Chapter 53 Nightmare Under the Night

[Late night, 11:00 PM.]

[You have finished your evening work as a teaching assistant.]

[You wave goodbye to Liu Xiyue, who has a complex look in her eyes, and the group of students who are reluctant to see you go.]

[Closing the door, you shut out the hustle and bustle.]

[You do not rest immediately.]

[Instead, you pull a theoretical book titled "Elemental Attributes and Human Secret Treasuries" from the bookshelf.]

[You pour yourself a glass of water.]

[Sitting at your desk, you continue the train of thought that was just interrupted by Liu Xiyue.]

["Regarding the Yuan Wu Dharma Gate..."]

[Your fingers lightly tap the windowsill, and your eyes appear exceptionally clear in the night.]

["Once the cult incident is successfully resolved."]

["I must try to have an in-depth exchange with Liu Xiyue, or perhaps Great Grandmaster Zhao Zongtian."]

["The Profound Water Spirit Body is a top-tier Physique; ordinary Federation General-Purpose Methods might not be suitable."]

["I need a top-tier Cultivation Technique that perfectly aligns with the Water Origin, one that can even support me in advancing beyond the Soaring Realm."]

["As a prominent family in Sea City, the Liu Family might possess rare ancestral manuscripts."]

["And as the Director-General of the Investigation Bureau, Zhao Zongtian has resources as vast as the sea."]

["I must secure at least one of these two leads."]

[Having cleared your thoughts, you drink the water in your glass in one gulp.]

[You head into the bathroom to wash away the sweat from your body.]

[Ten minutes later.]

[You lie on the bed with your hands behind your head, your legs swaying unconsciously.]

[This is a rare moment of relaxation for you.]

[You begin to recall everything that has happened.]

[After four full simulations—from the first time dying miserably in ignorance, to the second time of bitter cultivation in the ruins.]

[To now, holding trump cards and even daring to enter the fray as a chess player calculating against the cult.]

["Finally... I will have the chance to truly step into the Origin Opening Realm."]

["And that Ability Rating Test, that is also a crucial link."]

["Something that should have been completed in the last simulation was ruined by that damned Heart-Eroding Cult."]

[Thinking of this, a flash of severity crosses your eyes, but you quickly calm down.]

["No rush, it'll be soon."]

["Everything is currently within the plan."]

["I have intelligence, and I have that unpredictable Grandmaster Zhao overseeing things from behind."]

[A cold smile curls at the corner of your mouth as you think to yourself.]

["When the time comes to pull in the net."]

["Grandmaster Zhao's iron fist will let those rats hiding in the gutters know what it means to regret coming into this world!"]

[You roll over, preparing to do as you usually do.]

[Review today's martial arts progress one last time in your mind, and then begin your late-night Hiding the Edge Cultivation.]

[However, just at this moment—]

[Something eerie happens.]

["Thump!"]

[Your heart suddenly skips a beat.]

[An unprecedented drowsiness hits you like a tide without warning.]

[This isn't the drowsiness brought on by physical fatigue, but a heavy sensation as if your Soul is being forcibly dragged.]

["What's going on..."]

[A momentary gap appears in your consciousness.]

[Your originally clear thoughts rapidly become Chaos and blurred.]

[You try to mobilize your blood Qi to flush your brain, trying to use pain to stimulate your nerves.]

[But your eyelids feel like they weigh a thousand pounds, completely beyond your control.]

[Only a few seconds pass.]

[Your eyes, which usually sparkle with the light of shrewdness and vigilance, finally close under the overwhelming weight.]

[You fall into a deep sleep.]

[And almost the instant you close your eyes, you begin to dream.]

...

[Meanwhile.]

[Inside the faculty apartment, there is dead silence.]

[Only the wall clock makes a faint ticking sound.]

[The moment your breathing becomes even, the shadow by your bed suddenly undergoes an unnatural, violent tremor.]

[A slender, pitch-black figure leaks out from the shadow dimension like black liquid.]

[It silently coalesces by your bedside.]

[Cold Kite takes off her tactical mask, revealing a cold and beautiful face.]

[Except right now, her brows are tightly knit together.]

[She extends a hand wearing a specialized tactical glove and lightly presses it against your forehead.]

["Hum—"]

[A soft, cyan glow of Yuan Qi emanates from her palm as she cautiously probes your condition.]

["Something's wrong."]

[Cold Kite's gaze instantly becomes sharp.]

[From the moment you began to feel drowsy, she keenly sensed that something was amiss.]

[She perceived an extremely abnormal fluctuation in your mental frequency.]

[It was a fluctuation that had been forcibly smoothed and suppressed by an external force.]

[For Cold Kite, who had accompanied you closely and observed you from the shadows for countless days and nights...]

[This was a very, very strange occurrence.]

[She knew you too well.]

[Li Ang was a person who seemed gentle but was actually a super workaholic who was incredibly ruthless to himself.]

[The words "early sleep" simply didn't exist in his dictionary!]

[For someone as freakishly energetic as you, eleven o'clock at night was only the beginning of your nightlife.]

[There was still the Coiled Dragon Post Stance to hold, the Eight Extremes Fist to practice, and ten thousand sword draws to train...]

["How could this kid possibly be sleeping now? Could he even fall asleep?"]

["He just went straight to sleep? Without even turning off the lights?"]

[Something definitely went wrong!]

[Cold Kite immediately increased her Yuan Qi output and meticulously checked your body.]

[She didn't even miss the extremities of your Meridians.]

[However, the results only left her more confused.]

[No poison, no internal injuries, and your blood Qi was flowing steadily and powerfully.]

[After a careful examination, she didn't find any physiological problems.]

[Li Ang seemed to have truly just simply and suddenly fallen asleep.]

[Cold Kite looked puzzled, and her cold, elegant face gradually took on a grim expression.]

["An invisible enemy is the most dangerous kind."]

[She made a prompt decision and was about to use a secret method to contact Zhao Zongtian to report the situation.]

[Just then.]

["Hum—"]

[A vast and gentle Divine Thought directly crossed through space.]

[It echoed deep within her mind.]

[It was the voice of Zhao Zongtian.]

["Don't be anxious, Little Leng."]

[The old man's voice betrayed no emotion, yet it carried a reassuring calm.]

["The 'Heart-Eroding Cult' has finally lost their patience and made a move."]

["Made a move?" Cold Kite asked in her mind.]

["Indeed. If I am not mistaken, this should be the 'Mental Suggestion' method that Li Ang mentioned before."]

[Zhao Zongtian's voice became low. "Li Ang has been far too dazzling over the past half year."]

["With the talent and Heart-Nature he has displayed, entering the 'Twin Stars' after the Martial Arts College Entrance Examination is basically a certainty."]

["Think about it, such a commoner Genius with a clean background and extraordinary talent."]

["Once he grows up, he will definitely be one of the new banners for the Federation's commoner Martial Artists."]

["Moreover, he is the Orphan of a Martyr."]

["The Heart-Eroding Cult wants to infiltrate; on the side of the great families, they have Liu Xiyue as a plant."]

["On the side of the commoners, they've set their sights on Li Ang."]

["They have a hidden piece in the family factions, and they can also establish one among the commoner geniuses."]

["Betting on both sides, supporting each other like the horns of a bull."]

["Hmph, they've certainly planned this well!"]

[Zhao Zongtian's tone carried a trace of chilling frost.]

["These cult brats..."]

["Their insidious and low-handed methods are truly endless!"]

["If not for Li Ang's advance warning, and if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes."]

["It would indeed be hard to imagine that they could cast their net so early and so deep!"]

["Then what should we do now? Should I wake him up?"]

[Cold Kite looked at the young man on the bed with his brows tightly knit, feeling somewhat worried.]

["No. We will beat them at their own game."]

["I know what I'm doing; that Restriction will transform the cult's Mental Suggestion."]

["He will be fine."]

[Zhao Zongtian said coldly, "It's almost time."]

["Let these beasts enjoy themselves for a few more days."]

["Let them keep dancing and prancing!"]

["Only when the fish has bitten the hook firmly can we catch the truly big fish."]

["The more people that come out, the better! I will wipe them all out in one net!"]

[The voice faded away.]

[Cold Kite silently listened to these words; she could clearly perceive the Great Grandmaster's fury.]

[She withdrew her hand and looked at Li Ang, who was still frowning in his sleep, seemingly experiencing some kind of nightmare.]

[Her gaze became exceptionally complex.]

["No wonder..."]

[Cold Kite sighed in her heart.]

["No wonder this kid was so cautious before, even a bit neurotic."]

["Being in such a dangerous environment, facing such a difficult situation, and being secretly watched by such a massive evil organization..."]

["No matter how cautious one is, even if they are overly suspicious, it is not too much."]

[She remembered the story you fabricated about "finding treasure by the river."]

[She also thought of your killing techniques, which were even more ruthless than those of many seasoned Martial Masters.]

["Li Ang... just how much suffering did you endure to reach this point today?"]

["It certainly wasn't as easy as the story you told."]

["What 'good luck finding a treasure'... these must have been things you traded your life for, right?"]

[Looking at your young face, a wave of indescribable bitterness welled up in Cold Kite's heart.]

["But there is no other way. This is the underlying color of this world; it is just this cruel."]

["Even if you are exceptionally gifted, even if you found a Great Grandmaster of the Human Race as a backer, so what?"]

["You are still not fully trusted, your memories still have to be sealed, and you are still used as bait to fish."]

["Because you are weak, because you have no background."]

[As a Soaring Realm Expert who had fought her way out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, Cold Kite was used to seeing geniuses fall.]

[But at this moment, she felt an expectation for the young man before her that transcended the mission itself—the expectation of an elder for a Junior.]

["Keep it up, kid Li Ang."]

[She reached out and gently tucked in the corner of your blanket, her movements soft, unlike those of a cold Investigator.]

["As long as you pass this hurdle, with your Genius and that almost self-torturing drive for bitter cultivation."]

["There will surely be a place for you among the Federation's high-ranking officials."]

["Remember, you can't rely on anyone in this world; you can only rely on yourself!"]

["Only when your martial arts Realm has improved, only when you are strong enough to ignore the rules."]

["Can you truly control your own destiny and not be toyed with by others at will!"]

[Cold Kite gave Li Ang one last complex look, which contained pity, encouragement, and even more expectation.]

[Then, her figure blurred, transforming back into a pool of thick shadow that slipped under your bed.]

[The room returned to silence once more.]

[And at this very moment, you are having a strange dream.]