CHAPTER 16

Time quickly came to the legally mandated rest day, and Sheng Qing was very satisfied with the five-day work week and two-day rest system.

Sheng Qing pretended to have inquired about the precautions for leaving the city from the Qin siblings by chance, and decided to wait until the sun went down before setting in order to avoid being noticed.

The city gate was guarded 24 hours a day, so Sheng Qing chose to climb over the city wall under the cover of darkness.

The recent intensive training in wood elemental power finally came in handy. Seeing that no one was around, Sheng Qing had a thought, and then a sapling that appeared out of thin air quickly grew and carried her slowly up to the top of the wall.

Then, he secured one side of the branch to the city wall, while using the other side to wrap around his body and slowly descend to the outside of the city.

After walking for about ten minutes, Sheng Qing stopped in a small grove of trees.

There shouldn't be many people or monsters passing by on this road normally. I carefully circled my location with the power of the metal element and then added other elements to enhance my defense.

The silver moon hung high in the sky, its bright light pouring down, passing through the gaps between the leaves, and finally casting dappled shadows on Sheng Qing.

With preparations complete, Sheng Qing sat down, leaning against the tree formed by the power of the wood element. He closed his eyes and carefully sensed its power.

My mind wandered for a while, and I felt that familiar yet strange aura constantly moving, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, through the cramped space.

"Come here," Sheng Qing carefully led, as if opening a valve somewhere, and that aura suddenly emerged and flowed along the body's meridians.

Sheng Qing's ears twitched slightly. The grove, which had been filled with the chirping of insects, suddenly became eerily quiet, and even the sound of the wind brushing against his cheek stopped.

Suddenly opening his eyes, he was met with a dense array of bizarre creatures blocking the golden circle, their scarlet eyes and pervasive greed and malice seemingly able to penetrate his body.

Sheng Qing's breath caught in his throat. If the defenses hadn't been so well-prepared, the monsters outside the circle wouldn't have been able to detect what was happening inside. Without a doubt, those monsters would have charged in and dismembered him.

However, this also proves that the exotic fragrance emanating from that aura is not limited by the defensive circle formed by elemental power.

However, Sheng Qing is no longer the novice he once was. These are all monsters he is familiar with from the monster-killing system, and killing them is a piece of cake for him.

But that was not the purpose of this trip, and Sheng Qing had no intention of causing any more trouble.

I took a deep breath, calmed my mind, closed my eyes and tried to find that feeling again. I fumbled to guide my breath back into that cramped space, and then turned off the valve.

When I opened my eyes again, the monster was like a headless fly, wandering aimlessly around the golden circle.

After a while, they dispersed.

Sheng Qing got up to leave when she suddenly felt a cold, sticky gaze fall on her. She turned around warily to check, but the gaze vanished abruptly, as if it were a hallucination.

Is it a hallucination?

Worried that his earlier commotion might attract the attention of the guards in Mengcheng or some unknown monster, Sheng Qing cleaned up the scene efficiently, planning to move to a different location and try again a few more times.

Sheng Qing found an open space by a pool, set up a defensive perimeter according to the previous steps, and then closed his eyes.

Repeating a single action multiple times can form muscle memory. Similarly, constantly exploring and guiding that special energy to freely enter and exit that confined space within the body should also form mental memory.

With his mental energy fully focused, Sheng Qing seemed to have finally figured out a way. Whether it was drawing out or introducing something, this attempt was much smoother than the last.

What is that? A cold touch came from between my eyebrows and eyes.

He opened his eyes alertly and looked around. He was still sitting safely inside the golden circle. Contrary to his usual behavior, the area outside the circle was not surrounded by monsters.

Could it be that we're too far from Montreal and have unintentionally attracted some powerful monsters?

A strange sense of fear rose in Sheng Qing's heart, but he didn't rush to clean up the scene.

Raindrops began to fall lightly from the clear sky. Sheng Qing touched the area around her eyebrows and eyes, which was now slightly damp.

Could it just be rainwater?

In any case, leaving as soon as possible is the safest option. Sheng Qing didn't hesitate any longer and quickly fled. Then, he used the same trick again and returned to Mengcheng.

Sheng Qing hadn't expected that guiding his breath would be so mentally taxing, and he ended up sleeping until 2 p.m. the next day.

Even after sleeping for so long, Sheng Qing still felt dizzy and lightheaded. He ate something and then fell into a deep sleep again.

When I woke up again, it was getting dark outside the window; it was already dinnertime.

Sheng Qing was torn. Should she try again tonight? Would she be unable to get up tomorrow?

But time waits for no one. Maybe we should just practice once today and come back sooner?

Sheng Qing changed into his night clothes and chose a direction completely opposite to that of the previous night to climb over the wall and leave Mengcheng.

Sheng Qing deliberately added an extra layer of protection to the protective circle before he was satisfied and began meditating.

The ancients were right; indeed, practice makes perfect. In just over ten minutes, Sheng Qing found the aura by relying on his spiritual memory.

This is a remarkable improvement compared to the average speed of half an hour last night.

Something was coming. Sheng Qing clearly sensed that it passed through her defenses with ease, as if it were nothing.

I felt a series of cool sensations on my eyebrows, temples, cheeks, and even neck, as if I were being brushed by something soft and flowing.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

Sheng Qing forced himself to regain his breath and tried to open his eyes.

Oh no! We've attracted something really terrible.

I can't open my eyes!

Not only that, his entire body seemed to be frozen in place, completely unable to move. Sheng Qing's forehead and back were covered in a dense layer of cold sweat.

Strands of hair were drawn by a strange current and brushed against her earlobe, followed by a captivating voice in her ear.

"Let it out, and be good."

His tone was gentle, yet carried an irresistible air of authority.

Hallucinations, hallucinations, it's all my fault for practicing too much that I'm hallucinating.

Sheng Qing tried his best to calm himself down and ignore the oppressive force.

"Disobeying me?" Like a devil's temptation, the voice rang out again.

The moment the words fell, Sheng Qing clearly felt the pressure become stronger, making it hard for her to breathe.

It felt as if my body would be torn apart, blended together, reshaped, and then torn apart again in the next second. Over and over again.

You can't fight against yourself. You have to give in when you should. Sheng Qing stopped resisting and tried to find that aura.

Perhaps it is in dire straits that one's potential is more likely to be unleashed. This time, it only took Sheng Qing a few minutes to successfully draw out his aura.

What is that?

Sheng Qing felt as if something flashed through the space where the aura had temporarily lingered, and the originally cramped space became more spacious.

Before she could think any further, Sheng Qing felt as if her body was sinking into the sea. No, perhaps "swamp" or "muddy swamp" would be a more accurate description.

He lost consciousness, and his soul seemed to be drifting back and forth to some kind of rhythm.

After an unknown amount of time, Sheng Qing finally regained control of her body.

When I opened my eyes, I was still sitting cross-legged in the same spot, with my beard and tail intact, but my whole body was soaked in sweat, and my hair was messily stuck to my cheeks and neck.

Why can't I sense any aura anymore? Sheng Qing was surprised and tried to close her eyes and enter a meditative state. The opening for aura to enter and exit was still open, but the aura was nowhere to be seen.

Was it stolen? Sheng Qing moved his consciousness to that special space, where only a thin layer still stubbornly clung to it.

Sheng Qing didn't know whether to feel fortunate or disappointed.

After closing the exit, Sheng Qing opened her eyes.

When I tried to get up, I realized that my body was completely weak, and I didn't even have the strength to stand up.

I slumped down and lay down, and it took me half an hour to feel a little better.

"Should I check the aura again?" Sheng Qing closed his eyes, and within a few minutes, he moved his divine sense back to that special space.

Huh?

In just half an hour, a shallow pool of water appeared again, flowing freely.

What exactly is this thing that keeps generating?

Every hot spring has a source, but where is that source located?

I searched carefully for a long time, but couldn't find a similar place.

Perhaps this place needs to be made bigger so that we can see clearly. Sheng Qing suddenly had an idea.

Well, today has been eventful enough.

If that terrifying monster were to return, I'm afraid I'd lose my life here.

The journey home was unusually smooth, but Sheng Qing, after washing up, dared not sleep deeply. So the next day, she brought a pair of black circles to the training ground.

"Where did you go all weekend?" Qin Feiyan teased with a smile. "Look at all those dark circles under your eyes."

"So your leisure time is so colorful!" Qin Feiyu said with a troubled expression. "Unlike me, I'm forced to do part-time jobs to earn extra money." As soon as she finished speaking, she was kicked by her younger sister.

"Shut up!"

"Hehehe." Sheng Qing avoided answering. He couldn't very well tell them that he had been targeted by a powerful monster while practicing a certain skill.

What skills should we practice? It's unspeakable.

Why don't you come to the training camp to practice? It's best not to say.

"What kind of part-time job? Can I join you?" Could it be that she'd taken on a commission? Sheng Qing guessed, trying to change the subject.

Qin Feiyan glanced around, then leaned close to Sheng Qing's ear and whispered, "Take on missions from the commission hall, but do them discreetly, without being discovered by the team leader or inspectors."

"Isn't this against regulations? And what are inspectors?" Sheng Qing covered her mouth with her hand and asked softly.

Qin Feiyan shook her head, her gaze falling on Sheng Qing's back, her expression turning serious.

Good morning, Captain.

Sheng Qing turned around and saw Meng Yunxi nodding indifferently in response, so he quickly stepped aside and said, "Good morning."

"Good morning," the other person replied curtly, then looked at me with a puzzled expression before walking away without saying anything.

Sheng Qing rubbed her eyes and couldn't help but yawn. "I'm going to train now, talk to you later."

"A slow bird should indeed fly first," Qin Feiyu blurted out suddenly, then cried out in pain, "Why did you hit me?"

"What do you mean by 'the early bird catches the worm'?" Sheng Qing was puzzled.

"Uh, we've all seen your record. F that one." Qin Feiyan's tone made it seem as if she was the one who received the F.

"But I've already hidden it, how can it still be there?" Sheng Qing felt her cheeks getting hot.

"I don't know who took a screenshot and posted it on the shared channel."

"So what? Who didn't go through that period? But F is a bit... a bit unreasonable."

...

Sheng Qing was on the verge of tears. Who the hell was responsible?

But for now, all we can do is rage helplessly.

Sigh, I guess I'll just have to go train properly.

As soon as Sheng Qing logged on, he saw the message bar jumping around wildly.

Meng Yunxi only sent one message: "Ignore it and focus on training."

"OK."

Has he heard about it too? Sheng Qing felt like she was making him lose all face.

Then came encouragement from Qin Feiyan: "Keep it up! Sheng Qing, you're the best."

Thank you!

Finally, Qin Feiyu apologized: "I'm sorry, it's all my fault for being so sharp-tongued. Sheng Qing, you're beautiful and kind-hearted, you'll definitely forgive me, right?"

"Uh... I forgive you."

"Sister Shengqing is indeed the best." The other party replied instantly, it seems he had been scolded severely by his younger sister again.

Huh? There's a long list of friend requests in my friend list.

"They're not all here to laugh at me, are they?" Sheng Qing hesitated, and did not approve.

She's very sensitive; praise and criticism are fine, but simple ridicule won't do.

Without hesitation, I firmly refused!

Wait a minute, why not take this as motivation? Their encouragement will help us progress faster.

Sheng Qing carefully clicked the "Confirm Approval" button.

As is customary, Sheng Qing trained in elemental power. For some reason, despite not being in good condition, his touch was surprisingly smooth.

After practicing for two hours, Sheng Qing didn't feel particularly tired or uncomfortable.

After replenishing his water and food supplies, Sheng Qing entered a monster-killing simulation training session.

Before entering the room, the interface showed several IDs of onlookers.

The smoothness of his touch and mental control was eerily surprising, even Sheng Qing himself was startled.

The battle ended in less than twenty minutes.

On the settlement page, the rating displayed as "S" comes into view.

Huh? Sheng Qing blinked in disbelief. She wasn't mistaken; it was a real S. Had she just stumbled upon some incredible luck?

Sheng Qing refused to believe in bad luck and played several rounds in a row, even trying monsters he had never encountered before.

Although it was quite a struggle, they managed to defeat them successfully.

The final ratings on the settlement screen were mostly A, with only one slightly more difficult one receiving a B.

Even so, this is unbelievable.

Sheng Qing recalled the two aura guidance training sessions outside the city. Could the problem lie there?

He then sent a screenshot of today's results to Meng Yunxi.

"I think I'm in trouble..." accompanied by a crying emoji.

A few minutes later, I received a reply from the other party.

"Noon, in the office."

"OK."