Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Does Jia Keke have time to prepare some food for us? A lavish spread would be best—today is worth celebrating."

Before a surprised Wen Li could say a word, Professor Fu, playing the host, had already turned to his research assistant to confirm the catering standards.

"Of course. I'll go arrange it right now."

Ji Liushuang, who had opened her eyes the moment Wen Li dropped her Mythical Form, smiled and gave a firm nod.

"Thank you... though I could have someone arrange it."

Not expecting Professor Fu to host dinner, Wen Li quickly thanked Ji Liushuang as the assistant got up to make the arrangements, then softly added her own offer.

"Don't worry about it. You still have other things to do."

Fu Qian waved a hand, gesturing for her not to stand on ceremony.

It was completely unsurprising that Wen Li also had people to handle her daily affairs.

"It will take a little while for the food to arrive. Do you still have any strength left?"

With that settled, Fu Qian pointed at the hand Wen Li had just shifted into her Mythical Form, then pointed at his own chest.

"If you do, try attacking me. Full strength."

What?

The evaluation wasn't over yet? Professor Fu actually wanted her to use him as a punching bag?

Startled once again, Wen Li quickly recalled his durability and true Rank.

"It's definitely exhausting, but I can still manage it..."

Putting aside her needless concern, she quickly picked her worries right back up.

...

So it really was complete immunity. From now on, he would just keep the Black King Bar active even when he slept.

By the time his research assistant returned, Wen Li was already panting slightly.

Stroking his rapidly healing wounds, Fu Qian reached a conclusion.

Although Wen Li had only just reached the High Tier, and he himself was now a genuine Demigod following his recent adjustments, the gap between them wasn't actually that vast.

The results proved this point. Her fearsome-looking claws had indeed left gashes on his body, and of a rather considerable size at that.

His earlier remark that she now possessed the strength for close-quarters combat hadn't been empty praise.

Under these circumstances, however, the signature effect of her Mythical Form hadn't manifested in the slightest.

Watching the sky outside gradually darken, Fu Qian felt a profound sense of the peaceful years; being severely beaten had changed nothing—and it had been multiple beatings, at that.

"Good work. Rest up and have something to eat."

Seeing that Wen Li was struggling to hide her fatigue after cooperating with the test, Fu Qian didn't push her any further, gesturing for her to sit and rest.

"All right."

Even though she had clearly just been cooperating with a test of her own abilities, it felt a bit odd to have him thank her for the hard work.

But faced with Professor Fu's completely unfazed demeanor, Wen Li was too shocked to fuss over the details and earnestly settled down to rest.

Fortunately, pushing herself to the absolute limit had become a common occurrence ever since she met him, and she had built up some resistance to it.

"Do you need to change your clothes?"

Classmate Liushuang, on the other hand, seemed to have recovered quite a bit. Seeing Wen Li resting her eyes just as she had done earlier, she whispered while gesturing at Fu Qian's body.

"Oh? Do we have any here?"

Fu Qian followed her gesture and glanced down at himself.

His wounds had almost entirely healed, but for the sake of appearing natural, he had kept the conjured leather jacket in its torn and damaged state.

"Yes... I brought back a few outfits on my way in. I left them in your room."

Ji Liushuang pointed upstairs, her tone completely natural.

For a research assistant, she was proving to be remarkably thoughtful.

Not only had she reminded Professor Fu of his wardrobe issue, but she had even taken the initiative to solve it for him.

Though when she sized up his leather jacket, her expression had been rather peculiar.

Come to think of it, Wen Li had reacted similarly when she first walked through the door earlier, discreetly giving it a few extra glances.

It probably wasn't a matter of fashion. Both women had likely deduced exactly where this outfit had come from.

"All right."

Not standing on ceremony, Fu Qian signaled that he would be right back.

...

It was obvious that Classmate Liushuang had put a lot of thought into selecting the clothes.

While striving to match her boss's usual style, she had also brought a varied selection to give him options.

Unfortunately, Fu Qian had always been rather casual about such things. He picked an outfit with a single glance and took a quick shower while he was at it.

Yet, even with his efficiency, a pair of visitors had already arrived by the time he came back downstairs—though they weren't from Linghui Courtyard.

"Chief Yuan, Dean Li... are you looking for Professor Fu?"

A somewhat surprised Ji Liushuang immediately greeted them.

"Have you eaten dinner yet?"

Sparing his research assistant any further trouble, Fu Qian stepped off the stairs right on cue, smiling at the Dean of the Sword Comprehension Institute and his good friend.

"We have. Yours looks quite lavish, though. Is today a special occasion?"

The uninvited guests were led by Yuan Fang, who seemed to be in excellent spirits, chuckling as he marveled at the extravagant spread.

"Yes. We're celebrating Wen Li's advancement to the High Tier."

Dispensing with pleasantries, Fu Qian casually gestured for them to sit and replied naturally.

...

What?

At that moment, both Yuan Fang and Li Weixuan—who had just been studying Wen Li with a thoughtful expression—looked taken aback.

But a moment later, their reactions aligned perfectly.

Faced with such a shocking educational achievement, they didn't immediately offer their congratulations. Instead, their sharp gazes shot straight toward her in unison.

"I've already checked her over. There are no issues."

Fu Qian's expression didn't change as he smoothly added the clarification.

Naturally, it wasn't that the two men were jealous of talent, unable to stomach the rapid rise of the younger generation.

Yuan Fang had been right there to witness it when Wen Li refused his invitation and chose to continue her advanced studies in Linghui instead.

And Li Weixuan—who was just one final step away from officially taking office as the Dean of the Academy—was even less likely to be ignorant of this guest student's situation.

The reason the two of them suddenly turned so serious was clearly because they thought of the training department backing her.

Such an achievement was undeniably rare, but Linghui's previous achievement was still fresh in everyone's memories...

Such an absurd rate of advancement made it hard not to trigger their crisis radar.

"That's good to hear. I must say, it's absolutely astonishing."

The sheer weight of Professor Fu's evaluation made itself apparent.

Seeing the man who had personally executed Ian offering such a direct and firm endorsement, the tension in the room dissipated almost instantly.

Li Weixuan and Yuan Fang exchanged a glance, visibly breathing a sigh of relief.

"So, is there a specific reason Chief Yuan came over so late?"

Once the two men finished exchanging pleasantries with Wen Li, who had cautiously stood up to greet them, Fu Qian cut straight to the chase.

"It's nothing too urgent, actually. It's mostly about the prior investigation. The personnel from the Benevolent Curse Institute have already pulled out... And Excellency Stoss and Madam Su set off earlier today to report back."

"They left in such a hurry?"

Expressing his surprise at the news, Fu Qian's immediate thought went to the harvest Su Gao had reaped during their previous exploration.

He had told her beforehand that there was no need to hide it. This astonishing efficiency was likely related to that very fact. However—a moment later, Fu Qian thought of something else and sighed inwardly.

Su Gao still hadn't returned the Ring.

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