Clocking In

The man in the middle listened to Yu Xiaozheng's defense, and his chest heaved violently once more.

He raised his right hand, covered in black fur, as dark baleful energy churned faintly in his palm.

"How dare you say that!"

The third man in black robes, who had been standing in the shadows, stepped forward.

He reached out and grabbed the leader's wrist, forcing his hand down.

"Chief, calm down."

"Third Brother has a point. This really was beyond our expectations. If we're going to assign blame, the intelligence department's good-for-nothings are more at fault."

Second Brother forcibly pushed the leader's hand down.

"According to the intelligence we paid a fortune for, a third-tier city like Hai City would have, at most, one or two Tier 1 Warlocks assigned to its Destiny Bureau branch."

"Besides, those Tier 1 Warlocks usually just handle repairs to the city's everyday defensive arrays."

"Third Brother didn't expect this place to be hiding a second-tier monster capable of using advanced compass divination."

The man at the head of the group snorted and wrenched his hand away from Second Brother.

"What's the point of talking about this now?"

"The array's wrecked, and people from Destiny Bureau headquarters are on their way. Our whole plan's gone to hell!"

Second Brother moved between them, putting himself between the leading man and Yu Xiaozheng.

He turned to look at a full map of Hai City mounted on the wall.

Several high schools on the map had been marked with bright red crosses. First High School was among them.

The leading man followed his gaze.

"With the teleportation array out of commission, we can't get the 'cargo' out without anyone noticing."

Second Brother nodded.

"They're watching too closely now. We can only lie low for a while, wait for things to blow over and for them to let their guard down before we make another move."

"Mmm~"

Gu Yuan stretched languidly in bed. He opened his eyes and checked his phone. It was already midday.

Could cultivating his mental power really help him sleep?

He hadn't slept this soundly in ages. Yesterday, the moment his head hit the pillow, he'd blacked out. He hadn't even dreamed, sleeping right through until he woke naturally.

He rubbed his chin. It looked like his insomnia was cured. No need to buy sleeping pills—he could just cultivate and save himself some money.

When he was short on cash, maybe he could even open a "Mental Power Hypnosis Clinic," treating rich people with stressful lives for insomnia. Charge by the hour and rake in a fortune.

"Time to get up and start my Destiny Bureau clock-in routine."

Gu Yuan leaped to his feet and quickly got dressed.

Destiny Bureau was as safe as it got, and there were freebies to be had. Only an idiot would stay home.

When he stepped outside, the streets were noticeably livelier with the college entrance exams approaching.

Colorful ads covered roadside utility poles, bus stop signs, and even the doors of public restrooms. Loudspeakers blared catchy slogans on repeat.

"Invincible Strength Pills! Want a high score on the college entrance exam? You need Invincible Strength Pills! Just 998, and your vitality will soar!"

"Final push for the college entrance exam! Qinghai Martial Examination Institute offers one-on-one tutoring with renowned teachers to help you get into your dream university!"

"Still worried you can't afford pills? Still fretting over the martial arts techniques you want but can't buy? Martial exam student loans—12 months interest-free!!!"

Gu Yuan glanced at the giant screen and the people handing out ads, curling his lip in disdain.

A peerless genius like him didn't need to take some Strength Pill. All he had to do was look at people a couple of times and steal their attributes.

Gu Yuan strolled over to the Destiny Bureau entrance.

"Hey, sir! Do I still need to register?"

He tapped on the guard booth window, eyes fixed on the security guard's bald spot.

The guard looked up, saw that it was the same kid again, and waved him inside, urging him to hurry up and stop bothering him.

Gu Yuan reluctantly looked away. What a shame. He'd wanted to get close to the old man, but the man was too wary to give him a chance.

As soon as he entered Team Three's workspace, he could tell something was off.

The entire Hai City Destiny Bureau was unusually busy. Members hurried back and forth with thick case files, and even the few old hands who usually loved slacking off were hammering away at their keyboards.

He didn't go into the office. Instead, he found a chair in the hallway with a good view and sat down.

His gaze swept across the room before locking onto Sun Miaomiao, who was drawing talismans in the corner.

She rapidly sketched on yellow paper while stuffing energy bars into her mouth, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster's.

The compass on her desk spun wildly without any pattern. Its needle pointed first at the water cooler, then at the ceiling. It looked utterly unreliable.

If that compass could find the Warlock, I'll eat my own—

Gu Yuan silently activated [Eye of Meridians].

His vision pierced through Sun Miaomiao's body, revealing the paths along which her mental power circulated.

[Inspiration] (Purple)

[Acquisition condition: Use [Eye of Meridians] to observe the holder circulating mental power 10 times.]

[Current progress: 2/10. Each completed observation will provide a slight nourishment and increase to your mental power.]

The progress bar ticked up.

Gu Yuan felt a cool sensation wash through his mind.

This felt amazing. Getting something for free was a joy, and getting a purple attribute for free was twice as good.

"Why are you here again?"

A familiar voice from behind him interrupted Gu Yuan's daydreaming.

Gu Yuan looked up.

Shen Tingxue wore a sharp black combat uniform. With her arms crossed, she looked down at him.

"Ahem."

Gu Yuan cleared his throat, his expression perfectly composed.

"Isn't the Destiny Bureau safe? Outside is too dangerous. I'm just a helpless high school student who needs protection."

Shen Tingxue raised an eyebrow and gave a cold laugh.

"Oh? Young Master Gu knows how to be scared after all?"

She followed the direction of Gu Yuan's earlier gaze.

"Why were you staring at Miaomiao? Don't get any ideas about her. The only thing on her mind is food."

Gu Yuan immediately changed his expression.

"Cousin, you've got it wrong. I was just studying Sister Miaomiao's technique. I think I have a real talent for spells. I'm going to become a great Warlock."

Shen Tingxue showed no mercy, smacking Gu Yuan on the back of the head.

"Stop dreaming."

"The college entrance exam is in four months. Why are you trying to do two things at once instead of focusing on martial arts?"

"Get back to cultivating. Try to reach the threshold of the peak of the Blood Tempering Realm before the exams!"

Gu Yuan rubbed the back of his head where she'd hit him and pouted.

"The peak of the Blood Tempering Realm?"

He leaned back in his chair and crossed one leg over the other.

"I'll definitely break through to Tier 1 Martial Artist before the college entrance exam."

Shen Tingxue laughed in disbelief and placed her hand on Gu Yuan's forehead.

"You don't have a fever. So why are you spouting nonsense in broad daylight?"

For an eighteen-year-old high school student, reaching the peak of the third level of the Blood Tempering Realm before the college entrance exam would already make him a genius capable of getting into a top Martial University.

Gu Yuan was about to argue.

Suddenly, the blood and energy within his body began to boil without warning.