Bai Jun finally breathed a sigh of relief after confirming the details and learning that his younger sister was unharmed.
However, his unease lingered.
This inexplicable attack had reminded him of something troubling. He spoke solemnly into the phone to Gu Yan on the other end: "Gu Yan, the assailant... was probably after the half-piece of Dragon King Jade my sister carries."
"Dragon King Jade?"
Gu Yan feigned surprise. "But didn’t Qiong Lan already hand that half-piece over to me? That news should have spread by now..."
Bai Jun replied softly, "After that day, I made sure to suppress any possible leaks."
"So, no one in Jianghai knows the jade’s ownership has been transferred to you."
He then pleaded earnestly, "Gu Yan, I’m begging you—the attackers will definitely come after my sister again."
"I can’t return right now. You’re the only one who can help me. Please, Gu Yan."
"Protect my sister."
Gu Yan responded, "Bai Jun, there’s no need for such formalities. Your sister is like my own, and besides, Qiong Lan is my sister-in-law’s best friend."
"I won’t let any harm come to her."
"Good. Thank you."
Bai Jun was deeply moved. In times like these, Gu Yan truly proved to be the most reliable. "By the way, how’s Old Gao doing?"
Lin Yinyin was still immature—he worried she might struggle in the department.
After a brief pause, Gu Yan replied, "The boss is fine."
"Her strength speaks for itself. She hasn’t faced any real setbacks."
"And the inspection team wouldn’t let outsiders provoke Lin Yinyin."
Hearing this, Bai Jun felt reassured.
After a moment’s thought, he quietly shared some insider information with Gu Yan: "Also, Gu Yan... earlier, I was actually in a meeting."
"The topic was... whether to initiate universal martial awakening."
"From the looks of it, the proposal will most likely pass."
"When that happens, the world will change drastically. I’m not sure if I’ll even be able to return."
"If I don’t make it back, Gu Yan, I’m counting on you to test Qiong Lan’s martial potential and get her into the Jianghai branch as a support staff member."
Unless absolutely necessary, headquarters would never reveal the existence of martial practitioners to the public.
If they were making it public now, it could only mean the world was on the brink of upheaval.
The incidents at the Fifth Forbidden Zone and the Night King had already claimed too many martial practitioners.
Keeping it hidden any longer might lead to the world’s destruction.
On Gu Yan’s end, a strange glint flickered in his eyes upon hearing this.
Heh. He had thought he’d need to stir up more trouble to achieve this, but now things had conveniently fallen into place.
Returning to the conversation, he feigned surprise. "Universal martial awakening? Isn’t that too sudden?"
"Not sudden..." Bai Jun’s voice dropped to a whisper. "We’ll talk more later. My phone is specially encrypted—only I can trace these calls."
"Gu Yan, what I just told you is critical. Don’t breathe a word of it until headquarters makes the official announcement."
"Understood."
Click.
The call ended.
Gu Yan pocketed his phone, a faint smirk playing on his lips.
Time to make preparations.
January next year?
He checked the date.
Huh.
The new year was almost here...
Time really flew.
......
That night.
A new member joined the ranks of Hope’s Light.
In a spacious, pristine underground laboratory:
"Do you like it?"
"A customized array lab, just for you."
Gu Yan led Ling Fa, who was carrying bags of belongings, into the space.
After a day of internal struggle, Ling Fa had decided to leave the department and join Hope’s Light.
He had taken all the ancient array manuals from the sixth floor of the library.
At first, he had been nervous.
But the moment he stepped into this array laboratory with Gu Yan, he was instantly captivated.
The walls were adorned with intricate array patterns, each detail gleaming with a delicate silver sheen. The symbols seemed alive in the dim light, faintly resonating with the central master array.
"That’s the control hub for this array lab."
Gu Yan patted Ling Fa’s shoulder and pointed to the center, where a circular console embedded with gemstones and runes served as the core of the entire laboratory’s array system.
Sophisticated equipment and transparent crystal tubes crisscrossed the space, carrying streams of multicolored liquid—essential energy sources for array experiments.
The surrounding instruments and monitors hummed softly, emitting faint beeps.
Nearby, a precision array engraver automatically carved complex patterns onto special mineral slabs, each stroke brimming with latent power.
"Follow me."
Gu Yan guided Ling Fa toward the console.
He placed his hand on the console and said, "By channeling qi into the control panel like this... this array laboratory will reveal its true purpose."
As his words faded—
Hummm!
The surroundings began to shift.
The original lab dissolved, replaced by a vast, open plain.
Ling Fa was stunned. "A... spatial array?"
And one integrated into the console? Just how advanced and precise must the craftsmanship be to achieve this?
"This is the testing ground—for experimenting with large-scale output arrays," Gu Yan explained.
"And then..."
With another shift in the scene—
In an instant, the surroundings darkened. Ling Fa and Gu Yan now stood in a shadowy forest shrouded in crimson miasma.
Roar!
The growls of beasts echoed around them.
Ling Fa's expression changed as he spotted the source—various demonic creatures sealed inside transparent containers!
Gu Yan clarified, "This is the specimen chamber."
"To preserve their ferocity, the environment was designed this way."
"Anyway... there’s much more for you to explore on your own."
The scene reverted to the laboratory.
Then, Gu Yan turned to Ling Fa, whose face was alight with awe and excitement, and said, "Join us, and all this will be yours."
"But in return, you’ll have to give up something important to you."
"For example... your life and death."
Gu Yan opened his palm, revealing a writhing, tentacle-like tendril.
Ling Fa swallowed hard, staring at it. Then, without hesitation, he grabbed it and shoved it into his mouth.
"Nothing matters more to me than researching arrays!" he declared fervently. "I’m in!"
Gu Yan chuckled. "I knew I wasn’t wrong about you."
With a nod, he added, "Then, I formally welcome you to the Light of Hope."
"And the first task I need you to undertake is..."
"To develop a spatial array capable of containing the entirety of the Light of Hope."
Ling Fa didn’t hesitate. "Give me time—I’ll make it happen!"
......
......
Leaving Ling Fa alone in the lab, Gu Yan stepped outside.
Night had fallen.
Old Gao, who had been waiting, approached. "Young Master, the patriarch called. He wants you at the company tomorrow morning."
"The company?" Gu Yan was taken aback. Why so suddenly?
Old Gao nodded, then lowered his voice hesitantly. "It seems... it’s about the transfer of shares."
"Young Master, you might be inheriting the position of Gu Family head sooner than expected."
Gu Yan: "?"
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
+【Epic Battles!】 "Your Highness, they say Linxi Temple is miraculous. Won’t you make a wish?" "A wish? It should be making wishes to me." "That may be so, but since you’re already here..." "..." "Fine. Then grant this princess a consort to play with." "He must be obedient, devoted, and utterly infatuated with my body—so much so that he’d kneel and kiss my feet." "Your Highness, that’s not a consort. That’s a dog." "Then add clever, witty, heroic, ambitious yet pragmatic..." "Hmm, that’s enough for now. I’ll add more later." After tossing out these words half in jest, Princess Anle departed the temple—only to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Bodhisattva statue smiling at her. Meanwhile, Yang An, fresh out of university, was having a very bad day. Good news: He’d transmigrated into another world with a cheat granting tenfold combat power. Bad news: He’d immediately fallen into the clutches of a certain villainess. Good news: Said villainess possessed peerless beauty and royal status. Bad news: She was absolutely monstrous!!! In the frozen wilderness, Yang An knelt beneath Qin Guo’er’s feet, drenched in sweat despite the cold. Desperately clutching her porcelain-perfect foot—the very one poised to crush his throat—he could only think: How do I survive this?! Need answers NOW!
