Promotion, Second Awakening!

As darkness fully descended, <Starfire> was taken for psychological counseling to prevent trauma.

A significant portion of the handlers were also investigating the cause of the recent incident of loss of control.

Ma Da was a second-awakened psychic, and had been a handler for several years, possessing considerable experience.

He normally had no so-called "inner demons," nor had he reached a point requiring advancement.

Yet, during one operation, he suddenly became distorted.

While the authorities grieved this, they also maintained absolute vigilance.

Teams of handlers with various tracking and investigation abilities rushed to the scene, hoping to find the culprit from any trace evidence.

If one were to look down from the heights of <Giant City>, they would see a large number of figures moving through the air at speeds incomprehensible to ordinary people in the dark.

Meanwhile, the three wild psychics caught by the logistics team during their "team-building" were also under strict guard and interrogation by the authorities.

These were wild psychics from different city districts, yet they were able to accurately locate each other grouping up within <Giant City> and risk attempting to ambush a handler.

Clearly, someone was orchestrating them, and the authorities needed to follow the clues to find this orchestrator, eliminating risks for <Giant City> in advance.

And based on the current intelligence, the opponent's abilities were very strange.

It was said they possessed some kind of mysterious communication channel.

They could communicate without any time lag, and even directly contact psychics of the same faction in multiple <Giant City> locations.

Some would conduct transactions or issue missions, and those who completed them would receive potion materials or psychic weaponry.

After each "contact," the items would be delivered to the recipient through some unknown channel.

This allowed them to hide deeply, making it difficult to eradicate them even if some <Giant City> locations became aware.

The mysterious organization of unknown origin and the sudden mutation and distortion of handlers exuded an oppressive atmosphere of impending storm, making the higher-ups in the Handler Department somewhat serious.

Neither could be underestimated; caution was paramount.

At this moment, a piece of news was relayed to headquarters.

"<Night General>. That young man with the mimic Overlord mask? He's about to advance?" an elder with white hair exclaimed in surprise. "So soon? How long has he been with the Handler Department?"

"About a month, all told," a wizened woman replied. "He's experienced multiple battles, even shattering a forbidden object and once directly confronting the <Ghost Immortal> of unknown tier. We thought it would take another month, but I didn't expect it to be this fast. It's likely his mindset has shifted, allowing his Soul Well to extend."

"That's good. While we don't know what entity is behind him, for now, that being doesn't seem hostile to humanity," the elder said. "If, during <Night General>'s breakthrough, we could catch a glimpse of that entity, that would be even better."

"At the time, we only detected the <Ghost Immortal>'s aura disappearing; we didn't see the entity's figure. What a shame."

Meanwhile, <Li Yèlái> felt the changes in his Soul Well. After confirming a shift in his mindset, his Soul Well began to extend, continuing to explore the <Void Realm>.

This was a sign of impending re-awakening.

Thus, he calmly stated, "I'm going to advance."

He became the fastest advancing handler among the dozen or so newcomers across the four branches of <Border City No. 3>.

If <Li Yúnyān> were present, she would likely exclaim, "Today I enter the <Land Immortal Realm>!"

And for safety's sake, <Cheese>, after her expression flickered slightly, softly said, "Congratulations."

She then promptly scooped <Li Yèlái> into her car and immediately notified <Yáng Chén>.

When the two arrived at the branch, <Yáng Chén> was already waiting at the entrance.

<Yáng Chén> did not seem surprised by <Li Yèlái>'s rapid advancement. After observing <Li Yèlái> for a moment, he nodded and said, "Indeed, you are about to advance. This is your first advancement. Before you successfully advance, you must be careful of power infiltration from the <Void Realm> and potential interference from <Void Realm> creatures. <Cheese>, I, and the other teammates will guard you."

The advancement ceremony was dangerous, especially during the breakthrough. If interfered with by <Void Realm> creatures, it would be a near-certain death.

This was because <Void Realm> creatures had a way to enter the physical world besides a bloody, evil ritual. That method was to possess the body of a psychic!

A perfectly fitting body was an irresistible temptation for <Void Realm> creatures.

Several cases could be found on the Handler Department's forum.

It was said that a <Void Realm> creature with considerable intelligence discovered a body that was a perfect fit for itself and launched an offensive against a psychic.

After multiple failures, it turned its attention to the psychic's children and grandchildren.

It persistently interfered, attempting to seize a body.

This led to a high probability of loss of control among the psychics in that family.

And <Void Realm> creatures were immortal; killing their physical form only banished them back to the <Void Realm>.

They had become the nightmare of that family.

This was the troublesome nature of <Void Realm> creatures.

Of course, low-awakened psychics generally wouldn't attract the attention of <Void Realm> creatures. Encountering a <Void Realm> creature at <Li Yèlái>'s level was a low probability issue.

"If I'm extremely unlucky and actually encounter a <Void Realm> creature, how should I deal with it?" <Li Yèlái> considered his own luck, feeling that running into a <Void Realm> creature wasn't impossible.

"After psychics expand their Soul Wells, they actually leave their projection in the <Void Realm> through their Soul Wells," <Yáng Chén> explained as he led <Li Yèlái> and <Cheese> into the branch. "The more times you awaken, the larger your projection in the <Void Realm> becomes."

"I understand. My projection is still too small, so <Void Realm> creatures generally won't notice me. Once I awaken multiple times and my projection grows, they'll naturally sense me," <Li Yèlái> nodded. "But my luck is truly not great. What if I really get caught?"

"Don't say such unlucky things." Cheese frowned, lightly kicking Li Yèlái's calf with dissatisfaction.

"However, it's normal for you to have such worries," Yáng Chén comforted. "When you ascend, we'll be watching you within our own wells of souls. If a Void Realm creature really discovers you and attacks you when you're only at your second awakening, it won't be a very powerful Void Realm creature. We can scare it away or stall until your ascension is complete."

"No wonder I need you to guard me. This is like the Dharma protectors in Xianxia novels," Li Yèlái mused.

"So, with us here, your main concern should be the influence of the Void Realm," Yáng Chén said with a serious expression. "According to our analysis, it might be the rules of the Void Realm, guiding you to fall into a bloodlust and become a demonic figure, or guiding you to unleash your desires, or inducing you to pursue some untouchable, mysterious knowledge."

Li Yèlái had heard this explanation multiple times but still didn't quite understand this danger.

"Is it a direct change in personality?"

"Yes, after being influenced, you won't be yourself anymore, and you won't even realize it," Yáng Chén said in a deep voice. "For example, the glutton I dealt with before."

"He was a family man, but the Ashes Church guided him to become a psychic, which directly twisted him. To suppress his insatiable hunger, he eventually attacked his wife and children."

"There was also a giant in academia who was bewitched during his ascension and gained some sort of mysterious knowledge. In pursuit of this knowledge and so-called truth, he conducted human experiments on his own daughter and students, leading to a tragic event."

"Turning a man willing to die for his family into a cannibalistic ogre who devours his own kin. Turning a kind scholar into this paranoid monster – that's the influence of the Void Realm's power."

Li Yèlái listened, his heart pounding. "The Ashes Church really does all sorts of evil!"

At the same time, Li Yèlái was also glad he had chosen to join the official organization.

If he had been a rogue psychic and lost control without being dealt with immediately, who knew what would have happened to his sister. Eaten? Sacrificed?

Li Yèlái couldn't believe he would do such a thing, but that was the corrupting power of the Void Realm.

Before being twisted, those psychics wouldn't have believed they would do those things either.

However, 'Mr. Shadow' might not let him be easily twisted by the Void Realm, right?

It was hard to say. 'Mr. Shadow' might actually want to twist him.

He still knew too little about Mr. Shadow. He needed to find an opportunity to probe for information.

Li Yèlái asked again, "As a psychic of the Myriad Paths, do I need to take a potion for my second awakening?"

Without using an accurate potion, a psychic's abilities are randomly acquired during ascension.

Randomly!

Therefore, even psychics of the same level with the same path could have vastly different strengths.

Some handlers had extremely strong offensive capabilities.

Like Starfire, who gained immense destructive power the moment he became a psychic, becoming a human flamethrower.

While other psychics of the same path might gain auxiliary abilities like water source perception or electromagnetic interference.

Newcomers of the same path, ending up with a huge gap in combat power – wasn't that infuriating?

To avoid such a situation, psychics needed to take potions.

Like Cheese, her first two awakenings were auxiliary abilities. It was only during her third awakening that she used a potion to gain an offensive ability, the Power of Words.

This was because she didn't dare to gamble on luck and had to spend merit points to buy a potion.

"No. Our Handling Department doesn't have potions for the second awakening of the Myriad Paths," Yáng Chén said with regret, shaking his head. "We only have potions for the second awakening of the Divine Control Path and the Nether Path. For other paths, we don't. Perhaps some long-established psychic families might have them."

"However, for the third or fourth awakening of the Myriad Paths, I can arrange potions for you, and I've even prepared some materials. But for the second awakening, there's really nothing I can do."

Earlier, Yáng Chén's fight with Furnace Captain was actually to obtain a relatively rare material.

It could be used in the third or fourth awakening, laying a foundation for Li Yèlái's future awakenings.

"Captain Champion is too biased!"

"Exactly!"

"Captain, that's unfair!"

The team members present immediately pointed fingers at Yáng Chén.

Yáng Chén grinned and cursed, "Which one of you haven't I helped!"

In reality, Yáng Chén had indeed put a lot of effort into helping Li Yèlái and intentionally made him bear heavier responsibilities.

But this time, he could only let Li Yèlái rely on luck.

Li Yèlái nodded gratefully at Yáng Chén. "Thank you, Captain. But this time, even if it's based on luck, I'm still at my second awakening. There must be a general range, right?"

"Beast language of the Void Realm, or the ability to mimic certain animals. Even rarer is mimicking the characteristics of certain extraordinary creatures. Myriad phenomena, all-encompassing," Yáng Chén mused. "Do you remember Furnace Captain? He's also a Myriad Paths like you. For his second awakening, he gained the ability to mimic the Blade Sickle."

The Blade Sickle is a relatively small, gregarious extraordinary creature.

It has sharp fangs and claws, and sharp, blade-like dorsal fins on its back. Once it rolls up, it transforms into a dangerous cutting ring.

This type of extraordinary creature lives in the Disaster Restricted Zone - the Doomsday Forest, and is an indigenous species there.

A single Blade Sickle might be at the lower end of the food chain, but once their numbers increase, thousands of Blade Sickles rolling their blades simultaneously can even hunt disaster behemoths.

Furnace Captain gained the ability to mimic this creature at that time.

His limbs could transform into weapons at any time, greatly enhancing his close-combat capabilities.

He didn't even need to prepare psychic armor.

Li Yèlái nodded after pondering. "I understand. So, in the end, it still comes down to luck. What should I do now?"

"Meditate quietly until you feel you can pass through, then enter the Well of Souls. You've succeeded when your consciousness reaches the <Void Realm>. Be careful during the process!" <Yang Chen> led <Li Yelai> and the others into a small room in the branch, filled with observation windows.

The room wasn't large but was packed with various instruments <Li Yelai> didn't recognize.

Most of these were instruments to stabilize the user's condition.

They also allowed outsiders to accurately know <Li Yelai>'s physical state.

"We'll be in the outer room, providing cover for you." After <Yang Chen> had <Li Yelai> sit in the equipment, he exited the room.

He appeared in the detection room outside.

"How long does the advancement take?" <Li Yelai> asked as he sat on the recliner in the center, looking towards them.

"Anything is possible." <Yang Chen>'s voice came from the communicator on the wall: "Some finish in two minutes, while others take several days. We'll be watching over you during this time."

"Don't be nervous, don't respond to the calls, don't be deceived by illusions." <Cheese> reminded him again.

At this moment, <Cheese> saw a frog <Puppet> had also appeared in the observation room at some point.

It was holding a sign.

Cheer up, don't be nervous. I'm here for you.

'<Puppet> is here to guard him too? When did this kid get familiar with <Puppet>?'

<Cheese> thought, but didn't pay it much mind, continuing to watch <Li Yelai>. To prevent any unforeseen events.

Meanwhile, in the room, <Li Yelai> closed his eyes and entered meditation.

Soon, his consciousness saw his own Well of Souls.

It was a passage projecting a brilliant starry sky, and his consciousness was in a misty space below the passage.

As long as he passed through this well mouth, he could reach the starry sky and successfully advance.

'I can do this,' <Li Yelai> thought, attempting to pass through the passage.

As soon as he entered the passage, numerous clamorous sounds immediately rang in his ears.

Then, images appeared before his eyes.

<Li Yelai> saw himself sitting on a magnificent throne, with countless figures kneeling before him, as if a single command could wield supreme power.

'So ridiculous, even in my wildest dreams, I wouldn't have such a scene.' <Li Yelai> scoffed inwardly.

Next came countless gold and silver treasures, as if he could obtain anything with a word.

'Wow, so fake!' <Li Yelai> exclaimed inwardly and continued forward.

Afterward, he saw beautiful girls, scantily clad, smiling charmingly at him.

It seemed as if a mere flick of his finger would make them undress.

<Li Yelai> even saw <Cheese> and <Puppet>, as well as <Heavy Cavalry> and <Shadowflow>, and many other girls he'd only met once among them.

'They're really not being subtle. I haven't even been tortured, so why the honey trap?' <Li Yelai> continued forward.

Then, all the images disappeared, but he heard a voice.

"Your father cruelly abandoned you, leading to your mother's death from illness. You and your sister relied on each other. Don't you... don't you want to know where he is and what his fate is?" The voice was low and elegant: "Look back, and you'll see the answer."

<Li Yelai> paused. He actually felt a strong urge to turn back and see where that bastard was now.

But reason stopped his impulse, and he continued forward.

He was already close to the exit of the Well of Souls.

As he passed through the Well of Souls, he saw the sky full of stars. A powerful force surged into his body.

He also saw the jubilant <Yang Chen>, <Cheese>, and <Puppet>, among others.

<Li Yelai> smiled and suddenly made a hand gesture.

'Want to go eat?'

Everyone was confused. <Puppet>'s sign also displayed text, [What's wrong, what does that mean [_?]]

Everyone looked at <Li Yelai> with puzzled expressions.

<Li Yelai> sighed, "So insidious, they're still doing this!"

He knew that <Puppet> had learned sign language before mastering typing on the sign.

And since this <Puppet> didn't know sign language, she was fake.

All of this was fake!

Thus, <Li Yelai> took another step forward.

In a daze, he heard <Mr. Shadow>'s laughter.

Then, the illusions before him vanished, and the true starry sky of the <Void Realm> appeared.

A force rapidly poured into his body, making <Li Yelai>'s physical body and psionic energy stronger.

<Li Yelai> successfully advanced. The Second Awakening!