Favorability

In the dark of night, the sound of the tide surged, waves crashing against the reefs and sending spray into the air.

The lighthouse on the coast cast a bright beam, slowly sweeping across the pitch-black sea. It vaguely illuminated a behemoth hidden in the mist, casting a massive, turtle-like reflection upon the water.

The sounds of machinery, the sharp tension of steel cables, and the shrill blast of a steam whistle mingled together.

This was a massive floating maritime platform, a cross-era product of industrial art built by Deep Sky Technology. It was created specifically for operations at sea level, deployed for the excavation of the Kirin Immortal Palace ruins.

The work shed was illuminated by lights, and on a stretcher lay a deformed, headless corpse.

"This man is Li Changzhi, one of the survivors of the Blood Moon Massacre. Now, he has come knocking on our door."

Lu Zijin sat in a chair, head bowed as she filed her fingertips, and said indifferently, "Most likely just another boring probe."

Deacon Nie glanced at the corpse with disgust and shook his head. "A pity no living tongue was left behind."

He wore a black and white coat embroidered with dark gold thread that traced the pattern of a cross. His hands were folded on the dining table; on his right hand, he wore a gold Rolex, and on the ring finger of his left hand, a black ring.

He appeared to be around forty years old, with a stern, profound face and thinning hair.

"Heh, he had already undergone deformation. What use would a living tongue be?"

Lu Zijin gave a cold snort. "The organization behind this guy will likely come knocking as well."

Deacon Nie chuckled. "If we take out this organization, Department Head Lu will probably be able to get a promotion, right?"

Within the Ether Association, the positions of the thirteen department heads were of paramount importance, yet their actual power was not particularly great.

The association's top brass valued their combat strength, which allowed them to handle situations independently.

Thus, they were rarely granted any legislative power.

Conversely, the Tribunal had been in its prime for years, and even a deacon like him saw his status rise accordingly.

As for Lu Zijin, he wished she would get promoted as soon as possible.

Once this department head left, the Tribunal would be the sole power in Feng City.

"Sorry, Deacon Nie. I have no interest in promotions. Dealing with all sorts of official business every day is enough to make me go bald." Lu Zijin rolled her eyes, her tone cold.

Upon hearing the word "bald," Deacon Nie's eyelids twitched.

Lu Zijin withdrew her gaze, looking nonchalant.

Not long ago, the two had just argued over the matter of that boy surnamed Gu.

Naturally, they wouldn't have pleasant expressions now that they had met.

Deacon Nie felt a bit awkward, so he turned to look at the man beside him and smiled apologetically. "I heard there was a deformed person in the city center today, so I came to take a look. I didn't expect to run into Mr. Jing."

That was a mixed-race man in a tailored suit. His exact age was impossible to tell; his light-gold short hair was combed back meticulously, and his handsome, chiseled features were full and three-dimensional. His eye sockets were deep-set, and his pupils were gentle.

"According to the terms of the Black Mammon Soul Pact, someone like me must greet the local department head upon arriving in any city, just to avoid any trouble later on."

The mixed-race man's tone was elegant and calm, yet he did not even look the other person in the eye.

Deacon Nie clearly felt the man's disregard, but he continued to smile. "The gates of the Kirin Immortal Palace could open at any moment, but with so many things happening beforehand, I can't help but feel it's an ominous sign."

"It is an opportunity, but it also represents endless peril. Those newcomers who have awakened because of the Kirin Immortal Palace will never be able to touch its core. None of us know what is truly inside the Immortal Palace."

He sighed. "Besides, I am truly afraid that those Fallen organizations will come to stir up trouble."

Mr. Jing smiled without saying a word.

"Recently, because of the issues with the Immortal Palace, our Tribunal has been exhausted. Ever since the Blood Moon Massacre, quite a few fish that slipped through the net have been roaming the province, and they have yet to be captured. Those major Fallen organizations are still eyeing us like tigers."

Deacon Nie said tactfully, "I believe Feng City still needs a Calamity-level figure to hold the fort."

Mr. Jing said faintly, "My teacher arrived in Feng City three days ago."

Deacon Nie was overjoyed. "Truly?"

Mr. Jing nodded.

"Since that person has already arrived, we can rest easy."

Deacon Nie felt a sense of relief and wore a joyful smile. "Would you require me to bring some people to pay our respects?"

Mr. Jing glanced at him. "The young ones can come to take a look; the rest of you need not bother."

Deacon Nie put on an awkward yet polite smile.

Lu Zijin was drinking strawberry juice on the side, her clear, spirited eyes filled with disdain.

Most people who came out of the Tribunal were like this.

Subservient to the strong, and heavy-handed toward the weak.

However, this was understandable.

After all, the man before them was a student of that person, and his strength was terrifying.

Even if the Lu Family came, they would have to grovel.

Deacon Nie was actually just being polite; he knew that, given his own weight, he wasn't worthy of being received by that person.

"Then we won't disturb you any further. But if there is anything you need, feel free to command us at any time."

He took a tablet out of his briefcase and handed it over, saying, "Speaking of which, this is a batch of newcomers cultivated by the Feng City branch. I wonder if they might catch that person's eye?"

Lu Zijin couldn't help but perk up.

Although the guys from the Tribunal were annoying, their interests were aligned in this jurisdiction.

Rumor had it that that person had always wanted to take on one more disciple.

His wandering over the years was also for this purpose.

Yet, this Mr. Jing didn't even glance at it, his voice devoid of any fluctuation. "No need. My teacher is advanced in age and doesn't have much time left; he won't waste it on mediocre people. Looking across this entire era, it is unlikely that the kind of genius my teacher speaks of will appear again. The people you recommend are even less likely to be it."

He called them mediocre without even looking.

Deacon Nie, however, refused to give up. "Just because they aren't now doesn't mean they won't be in the future. Just today, we are about to launch a hunting mission targeting the Joker. I wonder if you might be interested?"

Mr. Jing gazed at the black sea and said faintly, "The Joker?"

"Yes, that scoundrel who stole two precious Mythic Armaments!"

Deacon Nie became gnashingly angry at the mere mention of this. "This guy possesses a danger-prediction ability. Once an Ascender with strength far exceeding his own harbors hostility toward him, he immediately flees. He also has two unidentified Mythic Armaments; even we don't know their specific functions."

"But for him to be able to flee for so long, one of them must possess an extremely powerful stealth effect. Even if he walked past us right now, we might not be able to detect him."

He paused. "I even suspect he may have secretly advanced. Furthermore, as a Fallen, they have the ability to undergo deformation, making them extremely difficult to deal with. But this time, he won't be able to escape."

Mr. Jing was rarely curious. "Oh?"

Deacon Nie held up a finger. "We have arranged a lure—a lure he cannot resist!"

Upon hearing this, a flash of disgust crossed Lu Zijin's beautiful eyes.

The Tribunal was currently acting like a dog relying on its master's power, every one of them rotten to the core.

They knew full well how dangerous the Joker was, yet they still assigned this task to that child.

"Is that so?"

Mr. Jing thought for a moment. "That sounds quite interesting."

Although, at his level, watching the battles of low-tier Ascenders was like watching children play house.

But everyone had come from that stage.

If judged by the standards of low-tier Ascenders, the Joker was indeed quite troublesome.

"We have arranged a large number of personnel to ensure nothing goes wrong."

Deacon Nie said earnestly, "I guarantee this will be a spectacular hunt. Who knows? Perhaps in this mission, some gifted young person might earn that person's recognition?"

Mr. Jing gave an "un" and was just about to turn and leave when he suddenly paused.

"Hm?"

He looked at the headless corpse under the work shed and took a closer look. "Who killed this?"

Deacon Nie was stunned.

Lu Zijin narrowed her beautiful eyes and said in surprise, "My younger brother."

Mr. Jing shook his head. "No, I don't mean the final blow. This guy's cause of death was a head explosion caused by a fourth-tier Ancient Martial Arts practitioner. But someone had already defeated him before he underwent deformation."

Before the other two could say anything, he had already raised his hand and pressed it onto the corpse.

"Still preserving a bit of spirituality. Very good."

He suddenly closed his eyes, and the corpse began to tremble violently, twitching and convulsing.

Countless eerie incantations spread across the body, as if they were burning.

"What is he doing?"

Deacon Nie asked curiously.

Lu Zijin looked at him with the eyes one would use for an idiot. "Some kind of forbidden spell. Mr. Jing is talking to the corpse."

"Car, pistol, Magician, hypnosis, stool."

Mr. Jing said with his eyes closed, "Hypnosis ineffective? Hm, ruthless enough."

It was unclear what he saw, but after a long while, he opened his eyes. A trace of surprise and astonishment flashed through them—this was the first time his expression had changed.

"What is the name of the boy who defeated him?"

·

·

After the evening self-study session ended, a surging crowd poured out of the teaching building, mixed with noisy chatter.

"Hey, have you heard? Zhang Lei from the next class asked for leave!"

"Asking for leave is nothing new. If my mom agreed, I'd ask for leave too."

"No, don't you guys know? He asked for leave because he went crazy! It's said that when he was at home, he beat up his parents, and then he was taken away by detectives. It seems he was locked up in a mental hospital."

"Damn, I heard about that. They say there are cases in Class 3 and Class 6 too—they all just went crazy with a howl!"

Gu Jianlin walked downstairs expressionlessly, listening to the gossip.

After joining the Ether Association, he had become accustomed to such things. The number of people in all of Feng City with Ascender talent wasn't high, but it certainly wasn't a tiny minority either. It was normal to be able to pick out a few in a single school.

According to the Ether Association's regulations, those people would receive discharge permits after undergoing mental therapy.

Following that, through training, they would be able to complete their awakening with the association's help and become an investigator.

From then on, they would step into a new world.

At this moment, someone walked silently to his side, chewing a piece of gum, and said nonchalantly, "It's been a long time since I've lived a campus life. I really miss it. I have to say, your school has quite a lot of beauties."

Gu Jianlin thought, of course there were. Fengcheng No. 2 High School was the best school in the city, but its school rules weren't actually strict.

Dating, perming or dyeing hair, wearing makeup, or wearing skirts—basically, no one cared.

As long as your grades were good, that was all that mattered.

Only those like Youzhu, who got in through art bonuses and whose grades were always at the bottom, would get their parents called in.

"What exactly are you here for?"

Gu Jianlin couldn't help but ask, "Is something about to happen?"

Lu Zicheng raised an eyebrow. "How did you know?"

Gu Jianlin scanned his surroundings, his pupils flickering.

"One."

"Three."

"Seven."

"Nine."

He muttered to himself, lowering his voice, "Just on this one floor, I've seen nine people disguised as students. If I'm not mistaken, they should all be from the Association, right?"

Lu Zicheng was taken aback. He didn't know how this kid had discovered them, so he hurriedly said, "Shh."

Seeing his reaction, Gu Jianlin understood.

Lu Zicheng was silent for a moment. "Just focus on your studies. You don't need to worry about the rest. How much of your spiritual accumulation have you completed?"

Gu Jianlin hesitated for a second. "Twenty-five percent."

Lu Zicheng frowned and evaluated, "Three potions and that's it? This absorption efficiency is average. After the mission to hunt the Joker ends, you should be able to get a share of the merit points. By then, you can use those points to exchange for more Spirit Potions."

Upon hearing this, Gu Jianlin asked, "The Joker will come knocking?"

Lu Zicheng curled his lip. "More or less."

"You need to read the Joker's file carefully. You aren't going into this mission alone; you just need to ensure he gets killed in the end. In any case, if you feel any danger, notify me immediately. I won't be leaving the school for the near future."

He patted the boy on the shoulder. "Take care of yourself."

After saying this, he turned and left, disappearing into the crowd.

Gu Jianlin was silent for a long time.

He had read the Joker's file.

It was said that he was one of the survivors of the Blood Moon Massacre, was contaminated while excavating the Kirin Immortal Palace, and was later nearly killed by his father.

In other words, this guy would also come to seek revenge on him.

This was perhaps the reason the Ether Association had assigned him this assessment task.

"I can only wait."

Gu Jianlin let out a long sigh and walked out of the teaching building.

For the vast majority of male high school students, besides having decent faculty, there were two other important indicators for a school.

One was whether there were many beauties.

The other was whether the food in the cafeteria was good.

Fengcheng No. 2 High School was notorious throughout the city for its food.

So much so that every time after evening self-study, everyone would rush to the snack street at the entrance to forage for food before the school gates were locked.

As for the cafeteria, not even a dog would go there.

Gu Jianlin remembered one time very clearly: he heard the cafeteria had rarely provided seafood, including hairy crabs.

He went that day and stood in a very long line, only to end up with a small crab no bigger than his palm.

Small was small, but it was better than nothing.

Until the chopsticks he extended were clamped by the crab's claw...

Sometimes the cafeteria would also worry about the students' lack of nutrition and would ingeniously add special insect dishes to the white rice.

High-end ingredients often only require simple cooking methods; simple flies, after being deep-fried, became golden and delicious.

Rich in protein, clean and hygienic.

Gu Jianlin didn't plan on eating at the cafeteria; he intended to go to the snack street to buy something to eat and, incidentally, bring some back for his cheap sister.

As a result, just as he walked out of the playground, he saw a familiar figure curled up on a bench at the school gate.

Her short hair fluttered, her shoulders were slender, and her silhouette looked lonely.

"What are you doing sitting here?"

Gu Jianlin leaned in, asking with a suspicious look.

"Hm?"

Su Youzhu looked up, revealing her pale, bloodless little face.

Seeing her expression, Gu Jianlin understood immediately.

"Is it your period?"

Su Youzhu kept a straight face and gave a soft hum.

"You stay up late every day and your schedule is so chaotic, of course it's going to hurt."

Gu Jianlin shook his head, fished a thermos out of his bag, and handed it to her: "Brown sugar water."

Su Youzhu was stunned: "Where did you get this?"

Gu Jianlin said: "I brewed it at home beforehand."

Su Youzhu hesitated again: "For... me?"

Gu Jianlin hummed in agreement.

Being taken care of like this all the time wasn't really a thing, but he had just happened to use Life Perception last night and discovered this girl was about to start her period, so he had made preparations in advance.

Su Youzhu, however, was dumbfounded; her period hadn't even arrived at that time, yet this brown sugar water had been prepared ahead of schedule.

There was only one possibility.

—This boy knew her cycle.

Gu Jianlin noticed the girl staring at him with an inexplicably strange look in her eyes, carrying a meaning that was hard to define.

"I understand now."

Su Youzhu seemed lost in thought, then said expressionlessly: "Could it be that after using that thing, you felt that the experience with a True Person would be better, so you've decided to start farming my favorability now?"

Four thousand seven hundred words, damn it, I overslept...