82: Meng Ke

In a quiet room with elegant furnishings and curling incense smoke, Zhou Yan sat upright beside a small mahogany table.

Opposite him, a pale green gauze curtain hung down, faintly outlining a slender figure behind it, making it difficult to catch a full glimpse, yet adding a touch of mystery.

"I took the liberty of inviting you here, My Lord; I wonder if you might hold any resentment in your heart?"

A female voice drifted from behind the gauze curtain; its tone was like spring water striking jade, melodious and pleasant, yet carrying a hint of languor.

Zhou Yan maintained a smile on his face, but his thoughts were racing.

He clearly remembered that just a moment ago outside, as soon as Prefect Qiao heard it was an invitation from "Miss Meng Ke," he had immediately changed his expression; not only did he stop blocking the way, but his attitude even became somewhat respectful.

As for the others in the venue, it was like a scene of crazed fandom, shouting the name "Meng Ke" with great excitement.

Zhou Yan even caught a glimpse of Xiao Sheng mixed in the crowd, grinning broadly and clapping vigorously, with an expression that said, "Good brother, you've made it."

It was precisely because of this near-blind adoration from the crowd that Zhou Yan suppressed his doubts and decided to come and investigate.

However, the moment he truly stepped into this quiet room and saw the figure behind the gauze curtain, he realized that something major was about to happen.

【???】

It was not incomplete information, nor was it an inability to detect due to too high a Rank; it was three question marks through and through.

Zhou Yan remembered clearly that when he first met Han Wenqing, his panel had also displayed question marks, but that was because the other party's dual panels overlapped, causing the name to display incorrectly.

And those experts he met in the Qingxu Grotto-Heaven who exceeded his own Realm by two major stages still had their Rank and Health Bar displayed on the panel; although they were also question marks, the basic information framework remained.

But for this "Miss Meng Ke" before him, what the panel fed back were pure, empty three question marks with no other information.

Curiosity gave rise to a dangerous thought in Zhou Yan.

If he wanted to confirm her background, perhaps the most direct method right now was... to go up and punch her?

Rather than slowly obtaining information, it would be faster to directly turn hostile.

Once this thought emerged, Zhou Yan immediately began to deduce several possibilities in his mind.

Outcome one: He is lucky, and the other party just happens to possess some special Magic Treasure or Cultivation Technique, which results in her having a more special template, while her true strength might not be much.

Zhou Yan throws a punch, the hidden panel is exposed, he satisfies his curiosity, and also gains the initiative; everyone is happy.

Outcome two: His Luck is extremely bad, and after this punch, the other party's panel instantly refreshes, with a Health Bar so long it could directly poke Zhou Yan to death, and then it's game over.

In a flash, Zhou Yan made his choice.

The smile on his face remained unchanged, and he spoke in a gentle tone.

"Miss Meng Ke, you are too kind; it is my honor to be invited by you."

"I have long heard of your great name; it is like thunder to my ears. I wonder why you have summoned me here today?"

"If there is nothing else, I shall not disturb your peace any longer."

Facing the unknown, Zhou Yan naturally chose a tactical retreat; if one can already see that a treasure chest is problematic, and still bet that it is not a mimic, that is clearly just asking for one's own funeral.

"Why is My Lord in such a hurry to leave?"

The voice from behind the gauze curtain carried a hint of a smile, and that languid tone seemed able to scratch at the bottom of one's heart.

"I do indeed have a few small matters that I hope My Lord can assist with."

Alarm bells rang in Zhou Yan's heart; almost subconsciously, his fingers moved slightly in his sleeve, and a simple profound ring slid from his backpack into his palm.

Touching the cold surface of the profound ring finally made Zhou Yan feel slightly at ease.

"Miss Meng Ke, you are joking. Not to mention that there is a Core Formation Stage expert guarding outside the door, your side is also backed by a behemoth like the Joyous Union Sect, which is full of talented people."

"I am but a mere Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage, with meager cultivation, and I really cannot think of anything I could help you with."

"Hehehe..."

A light laugh came from behind the gauze curtain; the sound was as melodious as silver bells, but to Zhou Yan's ears, it inexplicably sent a chill down his spine, giving him goosebumps.

He had encountered the bubble-voiced, oily overbearing CEO, and now here came another mysterious question-mark woman with a silver-bell laugh.

Could it be that he had really arrived in some female-oriented genre world? How were they all so classic, one after another?

"My Lord, do not belittle yourself."

Meng Ke's voice remained soft, yet carried an unquestionable tone.

"Based solely on the wit and talent you displayed outside just now, you can already be called a Prodigy of this generation."

"For some matters, perhaps it really must be you, My Lord."

Zhou Yan continued to speak toward the gauze curtain while slowly retreating toward the door.

"You flatter me, Miss."

"To tell you the truth, all of that just now was me just bragging."

"I am not 19; I am actually 91, and I am on the verge of kicking the bucket, only managing to step into the Foundation Establishment Stage with the help of a foundation establishment pill."

"And this youthful appearance is merely a facade maintained by taking a special Medicinal Pill."

"Therefore, I am not a Prodigy at all; I fear I will disappoint your expectations. Farewell."

He spoke quickly and sincerely, his footsteps never stopping, only wanting to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible.

However, just as he was about to touch the door, Zhou Yan felt the scene before his eyes blur slightly, like rippling water.

The next moment, he was stunned to discover that he was already sitting back at the position in front of the mahogany table, as if he had never left.

What shocked him even more was that the pale green gauze curtain had already been lifted, and it was empty inside.

And the woman who should have been inside was now sitting opposite him, looking at him with a smile.

Only then did Zhou Yan truly see the appearance of this "Miss Meng Ke."

Beautiful—a beauty that was difficult to describe in words.

Her eyebrows were like distant mountains holding ink, her eyes like autumn waters rippling; her features were so exquisite that they seemed to be formed from the concentrated Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, and every frown and smile was full of captivating charm.

She was shrouded in an otherworldly aura, like a Fairy who did not eat the food of mortals, yet it strangely blended with an ultimate, heartwarming charm.

This charm did not stem from being seductive or alluring, stirring up mundane desires, but was a purer, more Advanced attraction.

It was a kind of attraction that, upon seeing her, one would involuntarily feel a sense of goodwill, surging with an urge to cherish and protect her, unable to bear the thought of her suffering the slightest harm.

Her whole body seemed to be naturally surrounded by a halo of "love," pure and peaceful.

Such beauty was the greatest Zhou Yan had ever seen in his life. If it were a normal person, seeing Meng Ke might evoke appreciation and admiration.

But at this moment, combined with that unfathomable displacement technique just now and the glaring three question marks on the panel, all that rose in Zhou Yan's heart was deep chill and lingering fear.

The other party's strength clearly belonged to the worst "Outcome two" in his deduction.

Moreover, for some reason, Meng Ke's flawless smile always gave Zhou Yan a strong sense of dissonance.

If viewed through the eyes of people in this world, they might only think she was a Fairy from the heavens who had fallen into the mortal world by mistake, out of place with this world.

But Zhou Yan, who came from Blue Star, found a more appropriate description.

Damn, why does this sister look so much like an "Alternate"?

That's right, it was that kind of feeling where she appeared perfect, but always seemed to lack a bit of authentic "human flavor," like someone carefully imitating humans but always revealing a non-human essence in subtle places.

This feeling was indescribable; if one had to make an analogy, it was like playing a virtual game full of NPCs and suddenly seeing someone whose behavior and appearance were no different from an NPC, but you could intuitively recognize at a glance that they were a "Player" in disguise; that kind of abruptness.

At this moment, Meng Ke gave Zhou Yan exactly that kind of feeling.

That peerless face, that warm halo, that aura that seemed full of universal love for all things in the world, were all like an overly perfect "skin suit," covering some indescribable essence beneath it.

Zhou Yan subconsciously gripped the profound ring in his sleeve.

Calculating rapidly in his heart, he no longer planned to use the trapping array, but instead intended to directly use that life-saving Sword Seal, though he did not know if that Sword Seal would actually hold up.

Recalling that trapping array, even just unfolding it without activating it, its inherent effect was enough to trap and kill a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator.

And even if Zhou Yan were not outside the array but inside it, it could keep him safe.

Compared to the trapping array, that Sword Seal, which appeared to have a higher gold content, should be fine, right?

Meng Ke seemed to notice Zhou Yan's subtle movements; she covered her lips and laughed softly, and as her eyes turned, a scroll painting appeared out of thin air in her hand.

She gently unfolded the scroll with her slender jade fingers; it depicted Zhou Yan's appearance vividly, with a few lines of small text beside it.

"Qingxu Grotto-Heaven Reserve Holy Son, Northern Territory Prodigy Ranking, head of the Earth Ranking, hailed as the number one Northern Territory Prodigy of this generation."

"Zhou Yan."

Meng Ke reached out her fingertip and tapped the person on the painting, looking at Zhou Yan with a smile; her tone was soft but carried an unquestionable certainty.

"Is it you?"

Zhou Yan froze instantly upon seeing that painting.

This feeling of being "doxxed" made his scalp tingle, and his face twisted uncontrollably.

He suppressed the stormy waves in his heart, trying hard to control his facial muscles to squeeze out a smile, but the result was that half his face was smiling, while the other half remained eerily calm, looking extremely awkward.

He let out two dry laughs, attempting a final struggle.

"A sudden Awakening of talent."

"An unexpected, heaven-shaking Opportunity."

"Can create a bunch of Prodigies out of thin air."

"I just happened to be a bit luckier and took a little more, so this is purely a rumor, Miss, don't you think?"

Meng Ke still wore that flawless smile, and she shook her head gently.

"I have asked my teacher for instructions; he gave me nine verification methods. If all nine verification methods fail, then I will personally send you out."

"If they succeed, it means it is Heaven's will, and you are indeed a Prodigy."

She paused, then posed a question to Zhou Yan.

"The first point of verifying a Prodigy: talent is high enough, and strength is strong enough."

"That was all just Luck, just Luck."

Zhou Yan did not know what verification methods she had, but he could only continue following what he had said just now.

"So, did you luckily defeat the Child of Destiny, who is known for having great Luck?"

Oh, he had been set up.