allowing the Candlelight Society to proselytize doesn¡¯t seem quite right either. So they simply pretend not to know, turning a blind eye.¡±


    Towards the end, this experienced volunteer lowered their voice, earning an understanding expression from theirpanion.


    ¡°Speaking of which, even we have Candlelight Society followers now. With disasters everywhere around the world these days, could the Candlelight Society be taking this opportunity to develop worldwide?¡± After discussing for a while, they couldn¡¯t help sighing, ¡°To develop a religion from nothing to this level, no matter what, that pope is really powerful.¡±


    And the central figure of their discussion, Samuel, the pope of the Candlelight Society, was at that moment standing on the ruins of the Edun Kingdom.


    Around him were several other powerful extraordinaries.


    ¡ªAs those two had said, the Candlelight Society was blooming everywhere. Besides the Holy Federation and Ind Alliance, Samuel had mainly developedrge numbers of followers in small western countries with weak strength.


    When this disaster erupted, these small countries were inherently weak in national power and organizational ability. Additionally, their upper echelons were either muddle-headed and inactive or, though wanting to act,cked the capability. The disaster¡¯s victims were far more numerous than in major countries.


    However, where government power was insufficient, civilian extraordinary organizations developed better. Compared to major countries with official institutions like the Special Investigation Department suppressing order, in countries with weak strength, civilian organizations were actually more powerful.


    These organizations included both good and evil ¨C some created chaos and bullied the weak, while others maintained order and helped those in need.


    During this disaster, in many ces where government capability was insufficient, it was thewful civilian extraordinary organizations that put in great effort, saving countless ordinary people. The leaders of these civilian organizations thus rose to fame through their self-help operations they organized.


    And it was during this process that Samuel established contact with those civilian extraordinary organization leaders, developing the Candlelight Society to these countries, helping save people while spreading faith among the refugees.


    At this time, after everything was over, he was having a pleasant conversation with several civilian extraordinary organization leaders, confirming future cooperation.


    An invisible ghost drifted over at this time.


    ¡°Several targets are together, saving me a lot of trouble.¡±


    Adams happily turned in a circle, making marks one by one.


    Samuel, who had just finished discussing cooperation, felt a coolness on his brow, followed by a brief message flooding his mind.


    The others had simr experiences, their expressions changing before falling into deep thought. ¡°¡­A special invitation¡­trial?¡±


    ¡°Oh omnipotent Lord!¡±


    At this moment, while everyone else was startled by the sudden change, Samuel immediately bowed his head and gripped the self-made holy symbol on his chest.


    ¡°¡ªIs this a test You have given me?¡±


    His fingers trembled, his downcast gaze revealing a terrifying fanaticism.


    ¡°Please watch¡­¡±


    No matter what kind of trial¡­


    ¡°¡ªI will im victory under Your gaze!¡±

 Chapter 166

    Chapter 166


    Li Fufeng realized he was dreaming.


    His consciousness seemed to float in an ocean, while also drifting among theyered clouds in the sky. Vaguely, he felt as if he had broken through the membrane of reality, continuously falling deeper into the nightmare while countless noises rang in his ears.


    It was like hearing the mumbling of countless people speaking simultaneously in the dream.


    When he emerged from his dazed state and opened his eyes within the dream, he found himself on a chaotic street, surrounded by all kinds of voices from the crowd.


    Around him were faces with Western features. Looking at their lip movements, they were speaking foreignnguages that he shouldn¡¯t have understood, yet strangely heprehended everything perfectly, as the sounds were automatically tranted into familiarnguage in his ears.


    ¡°Oh my God! Is what¡¯s on the news true?¡±


    ¡°The end of the world? You must be joking!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it! That geologist must have made it all up, this has to be some kind of prank show¡­¡±


    Before Li Fufeng could process what was happening, his ears were already picking up the strongest voices around him. As he stood there confused, looking at the debating crowd, his mind still echoing with ¡°Who am I? Where am I? What¡¯s happening?¡±, someone grabbed him forcefully and shook his shoulders.¡°Sean, are you alright? Stop spacing out. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re shocked silly by the news?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Li Fufeng snapped back to reality and looked at the person pulling him with concern. It was a girl who appeared to be sixteen or seventeen, with Western facial features, shining brown hair, and a few freckles on her nose. She was waving her hand in front of his eyes repeatedly, ¡°Snap out of it, Sean!¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m fine,¡± Li Fufeng responded instinctively. As soon as he spoke, he realized he was using thenguage of Yao Country and worried she might not understand. ¡°I was just too shocked by that news you mentioned¡­¡±


    He left his sentence hanging, instinctively gathering information.


    However, the girl showed no signs of confusion at hisnguage, as if Li Fufeng was speaking in her most familiar tongue. She naturally continued, ¡°Yeah, that news is too much! I always knew the media was no good, but I never thought they¡¯d use the end of the world as clickbait¡­¡±


    The brown-haired girl cursed a few times andined. ¡°Ice caps melting in three months and a great flood covering the whole world? What ridiculous rumors are these? Aren¡¯t those just clich¨¦ doomsday predictions from hundreds of years ago? I don¡¯t believe it at all!¡±


    After these few minutes of adjustment, Li Fufeng finally recovered from his initial confusion and shock. He realized this was probably simr to the Sword Realm he had encountered before, and he might be experiencing another simr extraordinary event.


    However, what he wasn¡¯t sure about was whether this was just an illusory dream or a real alternate world?


    He clearly remembered falling asleep in his bed at home not long ago, which made this seem more like a strange dream.


    But could a dream be so logical and create such a real world?


    His gaze swept across the distinctive architecture in the distance, the crowded streets, the diverse faces of people, their expressions, and the girl walking and talking with him¡­ Could such a real world really just be a dream?


    Unless there was another entric like Pei Hefeng, the Lord of the Heavenly Capital, who could vividly create all things and beings within a dream. But such powerful figures must be rare, right?


    At this thought, Li Fufeng¡¯s mind suddenly paused.


    A title he had heard earlier that day suddenly popped into his mind ¨C the White King.


    What had Adams said then? Something about delivering invitations to a new world to him and Liu Ningshuang on behalf of the White King?


    A thought shed through his mind like lightning.


    Could this be¡­ the so-called ¡°new world¡±?


    As this thought emerged, Li Fufeng suddenly looked up at the sky and saw countless points of light falling from above, like celebratory ribbons or dancing fluorescence.


    But he noticed that none of the people on the street seemed to notice them.


    The whole world seemed frozen, and only he could see the illusory light points slowly forming words in mid-air:


    <em>[Wee, invited challenger, to the Nightmare World. Pass the nightmare trial screening, and you shall learn all truths.]</em>


    Li Fufeng stared at those words and attempted tomunicate. ¡°Is anyone there? What does the nightmare trial mean? What happens if I fail? How can I return to Blue Star?¡±


    But his questions received no answers.


    The illusory light points continued falling from the sky like a dreamy snowfall, as if there was no person managing this trial, only a machine mechanically executing its program.


    <em>[Brief background of the Nightmare World: You are on Ai Star, with technological civilization development simr to Blue Star, possessing no extraordinary systems but trace amounts of spiritual energy. The has 123 countries and 30 billion poption. A week ago, at the International Geologists Association, young genius geologist Akles ¡°prophesied¡± theing of doomsday. Initially, people didn¡¯t believe him, but he convinced everyone with detailed data and scientific instrument readings. Today, several more experts came forward to support his view, sparking worldwide controversy.]</em>


    <em>[But rest assured, your task is not to judge whether the prophecy is true. You don¡¯t possess that capability anyway.]</em>


    <em>[¨CThe truth of the ¡°prophecy¡± is beyond doubt.]</em>


    <em>[In three months, this will face an unprecedented great flood, destroying countless lives.]</em>


    <em>[Please do your best to save as many people as possible from this destined destruction, and prepare with all your might for theing of doomsday.]</em>


    <em>[¨CYou¡¯ve been given quite a good initial identity. Please use your identity toplete this trial.]</em>


    The illusory light points in the sky gradually dispersed, leaving behind apletely shocked Li Fufeng. His recent experiences with disaster relief had improved his psychological resilience, and he barely managed to ept the setting that he had somehow entered a Nightmare World with a new mission. After repeatedly reviewing the mission information, he felt overwhelmed.


    ¡­With doomsdaying in three months, and it being a great flood that he personally couldn¡¯t prevent, what could he do? Should he start building Noah¡¯s Ark now?


    After some scattered thoughts, Li Fufeng realized the more crucial element ¨C ording to the mission description, many people in this world didn¡¯t believe in the doomsday prediction yet. So the first step should be to convince as many people as possible to believe the ¡°prophecy¡± and prepare for the doomsday escape, right?


    Remembering that the mission had indicated his current identity was special, he quickly turned his attention to the brown-haired girl who seemed to know him. This must be the tutorial NPC for the beginning?


    ****


    While Li Fufeng was wracking his brains trying to get information from the girl, at the same time, Liu Ningshuang, Baili Zhaoxue, Fina, Chandler, Samuel¡­ many others who had been marked by Adams all entered different ¡°Nightmare Worlds¡± in their dreams, receiving trial missions from these Nightmare Worlds.


    After experiencing simr confusion, shock, and misunderstandings as Li Fufeng, and finding no immediate way to leave, they had no choice but to ept the trial missions.


    What they didn¡¯t know was that each of their missions was no less challenging than Li Fufeng¡¯s trial, and all their ¡°Nightmare Worlds¡± faced doomsday, just in different forms.


    ¨CEven though they possessed extraordinary powers, and the dream¡¯s weak spiritual energy didn¡¯t prevent their use, their powers were far too insignificant in the face of world-ending disasters.


    Outside the dream, someone asked in surprise, ¡°Lord White King, can these people reallyplete the missions you¡¯ve issued with their abilities?¡±


    As soon as these words were spoken, Adams quickly added:


    ¡°I¡¯m not questioning the difficulty of your missions, but rather that the people I selected mightck sufficient ability ¨C you may have overestimated them!¡±


    Saying this, the little boy¡¯s face showed shame, clearly expressing ¡°I¡¯ve failed your trust by not selecting the most capable people.¡±


    ¡°I never expected them toplete the missions anyway,¡± Bai Yi smiled and said casually.


    ¡°From the beginning, putting them into doomsday-themed nightmare instances was meant to let them experience defeat~¡±


    Ordinary people originally had no chance to enter the Nightmare World ¨C something even the former Bai Xin couldn¡¯t achieve.


    But Bai Yi, who hadpletely mastered all system permissions and held a special identity connected to all Nightmare Worlds, aplished this.


    He first uploaded everyone¡¯s consciousness to the Web of Thoughts, establishing connections with himself. After entering the dream, he brought their consciousness into that deep sea filled with world fragments in the dream. Then using the upgraded system to carefully screen nightmare instance fragments, he deployed these people one by one, writing nightmare trial mission backgrounds and instances for them¡­ This series of operations led to the current situation¨C


    The ¡°Nightmare Game¡± that originally had only him as an ¡°internal tester¡± now had hundreds more ¡°internal testers.¡±


    However, while Bai Yi¡¯s missions came from the lingering regrets of the deceased in nightmare instances, the trial missions for Li Fufeng and others were written by Bai Yi himself, intended specifically as ¡°trials¡± for them.


    Therefore, he never intended for these people toplete the missions, but rather wanted to see what qualities they would disy during the trials.


    ¡°¡­Well, I suppose it could barely count as Human Screening Project version 2.0?¡± Bai Yi said.


    His consciousness drifted and undted in the dark deep sea among countless ster fragments, finally surfacing. Under the light of two slowly rising great stars, he looked down.


    Li Fufeng, Liu Ningshuang, Samuel¡­ scene after scene from the nightmare instances appeared before him, as if he was simultaneously watching the trial processes of hundreds of selected participants.


    Adams, who could enter here because he originated from a nightmare fragment instance, also gradually materialized beside him. He heard the youth instruct. ¡°As usual, remember to record those you think are worth cultivating.¡±


    ¡°As for me¡­¡± Bai Yi tilted his head, ¡°it¡¯s time to create new scripts in new nightmare fragment instances.¡±


    As his words fell, he plunged rapidly into the sea.


    [Hope Resonance] activated again, the points on his panel quickly decreased, while in the depths of the ocean, far in the distance, starlight zed brilliantly as a ster fragment weed his arrival.


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