Soaring Popularity

[Coffin Bro is still an absolute beast, making it into the reserves even earlier than Bro Ao.]

[But Bro Coffin really can come back from the dead, it even gave White Tiger a scare.]

[Doesn't anyone find it terrifying when you think about it? How come there hasn't been a single leak about Chen Guan's ability? It's hidden better than his ID number. Even when asked during casual chats, the Old Thief keeps it a secret.]

[666, there's even a doxing segment.]

[Terrifying to the nostrils!]

[Utterly terrifying!]

"Chen Guan! You..." Su Yuehe was the first to rush over. Seeing the bloodstains on his body and his pale face, she choked up.

"I'm fine," Chen Guan shook his head and looked at the group. An Changqing, Li Yuqing, and the others were injured as well, but they seemed fine overall. Clearly, White Tiger had indeed let them go.

"Where is that man in white?" An Changqing took a recovery potion from his ring, handed it to him, and asked in a deep voice. A powerhouse he had never heard of was no trivial matter.

"He left," Chen Guan replied briefly. "I don't know where he went either."

He didn't share too many details, only stating that he had temporarily bluffed the other party, making him think that killing them would bring more trouble than it was worth, so he left.

He didn't say a word about the Guiyuan Group, Zero Sum, or that fragment of the Guiyuan Token.

Although An Changqing and the others were full of questions, seeing that Chen Guan was reluctant to say more and knowing that this was not a place to linger, they didn't press the issue.

"Let's leave here first and talk when we get back," Li Yuqing said decisively. Her proposal was passed unanimously. Even Liu Xiao no longer insisted; he had merely paid some money, and that little amount couldn't buy the lives of Li Yuqing and Huo Qixing.

Besides, he valued his own life too. It was just a blueprint—important, yes, but not as important as his life.

"Chen Guan."

On the way, An Changqing walked up to Chen Guan and lowered his voice: "That man who called himself White Tiger... is very strong. So strong that even if all of us joined forces, we couldn't block a single serious attack from him. Why would he let us go? What exactly... did you say to him?"

An Changqing's eyes remained as sincere as ever. There was no interrogation, only the concern of a companion.

He obviously didn't believe it was as simple as "more trouble than it was worth."

How could the actions of a powerhouse of that level be so easily influenced by worldly concerns?

His own father was a top-tier powerhouse, so he knew better than anyone that such experts acted without restraint, especially someone with a mysterious identity like White Tiger.

Chen Guan knew he couldn't hide anything from An Changqing's sharp intuition, but he couldn't tell the truth either. After a moment of thought, he whispered, "He was a bit interested in some of my traits, so he just asked about my situation and didn't make things difficult for me."

He didn't mention his immortality, just giving a brief summary.

An Changqing gave Chen Guan a deep look and didn't ask further. Everyone has their own secrets, and Chen Guan's willingness to reveal this much was already a sign of his trust.

He nodded: "Regardless, it's good that we survived. I'll report the existence of that man to the higher-ups of the academy and the association. What do you think?"

"Yeah," Chen Guan replied.

Whether the higher-ups of the academy or the Superpowered Association knew of the Guiyuan Group's existence, he didn't know, but it was much more appropriate for An Changqing to report it than for an observation-period member like himself.

Beside them, Li Yuqing and Huo Qixing were also talking in low voices with solemn expressions. Clearly, the appearance of White Tiger had dealt them a massive blow as well.

Liu Xiao still looked a bit out of sorts. Even though he had accepted the outcome, the alchemy blueprint he desperately wanted was likely no longer there, or perhaps completely destroyed. This expedition had yielded absolutely nothing for him, and he nearly lost his life in the process. He was utterly miserable.

Long Ao walked silently at the very back, occasionally glancing at Chen Guan's back.

The image of Chen Guan blocking that fatal strike for him, and the subsequent scene of Chen Guan being taken away alone only to return safely, completely changed his impression of this companion.

[I guessed in zero seconds who here doesn't have a hidden trump card. You try it too.]

[LMAO, it's a full-on game of Werewolf; no one is simple.]

[Don't laugh, you wouldn't survive the second round either if you tried.]

Watching the drifting bullet comments, Chen Guan's gaze naturally drifted toward Li Yuqing and Huo Qixing. He could guess An Changqing and the others, and Liu Xiao as the son of the richest man made sense too. But now they were telling him that these two upperclassmen they ran into by chance weren't simple either?

Did it have to be this coincidental?!

The journey back felt much longer than the trip there, but fortunately, they didn't encounter any more danger. The small mobs had been cleared out on their way in, and because this area was too remote, there was no good loot, nor was anyone passing through.

When they finally walked out of the mist zone and saw the outline of the temporary camp in the distance, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The camp remained the same, with the Cloud-Piercing Shuttle parked quietly to the side. Instructor Zhao Tie still stood expressionlessly at the edge of the camp. Seeing the seven of them return in such a sorry state, his brow furrowed imperceptibly, but he didn't ask much, only motioning for them to rest as soon as possible.

There were already two teams in the camp that had returned earlier. Seeing their miserable condition, they cast varying glances their way.

After all, everyone in this team was famous, and Li Yuqing and her partner were top-tier experts from the second-year Tianxuan Class. It would be strange if returning in such a tragic state didn't draw attention.

The seven found a corner to sit down and began to regulate their breathing.

No one spoke. There was only the sound of heavy breathing and the faint fluctuations of spiritual energy from digesting their pills.

It wasn't until this moment that their taut nerves truly relaxed. Exhaustion washed over them like a tide. Chen Guan leaned against his coffin, closed his eyes, and began to inspect his current condition.

His physical injuries were mostly healed thanks to White Tiger's pill. Even the fatal gash on his neck from slitting his own throat had disappeared, leaving only a barely noticeable difference in skin color.

His mental energy had recovered somewhat as well, though a sense of depletion lingered. What drew his attention the most was the gray energy inside his body. It seemed that due to this extreme exertion, it had grown faintly, and its integration with his mental energy seemed much closer and smoother.

He tried to mobilize a sliver of the gray energy. The process was still arduous, but slightly smoother than before, and the consumption seemed a bit smaller. This was a good sign.

Next, he silently sank his consciousness into the system space. After the desperate counterattack in the Ancient Pagoda Zone and the life-and-death crisis at the Misty Villa, his Popularity Points had surely skyrocketed again.

[Popularity Points: 25,368]

Over twenty-five thousand points! Chen Guan's heart trembled.

Sure enough, the high-intensity battles, the near-death plotlines, and the confrontation with a mysterious powerhouse like White Tiger had greatly stimulated the audience's emotions.

This was a massive fortune! It was enough to redeem quite a few good items, and moreover, he absolutely had to unlock the forum feature.

He suppressed the urge to spend immediately and opened the store to browse first.