Physical Examination

Gu Jianlin stared at the business card, hesitating for a moment.

He knew his own physical condition; despite having been healed by the Priest, he still felt terrible. Anyone with a brain could see there was a problem. He remembered that last time in the Kirin Immortal Palace, he had also been in an Ancient God state and had even uttered that strange syllable. The issue was that, afterward, he hadn't felt this sensation of being torn apart from within. Aside from a hunger deep within his soul, he hadn't felt any discomfort at all. In the final analysis, he had merely overdrawn his spirituality. Once his spirituality was replenished, that hunger had vanished.

Both instances involved using the power of the Black Kirin. The consumption had been even more intense when facing the group of five in the ancient tomb, yet the side effects this time were far greater. There had to be a reason for this that he didn't know. What was the most likely variable between the two occasions? When he had woken up in the coffin back then, he hadn't felt any particularly powerful strength within his body. In terms of a sense of fullness, it was actually inferior to this current Ancient God transformation. It was evident that after two thousand years of sealing, while the status of the Kirin's power remained, the strength itself had been worn down to almost nothing.

Therefore, the reason he hadn't felt side effects after facing the grave-robbing quintet in the tomb wasn't because there was residual power left in his body, but because of something else. That reason was most likely environmental! The previous time had been in a super-ancient space-time. This time, it was in reality. It was highly probable that the different rules of the two worlds had led to this result. Gu Jianlin pondered for a moment, becoming increasingly aware of this possibility; he would definitely have to verify it when he had the chance.

At the current stage, it was better to use the Ancient God transformation sparingly. First, he wasn't sure how the Ether Association would define this power. Second, he didn't want others to know he had a connection to the Kirin Immortal Palace. He didn't want to end up being sliced open for research. After all, there were already people trying to make things difficult for him; there was no telling how they might treat him next.

"Sister Chen Qing, don't worry." He said softly, "Everything will be fine."

Chen Qing stared at him suspiciously, her red lips pursed as she cautioned, "Are you sure? You're still young. There's no need to shoulder everything yourself. Even if Professor Gu really left something for you, it doesn't matter." She lowered her voice and explained, "We will use the Lu Family's connections to help you suppress this. The foundation of the Feng City branch is the Lu Family, and the branch head is also from the Lu Family. We can directly help you block the people from the Tribunal."

Gu Jianlin smiled silently. "It's really fine, thank you."

Seeing that he didn't seem like someone who couldn't distinguish the gravity of the situation, Chen Qing finally believed him. "Alright then." She asked casually, "What do you want to eat? I'll go buy you something."

Gu Jianlin thought for a moment. "Bone broth ramen, please. Thank you."

Chen Qing hummed in acknowledgment, stood up, and walked away gracefully, the sound of her high heels tapping against the floor gradually fading into the distance. Gu Jianlin watched her back in silence, then took out his phone and dialed the number on the business card. There were many factors behind why he hadn't revealed his secrets just now. First, it wasn't a lack of trust, but rather that this matter involved too much. He had a premonition that once he spoke, he would face an endless storm. Even a reliable backer like the Lu Family might not be able to withstand it. Because the one who tied the bell must be the one to untie it.

After a few rings, the call connected.

"Hello, this is Jing Ci." A polite, magnetic male voice sounded. "May I ask who is calling?"

"My name is Gu Jianlin," Gu Jianlin said calmly. "We met at the grocery store yesterday."

Jing Ci realized, "So it's you. The shop isn't open tonight; I'm taking my teacher out for a walk."

"I don't want to buy anything, I just want to express my gratitude," Gu Jianlin said. "Please thank that old gentleman for me. He saved my life." If it hadn't been for the warning from the old man in the wheelchair, he likely wouldn't have had the confidence to go in and fight alone.

"I see. Do you still have the heart to thank me now?" Jing Ci said with deep meaning. "I thought you would be suffering from the side effects by now."

Gu Jianlin was stunned.

"There's nothing to be surprised about. Why do you think the Joker didn't use distortion against you at first? Because evolution requires a price—the pain of breaking the rules," Jing Ci explained indifferently. "Of course, compared to him, your evolution is more perfect."

Gu Jianlin remained silent for a few seconds. It seemed he had underestimated the master and apprentice in that grocery store. They even knew all the details of his battle. However, it seemed they had misunderstood something. Jing Ci appeared to believe that Gu Jianlin had achieved evolution during the fight with the Joker by using the method the old man had given him. In reality, Gu Jianlin had simply found a way to utilize the power of the Kirin.

"I've run into a bit of trouble," Gu Jianlin took a deep breath. "Can you help me resolve it?"

On the other end of the phone, Jing Ci laughed meaningfully. "Why come to us for help? You know, we've only met once. In terms of closeness, we're not as good as the Lu Family."

Gu Jianlin replied, "If my secret is discovered, then your secret will also be exposed."

"What if we aren't afraid of our secret being exposed? Or rather, what if this isn't a secret at all?" Jing Ci continued to ask. "Aren't you afraid that we are intentionally harming you?"

The night was as cool as water, and the lake, surrounded by lush greenery, reflected the shadows of clouds and moonlight.

The man in a suit and leather shoes stood by the lake, listening to the voice on the phone, a smile appearing on his lips.

"If you wanted to harm me, there would be no need to go through so much trouble." The youth paused. "I could just blow my own brains out right now, and that would be the end of it."

Jing Ci sighed with deep emotion, then hung up the phone. "The student surpasses the master. I have a feeling this kid is even smarter than his father." He turned around helplessly and put away his phone. "Teacher, pack it up. Stop fishing."

The old man in the wheelchair sat by the lake, wearing a bamboo hat, chewing on a straw, and holding a fishing rod. Beside him were a fish basket and a basin for bait. He looked just like a rural fisherman. However, there wasn't a single fish in the basket; instead, it was filled with a pile of miscellaneous junk. An old mobile phone, a broken computer screen, a deflated basketball, and even two drones.

"Half an hour more," the old man in the wheelchair said, fully focused.

Jing Ci shook his head. This old man was truly stubborn. If you said he was skilled, he couldn't catch a single fish. But if you said he was unskilled, he could catch everything except fish.

"Speaking of which, have you seen the Joker's corpse?" the old man suddenly asked.

"I have. Although some of the rescue team members are truly foolish, their overall strength is not bad." Jing Ci weighed his words and said indifferently, "To be fair, this rescue team did make the Joker suffer a bit. But the problem is, comparisons are odious. This kid's perception is very keen; even if the other party used Necro-Gu on him, he might not have fallen for it."

The old man hummed. "How is his strength?"

Jing Ci thought for a moment. "Quite extraordinary. Although he didn't use much Ancient God power, his output was twice that of an average person."

Twice.

The old man's pupils narrowed, and his hand gripping the fishing rod tightened slightly. "Are you sure?"

Jing Ci nodded. "I wouldn't be mistaken. This is what you called the 'rule-breaker,' right?"

The old man remained silent for a moment, sighing, "Indeed, it's a bit beyond my expectations."

"Teacher, he's in trouble now," Jing Ci said, adjusting his collar. "The people from the Tribunal are as annoying as ever. That kid should be receiving a commendation right now, not an interrogation and examination filled with suspicion."

The old man raised an eyebrow. "Does such a trivial matter require me to step in? You go and handle it."

Jing Ci put his hands in his pockets, looking at the shimmering water, and said, "That is the Tribunal. Before you sealed my power, they were nothing to me. But under the current circumstances, if those old fossils from the Tribunal intervene, I can't guarantee what will happen."

The old man said calmly, "Go ahead, those little things can't do much."

The surface of the lake rippled, and the fishing rod trembled. The old man gripped the rod tightly and slowly pulled up the line. Ripples spread across the water, and a rusted camera was hauled onto the shore. The old man kept a straight face and said nothing. Seeing this, Jing Ci turned and left, feeling relieved. The old man was in a bad mood tonight; if any fool came looking for trouble, there would be a good show to watch.

Ding.

Gu Jianlin received a text message and opened his eyes.

"Five minutes."

Three concise words. Seeing this text, he suddenly felt at ease, closed his eyes again, and relaxed his mind. He was truly exhausted tonight; if it weren't for the sharp pain coming from his body, he would have fallen into a deep sleep at any moment.

Chen Qing stroked his hair. "It'll be alright."

Knock, knock.

The door was pushed open. Yan Wu strode in, his cold face exuding an intimidating aura that seemed to lower the temperature of the hospital room. Accompanying him were two people wearing silver masks and long black trench coats. Gu Jianlin clearly felt their icy gazes.

"This is the head of the Yan Family, Yan Wu," Chen Qing stood up from her chair, standing tall and graceful, her voice calm. "The next branch head of the Feng City jurisdiction, a Rank 5 World King. The other two are Demon Hunters from the Tribunal."

Yan Wu remained expressionless, withdrawing his gaze. "We detected the aura of the Ancient God Race in the cafeteria of Fengcheng No. 2 High School. It is suspected to be an Evolutionist, but one who does not belong to the Joker."

The two Demon Hunters smiled. "We need to understand the situation. Please cooperate; we won't take up much of your time."

Chen Qing frowned but said nothing.

"This is an order from Saint Li Qingsong. The situation is urgent," Yan Wu said indifferently. "Captain Lin is waiting outside. With a Rank 4 Priest here, nothing will go wrong. We won't use any unnecessary hypnotic illusions; we will only conduct a lie detector test."

A mysterious light swirled in the pupils of the two Demon Hunters. Chen Qing nodded slightly; they were indeed not using hypnosis. Gu Jianlin only felt the light in the Demon Hunters' eyes to be mysterious and profound, but it had no effect on him whatsoever. This was a gift brought by the Black Kirin. Mental immunity! Ha, ask whatever you want!

These two Demon Hunters were of the Magician Path, and their rank was a full Rank 4, already belonging to the trans-dimensional level.

Yan Wu asked calmly, "Gu Jianlin, are you an Evolutionist?"

Chen Qing's heart sank, and she glanced at the youth.

"What is an Evolutionist?" Gu Jianlin said calmly. "I don't know."

"Very well," Yan Wu continued, "How did you defeat the Joker?"

Gu Jianlin had long since prepared his words. "The Joker was already on the verge of a mental breakdown. Forcibly containing two Mythic Armaments had brought his life to an end; I just picked up the scraps."

This answer was reasonable. Yan Wu's expression was heavy. "Did you see anyone else at the scene?"

Gu Jianlin rested his forehead on his hand and shook his head. "I am only a Rank 0 Divine Priest; I don't know anything."

Chen Qing said expressionlessly, "Little Gu is just a newly awakened Ascender. If there really was someone else there, it wouldn't be something he could discover."

Yan Wu remained silent for a moment, then nodded slightly. The two Demon Hunters retracted the light in their eyes and exchanged glances. Yan Wu said nothing more, turned, and walked away. "Excuse us." The two Demon Hunters followed. Having failed to get what they wanted from their surprise inspection, they left without hesitation.

"Finally got rid of them," Chen Qing said with a sense of relief, her voice cold. "Little Gu, I'm going out to make a call. I'll be back in a moment."

Gu Jianlin nodded slightly.

After Chen Qing went out, he seemed to brush past someone and let out a soft huff.

"May I ask if you are D-rank investigator Gu Jianlin?"

A soft, alluring female voice echoed through the hospital room.

A charming woman in a white lab coat stood there, her hands tucked into her pockets, looking at him with a beaming smile.

She was a very beautiful woman with light brown, wavy hair cascading down. Her face, adorned with heavy makeup, was delicate and seductive, and her enchanting eyes shimmered with every glance. Even in the loose lab coat, her curvaceous figure was clearly visible.

In particular, she wore only a black tank top under the coat, which was stretched taut across her chest.

Beneath a black pencil skirt, her shapely legs were wrapped in black stockings, and she wore high heels on her feet.

Gu Jianlin had seen her in the school cafeteria before, though back then she had been busy treating the wounded.

Beyond that, a few people stood vaguely outside the door, though their purpose was unclear.

"Hello."

Gu Jianlin propped himself up and said politely.

"My name is Lin Wanqiu, and I am the head of the medical department. We meet again."

Lin Wanqiu flashed a goddess-like smile and said, "Your performance in this operation was outstanding. If not for you, the casualties might have been much more severe, and our work would have been far more arduous."

Gu Jianlin said nothing.

"The higher-ups of the Association value you highly. Considering you engaged in close-quarters combat with a Fallen, we need to conduct a comprehensive examination to ensure your physical well-being."

Lin Wanqiu smiled sweetly, radiating charm.