"You and I are one and the same. Itās impossible for me to harm you.
If itās that big a deal, Iāll stop analyzing and prying into your thoughts.
As for the tasks I make you complete, those are part of my core data parameters. I need to collect enough data to better assist you, and they cannot be changed.
A flower raised in a greenhouse cannot withstand the wind and rain.
If you want to grow and become a more powerful Secret Martial Artist, you cannot bypass this step.
As my host, with my assistance, youāll suffer some injuries at most. There will be no mortal danger.
And after completing these tasks, youāll also be trained and grow stronger.
Only by becoming strong enough will you be able to survive when the future world-ending catastrophe arrives."
The young girl spoke calmly.
Her tone was not as stiff as before, but had softened somewhat, as if she were placating Li Yi.
Hearing this, Li Yiās expression was unsettled.
He didnāt believe any of that bullshit about a world-ending apocalypse.
āTo him, it sounded like she was just trying to manipulate him.ā
āIf he could, he would rather not have this so-called assistance.ā
āAlthough he longed to become strong like Hu Qi, he didnāt have any grand ambitions himself.ā
āHaving just enough power to protect himself would be fine.ā
āBut under her supervision, he had become like a robot, forced to do missions every day to collect data for her while also having to constantly cultivate.ā
āHe had less and less time to call his own.ā
āAs he saw it, this defeated the entire purpose of getting stronger.ā
āBut he also understood that there was no possibility of unbinding. According to her, the only way to unbind was for him to die.ā
"Alright, weāve already wasted a lot of time today. Now, I am issuing an advanced mission: collect a..."
Nuo Star, at his side, began to speak calmly, but she stopped mid-sentence. Her gaze shifted to the side, and her tone suddenly grew urgent.
"Warning! High-energy lifeform detected approaching. Extreme danger. Leave this place at once..."
Li Yi was also startled and followed her line of sight.
On the side of the bustling road, a figure had appeared at some unknown time.
It was a tall, handsome young man with sharp, well-defined features.
At that moment, the young manās gaze swept over him, and the corners of his mouth lifted into a gentle smile.
"Li Yi, long time no see!"
"Brother Qi?"
Li Yi paused, slightly stunned.
Ignoring the girlās urging from the side, he took a closer look and instantly recognized the person.
He quickly took a few steps forward.
"Brother Qi, it really is you! I havenāt seen you in a while, and youāve gotten even more handsome. By the way, didnāt Sister Shu say you were in seclusion?"
This person was none other than Hu Qi. As his cultivation increased, his appearance had undergone a world-shaking transformation, becoming as handsome as a god.
However, his current appearance wasnāt that of a god, but had been altered using Twisted Light.
It was the appearance he had back when he was still a Martial Artist.
"I just came out of seclusion, so I decided to take a walk."
Hu Qi smiled, then paused.
His gaze fixed on Li Yi.
"But you... I never expected that in such a short time, youāve not only reached Qi Blood Perfection, but also opened your Essence Element Divine Treasure and become a genuine Qi Blood Smoke Level Martial Artist!"
His eyes were deep, like a tranquil, bottomless pool.
Under Hu Qiās gaze, Li Yi felt as if he were being seen through completely.
"Actually, I..."
Just as he opened his mouth to speak, a voice interrupted him.
"Li Yi, are you trying to expose my existence? I told you not to do this. According to the rules, if you do, you will receive due punishment. I hope youāll think this through!"
At his side, the young girlās gaze was cold. It was as if she had anticipated Li Yiās thoughts, and her tone carried an implicit warning.
Li Yi, who had been about to speak, hesitated, his mouth hanging open.
"I am your unique opportunity. What kind of fool would be stupid enough to tell someone else about their own good fortune? Besides, even if you did tell him, do you really think he has a way to separate us?"
the girl said.
"Shut up!"
Suddenly, a cold shout exploded like a clap of thunder! The girlās expression changed slightly as she looked up.
She saw Hu Qi looking directly at her.
"Weāre having a conversation. Who gave you permission to interrupt?"
At this, the placid expression of the girl in the Lolita dress finally changed for the first time.
It was a look of utter shock, as if she had just seen a ghost.
"You... you can actually see me? How is that possible?"
Her tone was filled with disbelief.
It was as if Hu Qi being able to see her was something completely unscientific.
And in fact, that was true.
She was, after all, a top-tier technological product of the Noki Civilization.
Once inside a hostās body,
she could attach herself to the organismās brainwaves and even simulate its biological magnetic field.
In theory, unless she chose to manifest, it was impossible for any outsider to detect her.
"Brother Qi! Save me!"
Seeing this, Li Yi realized that Hu Qi might actually be able to help him.
Otherwise, this girl named Nuo Star wouldnāt have said so much at once. That, combined with her current expression, clearly showed she was wary of Hu Qi.
His heart steeled, he no longer hesitated. With a miserable look on his face, he explained the whole story on the spot.
As Hu Qi listened to Li Yiās story, a strange expression appeared on his face.
"So thatās how it is. Interesting!"
He had noticed something unusual about Li Yi, which was why he had come over to check.
The young man was, after all, his nominal cousin, one of only two people in this world whom Hu Qi considered close.
As for the other person, it was naturally Hu Lemei.
But when he arrived, he found that the guy was brimming with an incredibly dense Power of Fortune, and he also noticed the little gadget in his brain.
It only took Hu Qi a moment of thought to understand everything.
āHe must have been chosen by this worldās will to be one of the Celestial Fate People.ā
āLi Yi probably received this opportunity because of me.ā
āSince the worldās will couldnāt pull me onto its side directly,ā
āit had distributed the Power of Fortune to those close to me.ā
āI have to say, that was a clever move by the worldās will.ā
āIt was an indirect attempt to drag me into this mess.ā
Hu Qi was noncommittal about this.
Even if Mother Earth wasnāt going to destroy the world,
Hu Qi had no intention of letting her go.
As the source of the Black Blood Species,
whether he killed her or raised her in captivity, either option would represent a huge amount of Modification Points.
He didnāt need to be bound by some so-called Power of Fortune.
But if he really couldnāt win, he would definitely not hesitate to leave Earth Star immediately.
In Hu Qiās value system, nothing was more important than his own life.
Therefore, everything the worldās will had done seemed utterly ridiculous to Hu Qi.
But then again.
To him, the Power of Fortune wasnāt a good thing.
However, for the creatures of this world, the Power of Fortune was something with all benefits and no drawbacks.
This was why he hadnāt interfered the moment he noticed something strange about Li Yi.
After all, an opportunity like this should have been a good thing for Li Yi.
However, as time passed, he realized things were a little different from what heād thought.
Li Yiās explanation completely confirmed his suspicions.
This thing was less of an opportunity and more of a ticking time bomb.
"Host has been detected violating the rules by leaking system information. Administering a Level Three electric shock punishment now!"
Just then, the expression on the girlās face returned to its usual calm, and her tone became icy.
Apparently, Li Yiās actions had completely infuriated her.
"No!"
Li Yiās face changed drastically.
He had tried to resist the missions she issued over this period.
However, in those situations, she would punish him.
For example, a Level One electric shock was enough to paralyze his entire body, while a Level Two could make him foam at the mouth and convulse uncontrollably.
As for Level Three, he had never experienced it, but you didnāt have to be a genius to know it would be much more severe.
This electric shock was released from the nerves within his body. According to her explanation, it was a form of his bodyās own bio-magnetic field.
There was no way to become immune just by increasing his strength, because as his strength grew, the magnetic currents in his body would naturally become stronger as well.
These thoughts flashed through his mind, but it was already too late to stop it.
However, after waiting for a moment, Li Yi was surprised to find that the expected electric shock punishment never came.
Instead, he heard the sharp, panicked scream of the young girl.
Li Yi opened his eyes.
It was as if someone had pressed the pause button on the world around him.
The speeding cars on the road, the falling leavesāeverything had frozen in place. All sound vanished.
At his side, Nuo Starās figure exploded into points of blue light with a POOF and disappeared.
At the same time,
Hu Qi, who had been standing several meters away, appeared before Li Yi as if he had teleported.
The movement was so fast
that even Li Yi, with the powerful dynamic vision of a Martial Artist, couldnāt catch the slightest trace of it.
Ignoring what Li Yi was thinking,
Hu Qi raised his hand and pointed a finger at the spot between Li Yiās eyebrows.
The next moment, Nuo Starās terrified voice suddenly echoed in Li Yiās mind.
"No... You... Who the hell are you?! How can you strip me away?! According to my data analysis, not even the strongest of the Secret Martial Artists, a Refining God Venerable... could do this..."
Her voice, no longer calm, was now laced with a jarring static. She sounded panicked, as if she were witnessing something beyond her comprehension.
Hu Qiās expression was indifferent. He paid her no mind.
The next moment, as his fingertip left Li Yiās forehead,
a hexagonal crystal, the size of a walnut and translucent pale blue, was dragged out from the surface of Li Yiās forehead.
The crystal was not empty; inside it stood a miniaturized version of the young girl.
Her figure was somewhat illusory and unstable, like a distorted data image.
"You..."
She had just started to speak,
when in the next instant, Hu Qi pinched the crystal and popped it directly into his mouth.
As his teeth clamped down, a series of "CRUNCH, CRUNCH" sounds came from the surface of the supposedly illusory crystal.