A graceful figure in casual wear slowly approached Lu Kong from the room, one hand pressing a bath towel to rub her slightly damp hair. Her slightly flushed face made her already pretty visage even more captivating. It was obvious she had just taken a shower. Her superb figure, set off by the slightly damp clothes, revealed hints of flesh, making Lu Kong's heart race.

　　"Su Xuan, you're really not dead yet." Lu Kong knew well that this heart-pounding feeling wasn't from the neighborly big sister he had been living with day in and day out, but from that blood-stained smile on that fateful day.

　　"You son of a... If you can't speak properly, just shut up. You'll die if you don't, huh? I haven't sued you for trespassing, and the first thing you do is curse me to death." Su Xuan's face flushed even redder. She was clearly annoyed by Lu Kong's words. She grabbed a heavy dictionary nearby, ready to give Lu Kong a taste of "weighty" knowledge.

　　"Hey, hey, I'll take my leave for now." Lu Kong wasn't just a sitting duck. Seeing that Su Xuan was really getting angry, he quickly turned and ran.

　　He left Su Xuan standing there alone, staring in bewilderment at his retreating back.

　　After running out, Lu Kong's mind was still filled with the image of his neighborly sister, who usually seemed carefree but turned out to be surprisingly reliable in critical moments, and the sight of her, usually so well-groomed, with disheveled hair and blood on her lips, looking at him.

　　Lu Kong didn't want such things to happen again. Following the clues from those words, although he still hadn't fully recovered his memory and was still utterly confused, he had spent several hours getting a rough idea of the inside story of "Qinglong Academy".

　　"This really is the beginning of everything." Lu Kong rubbed his nose bridge. In an indescribable space, a figure nodded slightly.

　　"Just wait. This time, I'll be the winner... and they won't die again." Lu Kong slumped among a pile of paper materials and let out a long sigh. As a wave of fatigue washed over him, he slowly closed his eyes.

　　In a familiar yet unremarkable corner of Jingcheng, the young man was leisurely crossing his legs, enjoying a brief nap. A book covered his face, shielding him from the worldly neon lights and ensuring him a good sleep.

　　"Lu, how long are you planning to sleep? If you keep dreaming all day, you'll never move forward." A pair of slender hands moved the book off Lu Kong's face. Under the neon lights, although his features were shrouded in the allure of the night, his good looks were still undeniable.

　　"I can't compare to the real deal like you. Now, ask anyone who follows the stock market. Who isn't keeping an eye on the Jing Group?" Lu Kong took the book off his face. It turned out to be a business magazine featuring an seasoned entrepreneur, Jing Chen, who was the biological father of the person standing in front of him, Jing Lingxiao.

　　"Oh ho, after harassing me yesterday, you slept like a baby, huh?" A familiar female voice rang out. Then, three figures broke the silence of waiting and emerged from the darkness where the dim lights couldn't reach.

　　It was a perfect figure. The not-so-bright lighting instead accentuated her devilish figure to the fullest. Of course, her somewhat European facial features and her fragrant hair added a sufficient atmosphere. Following her were a pair of men, one tall and one short, who were actually important contacts of Lu Kong, though they didn't have any distinctive features.

　　"If you keep staring at Su like that, Cheng Hao and I will get jealous." The tall man, Li Lei, smiled slightly. Under the light, the scar that stretched across his eyebrows and upper lip, combined with his illuminated bald head, didn't seem so intimidating but rather a bit amiable. The short man, Cheng Hao, with a crew cut, said nothing. He blew out a smoke ring and pressed his right hand on his left arm, where a faint green dragon tattoo was visible, looking a bit speechless.

　　"No more jokes. Why did you call us here? What's the matter?" Jing Lingxiao turned he head slightly and glanced at Lu Kong. He slightly long hair swayed gently, and his sunny smile made people forget that it was still night.

　　Lu Kong mysteriously pulled out a bundle of newspaper from a drawer, spread it out, and circled his targeted objective with a pen. "Qinglong Academy".

　　"I've only heard that it's a place for martial arts training. Why are you interested in it?" Jing Lingxiao furrowed his brows. As someone who prided herself on understanding Lu Kong the best, he was clearly at a loss this time.

　　"Everything will be clear when I take you there tomorrow." Lu Kong smiled confidently and gave the floor a kick, swiftly leaving only his back in view. Like usual, he was gazing at the starless night sky.

　　"What are you acting all cool for?"

　　"Tell us, stop keeping us in suspense..."

　　The four people in front of him were actually his close friends since childhood. But at this moment, Lu Kong, burdened with unspeakable secrets, couldn't be frank with them. He was also eager to figure out who that sinister smile in his mind belonged to and what had happened in the past few months. He couldn't wait to push the plot forward as if it were on a script. Since time travel, even in this world where psychic abilities existed, was still a far-fetched idea, Lu Kong could only use his mental psychic abilities to guide his companions towards his line of thinking.

　　He turned around and swept his gaze over the group, mobilizing his mental energy throughout his body.

　　"So, when are we leaving?" Jing Lingxiao unexpectedly fell in line without asking too many questions. Under Lu Kong's influence, the others also seemed to be under his spell.

　　Lu Kong naturally went on to explain all his plans to them. Looking at the four people with somewhat dazed expressions, he felt a strange sense of regret. But he knew this was the first and last time he would do this to these people who were as close as siblings to him. He had to uncover the truth about everything. He didn't want them to die in front of him again.

　　Just as the rising sun had barely illuminated the moss in front of Qinglong Academy, several people had already arrived ahead of time. It was exactly Lu Kong's group.

　　After knocking on the blood-red iron gate for a while, a burly, bare-chested man suddenly yanked the door open. Lu Kong was caught off guard and nearly collided with the ground.

　　"Yo yo yo, are you okay?" The burly man bent down and looked at Lu Kong, who was barely standing steady, with a disdainful expression. Before Lu Kong could open his mouth, he slapped Lu Kong, knocking him to the ground. "Can't you see? How dare you act so wild on my turf."

　　Lu Kong didn't take the burly man's provocation to heart and simply waved his hand slightly.

　　"You're here to practice too, right? Please follow me." Behind the burly man, a person with silver hair and a mole on the bridge of their eyebrows, wearing a half-smile, stepped out as if they had been waiting for a long time. However, the only things that drew attention were the mysterious stripes wrapped around their shoulders and the fact that they seemed to be murmuring a prayer.

　　Qinglong Academy was situated halfway up a mountain, resembling an unremarkable small temple nestled among the mountains. From time to time, devotees would come here to pray sincerely. But once inside, it was a whole different world. The aerial corridor, half-immersed in the sea of clouds, was a sight Lu Kong and the others had never seen before. The only sound in the entire corridor was the footsteps of a few people.

　　"May I ask your name?" Jing Lingxiao took the lead in asking, seemingly having an inexplicable interest in this person.

　　"I'm Wu Yu. That rude fellow at the door just now is Mr. Chai, who is in charge of security and such matters." Wu Yu glanced back at Jing Lingxiao as if there was something stuck in his throat.

　　Li Lei was about to say something when Wu Yu stopped him with his hand. "There's no need to say more. My interaction with you all will end here. There's no need to tell me your names. Besides..."

　　Lu Kong quietly observed everything around him. A sudden rush of memories, whose origin he couldn't determine, flashed back in his mind and kept echoing. Staring at the inscrutable smile on Wu Yu's face, a chill ran down his spine. Deep down, he knew that although Qinglong Academy looked magnificent, it was inextricably linked to the person who had harmed him.

　　Subsequently, Wu Yu led everyone around and introduced every corner of Qinglong Academy. They had already reached the end of the corridor. In front of them, behind a huge archway, countless people were gathered in an open square, showing off their martial arts skills on several towering wooden stakes.

　　In the center stood a Buddha statue that gave them a cold stare. As Lu Kong gazed into the eyes of the Buddha statue, something seemed to surface in his mind, but it was hard to pin down.

　　"Here, most people are strangers to one another. The only way is to concentrate on cultivating your own psychic abilities. After all, in this world, a sufficiently powerful psychic ability supports you and represents boundless prospects. I hope all benefactors can break through themselves." Wu Yu finally finished his speech. At this moment, he closed his eyes tightly, and with a snap of his fingers, his figure disappeared into the morning mist.

　　Those few words seemed quite reasonable, but Lu Kong knew what kind of strength Wu Yu really had. He was just putting on an air of mystery. Given that the time wasn't right yet, even though he knew this man was far from a good person, Lu Kong could only swallow his anger and bide his time. However, that wouldn't last long.

　　"But this place just looks like an ordinary martial arts training ground. What makes you suspicious of him?" Li Lei rolled up his sleeves and looked at Lu Kong beside him with a puzzled expression.

　　This time, Lu Kong didn't keep them in the dark. He beckoned the few of them to come closer and then recounted what he had investigated, not forgetting to continue using his psychic abilities to subtly guide their thoughts.

　　At the same time, Lu Kong's chest suddenly felt like it was being pierced by thousands of needles, causing him excruciating pain. He covered his chest and stepped aside. Instinctively, he took out a rather significant piece of paper from his pocket. It was already covered with large, blood-red characters.

　　"If you don't want the thing you dread most to happen again, keep your mouth shut. Considering this is your first offense, I haven't punished you excessively."

　　Lu Kong wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. Given that the overwhelming and suppressive power in front of him was truly terrifying, he could only mutter an "OK" and shakily walk back to rejoin the others.

　　"Are you okay? You look terrible." Su Xuan asked. Lu Kong just waved his hand and continued speaking.

　　"I think if we want to find out the truth, we should first infiltrate them. Right now, they're in the open and we're in the shadows. It'll actually be very easy to bring them down." Lu Kong let out a cold snort, a hint of confidence appearing on his face.

　　The others agreed with his idea. So, they followed the rhythm of the others and blended in as part of the "training" group in front of them.

　　Deep into the night, the accommodation arranged for Lu Kong's group by the people at Qinglong Academy was a six-person dormitory. Unlike Lu Kong's group, who were exhausted, this young man, though as pale as if all the blood had been drained from his body, was chattering non-stop, completely disregarding the feelings of these five strangers.

　　"It's so exhilarating! Here, I feel like my soul and body have been elevated."

　　"Hmph," Lu Kong, who was covering his eyes with his arm, let out a cold laugh. "You're so easily fooled."

　　"What?"

　　The other four were still lost in their own silence, but Lu Kong had already started a verbal sparring match.

　　"I said you've been tricked and are still helping them count the money."

　　The young man flew into a rage and slammed his hand on the table, standing up and glaring straight at Lu Kong. Lu Kong wasn't one to back down either. He propped himself up with one hand and turned his head to meet the young man's gaze with icy eyes. Seeing that the young man didn't seem to want to cause more trouble, Lu Kong explained everything in detail: "I was only at the stage of suspicion at first, but today's experiences confirmed my suspicions."

　　"Psychic abilities are supernatural powers possessed by a minority of people in this world. They don't belong to the body's natural energy circulation system. So, when using psychic abilities, a person shouldn't feel tired at all, unless..."

　　"Unless his psychic abilities are being devoured." Jing Lingxiao, who was leaning against the wall, suddenly spoke up, which really startled Lu Kong.

　　The air froze, as if all vitality had been returned to the mountains.

　　That left five pairs of eyes and one angry young man.

　　"Well, kid, are you willing to join us and give the world justice?" Lu Kong propped his face up with one hand and looked coldly at the young man. At this moment, his mind was filled with the bits of intelligence he had gathered, and the confidence of having a "script" made him extremely composed.

　　Before the young man could answer, Lu Kong seized the opportunity and quickly turned his head. In a few seconds, his eyes met the young man's wandering and suspicious gaze. Soon, the young man's thoughts were influenced by Lu Kong... After a few rounds, the stranger had become a teammate he could command at will. The others were a bit surprised to see Lu Kong's level of skill.