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Ever since Gu Jianlin learned profiling, he often saw things that could not be explained by common sense.

It was a personality portrait drawn from subtle clues. Usually, a brief observation was enough to analyze someone's occupation, psychological state, and health condition. After his car accident, however, it had gained an effect akin to spiritual sight.

A more complete personality portrait required more meticulous observation.

The only deep profiling he had ever done was on the mysterious Kirin Mask he had obtained today.

Yet by a twist of fate, it had caused him to enter that ancient tomb as the Kirin Venerable.

He had thought the matter would end there, but the Black Kirin that appeared in the mirror had truly startled him.

"Damn it."

Gu Jianlin muttered in disbelief, "Did I turn into a Kirin?"

He touched his body again and only relaxed after confirming that no mutation had occurred.

Once he calmed down, he began to consider what exactly had happened.

Profiling had become a habit for him. Whenever he saw anyone, he would subconsciously analyze them.

And when he had seen his reflection in the mirror just now, he had instinctively used profiling on himself.

Yet the result of that profiling had been a Kirin!

Thinking back on it now, the reason he had crossed into that ancient tomb and been mistaken for an Ancient God resurrected from the dead was entirely because he had put on the Kirin Mask. Perhaps profiling had something to do with it as well.

For now, everything recorded in that post seemed to be real; it had merely used a game as an analogy.

For instance, the five people led by the old man had entered that game instance in the capacity of players.

Gu Jianlin was different.

Though he had also entered that game instance, he was not a player. He had inherited someone else's account.

No—not a person's account, but a god's.

Still using the game analogy, ordinary people entered the server, created accounts according to the process, then leveled up, fought monsters, and completed quests on the map.

When Gu Jianlin entered the game, he became an NPC from the backstory—or perhaps a hidden Boss!

Yet he could still return to the real world.

That meant he also had player privileges and could log in or out freely.

According to the legend in that post, the Kirin Venerable had been slain by the Candle Dragon Venerable and sealed within an ancient tomb.

With that in mind, the pitch-black dragon bones Gu Jianlin had seen at the end now had an explanation. They were the Candle Dragon Venerable's restraints.

Had too much time not passed, and had the power left behind by the Candle Dragon Venerable not weakened, the instant he entertained the thought of breaking free, that terrifying power would likely have shaken him to death.

Perhaps the Kirin Mask had not disappeared, but had instead fused with him to some extent.

As for the true Kirin Venerable, no one knew where he had gone.

"If I'm not mistaken, it was because of that Kirin Mask. I performed deep profiling on it, then saw a Kirin. That Kirin charged at me, and I crossed into the Kirin Immortal Palace. At the same time, I woke from a coffin that should have belonged to the Kirin Venerable, then a group of Fallen mistook me for the Kirin Venerable."

"The crucial point is that the seal the Candle Dragon Venerable used to imprison the Kirin Venerable seems to have been transferred onto me as well."

"So it wasn't that those five Fallen were stupid enough to mistake a human for an Ancient God. In a sense, I truly replaced the Kirin Venerable and became an Ancient God who had been slain two thousand years ago and had only just awakened."

"At present, I've formed some kind of connection with the Kirin... No, perhaps I've already become a Kirin."

Gu Jianlin stared at the Black Kirin in the mirror. Its expression and bearing were exactly like his own.

At that moment, he was no longer so afraid, because it was his own reflection.

The mysterious Kirin Mask did not seem to have disappeared.

Instead, it had changed him in a way he could not understand.

"Let's go home first."

Ever since Gu Jianlin had used that syllable in the ancient tomb, his body had become exceedingly weak, and his stomach was growling with hunger.

He barely managed to lift his suitcase, leave the room, lock the door, and head downstairs.

This old residential complex was located on Nine Harmony Road in the northern part of the city, about half an hour's drive from his new home in the south.

His mother's new home had one living room and three bedrooms. She had bought it with her new husband. It was decorated in a minimalist Northern European style, with white as the dominant tone. The furniture was exquisite, and a faint floral fragrance lingered in the air.

Originally, his mother and Uncle Su had one room, while the two sisters each had their own.

Since Gu Jianlin had moved in, the sisters had simply gone back to sharing a room.

Her older sister had already started working and rarely came home anyway, so she would not find it too crowded.

By the time Gu Jianlin returned home, he was nearly fainting from hunger. He had often gone all day without eating while running between police stations over his father's case, but he had never felt this hungry before.

Fortunately, there really was a serving of egg fried rice in the microwave, along with a steak and a glass of milk.

Thank goodness. Having a younger sister who could cook was wonderful.

Gu Jianlin did not even bother heating it up. He carried it straight into the living room and wolfed it down.

Only after taking in some energy did he feel slightly better and regain the ability to think calmly.

"The conclusion is that beneath the level ordinary people can access, there truly exists an unknown world belonging to Ancient Gods and Ascenders. Then many phenomena that cannot be explained by common sense may not be fake."

After pondering for a moment, Gu Jianlin said softly, "And the opportunity for me to come into contact with this real world was all because of Dad. Whether it was the case he investigated, that car accident, or that mysterious mask."

The key was that he had encountered something completely beyond everything he had known before.

That meant nothing was impossible.

Including the figure he had vaguely seen while unconscious four months ago.

His father's death definitely had not been a simple car accident.

If Torch Dragons and Kirins existed in this world, why could Ghost Carts not exist too?

Gu Jianlin suddenly covered his face and began to laugh softly. Ever since his parents' divorce, he had become somewhat withdrawn and had rarely laughed over the years. But this time, he truly could not hold it in.

As he laughed, his eyes began to sting with moisture, and a wave of bitterness surged through his nose.

He was not crazy. There was nothing wrong with his brain. He did not have post-traumatic stress disorder.

He had been right.

"Old Gu was most likely an Ascender. So what exactly had he been doing, running all over the place all these years? Maybe I can keep investigating along this lead, provided that I become an Ascender too." Gu Jianlin thought for a long time, then searched on his phone.

Ascender.

No entries found.

Kirin Immortal Palace.

No entries found.

Kirin Venerable.

Still no entries found.

"Looks like that post appearing was just an accident."

Gu Jianlin murmured softly, "It seems this mysterious civilization has always been hidden in the shadows of human society, beyond the reach of ordinary people. Then how did that post appear, and why did it happen to be when I obtained the Kirin Mask?"

Gu Jianlin stuffed the last piece of steak into his mouth.

Having taken in some energy, he finally felt a little more comfortable.

He stood and began clearing the table, intending to take a nap afterward.

Just then, the sound of a key turning came from outside. The door was pushed open.

"I'm back."

It was still a girl's indifferent voice, clear and crisp like ice.

A petite, slender girl stood at the door. She wore a black sun hat, an oversized casual shirt with white lettering on a green background, and extremely short denim shorts. Her fair, delicate legs were especially eye-catching above a pair of white sneakers.

Her short hair was dyed light Azure, framing a delicate, snow-like oval face and falling to her chin.

At first glance, she looked like a well-raised young girl. Unfortunately, she had an airport runway at such a young age.

Su Youzhu, seventeen years old, also attended Fengcheng No. 2 High School. She liked anime and photography.

Gu Jianlin's nominal younger sister, a genuine troublemaker.

"You're back?"

Gu Jianlin tidied the dishes and gave a slight nod. "Breakfast was delicious. Thanks."

He did not ask where she had gone.

Other than anime conventions and shopping, this girl had little else to do outside.

They were not biological siblings, after all. There was no need to ask so much.

Of course, it would have been better if she did not pry into his affairs either.

"Mm."

Su Youzhu took off her sun hat, shook out her light Azure hair, changed into slippers with practiced ease, then flopped onto the sofa. She shot him a sidelong glance, frowning. "Why are you only eating the breakfast I made now? Did you just get home?"

Though they had only lived together for a few months, the siblings already knew each other inside and out.

Gu Jianlin was someone with an extremely regular routine, meticulous in everything he did, and he was also a neat freak.

His suitcase was spread open on the living room floor, clothes were casually draped over a chair, and his hair was still wet from the rain.

If he had come home earlier, he would definitely have showered first and put everything away.

Naturally, Gu Jianlin would not tell the truth. He brushed it off. "I went to my dad's place to pack some things."

"Packing things takes that long? Don't tell me you went to the police station again?"

Su Youzhu fixed her black-and-white eyes suspiciously on him. "How are you supposed to recover if you keep this up? If Mom finds out, you'll be in for it. She told me to keep an eye on you at all times."

Gu Jianlin was momentarily speechless.

If he lived alone, he would not have to explain so much to anyone.

But now that his mother had brought him here, things were different.

Though Gu Jianlin had not lived with his mother for a long time, the shadow of his childhood still lingered.

Youzhu was right.

That woman possessed all the unreasonable tyranny of a middle-aged woman. She looked gentle and easy to talk to, but when she really wanted to deal with you, she could still roll up her sleeves, grab a rolling pin, and go straight for your ass.

She would not care about anything else.

"It's fine. I have you covering for me."

Gu Jianlin said calmly, "Mom won't find out."

Su Youzhu's face remained expressionless as she replied coldly, "Easy for you to say. Do you know how hard it is to argue with Mom? Every time I help you deal with her, I break out in cold sweat afterward."

Sometimes, Gu Jianlin admired his mother's abilities.

The two Su sisters both looked like spoiled young ladies.

Yet his mother, as their stepmother, had completely conquered both of them in just a few years.

Now, the sisters treated this stepmother even more affectionately than their own mother.

Gu Jianlin casually said, "Mom might argue with you, but if it were your dad, you'd be instantly annihilated."

Su Youzhu fell silent.

That was because Gu Jianlin had precisely hit upon her sore spot.

The siblings had lived together for four months, but they had known each other even earlier. They attended the same high school and had previously been in neighboring classes.

Recently, most classes had been combined into large lectures, so they had been assigned to the same class.

Su Youzhu was obsessed with anime and photography. Her cosplay photos looked like lifelike figurines every time, and she had gained a bit of fame online.

But her grades were utterly disastrous. She was always at the bottom of the year and got her parents called in from time to time.

It was said that during last year's exams, she had not even found the exam room. Even dogs would shake their heads at that.

When the siblings first met in the hospital, both had been utterly stunned.

Gu Jianlin had initially thought that a troublemaker like her would reject him, a freeloader.

After all, no one liked having a stranger suddenly move into their home.

Yet the emotion he had profiled from Youzhu at the time had been wild delight!

Yes, wild delight.

Beneath that aloof, pretty exterior hid surging... wild delight.

At first, Gu Jianlin had not understood why.

But after they began living together, she treated him unexpectedly well. Every day, she prepared three meals for him, brought him tea and water, fed him medicine, and occasionally even visited him in the hospital.

Sometimes, Gu Jianlin felt that the face he had inherited from his father was doing its job.

It was not until one day, when she snuck into his room in pajamas to steal his homework, that he finally understood.

So that was it!

"You don't want Mom to know you aren't recovering properly and keep running off to police stations every day, do you?"

"And you don't want your dad to know that you copy my homework every day and still need my help during exams, do you?"

Thus, the two hit it off and each got what they needed.

Though neither of them was particularly talkative, their relationship somehow became very good. After all, cooperation was the only way for both sides to win.

Gu Jianlin would not get lectured by his mother.

Su Youzhu would not get instantly annihilated by her father either.

Besides, they were both good-looking. There was no reason for them to dislike each other.

"Mm... I won't tell Mom."

Su Youzhu cleared her throat and said with a stern face, "Where you go these next few days, I'll pretend I don't know."

Gu Jianlin nodded in satisfaction. "I finished the Qingming Festival homework. It's in the suitcase."

"Okay."

Su Youzhu was satisfied as well. She picked up a bag of takeout and placed it on the table, saying expressionlessly, "I bought cola chicken wings and beef stew with potatoes, the things you like. If I'd known you were only eating breakfast now, I wouldn't have brought you takeout."

The aroma wafting from the bag made Gu Jianlin's stomach growl again.

The Black Kirin reflected in the plate was starving as well.

He did not refuse his sister's kindness and hurriedly said, "No, it came at exactly the right time."