Identity Achievement!

Midnight. The phone alarm rang. Ye Huan opened his eyes, let out a yawn, and slowly sat up. A prompt surfaced right on time in his mind: "This was a day filled with betrayal, traps, deception, and death." "In the dark maelstrom of this era, any ordinary person would have drowned powerlessly, sacrificing everything to the predators." "Yet you endured nine tribulations, ultimately lying safe and sound on the couch to await the coming dawn." "You have proven your survivability as never before." "In light of this feat, you are about to expend all your strength to draw a special advancement (Novice) of the ultimate number." "This advancement applies to identity tags." "Draw method: Random." "Commencing!" Ye Huan suddenly felt something siphoning away his strength. In a single instant, every shred of power drained from his body. Even the dark green flame diminished to a faint wisp. "To think it's this... uncomfortable..." Ye Huan felt dizzy, his limbs trembling, much like when he had suffered a severe case of the flu in his past life. No good. He couldn't hold out. He lay back down on the couch, letting his entire body relax, grimly enduring this agonizing passage of time. A new message quietly emerged: "Draw complete." Suddenly, power surged up from the Yongquan point, flowing upward along his meridians and rushing straight toward nine other acupoints across his body. The Neiguan and Hegu acupoints stirred restlessly, coming within a hair's breadth of being forced open. To be drained completely and then hit by such a rush—he had nearly broken through two acupoints at once! Ye Huan had a faint premonition. He wasn't far from a breakthrough. Moreover, the physical strength throughout his body had increased by roughly ten percent, and his blood qi had grown noticeably stronger. He was only one step away! Taking several deep breaths, he temporarily put his martial cultivation aside and turned his attention to the more pressing matter. A power connected to tags— What kind of thing had he gotten from the random draw? Right then, a new notification naturally arose, manifesting in his mind: "The random draw has completed." "The identity tag has gained an extension:" "Identity Achievement." "Activation Range: Within line of sight." "Description: Traces the origin of the target's life path to reconstruct a virtual life trajectory, allowing you to undertake an 'Identity' challenge." "Succeeding in the challenge yields the corresponding 'Achievement Settlement.'" "You may experience a virtual life trajectory only once per day." "Note:" "Everything that occurs within a virtual life trajectory does not truly exist." Ye Huan pondered this carefully. Being able to see someone's identity was useful. But entering their life path to undertake an "Identity" challenge—what did that even mean? When all was said and done, it was better to— Give it a try! For that, he needed to find a target to test it on. After musing for a few seconds, Ye Huan grabbed a document at random and stepped out of the office. With brisk footsteps, he hurried down the corridor as if delivering paperwork. Strange. When you didn't want to run into colleagues, they were everywhere. Now that he was looking for someone, the doors to every office were tightly shut, or a couple of colleagues were already hurrying downstairs and departing in a rush. They weren't giving him a chance to try it out at all. Suddenly, Ye Huan's eyes lit up. In the corridor across from him, an investigator had just stepped out of an office holding a mug, looking as if he were dropping by another section for a chat. "Brother Zhao!" Ye Huan called out cheerfully, jogging over. "Well, if it isn't Little Ye. What are you doing standing around here? Waiting for someone?" the other man greeted with a smile. "Delivering a document. What kind of tea are you drinking, Brother Zhao? Smells great," Ye Huan made small talk. —The man knew Song Fushan and had exchanged greetings in the corridor a few times. Ye Huan had tagged along enough to become a familiar face. "Ah, just something I bought randomly online, but the flavor's actually not bad," Brother Zhao replied. Taking advantage of the moment, Ye Huan glanced above the man's head. "Supply Section Staff Member." That was his identity. Behind that line of the tag, something brand-new had appeared. "Identity Achievement:" "One should still buy medication from legitimate manufacturers. Combined with the corresponding Shidu cultivation method, it not only benefits the body, but also revived a man's nocturnal vigor, propelling him to become the illustrious 'Zhao the Ever-Standing' across the nightlife scene." "Identity Challenge: Accompany him to a nightclub to make a modest name for yourself in the pleasure quarters, attaining at least the resounding renown of 'Never-Falls of the South, Night-Pleasure of the North.'" "Success yields an Achievement Settlement." "Begin challenge?" —So that was how this worked. Ye Huan grabbed the man's hand and said warmly, "Brother Zhao, when you're free, please drop by our section more often to give us some guidance! As a newcomer, I really need the support of experienced comrades like you!" I can do this challenge! —There really were normal people in this world! "Ah, sure... Little Ye, let go of my hand first. I promise I'll drop by your department more often in the future." Brother Zhao was startled by his enthusiasm, but on second thought, it made sense for a youngster to show such respect to a senior. The two exchanged a few more words. All at once, they saw Xia Li walking over from the other end. At the sight of Xia Li, Brother Zhao's eyes twitched like a mouse spotting a cat. Chuckling awkwardly at Ye Huan, he paced away in what looked like a slow stroll but was actually a fast scurry, ducked into an office, and shut the door behind him. Wait. The big shot of the nightlife scene was that afraid of the office director? "Hello, Sister Li!" Ye Huan hurried to greet her. "Little Ye, you're supposed to be resting today. Why haven't you headed back yet?" Xia Li had wavy hair, wore a trench coat, and carried a small purse as she approached from down the hall. "I didn't feel like going back to the mining district's family quarters, so I'm making do here for the night," Ye Huan said. "Haven't rented an apartment?" Xia Li asked. "I did. Moving in tomorrow," Ye Huan said. "That's fine then. The Supply Section has extra folding beds. Go grab one to use in your office," Xia Li advised. "Thanks for the reminder, Sister Li. I'll head over in a bit." "One more thing: don't hang around that Old Zhao. The man is rotten to the core; he'll lead you astray," Xia Li said with a flat expression. "Understood, Sister Xia!" As Ye Huan answered, he suddenly froze. The identity tag above Xia Li's head had originally read "General Affairs Section Director." Yet now, when he looked at her tag, a line of small text had surfaced behind it: "Identity Achievement:" "That was the moment Xia Luoning took part in the sect entrance examination. From the instant she passed the test, people began paying attention to her innate talent and ability, rather than her family background." "Identity Challenge: Take part in the sect entrance examination alongside her, and earn the identity of a sect disciple together." "Success yields an Achievement Settlement." "Begin challenge?" What—the— Was she Xia Li, or was she Xia Luoning? "I'm heading out. See you tomorrow," Xia Li waved to him. "See you, Sister Li." Forcing down the astonishment in his chest, Ye Huan kept his expression normal and waved back with a smile. Xia Li turned down the stairs and left the office building. Ye Huan stood alone in the hallway, unable to calm down for quite some time. Suddenly, someone patted him on the shoulder. "You haven't gone home?" Song Fushan asked, surprised. "I rented a place nearby, but I can't move in until tomorrow. I'm just making do here for tonight," Ye Huan said. "That works too. I've got a folding bed and blankets in my cabinet, all unused. Go ahead and take them tonight," Song Fushan said. "Section Chief..." Ye Huan began, subconsciously glancing above the man's head. "Mysterious Affairs Section Chief." "Identity Achievement:" "The cold-blooded hunter who strikes the deepest dread in the dark. In a brutal, horrifying war, he fought his way out of an encirclement single-handedly, slaying hundreds of pursuers along the way to escape death's door, earning the renowned moniker of 'Lone Wolf.'" "Identity Challenge: Survive the escape alongside him." "Success yields an Achievement Settlement." "Begin challenge?" Ye Huan quietly looked away. Xia Li wasn't named Xia Li; she was Xia Luoning. Song Fushan wasn't just Song Fushan; he was a cold-blooded hunter and the Lone Wolf. This was utterly insane. Seeing his odd expression, Song Fushan thought about it for a second and chuckled. "Don't take it to heart. As your section chief, it's my duty to look after my subordinates. Once you can hold your own down the road, remember to look after yours, too." "Yes, Chief," Ye Huan said. "I'm off!" Song Fushan grabbed a few things from his office and left. Ye Huan was left standing alone in the hallway. A cold wind blew past. It really was a bit chilly. At last, he regained his composure. He had simply been overwhelmed by the shock. Who would have guessed that everyone had secrets? Even Brother Zhao, unremarkable as he seemed day-to-day, held the grand title of 'Ever-Standing' in the nightlife scene. Every single one of them dressed up so properly every day. Tsk. No. He still hadn't actually activated the ability yet. He definitely needed to test it out and see whether it was really useful! Ye Huan walked briskly to the window and looked outside. Xia Li had already stepped through the Bureau of Investigation's front gate, on the verge of vanishing from view. Song Fushan had headed toward the parking lot, glanced back at him, gave a wave, and prepared to get into his car. —It had to be activated within his line of sight. Whom should he choose? He had just tangled with assassins; he really didn't want to deal with another 'dread-inducing hunter.' Nor did he want to be hunted down. Choose Xia Li. Her identity challenge was to join a sect and become a sect disciple. "Activate Identity Achievement challenge!" Ye Huan chanted silently in his heart.