Emperor Like Smoke

"It seems this Mr. Baal is quite generous." After digesting the information, the corners of Chen Guan's mouth curled up slightly. Although this uninvited tenant was dangerous, he was not the purely evil demon that rumors made him out to be.

He was actually quite humane.

The next day, at the library.

Chen Guan had his usual chance encounter with Su Yuehe here. She closed the book in her hands, waved, and greeted him.

"Good afternoon."

Chen Guan took his own book and sat down opposite her. The library was very quiet in the afternoon; perhaps because it was mealtime, there was no one else around.

"Good afternoon." Su Yuehe looked at him and suddenly asked, "Which club do you want to join?"

Chen Guan looked up in surprise. He hadn't expected Su Yuehe to ask him this question, but he still answered, "I haven't decided yet. However, Senior Li Yuqing invited me to join the Star Patrol Club yesterday."

"Did you agree?"

Chen Guan answered openly, "Not yet. I originally wanted to ask about your plans first."

Su Yuehe didn't hide anything: "I plan to join the Secret Society."

Chen Guan wasn't surprised by this answer. Su Yuehe's supernatural ability destined her to walk the path of exploring the unknown for her entire life.

"This little girl is quite unusual."

A familiar voice suddenly echoed in his mind. His brain worked quickly, and Chen Guan soon realized that it was Baal speaking.

Although he could multitask, he still couldn't maintain normal external activities while his consciousness entered his mental space to converse with Baal.

Fortunately, Baal didn't play the riddler demon and started muttering to himself, "It's as if she is split into two parts. In terms you can understand, her spirit and her spiritual power come from two different people."

Two different people...

A brainstorm brewed in Chen Guan's mind. He had read a lot of books recently, cramming a vast amount of miscellaneous knowledge into his head. In an instant, he could think of many possibilities.

Possession? Body snatching? Dual personalities? For a member of the main cast, no bizarre situation was too surprising. If a protagonist didn't have something strange going on, could they even be called a protagonist?

The last honest guy was Long Ao, and he had been kicked into the villain's ranks.

Seeing his sudden silence and empty gaze, Su Yuehe called out softly in confusion, "Chen Guan?"

"Oh, sorry, I just thought of something else." Chen Guan quickly gathered his thoughts, suppressing Baal's words to the bottom of his heart, and his face returned to a calm expression. "The Secret Society... yes, it really suits you."

He paused and added, "However, although the Secret Society's activities don't involve fighting and killing, they can sometimes be even more dangerous. You need to be careful."

Chen Guan speculated that neither An Changqing nor Long Ao would join the Secret Society, so Su Yuehe would be alone there. Because the Secret Society's full name was the Secret Arts Club, dealing with hidden mysteries often made it easier to pay a painful price.

Everyone was an independent adult; no one would easily change their development path and choose a club that wouldn't help them.

Feeling his concern, Su Yuehe nodded. "I will. You, Changqing, and Long Ao will go to the Star Patrol Club, so you guys must pay attention to safety too. The Star Patrol Club's activities are generally more thrilling."

"Thrilling is good, it suits me." Chen Guan smiled.

The two chatted a bit more about their recent cultivation experiences. The atmosphere was relaxed and harmonious. Chen Guan still admired Su Yuehe's knowledge; unlike a half-baked amateur like him, she was a true top student.

Taking in her demeanor, Chen Guan cared a bit more about Baal's words in his heart. Su Yuehe normally looked incredibly normal, a very standard childhood sweetheart figure.

...

A few days later, the club recruitment month officially opened.

Su Yuehe got her wish and joined the Secret Society. As a student of the Tianshu Class, no club would reject her.

On the other side, Chen Guan found An Changqing and Long Ao.

"It's club recruitment month, what are your plans?" An Changqing spoke first. As the top student, he had recently received countless olive branches, but he had temporarily declined them all.

"I haven't decided yet, but Senior Li Yuqing invited me to join the Star Patrol Club earlier." Chen Guan repeated what he had told Su Yuehe.

"Star Patrol Club?" Long Ao raised an eyebrow. "That guy Qin Wu's club? Their strength isn't bad, and the missions are quite thrilling. I actually find it a bit interesting."

Long Ao and Qin Wu knew each other. They grew up in the same compound and were about the same age. They used to compete a lot when they were kids, but they gradually drifted apart as they grew up.

Now that the old days were brought up again, he was truly eager to give it a try.

An Changqing pondered for a moment. "The Star Patrol Club is indeed the academy's top combat-oriented club. They have broad resource channels and many mission opportunities. It's very helpful for improving strength, so it's quite good."

He looked at Chen Guan and Long Ao. "You two are taking the practical combat route, so the Star Patrol Club really suits you."

Long Ao grinned. "I have no objections, as long as it's a place with a lot of fighting. That guy Qin Wu... if there's a chance, I really want to spar with him again. I actually miss it a bit."

Suddenly, Long Ao thought of something. "What are your rankings on the Hidden Dragon Leaderboard?"

An Changqing checked his terminal. "Ninety-nine."

"...Just how many private gigs have you taken?"

Long Ao said gloomily. There were two ways to get on the Hidden Dragon Leaderboard: completing missions or doing PvP combat.

It was obvious that An Changqing hadn't let go of either method, grabbing at both. However, Long Ao could understand. After all, An Changqing was a man who aimed to become the student council president. To be the president, one first had to be on the leaderboard.

He himself wasn't in a hurry to get on the board. He would either stay off it entirely or aim for the top ten.

He didn't even think about first place; first place was held by someone who was absolutely impossible to shake.

Hearing the conversation between these two, Chen Guan opened his terminal. He hadn't checked the Hidden Dragon Leaderboard rankings yet. For a chill, easy-going freshman like him when it came to missions, it would be a miracle if he made it on there, so naturally, he didn't pay much attention to it.

The number one spot had a very conspicuous name—Liu Ruyan.

Was Great Emperor Ruyan involved too?

Driven by curiosity, Chen Guan tapped on Liu Ruyan's avatar.

The densely packed resume inside could be called luxurious, but... why did the age seem a bit off?!

From the corner of his eye, Long Ao caught a glimpse of Chen Guan's terminal screen and said, "Liu Ruyan was a student from ten years ago. She has been held back a grade ever since. You don't need to care too much about her."

An Changqing nodded in agreement. He hesitated to speak, but finally said simply, "In short, just pretend this person doesn't exist in the school. The number one spot is absolutely impossible to obtain."

Held back... Chen Guan looked at the luxurious data on the screen. If someone like this was held back, then probably no one at Huaqing could ever graduate.

Was it on purpose or by accident?

Moreover, Long Ao and An Changqing looked as if they knew some inside story.

As expected of Great Emperor Ruyan, truly terrifying!