After Ling Yun's figure disappeared in front of the small building, a graceful figure slowly emerged from the ground floor of the two-story building. Her eyes, as clear as autumn water, gazed intently at the direction Ling Yun had gone through the opaque glass. She sighed softly, "You didn't even know how to cover your tracks. I have to clean up the mess for you."
A tiny green flame flicked from Gu Xiaorou's fingertip and landed on the corpses of the thin and burly campus police officers. Within seconds, the two nameless assassins disguised as campus police officers vanished without a trace. The only proof that they had been there were two small black marks inside the building.
After destroying the corpse, Gu Xiaorou was about to sink back underground to hide when suddenly her body stiffened. Her feet, which had been embedded in the ground, immediately pulled out, and she gently stomped on the ground. An invisible psychic energy vibration spread rapidly in all directions from beneath her slender feet.
A faint, alluring laugh echoed in the air, and a slender, almost invisible figure seemed to appear in the air, yet remained indistinct and unclear.
"Who are you?" Gu Xiaorou's plain face remained expressionless. A mental energy field condensed around her body, forming a solid protective barrier. Several blurry streams of gas formed a sharp spear, poised to be fired, constantly adjusting its direction as the transparent figure moved.
"And who are you?" the figure asked softly. It was unclear whether her voice was natural or intentional, but it possessed a captivating, alluring quality. Every syllable seemed to carry a bewitching quality. If an ordinary person were present, they would likely be completely lost in her voice.
Gu Xiaorou remained unmoved, her unchanging, ordinary face revealing a thoughtful expression. Suddenly, a silver glint flashed in her beautiful eyes. With a cold, angry shout, a powerful mental field surged towards the slender figure in the air like mercury.
Ling Yun quickly returned to the dormitory. Qin Zhengwei and the other two were not in the room, and it was unknown when they would return. Ling Yun took down the black coat hook hanging in the bedroom, and then pressed the four corners at the back of the hook a few times. The semi-transparent high-end composite lens suddenly opened, revealing a microchip inside that was as thin as paper and only the size of a fingernail.
Ling Yun carefully used his telekinesis to remove the almost weightless chip, then took out an elegant card reader from the drawer. He gently embedded the chip inside. Only then did he insert the card reader into the living room computer and begin browsing the content recorded on the chip. After browsing, Ling Yun uploaded all the recorded content to his private space on the website, then cleared the chip, put it back in the clothes hook, and pasted it back onto the bedroom wall.
After all this was done, it was getting dark. The bright, silvery-white energy-saving lights in the dormitory buildings on the campus of Jinghua University were turned on one after another. Ling Yun changed into casual clothes, silently looked out the window where the light was gradually dimming, and suddenly said as if talking to himself, "You're here, why aren't you saying anything?"
After a slight rustling sound, Gu Xiaorou's exquisitely beautiful figure slowly appeared in the dormitory living room, a hint of surprise on her face: "You were able to find me?"
“I just noticed.” Ling Yun turned around, shrugged with a smile, and said, “Have you always liked to spy on other people? Including when they’re changing clothes?”
"Being able to spot me proves that your strength has improved rapidly, and you should be stronger than Xia Zhen now. How did you manage to do that in just over a month?" Gu Xiaorou ignored the topic of eavesdropping and simply asked casually.
"I've been cultivating diligently," Ling Yun replied evasively in silence. Yu Xiujie was his biggest secret. Although Gu Xiaorou no longer harbored any hostility towards him, their relationship was far from harmonious, so Ling Yun was naturally unwilling to open his heart to her.
Gu Xiaorou stared intently at Ling Yun, a nameless glint appearing in her eyes: "Ling Yun, just how many secrets do you have!"
"I'm really just an ordinary person." Ling Yun smiled wryly. "By the way, thank you for the coat hook and the documents. I have to say, they really came in handy. I just didn't expect my roommate to be so important."
“They are nothing. Even the weakest superhuman is still an insurmountable gap between themselves and the strongest ordinary people,” Gu Xiaorou said calmly. “However, things don’t seem to be that simple. I’ve noticed that other superhumans are paying attention to you.”
"Who is it?" Ling Yun's heart tightened. He hadn't noticed any other superhumans secretly following him, which meant that his perception was not strong enough, which was extremely dangerous.
Chapter Forty-Five: The Supremacy of Power
"I don't know, that person's invisibility technique is very advanced." Gu Xiaorou shook her head and said, "I only found out when I was destroying the bodies of those two campus police officers for you. We even had a fight, but that person didn't bother with me and left quickly."
Ling Yun asked in surprise, "You disposed of the bodies of those two campus police officers for me?"
"Don't you know how to cover up a body?" Gu Xiaorou was also surprised. "If someone finds out and investigates, you'll be in big trouble."
"I forgot..." Ling Yun had a headache. In the battles of the fifth-level barrier, there was really no habit of destroying evidence. The virtual wilderness was already littered with corpses, so why bother destroying them? He had gotten used to it and had even forgotten to do so in reality.
“I truly believe you’re an acquired superhuman now,” Gu Xiaorou sighed. “Be careful, the world of superhumans is completely different from your original world.”
"Thank you," Ling Yun said softly. He could hear the sincerity in Gu Xiaorou's voice.
"Perhaps one day, I will need your help," Gu Xiaorou said softly. "Therefore, you must grow up as soon as possible and have enough power."
"This world is both a simple world where power reigns supreme," her figure gradually faded into the room, "and the cruelest world."
Ling Yun stared intently at the spot where she had disappeared, Gu Xiaorou's last two sentences echoing in his mind: "A world where strength reigns supreme," and "A cruel world." He suddenly understood the profound meaning behind Gu Xiaorou's words. If strength had reached a level far beyond that of ordinary people, then the supremacy of strength became the simplest truth: whoever possessed power possessed the right to speak. At the same time, this also meant the cruelty of dialogue. The peaceful coexistence based on equal strength of the past was gone forever. Having embarked on this path, there was no turning back.
Ling Yun opened his arms and watched silently for a long time before finally sighing, "Actually, I still want to be an ordinary person." Then his figure disappeared from the living room.
Ten minutes later, Ling Yun appeared on a bar street in the western suburbs. The straight-line distance from here to Jinghua University was more than 30 kilometers. Even by taxi, it would take at least 50 minutes to get there, let alone by bus. However, Ling Yun had already learned to use invisibility to travel in the city. He used obstacles in the air as leverage points to jump back and forth at high speed, and soon he would reach his destination.
Of course, this is just the way a beginner-level ability user moves. Someone like Gu Xiaorou with her Earth Escape technique can directly reach any location underground. More advanced techniques can even allow one to fly through the air. Ling Yun hasn't yet mastered advanced Five Elements techniques, which is the main reason he's puzzled as to why Gu Xiaorou, despite possessing such advanced techniques, doesn't have a strong mental field. This seemingly ordinary girl should possess terrifying strength, but in her fight with Ling Yun, she was first ambushed and injured, and then, under Ling Yun's relatively weak attacks, she could only maintain a weak defensive stance and couldn't retaliate. All of this seems inexplicable.
Before the real night even arrived, the western suburbs had already become the center of the city that never sleeps. On both sides of the pedestrian street were rows of bars, KTVs and restaurants with different decoration styles. The luxurious and exquisite store signs were flashing with colorful neon lights, and stereo speakers placed on the side of the door were constantly playing the latest rock music. The brightly dressed girls shouted loudly at the door to attract every customer who wanted to drink late at night.
The pedestrian street was teeming with people, the number of whom had increased exponentially compared to the daytime. Even before nightfall, people seeking pleasure couldn't wait to rush into entertainment venues where they could revel to their hearts' content, spending lavishly for just one night of extravagance.
Ling Yun walked back and forth along the street. There were hundreds of bars, lined up one after another. He wondered which one might be the place to encounter someone like Lao Yao. Ling Yun didn't expect to find Lao Yao directly; as long as he could make contact with people in the underworld, he could follow the clues and find out where Lao Yao was.
After making his selection, Lingyun entered a bar called Nightfall. The bar was luxuriously decorated, with a rich black ambiance that reflected its somber character. Located a third of the way down the street, the ground floor housed KTV rooms, while the actual bar was on the basement level.
At the entrance of the Nightfall Bar, two young women dressed in dark blue denim miniskirts greeted Ling Yun with smiles, "Welcome, handsome!" and warmly opened the door for him to enter.
As soon as I stepped into the basement and pushed open the bar door, a wave of warm, humid air mixed with the smell of sweat hit me. The bar was almost completely silent, despite every seat being occupied. The deafening rock and heavy metal music drowned out all other noises. Smoke was freely allowed inside, and the thick smoke blurred everyone's vision.
Anyone can feel the somber yet frenzied atmosphere in the bar, where it seems all desires can expand infinitely, blurring the boundaries of emotions and making them difficult to define.
Ling Yun walked past a row of tables occupied by young men and women, their faces flushed from drinking. A young man with bleary, drunken eyes looked at Ling Yun with ill intent, deliberately stretching his legs out over the road, trying to provoke this seemingly honest boy.
Ling Yun smiled slightly in acknowledgment, raised his foot and gently stepped over the young man's leg, walking towards the counter.
The young man was taken aback, then looked at Ling Yun's back and smiled disdainfully: "Coward!" But immediately afterward, a powerful foot kicked his calf, which had not yet retracted, causing the young man to stagger and almost fall to the ground along with his chair.
The young man flew into a rage, turned around, stood up, and cursed, "Who the hell dares to kick..." He choked on his words before he could finish.
Four burly men stared coldly at him. The one in the lead, with a fierce expression, sneered and said, "Your dog's legs are blocking the way. If I don't kick you, who will I kick? What, you're not happy?"
The young man's face flushed red. He desperately wanted to use the alcohol as an excuse to yell at the four clearly not-so-friendly men, "Why should I submit to you?" But in the end, cowardice prevailed over his emotions. He slumped down in humiliation under the almost burning gazes of the crowd, gulping down his beer. The surrounding patrons booed, and disdainful whispers rose from their lips: "Coward!"
Four burly men walked past the young man with cold smiles. The young man gripped his cup tightly, his hands trembling slightly. Having just mocked a boy who looked weaker than himself, he immediately became the object of ridicule by those stronger than him—a tremendous irony.
Ling Yun sat on a high stool behind the bar, watching the scene unfold casually, his heart unmoved, yet he felt a deeper understanding of Gu Xiaorou's words. Even among ordinary people, levels are determined by strength. The four burly men were stronger than the young man, so they could be more arrogant and unreasonable, leaving the young man only able to rage but not dare to speak out. If the roles were reversed, wouldn't those who are rich and powerful, wielding significant authority, also be high above ordinary people, possessing rights utterly unequal to those of the common folk? The essence of this world is the supremacy of strength; this applies to those with superpowers, and it applies to ordinary people as well. The difference between them is merely a matter of degree.
Ling Yun wore a thoughtful expression, vaguely sensing certain essential ideas deep within his heart. The supremacy of power is one of the fundamental principles governing the world's development, and this principle also applies to the cultivation of supernatural abilities. Cultivating supernatural abilities is merely cultivating specific techniques, not cultivating the mind. Moreover, the mind cannot directly replace the process of cultivation, but once the mind is formed, the techniques will follow. And the mind can only be cultivated through learning and experience. By chance, and perhaps by luck, Ling Yun grasped the threshold of the mind, his horizons broadened, as if he had stepped into a completely new realm.
Chapter Forty-Six: Drinking Contest
"Young man, what would you like to drink?" A glamorous bar girl approached with a formulaic smile. Her heavily made-up face carried an air of decadence, and her dark green-streaked, frizzy hair looked more like a wig. Clearly, the bar girl wasn't particularly interested in a customer like Ling Yun, who seemed unusually honest and didn't appear to be wealthy; she simply asked a few questions.
"One stout, one Cointreau, and two glasses of premium Chivas Regal." Ling Yun thought for a moment and recited the underworld contact code that the burly campus policeman had taught him.