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His right fingertips brushed thoughtfully over it as he recalled some of the truths about the mark he had learned from the minors beside him during registration.

The soul was more or less fully formed by the age of eighteen and would not undergo much further change or growth. So, upon reaching adulthood, everyone would awaken the power deep within their soul with the help of specialized medical equipment.

A mark like this would appear on a random part of the body of anyone whose soul had awakened. It was known as a Spirit Mark.

He asked the system, "Do you know anything more about Spirit Marks?"

The system used the keyword to find relevant educational information. "A Spirit Mark primarily serves as proof of the transformation a Mental Power user undergoes upon reaching adulthood. Most people's Spiritual Pools also improve by leaps and bounds after their souls awaken."

"For people in this world, Spirit Marks are private things that are rather inconvenient to reveal. They can also be used to interact with others through Mental Power. But this behavior is rather intimate and also produces pleasure in the soul, which increases with the compatibility between the two parties, so it is generally used for pleasure between partners."

Xu Qingran pressed a hand to his mouth and fell silent.

He finally understood why those people had been pointing at him. Going by the system's description, he was like a perverted exhibitionist running naked down the street.

The system crackled, seemingly about to say something else, but two people suddenly entered the lecture hall.

One was a man and the other a woman. The woman wore a Golden Wing uniform, had short, shoulder-length hair, and bore a sweet smile. The man was from Silver Dragon. He wore a stern expression on his fierce-looking face, had thick, bushy eyebrows, and carried a flexible whip at his waist.

The woman said she was there to give them ideological education and teach them about E-Type Spiritual Power Users.

"Don't worry. You're only people suspected of having the potential to develop into Type E users. Research suggests that human souls and personalities influence each other. Before your souls and psyches are fully formed, you can avoid this outcome by changing some of your extreme thoughts, correcting excessive behavior, and cultivating positive energy."

"Of course, fewer than one percent of the people who enter the Evil Tower at your stage are ultimately confirmed to be E-Type Spiritual Power Users, so I believe most of you won't end up that way. But for the safety of the empire's people, we must carry out rigorous screening to make sure nothing is overlooked."

The woman giving them ideological education seemed to have an exceptionally good temper. As a result, several of the bolder, more outgoing boys and girls in the room, who were also less respectful of others, paid her no regard.

One of them was chewing gum he had gotten from who knew where. With a careless, arrogant air, he had failed to behave himself ever since she began speaking. Perhaps because he had given off the air of a school bully from the moment he entered the room, a few little followers who treated him as the leader of the group had already gathered around him.

Seeing that his antics among the audience had failed to distract her, he began calling out provocatively. "Miss, the topic of being a good person is too boring. Why don't we talk about something else?"

The people below who sided with him were all laughing, their laughter tinged with malicious anticipation.

The boy rose as he spoke and boldly walked toward the woman at the front, his hands in his pockets. "How about your age, for instance? Are you interested in getting a boyfr—"

Before he could finish, a loud crack suddenly rang out in the room.

It not only cut off the boy's harassment but also stopped everyone else in the room as though someone had pressed pause.

The man, who had stood silently without moving since entering the room, expressionlessly seized his whip when the boy approached his partner and gave him a heavy lash. The blow was forceful and loud, and it happened to land right across his face.

The whip split the skin on the boy's cheek, and blood poured out. He raised a hand in disbelief to touch the injured spot, and his terrified eyes widened to their limit when he saw the great smear of red on his palm.

Then came a piercing scream that rang through the entire room.

The inexperienced youths had never before suffered such a real, brutal beating, without any chance to explain themselves or resist, and terror gradually spread across their faces. Even those who had been dozing off snapped awake, while the group of laughing youths immediately became obedient, no longer daring to cause trouble.

The man expressionlessly drew back his whip, paying no attention to the injured boy, who had fallen to the floor and was crying and screaming.

Only then did the woman, who had worn a sweet smile at the lectern throughout, speak softly. "Oh, right, I forgot to tell you. We're E-Type Spiritual Power Users who came out of this very Evil Tower ourselves."

A rare, deathly silence fell over the room.

Everyone's mouths turned down in fear, and they immediately behaved themselves. Only Xu Qingran, sitting in the corner of the last row with his chin propped on one hand, had a smile so faint it was barely perceptible.

Xu Qingran had little interest in the topics they were trying to indoctrinate him with, so he listened absentmindedly, catching only bits and pieces. Then he heard her mention something related to E-Type Spiritual Power Users.

"So-called Type E Extremists are named for the fluctuations caused by the excessive Mental Power their souls carry and bear. These fluctuations in their soul frequencies can easily leave them unable to control their powers, seriously threatening the lives and safety of those around them."

"More than ninety percent of the criminals who have caused immense trouble throughout the empire's history, including serial killers and psychopathic murderers, were E-Type Spiritual Power Users. For this reason, the empire established the Evil Tower. Besides holding the empire's most serious offenders, it also became a place where E-Type Spiritual Power Users are held and trained."

"At the same time, because of their rich inner worlds and the ways their thoughts and interests differ from those of ordinary people, Type E users have almost no chance of finding compatible partners in their lifetimes and are destined to grow old alone. The exception is if they can meet an extremely compatible Type D Psychic, more widely known as a Dominator."

Xu Qingran's gaze stilled for a moment as he heard that familiar yet unfamiliar new term once again.

She did not offer much further explanation about Type D users, merely continuing, "However, an E-Type who meets a compatible Type D is both lucky and unlucky."