*Knock, knock, knock—*
"Come in."
"Hello, Sister Na. Where's Director Xia?"
"She went out on official business. She mentioned that if you were looking for her, you could video call her."
"All right."
Ye Huan dialed Xia Li directly.
The video connected.
Xia Li appeared on the screen, dressed properly and elegantly, holding a document pouch, seemingly attending some event.
"I'm not at the office today. I'm filling in for leadership at a conference," Xia Li said.
"Understood. I'll come see you tomorrow then. By the way, what's the situation with Luosha?" Ye Huan asked.
"Don't worry just yet—I had someone pay Luosha a visit to specifically explain the rules of Ether power to her."
"Thank you for troubling yourself with that, Sister Li."
"After I explained things to her, she became interested in martial arts and decided to take the sect entrance test," Xia Li said.
"Huh? Really?" Ye Huan was astonished.
"Yes. She felt that becoming someone strong would allow her to better protect the children at the orphanage," Xia Li said.
Xia Li knew Ye Huan would definitely ask about this. Busy with meetings, she couldn't speak with him face-to-face, so a video call conveyed her intentions better than plain voice audio and allowed her to observe his reactions.
Ye Huan hesitated slightly.
Such was the way of the world.
If one had the chance to become strong, it was naturally better than staying weak.
A truism, of course.
Yet if Luosha truly felt that way, he would certainly support her.
Observing Ye Huan's expression, Xia Li added, "If you're worried, go ask her yourself. Nothing is set in stone yet, so there's still time."
"All right." Ye Huan nodded slightly.
He definitely needed to confirm with Luosha again to ensure she genuinely wanted to practice martial arts.
"There's one more thing," Xia Li said.
"Go ahead, Sister Li," Ye Huan replied.
He suddenly noticed something.
Above Xia Li's head, behind her identity tag, the floating text had updated.
"Identity Achievement:"
"After five years of devoted cultivation, praised by masters and peerless among peers, fame soaring; delved into ancient texts to seek ritual sequences independently, achieving the terrifying technique of 'Ill Omen.'"
"Identity Challenge: Seek a ritual sequence independently and complete a Baji technique."
"Today's challenge is completed. Please try again tomorrow."
Ye Huan froze.
A technique of "Ill Omen"?
This was something he couldn't challenge.
Song Fushan had earnestly explained that such ritual protocols were extraordinarily strict, requiring the guidance and assistance of masters and numerous experts to conduct with any peace of mind.
*—Expect me to challenge this achievement all on my own?*
*No way.*
*I'd rather stay stuck here, or challenge someone else's Identity Achievement!*
What was interesting was that he could see her Identity Achievement even through a video screen. That was truly intriguing.
"The matter with Du Pont has been settled. You don't need to worry about it. You did a fantastic job, and I'll find an opportunity to issue you a bonus," Xia Li said.
"Yes, thank you, Sister Li."
"Go about your business. Come see me another day, and I'll remove that latent hazard on your hand."
"All right."
Ye Huan walked out of the office, down the steps, and out of the Bureau of Investigation.
—He was still on leave today!
After walking for a while, he took out his phone and dialed Luosha.
"Hello? I just wanted to ask—have you really decided to become a martial artist?"
"Yeah. The more I thought about it, the more I felt I have to push myself. I can't just think about myself," Luosha said.
"Why the sudden change of heart? What happened?" Ye Huan asked.
Luosha recounted what had happened with Xia Li.
"She said she has a friend with an Ether ability where 'competitors will inevitably meet with ill omen'?" Ye Huan asked, intrigued.
"Yeah. It doesn't sound like much at first, but when you think about it, it's pretty chilling," Luosha said.
Ye Huan didn't pry further, hanging up after chatting for a few more moments.
The pieces seemed to connect.
Yet further observation was needed before he could be certain of the final answer.
Ye Huan simply hailed a cab and headed to the other end of the city.
It was a bustling commercial complex.
Sitting down on a bench in the plaza, Ye Huan made call after call, arranging for workers to pick up keys from property management, deliver new furniture to the two rental apartments, and hire cleaners to tidy up the rooms.
Once everything was sorted, he walked over to the park on the other side of the commercial plaza.
Many elderly folks were exercising here.
Ye Huan found a sunny spot as well and assumed the Hunyuan Stance.
Suddenly,
he spotted several individuals tagged "Black Tide Cultist" walking past on the roadside.
Those people even glanced his way.
After they left,
Ye Huan immediately left the park, hailed a cab, and drove toward another edge of the city.
Thirty minutes later, he reached his destination.
Close to the city wall and with a tributary of an underground river running through it, the municipal government had built a water park here.
Ye Huan stood in his stance right there until dark, all the way to midnight.
This time, he didn't run into a single soul!
—The new daily settlement had begun!
"This was a day where trade and betrayal coexisted. One wrong step would have ruined your future, even costing your life."
"You handled this challenge with ease."
"For this performance, the Daily Survival Settlement rank has been elevated by one tier."
"Begin!"
"Please select one item from the following as your reward:"
"1. Demon Python Leather Gloves."
What was there to select?
Even as Ye Huan grumbled internally, a pair of gloves appeared directly on his hands.
They were black leather gloves adorned with subtle dark patterns.
Putting them on didn't produce any dramatic sensation, though his punches seemed to become slightly faster.
Useful enough.
Iron Hand Bars the River was a palm technique that placed immense emphasis on speed.
With these gloves, even increasing his punch speed by a fraction was already a great help.
Then again,
compared to the rewards of previous days, these gloves were definitely underwhelming.
When the rating was "4," there were "Absurd Descriptors, Old World Treasure Map, Dedicated Skill Tree, and Ether Full-Domain Positioning and Teleportation."
When the rating was "9," the identity tag ability had advanced once, unlocking Identity Achievement challenges!
Yet now with a rating of "1,"
—it was just a pair of gloves.
Worlds apart.
Ye Huan gave it no further thought and resumed his Hunyuan Stance, standing until daybreak.
At eight in the morning:
"Hello, Section Chief. I'd like to take two days off."
"Yes, I'm a bit tired."
"All right, thank you, Section Chief." Hanging up the phone, Ye Huan left the park, grabbed breakfast, and then returned to the park to resume his stance training.
Still nothing happened today.
He merely called Su Haisheng, suggesting that they move into the city center.
Su Haisheng hesitated, wanting to discuss it with Zhao Lingyi.
Ye Huan could only drop the matter for now.
Luosha was still at the safehouse, waiting for the relocation procedures to finish.
Relieved, Ye Huan continued his stance training.
The entire day passed like this.
At night.
Past midnight, a new message surfaced in Ye Huan's mind:
"This was a peaceful and uneventful day, a rare blessing indeed. You have obtained well-deserved rest."
"Rating: 0."
"No reward."
No reward.
Ye Huan fell into contemplation.
—It seemed that simply living another day didn't guarantee growing stronger each day.
There had to be a rating!
Without a rating, there was no corresponding reward!
He continued practicing his stance in the park until dawn, went to eat, and then returned to his stance training.
Sunrise to sunset.
Another full day slipped by.
At midnight:
"A peaceful and mundane day. Of course, practicing your martial arts made you feel fulfilled."
"Rating: 0."
"No reward."
Such a message surfaced in Ye Huan's mind once again.
How was a rating earned?
Passing through danger and successfully saving oneself.
Completely tranquil days brought no rating at all.
Ye Huan sighed deeply.
This confirmed only one thing. As for the other matter—
He still needed further verification.
...
Early morning.
Eight o'clock.
Ye Huan knocked on the door and walked straight into the General Affairs Office.
"Morning, Sister Li," he greeted with a smile.
Xia Li hadn't arrived long before him.
Today she wore a white shirt, a long skirt, and high heels, looking crisp and capable.
Who could guess that she was wearing a disguise mask and was actually only around eighteen?
"Took two days off?" Xia Li asked.
"Yeah, rested up a bit, then came back to work."
"Come over then. Let's clear away that latent hazard Luosha left behind—hold out your left hand."
"Yes."
Ye Huan extended his left hand.
Holding his left hand down with one hand, Xia Li gently felt around his wrist with the other.
Before long,
a slender deep-red thread quietly emerged.
"Is this an Ether ability?"
Even though Song Fushan had explained it to him once, seeing it with his own eyes still stirred a sense of marvel in Ye Huan.
"This Ether ability pulls you to her side—whenever you are in danger," Xia Li said, shooting Ye Huan a glare.
Ye Huan stayed silent.
Xia Li lowered her head, her hands working swiftly.
The slender deep-red thread sank into the void, gradually fading from sight.
Both of them breathed a sigh of relief.
"All right, get to work. Don't tell anyone about this. Nullifying an Ether pact is a very rare ability, and I don't want people to know I can do it," Xia Li whispered.
"Understood. I swear I won't tell a soul," Ye Huan said.
He left the office and returned to the Mysterious Affairs Section, only to find Song Fushan hadn't arrived yet.
Suddenly, his phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hello, is this Ye Huan? You have a delivery."
"A delivery?"
"Yes, a very large crate."
Ye Huan pondered a moment, then it dawned on him.
Su Haisheng's daughter, Su Ni, cultivated at an ancient sect and had mentioned she would send him some books.
However...
He was currently observing the trajectory of this entire event.
"Where are you?" Ye Huan asked.
"I can't get into the Bureau of Investigation, so I'm waiting for you at the gate."
"Ah, all right."
Ye Huan fell silent for a moment. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, first closing the window blinds, then rummaging through the storage cabinet.
He retrieved Song Fushan's anti-materiel sniper rifle, set it up at the window, cracked the blinds open just a slit, and observed the entrance of the Bureau of Investigation through the scope.
Sure enough, a person in a courier uniform stood outside the gate, holding a large black suitcase.
Aligning the scope with the top of the man's head,
he saw the line of tagged text floating above him:
"Black Tide Martyr."
They really came.
Chapter 54