Forge a path to success.

Chapter 13 The Devil's Message
Old Man Huaisu walked into the room and sat down on a soft, cotton-like chair.

The room was unusually bright, with the azure sea reflected in the transparent walls. The room's structure was hemispherical, like a pearl submerged in the deep sea. Old Man Huaisu lowered his eyes, coughed a few times, and a shocking crimson stain appeared on the back of his paper fan.

"Ji Qiufeng, are you crazy?! Your body is in such poor condition and you still dare to use your Heavenly Eye? Aren't you afraid of staring me to death?!"

With a rustling sound, a small white snake crawled out from the corner, its mouth emitting a rapid, urgent female voice, just like that of a worried young housewife. Ji Qiufeng raised his hands in surrender, and the white snake coiled itself tightly around him, hissing at him.

"I didn't move my qi and blood, I just opened my eyes a little," Ji Qiufeng gestured, "at most, I let out a trace of spirit."

The white snake was taken aback: "A mere hint of ambition allowed him to see the path to advancement?"

"Isn't that terrifying?" Ji Qiufeng laughed. "Back then, before we entered the sect, we had to cultivate at the foot of the mountain for three years, practicing boxing and chanting scriptures day and night, before we were qualified to receive guidance from our master without collapsing. But that child didn't even need my guidance; he could uncover the mystery from his aura with just one glance."

The white snake muttered under her breath, "Just like Huaisu..."

“Excessive talent is a curse.” Ji Qiufeng shook his head. “Such people are destined to be extraordinary, and their lives will inevitably become intertwined with the trends. His hometown, Dust Island, is a place that is not even willing to reveal its way. Even with such strict guarding, it was still swept up in the trend by the summoning incident. It can only be said to be fate.”

"Pay back your life? Haven't you always been someone who doesn't believe in fate?" the little snake sneered.

“I’ve had a slight belief ever since I found Huaisu.” Ji Qiufeng gazed at the sea outside the wall. “I’m pondering the book that brought him to this…”

"It's amazing you still remember." The little snake bumped his head repeatedly. "It's been two days and you still haven't burned that book. I was starting to think you'd been infected by heretics."

“You told me before that these mystical things only work in the hands of the ‘original owner’,” Ji Qiufeng said thoughtfully. “Let’s wait and see if there are any surprises, and also see what kind of person this child is… The situation is bad now, and they want to use the tentacles of outsiders.”

"What a terrible joke. So tasteless." The little snake turned its head. "I'm going swimming. Don't get yourself killed."

After the little snake left, the light in the room disappeared, and countless transparent eyes opened in the azure water outside the wall.

Those were the phantoms of imaginary demons, not just a few, but as numerous as a school of fish. They stretched out their tentacles wantonly, clinging tightly to the transparent wall, as persistent as sharks that had caught the scent of blood. Behind the chaotic phantoms, a huge and murky light spread silently, and some filthy entity was stirring restlessly.

"Go, go," Ji Qiufeng waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing away flies. The phantoms outside the wall retreated, as if even demons could feel fear.

Then, a clear white light rippled in the water, and a long dragon soared up, roaring as it leaped into the water. Its roar dispersed the illusory image like bubbles, and its arrival restored the water's clarity. However, the thing in the distance that coveted the city remained unharmed, only temporarily retreating.

Ji Qiufeng sank into the soft chair, slowly exhaling, blood seeping from his lips again.

The little snake was overthinking it; he wouldn't die, nor could he afford to. The fate of this precarious city hung in the balance; the day the city lord closed his eyes would be the day Huilong City was destroyed.

·
Chu Hengkong returned to his room in a daze. He hadn't heard what Ji Huaisu and Jie An had said to each other earlier. His thoughts were filled with bizarre and magnificent images—those fantastical worlds, those powerful and mysterious creatures—they swirled in his mind like an inextinguishable storm, making him want to scream.

He needed to expel the information, to extract it from his mind; otherwise, he couldn't think straight. When he came to his senses, Chu Hengkong had already grasped the pen, scribbling ink across the blank pages of the silver-eyed giant book. Initially, several circular "dots" appeared, then straight "lines" connected them, and highly abstract outlines emerged beside the dots. There were three lines connecting the dots, three non-intersecting main branches converging at the top. When he stopped writing, the structure was complete; the dots connected by the lines resembled the branches and leaves of a giant tree, or a long staircase leading to heaven.

The path to transformation.

Chu Hengkong laid down his pen and lay on the bed. The turmoil in his mind subsided, and even the hallucinations faded, disappearing without a trace with a breath. It was as if everything he had seen flowed forth with the ink, transforming into an abstract "road" on the pages of the book. Mr. Ji was right; after experiencing it firsthand, no one would doubt that the magical road truly existed, even lying right beside him.

Drawing a path is useless; he won't understand what he's drawn, let alone know how to get there. He needs to be taught, learned, and explored—like a child studying a textbook, like an apprentice practicing stances…

apprentice……

Chu Hengkong felt a sense of loss. He had always faced life with the attitude of a strongman, unafraid of challenges and unconcerned about his future. He possessed martial arts skills and strength; even in the shadows amidst violence and gunfire, he was a powerful figure who could control his own destiny. But everything changed after he transmigrated. Here, he was no longer the invincible assassin; his strength was even inferior to that of a young girl.

He indulged himself in the sense of loss for half a minute, and then asked himself: So what?
It's just another step on the path to becoming stronger.

The sense of disappointment was burned away by his fighting spirit, replaced by a surge of battle will and curiosity. Chu Hengkong sat up abruptly, his mind sharp. He needed to seize the time to become stronger. Even in this mere Huilong City, there were no shortage of wanted criminals with a single point of strength (Level 1), so the dangers of the world outside the city were unimaginable. If he lacked even basic power, what would he talk about in the future—life and freedom!

The most urgent task is to obtain detailed information about the "Path to Ascension," and ideally, the techniques for navigating it. Consulting those demon-possessed individuals is probably useless; even if they extract knowledge, it's highly likely to lead to a maddening "evil path." The most reliable option right now is to learn from Old Man Huaisu, who is willing to teach. He made it clear before he left that to advance this path, you need results… you need to take on as many targets as possible, but wanted criminals won't willingly walk into a trap… Besides results, they'll probably also value your attitude; perhaps you should hand over the Silver Eye Book to show cooperation… but at least that thing can be used as a can opener; without it, you're left with only three pitiful relics… and you haven't even had time to authenticate that sticker from today…

Chu Hengkong felt a little helpless; he had never been good at planning. He casually opened the Silver Eye Book, intending to take notes and organize his thoughts like the clever people.

The large book was opened, and Chu Hengkong's gaze froze on a certain spot. He clearly remembered that this book had no content except for the inner pages, but this time when he flipped through the book, he saw unfamiliar words.

The strangely appearing text was printed on the blank page with the "bookmark" inserted; the silver font was elegant and delicate, but the format was strangely familiar:

[Sticker-type basic relic - water bullet]

Rating: Bottom-tier

【Origin: Mysterious Realm of Senluo - Huilong City】

[Effect: Shaking generates a water bullet; its hardness depends on the level of emotional intensity]

[Longing: A madman from out of town plunders the workshops, encountering a demon called "Self-Deception." The madness that draws him to the demon stems from the truth he hears in Bize.]

"..."

Chu Hengkong pondered. Even as a newcomer to this place, he could tell that this was an appraisal of relics. Compared to Mrs. Ansa's simple explanation, this book's appraisal included entries for "place of origin" and "longing." The Senluo Secret Realm seemed to be the region where Huilong City was located, while "longing" seemed to refer to the original owner's experiences.

He picked up the sticker and shook it; a transparent "pebble" appeared in front of the blue sticker—a water bullet just as described. The effect seemed fine, but as for the rest…

Just try and you will find out.

Chu Hengkong turned to the next page and placed the energy-charging bracelet on the blank page. This time, he watched as the silver liquid seeped from the page, forming new words. At that moment, he felt a dryness on his tentacles; as the words increased, the slime at the tips inexplicably decreased.

...Could this tentacle be a "pen" for writing?!
Chu Hengkong's expression was strange as he tried his best to suppress his wild thoughts. At this moment, the new appraisal article was completed.

[Bracelet-shaped basic relic - Power Accumulation]

……

【Origin: Shura Island - Thousand Days City】

[Longing: Hugos is possessed by the "Impatient" demon. He was in such a hurry to collect the quest bracelet that he forgot to check the workshop owner's appraisal certificate.]

The original content was the same as Mrs. Ansa's assessment, but the new entry provided more interesting information. Hugos came with a mission to cause trouble, and he wouldn't use the bracelet because of the influence of the Desperate Demon... What a useless fool! No wonder the "workshop owner" only gave him one relic.

Chu Hengkong examined the pages of the book and the bracelet. He was too lazy to think about the principles of the appraisal—there were plenty of absurd things in this world—but instead pondered how to use it.

First, he won't need to go to the workshop for authentication anymore. Second, assuming the Silver Eye Book is genuine, he'll gain access to the "information" of its former owner. Intelligence is always invaluable; these memories provide the former owner's reasons for action and some unknown interpersonal relationships. Now that he needs to catch a wanted criminal, how should he use this book…?

Chu Hengkong stared at the silver eyes on the cover for a few seconds, a smile appearing on his lips. He had come up with a brilliant idea.

·
The next day, early morning.

"Captain Huaisu, are there many unsolved cases in Huilong City?"

"Nonsense, every city has tons of these kinds of messy debts... Why are you asking this?"

The assassin, clutching the large book, smiled brightly: "I'd like to see the Resurrection Unit's evidence archive."

(End of this chapter)