An Oversight

The atmosphere in the office was tense.

Besides the homeroom teacher, there was an unfamiliar woman in a black suit. She had an air of brisk competence.

"Lin Qingqiu, this woman works for national security," the homeroom teacher said cautiously. "There are some matters we need your cooperation with."

The woman showed her an ID bearing the national emblem and a special identification number. Then she took a neatly bound document from her briefcase and slid it across to Lin Qingqiu.

Clear black letters were printed on the cover:

"Highest-Level Confidentiality Agreement Concerning a Specific Witnessed Incident"

Issuing authority: Dragon Nation Bureau of Special Powers and Biological Management (Special Affairs Bureau)

"Lin Qingqiu," the woman said, her voice calm but firm, "under the National Security Law and the Special Affairs Management Regulations, you witnessed a highly sensitive incident concerning state secrets and public safety near Qilu Alley yesterday evening. You are now legally required to sign this confidentiality agreement."

She opened the document. Its pages were packed with clauses written in rigorous legal language. The signer had to keep the matter secret for life and could not disclose it to anyone in any form, including hints, metaphors, or works of fiction. She would also have to cooperate with any subsequent inquiries. In return, the state would provide compensation for her obligation of secrecy—a financial payment that meant little to her family—and protection for her personal safety.

"You need to read every clause carefully. Once you sign, everything you saw, heard, and experienced last night must be sealed away deep in your memory. You must never mention it, not even to your parents, your closest friends, or a future spouse or children."

The woman's gaze sharpened. "This is a legal obligation. It also concerns your safety and your family's. Do you understand? Can you do that?"

Lin Qingqiu looked at the weighty agreement, her fingertips growing cold.

She remembered Hua Yin's final request.

So keeping silent was more than his personal plea. It was an ironclad rule imposed by the vast machinery of the state.

She looked up at her worried homeroom teacher, then at the piercing gaze of the Special Affairs Bureau officer. Finally, her eyes settled on the agreement.

Taking a deep breath, she picked up the pen.

"I understand."

The pen touched the page, and she carefully wrote her name in the signature field.

From that moment on, last night's harrowing encounter and those pale butterfly silhouettes would forever be a silent secret she bore alone.

And whatever faint chance remained of an ordinary friendship between her and Hua Yin was silently severed with the signing of that agreement. Their futures now led in utterly different directions, as though into parallel worlds.

Outside the office window, sunlight fell on a campus bustling with life.

Inside, the ink on the girl's signature had yet to dry, and her heart held feelings she could not put into words.

Elsewhere.

The Youcheng Special Administration Bureau branch office.

Captain Wang strode into the building at a brisk pace.

His face still glowed with the excitement of discovering and recruiting an S-Rank talent yesterday. His mind was full of plans for White Butterfly's training—and the commendation he might receive for it.

He walked lightly to the branch director's office and knocked.

"Come in." Director Liu's steady voice came from inside.

Captain Wang pushed open the door with a smile. "Good morning, Director! About the preliminary arrangements for White Butterfly, the S-Rank Awakened we discovered yesterday, and—"

He stopped mid-sentence.

Behind the desk, branch director Liu Zhenguo did not greet him with his usual smile. His hands were clasped on the desktop, and his expression was grave, even touched by a rare chill.

On the computer screen before him was the preliminary investigation report on yesterday's "Qilu Alley Jade-Bladed Mantis Incident."

"Captain Wang." Liu Zhenguo slowly raised his head and fixed him with a hawklike stare. "Don't start talking about White Butterfly yet. Tell me how your Operations Department handled its duties yesterday."

Captain Wang's smile froze. His heart lurched.

"An E-Rank Jade-Bladed Mantis—highly aggressive, with unmistakable features. How did it slip through three layers of spiritual-energy surveillance around the city and enter a busy area less than two streets from No. 3 Middle School without anyone noticing?"

Liu Zhenguo did not raise his voice, but every word struck Captain Wang like a hammer. "What was the Monitoring Division doing? What was the Patrol Unit doing? What happened to your Operations Department's routine inspection plan? If that student hadn't awakened by chance, if someone hadn't reported it, how many people would have died yesterday? How much panic and damage would it have caused?!"

Cold sweat instantly seeped down Captain Wang's back.

Caught up in yesterday's elation and bustle, he had completely overlooked where the incident had begun: with a monster that should never have been there.

Yes, the Jade-Bladed Mantis was only E-Rank, but its infiltration was a major security breach.

This might not have been a mere accident. Something could have gone seriously wrong at some point—or worse, there might have been human negligence or sabotage.

"Director, I..." Captain Wang's throat went dry. His excitement had vanished, leaving only a chill and belated fear.

"Negligence! Gross negligence!"

Liu Zhenguo slammed his palm on the desk and raised his voice. "Finding an S-Rank talent was an achievement, but it doesn't erase your failure in basic defense! Credit is credit, and fault is fault!"

He took a deep breath and suppressed his anger, though his gaze remained cold. "I've already ordered the Information Department to investigate every possible route and source of that Jade-Bladed Mantis's infiltration."

"Starting today, your Operations Department will assign its best personnel to inspect every spiritual-energy alarm, physical barrier, and monitoring point along the city's edges. Focus especially on areas where security is weaker—the old districts, abandoned factories, and underground utility networks. Check every last one!"

"I want to know whether equipment aged and failed, maintenance was neglected, or... something helped it through. Or cleared the way for something else!"

"Yes, Director! I'll get on it at once!" Captain Wang stood at attention and answered loudly, his expression solemn.

"And another thing." Liu Zhenguo's tone eased slightly, though he remained serious. "As for White Butterfly... Elder Li wants us to focus on protecting and guiding him for now, not rush him into taking assignments alone. But since he's joined us, he'll be provisionally attached to your Operations Department's Special Operations Unit."

Captain Wang hesitated, then asked, "Director, should we notify White Butterfly about this inspection and have him participate? After all, he's now..."

Liu Zhenguo fell silent for a moment, his fingers tapping an absent rhythm on the desk.

Outside, the city rang with noise, alive with the bustle of everyday life.

"Yes."

Liu Zhenguo finally spoke, his tone complicated. "He's new, but that doesn't mean he isn't part of your Operations Department. Let him come along and see what we face, what work on the front line is like."

"But he's there only as an observer. You'll lead the team personally and ensure his absolute safety. He must not act on his own, and he must not use his ability lightly before he has full control of it. I'll speak to Elder Li."

"Understood!"

Captain Wang accepted the order, saluted, and turned to leave. His steps had grown heavy.

The office door closed softly.

Liu Zhenguo sat alone in his broad chair. His gaze returned to the report on his screen, then to another document beside it: an encrypted briefing that had just arrived from headquarters.

The briefing said that low-level monsters had recently approached or infiltrated the outskirts of several second- and third-tier cities across the country. The cause remained unknown. Suspicions ranged from foreign forces and illegal Awakened organizations to... subtle new fluctuations in the stability of the Rifts.

He leaned back, rubbed his brow, and looked out at the clear blue sky. When he spoke to himself, a trace of weariness and urgency slipped into his voice.

"A storm is coming... We're running out of time."

That afternoon, in the underground training chamber.

Hua Yin sat cross-legged at the center of the Spirit-Gathering Formation. It seemed less effective on his Pale Bewitching Butterfly ability than it would be on an ordinary Awakened, but some help was better than none. He slowly circulated his spiritual power according to the Basic Meridian Guidance Method Li Siyuan had taught him.

After a morning spent refining his punches and testing his ability, his control over his strength had clearly improved.

The cold, pale spiritual power no longer rampaged through him as it had at first. It now flowed fairly smoothly through the major meridians he had opened.

Li Siyuan sat nearby, seemingly resting with his eyes closed. In truth, his spiritual senses enveloped Hua Yin's entire body, carefully tracking every change in the spiritual power within him.

After completing roughly one full circulation, Hua Yin slowly brought his practice to an end and breathed out a faintly chilly white mist.

"How do you feel?" Li Siyuan asked, opening his eyes.

"Much smoother than this morning. The hunger has eased a little, too."

As Hua Yin answered, he raised a hand. At a thought, a wisp of pure, pale spiritual power emerged from his fingertip. Though fine, it was dense and steady, coiling around his finger without dissipating.

Surprise flashed in Li Siyuan's eyes.

He rose, stepped up to Hua Yin, and gently placed two fingers against the pulse point on his wrist.

A warm, gentle stream of pale-gold spiritual power entered Hua Yin and swiftly traveled through his body.

A moment later, Li Siyuan withdrew his hand. Open shock crossed his face for the first time as he looked Hua Yin up and down, as though examining a priceless treasure.

"The... Late Meridian-Opening Realm?"

Even with his Demigod Realm cultivation and vast experience, he found it hard to believe.

"Huh?"

Hua Yin was stunned, too.

All he knew was that following the method had felt smooth. He had no idea what realm he had reached.

"Most Awakened receive an influx of spiritual power when they first awaken. Those who can stabilize directly in the early Meridian-Opening Realm are already considered talented. It takes months, sometimes a year, of hard work, aided by Spirit Stones and pills, to gradually open their meridians and reach the middle stage. As for the late stage... that requires talent, resources, and diligence in equal measure."

Li Siyuan spoke with mixed feelings. "Yet you awakened barely a day ago. After only basic guidance and one brief session of cultivation, nearly half your major meridians are open. Your spiritual power is abundant, and it circulates smoothly... Those are the marks of the Late Meridian-Opening Realm!"

He looked intently at Hua Yin. "The S-Rank talent Pale Bewitching Butterfly really is extraordinary. Your body and meridians seem born to contain and circulate this high-level power. The immense influx of spiritual power when you awakened, followed by the energy you gained from devouring the monster, did more than heal your injuries. In an incredibly short time, it gave you a foundation far deeper than most people could hope for!"

Hua Yin looked down at his palm. He could feel how much fuller and more substantial the power within him had become. His thoughts churned.

S-Rank potential had revealed itself so plainly in this terrifying cultivation speed.

"But blessings can hide dangers."

Li Siyuan quickly grew serious again. "Building a foundation quickly is good, but your temperament, your control over your power, and your understanding of your ability's nature must keep pace with your cultivation."

"Otherwise, you're building a tower on sand. It could collapse in an instant. Starting tomorrow, you'll work twice as hard on mental discipline and simulated combat, alongside accumulating spiritual power."

"Captain Wang has an inspection assignment. You'll go with him. Watch more, listen more, speak less, and under no circumstances act rashly. Understood?"

"Understood," Hua Yin answered solemnly.

He knew how suddenly this immense power had come to him. Mastering it would be far harder than gaining it.

Li Siyuan nodded, his eyes holding both reassurance and worry.

The boy before him was like a rare uncut gem, already showing a brilliance that could astonish the world. But the road to shaping that potential would be filled with challenges and risks.

With the arrival of White Butterfly, even Youcheng's skies seemed to be quietly gathering storm clouds.