In the pitch-black passage, Kang Yu followed the mysterious man for an unknown amount of time before his vision gradually brightened.
A moment later, he suddenly felt a strong sense of oppression, as if some extremely terrifying and enormous thing was standing above his head.
He glanced up instinctively and was immediately speechless with astonishment.
Above, a magnificent skyscraper loomed faintly in the clouds!
The tall buildings, quaint and Mirage, are shrouded in mist, resembling a mirage. Their architecture, dating back to some unknown dynasty, is strange and indescribable. Although grand and imposing, they are permeated with a gloomy and eerie atmosphere, making them seem like haunted places at first glance.
While I was lost in thought, two white clouds drifted over from afar.
The mysterious figure said coldly, "Come on up. To enter the [Sky Pavilion], you can only pass through the Ghost Cloud."
"'Sky Pavilion'? What exactly is this place?" Kang Yu asked.
The mysterious figure did not answer, but simply stepped onto a cloud.
Kang Yu followed suit and stood on the so-called "Ghost Cloud." He immediately felt a sense of weightlessness, as if he couldn't step on anything solid, and a cold aura enveloped him from below.
In a moment, the white clouds steadily rose up and headed straight for the tall buildings.
He gradually saw the full view of the Sky Pavilion. It was not just an ancient building, but more accurately, an island in the clouds, like a legendary heavenly palace.
The Ghost Cloud stopped at the edge of the "island" and then dissipated. Kang Yu stomped his foot lightly, but still didn't feel like he was standing on solid ground.
In the distance, there was a cluster of buildings, the tall building in the very center that he had seen from below, surrounded by other low-rise houses.
There seem to be no modern buildings here; it looks more like an ancient town.
Kang Yu stared wide-eyed, looking around. The mysterious man said, "Shocking, isn't it? I was almost speechless when I first came here."
"Where exactly is this place? And who are you?" Kang Yu asked again.
The mysterious figure said, "This is a branch of the Time Management Bureau. I am Executor No. 37."
"The Time Management Bureau?" Kang Yu's heart skipped a beat. The name itself gave off a mysterious and impressive feeling.
But he quickly recovered and tentatively asked, "What did you mean by 'assessment' earlier?"
No. 37 truthfully stated, "You have mastered Fierce Ghost related to time; this is a prerequisite for joining the Time Management Bureau."
"Before officially recruiting you, we need to test you to assess your psychological and mental state, as well as your ability limits. This is the 'assessment'."
"The person responsible for assessing you is No. 52, the one you met before, the one wearing the same clothes as me."
Upon hearing this, Kang Yu froze on the spot, then a surge of rage rose within him, and he trembled all over. "Do you know that my entire family died because of this so-called assessment!"
He practically yelled it out, his emotions gradually spiraling out of control.
But No. 37 casually said, "Once you join the Time Management Bureau and learn the truth about this world, you will soon realize that the deaths of your relatives and friends are meaningless. You may experience their deaths, betrayals, and even falling out with them countless times in the future."
"What do you mean?" Kang Yu was shocked.
"Come with me, I'll explain it to you slowly." No. 37 walked towards the tall building in the center.
Kang Yu was momentarily dazed. The unusual Supernatural aura fluctuated slightly, and another person's voice echoed in his mind. His expression changed constantly as he lifted his leg and followed closely behind No. 37.
As No. 37 walked, he said, "You have mastered Fierce Ghost connected to time. This is a stepping stone, qualifying you to join us and understand the truth of the world."
"No matter how powerful others are, even if they could destroy the entire world with a flick of their wrist, they are not qualified to contact the Time Management Bureau, or even to know of Administration existence."
No. 37's tone was laced with extreme arrogance.
Kang Yu had met many arrogant people—those born with a silver spoon in their mouths, those arrogant Ghost Tamers, and even his former self—but none of them were as... arrogant as No. 37.
Seemingly sensing Kang Yu's thoughts, No. 37 scoffed lightly. "Don't think I'm bragging; the Time Management Bureau is far more powerful than you imagine."
"Really?" Kang Yu lowered his eyes and suddenly asked, "Ever since I controlled the Fierce Ghost, I've been haunted by another terrifying Fierce Ghost. Do you have a way to resolve this?"
No. 37 raised an eyebrow. "You mean 'Hound'?"
Kang Yu: "Hounds?"
No. 37 said somewhat angrily, "That bastard No. 52 is so impatient and greedy, and he's full of ulterior motives. He didn't guide you properly at all; he was only thinking about his own little schemes!"
"He should have told you about the Hound and how to avoid being chased by Hound as soon as possible!"
"Whether you acted voluntarily or passively, once you traveled through time, you triggered the Hound's hunting rules, and it will target you relentlessly."
"I know all that," Kang Yu interrupted No. 37's nonsense. "No. 52 taught me a method to divert the Hound's targets. I'd like to know if there's any way to completely eliminate Hound attacks?"
"No," No. 37 replied bluntly.
Kang Yu: "???"
And this guy has the nerve to brag about how powerful he is?
"The existence of Hound is a fundamental, underlying rule; if one is eliminated, a new one will appear," No. 37 explained.
"We only use the method of diverting the hunting Hound's target to someone else as a last resort. It's a form of deception that will lead to the Hound chasing the same target more and more frequently afterward."
"Normally we use this..." No. 37 took out a strange-looking rag doll and handed it to Kang Yu.
"This is Substitute Doll. If you drip a drop of your blood on it, it will become your substitute, taking all the damage for you until it is broken."
"Once the Hound kills the substitute, it considers you dead once and will not continue to hunt you for a period of time unless you frequently use time travel to summon the Hound again."
Feeling the cold touch in his palm, Kang Yu couldn't help but click his tongue. "This thing must be very precious, right?"
No. 37 chuckled, "Outside, this thing would be a life-saving trump card, equivalent to having a second life. But here, it's just a mass-produced Supernatural Item, nothing special."
Kang Yu was speechless for a moment, having gained a preliminary understanding of the other party's background.
"Once you officially join, you can request and use the Substitute Doll at will," No. 37 said casually.
Then his expression turned serious, and he said something to Kang Yu with utmost solemnity:
"The future is destroyed; we all live in the past!"