179: Chapter 179 An Unsettling Mission

The atmosphere between the two in the center grew increasingly tense.

"Mu Changqiu... has no one ever told you that you're a real show-off?"

"So what if I am? My strength is greater than yours..."

As he spoke, the oppressive aura of a Rank Six Esper erupted from Mu Changqiu. What was even more impressive was that he controlled this pressure perfectly, directing it solely at Qian Mo; no one else, not even Xing Yaoyan who was standing very close to him, felt the slightest discomfort.

"That might have been true before... but now..."

Xing Yaoyan suddenly felt something and glanced at Qian Mo. She could sense the golden patterns on the skin beneath the boy's clothes seem to flicker for a moment.

In the next instant, his expression became incredibly relaxed, and his movements were no longer as stiff as they had been.

"That's it?"

A somewhat arrogant smile played at the corner of the boy's lips.

"What!"

Mu Changqiu was shocked. Generally, the spiritual power intensity of a high-rank Esper was far superior to those of lower ranks, yet this boy could completely immunize himself against his spiritual pressure. This was unheard of, even terrifying...

A strange ball of light suddenly appeared in the palm of the hand Mu Changqiu had been holding behind his back; this was his Superpower.

He could no longer quite gauge the depth of Qian Mo's strength...

However... he'd know for sure after one more try!

The surroundings suddenly seemed to fall silent...

"Changqiu..."

"Hello, Principal!"

Mu Changqiu abruptly clenched his hand, extinguishing the ball of light, and the spiritual power fluctuations on his body's surface vanished instantly. He then turned quickly and greeted the middle-aged man standing behind him with eager respect.

"Mhm... you've just returned. Keep a low profile and stop bullying your juniors like you used to..."

After nagging him with a few instructions, Yun Long turned his gaze toward Qian Mo.

"You, kid... not bad."

Having said that, his figure vanished from the spot instantly.

The surrounding crowd resumed their heated discussions as soon as he left.

However, the focus of the discussion was no longer on the three people in the center, but had shifted to the mission board that was about to open.

"Whoa! Even the Principal showed up this time. It looks like something big is really happening."

"Let me tell you, I just got some inside info—it seems Kyoto is under lockdown right now!"

"Holy crap, man, is that info reliable..."

...

Some of the whispers reached Xing Yaoyan's ears.

She felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

Seeing Mu Changqiu still waving with a forced smile toward the direction the Principal had left, she quickly seized the opportunity to lean in and whisper in Qian Mo's ear.

"Qian Mo... do you know some inside information? Today's missions aren't ordinary, are they..."

"Cough... they are indeed very unusual, but from the looks of it now... they seem even more so..."

Qian Mo scanned the surroundings with a sharp gaze, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper.

"And? Don't just stop halfway!"

Xing Yaoyan was a bit annoyed. Why did it feel like everyone around her was always acting all profound, as if they knew everything but just hated speaking plainly?

She thought listening to an old charlatan like Senior Hu Wang was frustrating enough, but now it turned out everyone had become 'Hu Wang-ified'!

"Oh... Young Miss Xing Yan, see, this kid is up to no good. He's deliberately being vague just to tease you!"

Mu Changqiu's voice came from her side.

This time, Xing Yaoyan couldn't take it anymore and gave him a harsh glare.

"I say, big brother, can you stop circling around me like a bee? You keep buzzing non-stop, and it's really annoying me."

She crossed her arms and waved him away dismissively.

"Young Miss Xing Yan... you're so cruel... what does this kid Qian Mo have that's better than me... I..."

"Shut up!"

A golden light flared in her eyes, and a massive Demonic Power accompanied by wind pressure erupted outward.

"First, I'm simply annoyed by you. Second! He and I are just ordinary friends. If you dare talk nonsense again, I'll tear your mouth apart!"

"Fine, I'm shutting up!"

Mu Changqiu's expression changed instantly, losing every bit of his previous aggrieved look. It seemed he was just testing how far her relationship with Qian Mo had gone.

At the thought of this, Xing Yaoyan gritted her teeth in embarrassment and anger again. Although she claimed Qian Mo was just an ordinary friend, he had already stolen her first kiss in private! Saying such things was undoubtedly just self-deception...

Beside her, Qian Mo didn't notice the girl's internal turmoil. He just kept staring at Mu Changqiu's smiling Face with a provocative gaze.

He had just recently made significant progress with Young Miss Xing Yan; how could this guy possibly steal her away? Young Miss Xing Yan only said that because girls are thin-skinned about their Face...

[Ding! Host, you seem to be acting more and more like a simp...]

"System! If you have nothing good to say, don't say anything. It's only called simping when you have no capability. For someone capable like me, it's called mutual affection, okay?"

Suddenly, a serious and solemn voice rang in everyone's ears.

Simultaneously, every display screen in all of Kyoto switched images, replaced by Yun Long's grave Face.

"An emergency notice: Starting now, Kyoto will be under martial law for one week. All residents please stay indoors and do not go out. Dedicated personnel will deliver daily necessities to you."

Right after this brief announcement, the display screen in the Mission Hall flickered. In the next moment, countless missions were listed from top to bottom in a dense row—there were actually over a thousand of them upon closer inspection!

What made everyone's throats go dry was that many missions had the suffix "Rank Unlimited" added to them. This meant that even those freshmen who were only Rank Two or Three could participate!

This was truly a first!

Almost everyone was shocked, including Mu Changqiu, who seemed to have seen many big scenes, and the geniuses from the Hidden Dragon Pavilion.

Xing Yaoyan didn't care about all that. She scanned the screen rapidly until finally... she saw the words that made her uneasy—

Mission 980: Assist the Security Bureau in capturing hidden Star Beasts.

Reward: 5,000 points plus 10 credits;

Requirement: Espers of Rank Four and above.

"Not good! I have to notify Moss and the others!"

But just as she was about to pull out her phone to send a message, her body swayed imperceptibly.

"Damn... it's the Star Soul Ritual! Is there no end to this... again!"