Chapter 421: Incident (Two-in-One)

"Mr. Yan, we finally meet."

Hearing the words of this renowned president of the Precognition Society, Sheng Xia felt a little dizzy.

Had the world gone mad?

She felt as though she had stumbled into some theater where everyone before her was an actor putting on a play just for her.

Otherwise, it was simply inexplicable—

The man standing before her was the president of the Precognition Society!

The current number one expert in the Fourth Ring Domain!

Even if that person arrived in person, they would treat him with respect.

Mr. Yan?

He was calling Yan Jing "Mr. Yan"?

And he was even reaching out with both hands to shake Yan Jing's hand.

Sheng Xia couldn't comprehend it at all; she felt the world had spiraled into a madness beyond her understanding.

But Yan Jing immediately reached out with both hands as well, clasping Zhao Qianling's hands.

"Hello, hello. President Zhao, you're too polite. I should have been the one to visit you."

Yan Jing had always treated others this way: he returned whatever attitude he was given.

"Mr. Yan, Xiaochuan has already told me what happened to him in the dungeon. Thank you for helping him, both inside and outside the dungeon,"

Zhao Qianling said, not putting on any airs at all.

"It wasn't much help. Dongchuan and I are friends. Just a few days ago for the Mid-Autumn Festival, he even went out of his way to send me a few boxes of mooncakes from the Fourth Ring Domain. They were delicious."

Yan Jing smiled. "If you don't mind, just calling me Xiao Yan is fine."

"Alright, good, good, Xiao Yan. I'll call you that, then. You can't accuse your Uncle Zhao of using seniority to pressure you,"

Zhao Qianling readily accepted the offer and smiled. "How about this: I'll play the host today and treat everyone to a meal. What do you say?"

Hearing this, everyone was secretly astonished.

That was Zhao Qianling! Yet here he was, actively inviting a group of juniors to a meal all because of Yan Jing. It was hard to imagine exactly what Yan Jing had done to wield such massive influence.

Naturally, no one was foolish enough to ask out loud. They all happily agreed.

Of course, that did not include Sheng Xia.

After Zhao Qianling asked Ye Liu and the other vice president to lead the group ahead, claiming he needed to fetch something, Sheng Xia deliberately lagged behind. Watching him walk toward her, she bowed slightly and said, "President Zhao."

"Miss Sheng."

Zhao Qianling smiled. "You seem to want to speak with me alone."

As a Seventh Rank expert whose rituals were entirely on the Fate pathway, his perception was incredibly sharp. He had immediately sensed Sheng Xia's intention and intentionally separated from the group.

"I want to know why,"

Sheng Xia said softly, making no effort to hide the confusion in her eyes. "Regarding Yan Jing."

"You mean my attitude toward Xiao Yan?" Zhao Qianling chuckled. "That is a secret, Miss Sheng. The shorthand of Fate is—"

Before he could finish, Sheng Xia took out a fingernail-sized White Stone and opened her palm. "I know. The shorthand of Fate is equivalent exchange."

But Zhao Qianling looked at the rare White Stone, his eyes flickering, and ultimately shook his head. "That isn't enough, Miss Sheng."

"Or rather, if you want to know everything, no amount will ever be enough. So there is no need to bring out anything else. This is enough for you to know the parts you are allowed to know."

Sheng Xia could barely conceal a trace of surprise on her face.

But eventually, in the silence, she still placed the White Stone into Zhao Qianling's hand.

"Please, tell me."

Zhao Qianling put the White Stone away and smiled. "First, Xiao Yan could have killed Zhao Dongchuan, our Precognition Society's strongest seed of this generation, in the last dungeon. But he didn't."

Sheng Xia's expression didn't change. She knew that reason wasn't remotely enough.

Zhao Qianling continued, "Second, Xiao Yan just displayed strength in front of Ye Liu worthy of our respect."

At those words, Sheng Xia's eyes sharpened.

Strength worthy of Vice President Ye's respect—so the two of them really had fought just now?

She knew that vice president's strength was definitely not weak. Sure enough, what Yan Jing had displayed at the airport hadn't been his full power.

Even so, she said evenly, "But I still don't think that's enough to make you show such respect to someone who forcibly took the Precognition Society's greatest treasure."

She placed heavy emphasis on the word "respect."

But Zhao Qianling didn't seem to mind. He smiled and said, "Of course. But I believe the mental method is precious because it has maintained our Precognition Society's prosperity for hundreds of years. What if I told you that Xiao Yan could help extend our Precognition Society's prosperity for at least another several hundred years?"

Sheng Xia's pupils shrank.

Extending prosperity for several hundred years.

That statement carried far too much weight, and it invited too much speculation.

She took a deep breath, then nodded. "I understand. Thank you for clearing that up, President Zhao."

Promptly, she prepared to end the conversation.

But opposite her, Zhao Qianling chuckled. "Of course, that still isn't the most important reason."

"Then what is the most important reason?" Sheng Xia was stunned, not expecting there to be more.

Zhao Qianling smiled. "As you said, Miss Sheng, sparing this generation's seed is a favor, but it isn't enough. And as for the strength he showed Ye Liu, that was only her account; I haven't seen it myself. As for extending our prosperity for centuries, that is only a possibility."

"I am someone walking the pathway of Fate, so I know better than anyone that everything that hasn't happened yet is merely a probability."

"As they say, it is impossible for us to glimpse true fate; when we glimpse fate, true fate is also glimpsing us."

"Therefore, the further I walk down this pathway, the more I cherish the things that have already happened, and the more I focus on the results that have already been obtained."

"And the result Xiao Yan showed us is the mental method he learned."

"You mean he learned it very quickly?" Sheng Xia's eyes flashed.

Zhao Qianling didn't answer directly. Instead, he smiled and replied with a question, "Wasn't it fast?"

Sheng Xia said, "It was indeed fast. He finished learning the second volume in just an hour. But I don't understand—is that speed really so important?"

Zhao Qianling smiled faintly. "You are mistaken, Miss Sheng. Yan Jing didn't finish learning the second volume. He finished—"

"The fourth volume."

He softly spat out those words, and Sheng Xia abruptly froze.

"The fourth volume?!"

Her voice rose uncontrollably, her eyes filled with absolute disbelief as she subconsciously denied it. "That's impossible! Not a single person in the Precognition Society has even finished learning—"

"Shh—"

Zhao Qianling pressed a finger to his lips, the corners of his mouth beneath his robe curling upward slightly. "So, do you understand now? I was meditating earlier, and I only rushed over after I sensed this. Even when Ye Liu tried to stop me, I didn't listen."

"Miss Sheng, do you believe in fate?"

Fate—

Sheng Xia was stunned, momentarily unsure whether she should nod or shake her head.

It was an unanswerable question. No one could claim they completely disbelieved in fate, yet for geniuses like them, admitting belief in it was not so easily done either.

Zhao Qianling smiled. "As a bonus for this transaction, I can tell you that in my recent glimpses into fate, I saw a true chaos approaching."

"It is an intersection of consecutive chaotic events. You should do your utmost to grasp the solutions around you, rather than pushing them away."

"Are you saying that Yan Jing is this solution?" Sheng Xia asked in a heavy voice.

"I cannot see fate's solutions clearly either,"

Zhao Qianling said softly. "But as people—we all need to have a bit of discernment, right?"

With that, Zhao Qianling smiled and turned to leave.

He left Sheng Xia alone, sinking into silence.

After the meal, at Zhao Qianling's suggestion, the group was led by the Precognition Society's people to the downtown of the society's affiliated city. Rumor had it that its prosperity ranked among the very best even in all of Yueyin.

"President Ye, I would like to ask you a question."

On the way, Yan Jing spoke to Ye Liu.

"Go ahead and ask, Xiao Yan."

Hearing Yan Jing's voice, Ye Liu trembled slightly. She kept her head tilted upward, showing no intention whatsoever of making eye contact with him.

"I wanted to ask if you've ever encountered a situation where, after exiting a dungeon, you don't receive any task prompts for a very long time?"

Yan Jing asked.

It had been quite some time since he left the last dungeon, but not only was there no task for the next dungeon, there wasn't even a countdown.

This situation had happened once before, but now Yan Jing felt a pressing urgency to improve his strength, so he hoped to get an answer from the experienced Ye Liu.

"No task prompts?"

Ye Liu looked confused, then asked, "You mean there's only a countdown to the next dungeon release?"

"No, there's not even a countdown."

"I see—" Inexplicably, Ye Liu trembled again. She tried hard to keep her level gaze steady, then said, "Have you used Dungeon Advance Vouchers many times?"

"Not that many, only twice."

Ye Liu felt her tongue tie itself in a knot. "Our Precognition Society had a situation like this once before. You might be a little overloaded—"

"What do you mean by overloaded?" Yan Jing asked humbly.

"I don't know if you've ever looked into the Inner World System," Ye Liu said. "The origin of this system that connects us to the Inner World has always been a mystery. There are many differing opinions, but no conclusive answer."

"However, the vast majority of theories suggest it is a balancing system."

"Specifically, it exists to stabilize the power balance between the Inner World and the Surface World."

"The Inner World serves as a reflection of the Surface World. When the transcendent power in the Surface World is at its weakest, the excess transcendent power floods into the Inner World. Conversely, if the Inner World's power begins to wane, that excess power enters the Surface World."

"But the Surface World doesn't have a cultivation system like the Inner World does. How is it supposed to receive this power? Or rather, who is supposed to receive it?"

"In the Inner World, because a cultivation system exists, naturally those with better talent gain more transcendent power. But the Surface World is entirely different. So, to create a standard of measurement, this stream-of-consciousness construct known as the Inner World System was born."

"It collects the excess Inner World power and then redistributes it."

"And our participation in tasks is a standard for this redistribution."

"But this redistribution is mechanical; or rather, it has a cap. If someone progresses too quickly, or if their data shows an anomaly, it triggers something akin to an overload protection protocol."

"Simply put, you've advanced too fast, and the Inner World needs time to adjust."

Ye Liu finished her explanation in one breath, unconsciously shivering.

There was one sentence she didn't say out loud.

The person who proposed this theory was the domain lord of Yueyin from two generations ago.

An Eighth Tier expert.

And also the very first person in the history of Yueyin to ever trigger this theory's effect.

Yan Jing nodded. "Thank you for the explanation. Is there any special way to resolve it?"

Ye Liu shook her head. "Just wait. The adjustment usually finishes in five to ten days."

Yan Jing nodded.

It seemed he had no choice but to wait.

The next day.

The group set out, heading to their next check-in location.

Before departure, President Zhao found Yan Jing at the airport, and the two had a secret conversation.

"Xiao Yan, come visit the Precognition Society often when you have the chance. Treat this place like your own home."

"I will."

Yan Jing nodded with a smile.

He looked at President Zhao. They had already exchanged pleasantries for a while; it was probably time to get straight to the point.

Sure enough, in the next moment, President Zhao lowered his gaze to the floor. His handsome face, which looked to belong to a man only in his thirties, grew serious as he spoke. "Xiao Yan, the next stop will most likely be the Three Major Families of the Third Ring Domain."

"Originally, that place belonged to the Shen Family."

Yan Jing nodded. "I know."

His tone was very calm, making it impossible to see through his thoughts.

President Zhao smiled and raised his head to look at Yan Jing. "When I went to find you yesterday, Ye Liu thought I was going to make a move against you, so she tried every way to stop me."

"Because she felt I couldn't beat you."

"Her judgment might be correct—just perhaps. But what she didn't know is that regardless of whether you can beat me or not, you cannot make a move against me. At least not right now."

"That person places a heavy emphasis on political achievements. Therefore, she will absolutely never allow the incident from a few years ago to happen again. Everyone currently in positions like mine was personally selected by her."

"If you make a move against me, then she will make a move against you."

Throughout all of this, Zhao Qianling never mentioned the Mu Family that had ruined Shen Youran's household.

But every single word was implicitly about the Mu Family.

If Yan Jing couldn't make a move against him, then naturally, he also couldn't make a move against the Mu Family. This was a well-intentioned warning.

Yan Jing nodded. "I heard that a few years ago, an expert at the Summit came to Yueyin and took away a member of Zhoulin. Do you know the specifics of that incident?"

"The specifics, huh—"

Zhao Qianling lifted his head, looking out at the airport through the massive floor-to-ceiling window, and let out a soft, distant sigh. "There is a gap in strength even among those at the Summit."

He stopped there, having made his point.

But the meaning couldn't have been more obvious.

That expert at the Summit who had come to Yueyin was stronger than Yueyin's domain lord—and highly likely by more than just a little margin. Thus, they forcefully took the person away.

"In truth, that person in charge of Yueyin really valued that kid from Zhoulin back then."

Zhao Qianling smiled. "The world out there is vast, Xiao Yan. Once you have the strength to step out of Yueyin, you'll see. A great era is about to descend upon both worlds, and this generation is destined to leave a magnificent footnote in the annals of history."

"Thank you for the advice, President Zhao."

Yan Jing bid farewell to Zhao Qianling. In fact, he already had a premonition, which was why he had been preparing all along.

Even if he couldn't be the strongest, he needed the ability to protect himself amid the turbulent currents.

If he couldn't beat the others even with his cheats, then he deserved to die.

The flight from the Fourth Ring Domain to the Third Ring Domain took significantly longer than the trip from the Fifth Ring Domain to the Fourth Ring Domain—roughly eight or nine hours.

Yan Jing sat cross-legged and meditated in his private room on the plane.

This method helped train one's control over weird energy, and Yan Jing was currently using it to rein in his own distracting thoughts.

He felt that these few days of relaxation had been extremely useful for him. Compared to the days of frequently entering and exiting dungeons, his state of mind had gradually calmed down, allowing him to reevaluate his current role-playing.

He had also discovered many of his own shortcomings.

Ultimately, during this role-playing stint, his state of mind had actually been polluted by the various vile and rotten affairs within the Peace Heavenly Kingdom.

Even though he seemed aloof and calm on a normal day when witnessing the exploitation of anthill residents or the filthy internal affairs among them, acting as though none of it concerned him...

In reality, there was still turbulence in his heart.

This turbulence caused him to sink deeper and deeper. It had taken considerable effort, and only through his conversation with Boss Rat did he seemingly resolve it.

But in the end, his ideological clash with Papa Rat had caused this hidden danger to detonate completely.

Having finished his meditation, he let out a long sigh and lay down on the bed.

There were still some things he hadn't figured out.

There were still some things he couldn't reconcile.

"Time will resolve everything, Xiao Yanzi. Questions will always have answers."

Shen Youran's words echoed in his ears. Yan Jing exhaled deeply, retrieved a book from the space opened by the Crown, and began reading.

Parent-Child Relationship

Yan Jing read this book very slowly. He had only just finished the introduction and was preparing to start the first chapter.

A few sentences left a deep impression on him:

"Everyone should realize that the bonds bestowed by blood can be a tie, but they can also be a poison."

"Perhaps for any parent-child relationship, the most important priority should be learning to distinguish between what is love and what is not."

"Do not project universal values onto the emotions shared between family members."

Yan Jing read attentively as time flew by.

Just two hours before the plane was scheduled to land, Yan Jing suddenly sensed something. He switched into the Inner World, assuming the perspective of Mao Si.

At this moment, the idling Mao Si was staying at home.

Compared to the chaos of a few days ago, the current Peace Heavenly Kingdom was significantly quieter.

It wasn't because the problems had been resolved, but rather because the spread of the mutation had entered its next stage.

Quite a few people had already lost their mobility. Their original hands and feet had gradually turned into roots and stems. Although their consciousness remained—and they could even manipulate some stems and leaves to retrieve objects or swipe on their phones—they were ultimately severely restricted.

The only thing to rejoice about was that this disease genuinely had no lethal symptoms, and those who had transformed into plants could still speak and make sounds.

On the Information Component, Quan Dazhong constantly gave impassioned speeches on stage, boasting about how much manpower, resources, and medical aid he had invested. However, because the phenomenon hadn't improved in the slightest, the calls for him to step down were growing louder and louder.

His core argument was that everything happening now had been caused by Mao Si and Luo Sheng colluding with humans; as long as they were eliminated, all the problems would be easily resolved.

He also released a video showing the exact process of Yan Jing killing the two Seventh Rank experts.

On the other side, Crocodile, who had been successfully elected as a congressman of the Heavenly Kingdom, had taken a completely different path.

First, he comforted the public, stating that even if they turned into plants, it didn't matter. They wouldn't lose their lives, but would instead transform into a lifeform akin to a Plant Species.

Furthermore, he told everyone that if some ultimately transformed into this so-called Plant Species, they should be accepted and embraced.

Finally, he revealed his own arm, displaying the signs of plant transformation on it.

Of course, he also stated that he would do everything in his power to hunt down the culprits.

Compared to Quan Dazhong's rhetoric, this combination of moves hit right at the public's pain points.

Right now, the residents were worried about nothing more than a few questions:

Would they die? What would be the final outcome of this "disease"?

If they didn't die, would they still be accepted?

If they were accepted, wouldn't it be even better if their leader was also a so-called Plant Species?

Anyone who had ever scrambled their way through the political arena could see that Crocodile was being guided by someone behind the scenes.

Especially when Yan Jing saw the plant transformation on Crocodile's arm, he couldn't help but sigh in admiration at how capable Papa Rat was.

Naturally, Yan Jing hadn't returned to the Peace Heavenly Kingdom this time for any of these things.

It was because of a recently published news bulletin—

"The Heavenly Kingdom has captured the accomplice of these criminals, Zeng Qing."

"We are only one step away from interrogating her to find the criminals' whereabouts."

"Once the ultimate criminals are found, a Heavenly Kingdom Weapon will be deployed immediately."

"In the face of a Heavenly Kingdom Weapon, even an Eighth Tier expert will not escape unscathed."