The Source of the Sorcerer's Power

Gu Yuan slapped Shen Tingxue on the back.

"Cousin, get up and take me out to eat!"

Gu Yuan's tone was filled with the resentment of a weary wage slave.

Shen Tingxue, who had been on the sofa, jolted awake.

Her body threw out a punch as a conditioned reflex.

"Bang!"

A dull thud echoed.

Gu Yuan hadn't even reacted before his vision went black, and he took a solid, heavy punch square to the forehead.

"Sss~"

Gu Yuan clutched his head with both hands, unable to utter a single word for a moment.

After a long while, he finally caught his breath.

"Are you sick?!"

Gu Yuan covered his head, glaring at Shen Tingxue as she sat on the sofa, cursing through gritted teeth.

"You really are a violent woman! No wonder you don't have a boyfriend!"

Shen Tingxue finally fully woke up at this point.

However, she didn't feel the slightest bit of guilt; instead, she rolled her eyes.

"You deserved it."

Shen Tingxue stood up and grabbed the jacket beside her to drape over her shoulders.

"Can't you wake me up normally? You had to go and slap me—so disrespectful."

The two continued to bicker, neither willing to yield to the other.

"Alright, alright, I can't be bothered to argue with a brat like you." Shen Tingxue waved her hand first and stood up from the sofa.

"Let's go. Big sister will take you to eat something good; consider it your medical expenses."

Gu Yuan stood up while clutching his forehead, feeling a large bump already forming.

He grimaced as he followed behind Shen Tingxue, muttering under his breath, "With that temper of yours, you'll never get married. Whoever marries you is in for a stroke of bad luck."

"What did you say?" Shen Tingxue whipped her head around, her gaze sharp.

"I said, Cousin, you are naturally beautiful and stunningly gorgeous! Whoever marries you is blessed with three lifetimes of good fortune!" Gu Yuan's speed in changing his tune was truly a marvel.

Shen Tingxue snorted, pulled open the office door, and walked out.

Gu Yuan followed behind, mentally slandering his violent cousin a hundred times over.

As soon as they stepped out, Shen Tingxue stopped in her tracks.

At a workstation not far from the office, Sun Miaomiao was still hard at work.

She held the missing persons case file in her left hand, while her right hand hovered in mid-air, faint blue light swirling around her fingertips as she rapidly traced something in the void.

Sheets of yellow talisman paper were arranged in an orderly fashion on the desk in front of her. Following the movements of her fingertips, profound and mysterious runes appeared out of thin air and were branded onto the paper.

Shen Tingxue glanced at the wall clock and realized that the other veteran team members had long since slipped away to the cafeteria for lunch, leaving only this new intern working diligently through her break.

"Hmm, not bad. As expected of a newcomer; she really has drive."

Shen Tingxue nodded with satisfaction, feeling that her decision earlier had been absolutely correct—not only did it free her from the sea of mental labor, but it also ignited the work enthusiasm of the new team member.

Gu Yuan watched Sun Miaomiao, completely captivated by the blue light on her hands.

Is this the power of a Sorcerer?

His heart stirred, and he quietly activated the Eye of Meridians.

Under the perspective of the Eye of Meridians, Sun Miaomiao transformed into a translucent figure composed of countless threads of light.

It was completely different from the way a martial artist's blood-energy gathered primarily in the Dantian before circulating through the meridians throughout the body.

The source of a Sorcerer's power was, surprisingly, located within the brain.

Streams of pure energy radiated from her brain, following the paths of her meridians to converge at her fingertips.

Those energy filaments were far more refined than the circulation of a martial artist's blood-energy; they possessed a near-perfect precision, ultimately condensing into blue light at her fingertips.

The entire process lacked the grand, sweeping movements of a martial artist's cultivation. No wonder he had once heard a Sorcerer call a martial artist "crude" during a heated argument.

Comparing the two, the operation and control of the martial artist system did indeed seem slightly... well, rough.

So this is how a Sorcerer circulates their power...

After observing for a while, he felt a slight sense of fatigue in his brain and voluntarily deactivated the Eye of Meridians.

The moment his vision returned to normal, Gu Yuan felt a wave of coolness wash over his mind. The lingering fatigue vanished instantly, and he even felt his thoughts becoming clearer and sharper than usual.

This feeling... it's amazing!

He looked at Sun Miaomiao in pleasant surprise as a brand-new message appeared beneath the entry.

[Inspiration](Purple)

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

[Current Progress: 1/10. Each completed observation will provide a slight nourishment and enhancement to your spiritual power.]

Gu Yuan felt a surge of joy in his heart.

This is truly a case of a blind cat bumping into a dead mouse; what incredible luck! To unlock the conditions for an entry by sheer accident.

However, the ways to acquire these entries were bizarre and truly difficult to fathom.

"Miaomiao, stop working for a moment and take a break." Shen Tingxue's crisp voice interrupted Gu Yuan's thoughts as she waved toward Sun Miaomiao's workstation. "Come on, big sister is taking you out to eat!"

Upon hearing the word "eat," Sun Miaomiao's movements came to an instant halt. She looked up, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at Shen Tingxue.

She nimbly tucked the finished talisman papers into a specially made pouch and rushed over in two or three steps, a smile plastered on her face.

"Captain, you said it yourself! In that case, I'm definitely going to fleece you today!"

"Let's go, let's go. Eat to your heart's content. If you can eat me into poverty with that small frame of yours, I'll admit defeat." Shen Tingxue waved her hand with bravado, slinging an arm around Sun Miaomiao's shoulder as they headed toward the elevator.

The Destiny Bureau's internal cafeteria.

Rather than a cafeteria, it was more akin to a high-end restaurant for martial artists.

Although the decor was minimalist, the ingredients were extremely exquisite, and the air was filled with a rich, peculiar aroma of meat.

Most of the meat served in the Destiny Bureau's cafeteria came from various ferocious beasts in the wilderness outside the city. After special culinary processing, the violent and chaotic baleful energy was removed, leaving only the purest essence of flesh and blood.

If martial artists consumed it over a long period, it could slowly nourish their blood and qi, solidifying their foundation.

Even if ordinary people ate it, it could strengthen their bodies. Of course, the price was also extremely expensive; it was common for a single meal to cost an ordinary person's monthly salary.

The three of them found a seat by the window.

"Order whatever you want, don't be polite at all. My treat today!" Shen Tingxue pushed the tablet on the table toward the two of them.

However, she soon realized that her words had been completely unnecessary.

Before her voice had even faded, Gu Yuan and Sun Miaomiao had each grabbed a tablet, their fingers turning into blurs on the screens as they began to order frantically.

"Explosive Flame Beef Tenderloin, three portions!"

"Ice Crystal Shrimp Emperor, make it garlic-flavored, large portion!"

"Wind-Runner Chicken, this is delicious, bring three to start!"

Sun Miaomiao was not to be outdone, her targets being dishes that could replenish spiritual power.

"Steamed Spirit Fish, this is good for the brain!"

"Hundred-Fruit Sweet Soup, I like this one!"

"Flowing Cloud and Flying Catkin Cake..."

Shen Tingxue watched the two of them, who looked as if they wanted to order every single dish on the menu, and the heroic expression on her face stiffened bit by bit.

She silently checked the balance in her account, and her heart began to throb with pain.

"...You two really don't know the meaning of the word 'polite' at all!"