Chapter 1 Strange Sound

After Zou Hai closed the door.

Gu Shen, alone and cross-legged on the bed in the attic, fell into contemplation.

"A strange sound?"

He shook his head, didn't think too much about it, and immersed himself in cultivation.

...

...

The patrol sentries of Gubao Fortress walked beneath the giant wall.

The night wind was chilling.

When the two sentries arrived near the attic, a flash of light flickered at the corner.

"Lieutenant."

The two sentries stood at attention and saluted.

"Mm."

Zou Hai, who had left Gu Shen's attic, nodded and quietly instructed, "The front is where Little Gu is resting. Tonight, you should focus your patrol here... If you find anything unusual, notify me immediately."

"Unusual..."

They exchanged a look, the two patrolmen revealing subtle expressions of understanding.

They knew exactly what that word meant.

"He's different from the guests from Central City." Zou Hai frowned and said in a deep voice, "He's a VIP brought by the apostle A'liuer. If he gets injured in Gubao, Her Majesty the Queen will hold us responsible... We will be held accountable!"

The two sentries immediately straightened their backs and responded loudly, "...Yes!"

Zou Hai rubbed his brow, sighed softly, and gradually walked away.

He murmured, "I hope the adults don't let that thing out tonight..."

The two sentries exchanged a look.

They continued their patrol, circling the attic area, communicating with each other using mental power.

"Is that Gu guy... worth this much attention?"

"That guy has amazing guts. He put on a third-tier source armor and dared to get face-to-face with a source energy cannon..." The patrolling sentry said frankly, "Someone who can do something like that isn't a softie."

"So-so, that doesn't really prove anything..."

The mental communication came to an abrupt halt.

The two sentries tensed up, standing at attention on the spot, looking at the "ghostly figure" that had appeared before them at some unknown time... Lieutenant Zou Hai, who hadn't left long ago, had reappeared before them.

"Lieutenant!"

The scene replayed.

The two men spoke respectfully... but Zou Hai just glanced at them coldly, saying nothing.

"Lieutenant, do you have any instructions?"

Facing the two sentries standing at attention.

Zou Hai waved his hand, signaling them to leave quickly.

He had just designated the area around the attic as a key patrol point, and now he was telling them to leave... The two patrolling soldiers were confused, but obediently followed orders and walked away from the attic.

An intense mental pressure loomed over their heads.

It didn't dissipate until they were far away from the attic.

"Old Shu..."

The sentry who had been silent looked around, making sure no one was around, and then asked with lingering fear, "Did you feel that the Lieutenant just now... was a little strange?"

...

...

"Bang."

A very light knock on the door.

Gu Shen, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed in the attic, slowly opened his eyes.

Out of habit.

Gu Shen subconsciously released a wisp of mental energy.

However, at the moment when the Blazing Fire opened its eyes, the golden circlet burst out a scorching pattern, suppressing it tightly inside... After receiving the creation bestowed by the "Fighting God Seat," Gu Shen hadn't used his mental power to explore the surrounding environment for a long time.

But in fact, he was already used to it.

If there was no battle, even if he couldn't use his mental power, it wouldn't have much of an impact.

Gu Shen frowned.

He remembered the warning that Lieutenant Zou had given him before leaving.

["You may hear some strange sounds outside the door, but please, no matter what, do not open the door."]

"Chu Ling, what's outside the door?"

Gu Shen said softly.

"The 'Heavenly Eye' of Gubao Fortress is protected by special permissions, and I cannot fully mobilize it yet," Chu Ling gave a regretful reply.

"Is that so..."

Gu Shen smiled.

He remained seated on the bed, unmoving, paying no attention to the sound.

But then, a second knock sounded outside the door.

"Bang, bang..."

This time, the knocking became much gentler.

Accompanying it was a familiar voice, soft and gentle.

"Gu Shen, it's me, Zou Hai."

Gu Shen narrowed his eyes, got off the bed, and looked through the peephole in the door. He saw a tall figure hidden in the darkness, revealing a face as rough as a beast.

"Lieutenant Zou" had returned.

Gu Shen chuckled softly.

He opened the door, didn't look back, went straight back to the bed, and sat down again.

And "Lieutenant Zou" simply stood outside the door, calmly looking into the room.

"What are you waiting for?"

Gu Shen closed his eyes and asked casually, "The door's open, aren't you coming in?"

And the "Lieutenant Zou" standing quietly at the door, after observing for a few seconds, slowly entered the room.

The moment he entered the room.

With a "thud"!

The door closed.

Gu Shen was still in the meditative posture of cultivation.

He chuckled softly, "No wonder Zou Hai told me not to open the door no matter what sounds I heard... Who would have thought that Gubao Fortress also kept such a peculiar 'extraordinary pet,' which could even cast hypnosis on its own?"

"Roar..."

Zou Hai, cloaked in a greatcoat, let out a low roar in his throat.

He stretched out a large hand.

"Tear!"

He tore off the cloak and threw it at Gu Shen. The two were no more than ten meters apart. The moment the cloak was thrown, "Zou Hai" suddenly moved, his body instantly prostrating on the ground, limbs pushing off, the wooden attic floor shattered by the force!

Wood chips flew everywhere!

And the moment Gu Shen opened his eyes, the black cloak that covered his vision was torn apart by the fierce wind, revealing a ferocious dog face, fangs intertwined, with faint sounds of thunder!

"Boom—"

The dog went straight for Gu Shen.

The entire attic seemed to be filled with wind and thunder!

The young man sitting on the bed was about to be pounced on by the mountain-like giant dog in an instant...

And the next moment.

At Gu Shen's brow, a "vertical pupil" opened with a difficult turn.

"Clang clang clang clang—"

The golden circlet appeared.

Dozens of streamers of fire patterns burst out in an instant.

"At least... I managed to squeeze out a wisp of 'Blazing Fire power'..."

Gu Shen ran two fingers over the vertical pupil at his brow.

At his fingertips, there was a faint flame.

"But it's enough to break the dream!"

The wind and thunder tore apart the entire attic, and a wisp of flame was mixed between the man and the dog. Gu Shen resisted the majestic power, and with a relaxed expression, stretched out two fingers, and the faint flame that could be extinguished at any moment was pressed against the giant dog's brow.

"Roar—"

An angry roar shook the air.

And the entire attic returned to calm like the surface of water.

The mountain-like burly giant dog was fake.

The four walls of the attic were also undamaged, and even the shattered wooden floor was intact as before.

All of this was just a dream. The one casting the dream wasn't an extraordinary, but a Labrador dog that had awakened extraordinary power. At the moment the dream was forcibly broken, the dog was held down by Gu Shen in mid-air, and then pressed to the ground!

With a "boom".

This time, the muffled sound was real.

...

...

"How did you two get here?"

Zou Hai looked grim, staring at the two sentries he had assigned to patrol near the attic.

The two sentries looked blank.

"We..."

Old Shu said with some grievance, "Didn't you tell us to get lost?"

"...?"

Lieutenant Zou's heart skipped a beat, realizing something was wrong.

After the two sentries recounted their previous encounter, he was shocked.

The dog that Lord Lin Lin raised had only awakened "mental power" before, and could use mental power to create some interference during combat... Now, it could create dreams?!

"Crap..."

Lieutenant Zou's expression was very ugly.

He knew too well what that dog had done in Gubao Fortress. Ever since Duke Zhuxue had constantly dispatched guests from Central City, this dog had something to do. It had a brilliant record over the years, and its "glorious deeds" could fill a wall.

For those uninvited guests, what Lord Lin Lin liked to do most was close the door and let the dog out.

Then... lick people.

This dog had considerable "mental abilities," and its only hobby was to evenly smear its saliva on a person. It was said that the Central City sentries who were alone in a room with it received special treatment from psychologists after returning to the city.

This also led to the fact that in recent years, the Central City sentries were unwilling to rush to Gubao.

Even if it was Duke Zhuxue's order.

To go to Gubao as a "guest," then be licked into a psychological shadow by the dog, and finally leave in disgrace.

This was an inescapable nightmare... At first, some sentries tried to break this routine, but unfortunately, none of them were a match for the dog.

Zou Hai immediately looked towards the location of Gu Shen's attic...

It was at this moment that a dull thud pierced through the attic and slowly reverberated.

The sound wasn't small.

...

...

When Zou Hai arrived at the attic with a worried expression.

He never expected to see such a scene:

Gu Shen was sitting on the bed with his eyes closed, obviously practicing a breathing technique... And behind him, a Labrador dog standing upright, clasped its paws and carefully massaged his shoulders.

The expression on the Labrador's face was no different from a human's.

At this moment, its eyes were filled with fear, flattery, and ingratiation.

Zou Hai was completely silent.

This scene was not unfamiliar to him. After awakening its mental power, this dog often massaged Lord Lin Lin's shoulders and legs, trying hard to please him...

What just happened?!

Zou Hai rubbed his brow. He realized that the attic was now quiet, and that apart from the previous loud noise, there seemed to be no other movement.

That muffled sound...

Corresponding to the movement was a large dent in front of the attic bed and dog hair scattered all over the floor.

Okay.

What happened was obvious.

"Little Gu..."

Zou Hai had never felt that speaking was such a difficult thing.

His expression was very awkward.

"Hmm... Lieutenant Zou, you're here again?"

Gu Shen slowly opened his eyes and smiled.

He politely put on an attentive posture.

And the word "again" was very subtle.

"This is... Lord Lin Lin's dog." Zou Hai said with a headache, "The adjutant usually lets it roam outside. This dog has a bad character and is very fierce."

Looking at the Labrador's flattering tongue-wagging, Zou Hai couldn't even continue.

He sighed and asked with a wry smile, "Are you hurt?"

"Ah..."

Gu Shen cooperatively showed a look of realization and said with a smile, "I see... But it doesn't look like a vicious dog to me. It's very skilled at pushing backs and massaging shoulders."

Zou Hai glared at the Labrador.

The latter whimpered aggrievedly, but didn't dare to stop the shoulder massage.

"Okay..."

Gu Shen gently patted the "vicious dog's" head. The latter was relieved, ended the performance, and, under Gu Shen's gentle patting, made a comfortable low growl with exaggerated acting skills.

"Go back."

Gu Shen said these three words meaningfully.

The dog jumped behind Lieutenant Zou, not daring to move.

"Lieutenant Zou, thank you for Lord Lin Lin. Gubao's welcoming ceremony is really special." Gu Shen smiled, "This is the first time I've seen another living being besides humans awaken 'extraordinary power.'"

Zou Hai's expression was helpless, and he said sincerely, "I'm sorry, Little Gu. On behalf of Lord Lin Lin, I apologize for what happened to you tonight. We will train this vicious dog properly."

...

...

"Woof woof!"

"Woof woof woof!!"

"Woof!!!"

The barking in the study was interrupted by a very impatient slap. The thick-skinned Labrador dog shrunk its neck, huddled in the corner, rubbing its paws.

Zou Hai stood aside with a complex expression, silently listening to this string of "encrypted speech."

This dog had already awakened its mental power and had a general understanding of human words and language.

When using "mental power," it could transmit some information.

So... the dog language just now was actually effective communication.

It was complaining.

"What are you barking about?"

The young adjutant said angrily, hitting the long table and scolding, "You're so old, can't you give me a break?"

The Labrador whined aggrievedly.

Lin Lin crumpled the discarded letter paper on the table into a ball and slammed it hard on Niu Niu's forehead, saying fiercely, "You ran to provoke the other party for no reason. It would have been fine if you had won, but you were educated instead... You've embarrassed me to death!"

The dog raised its head and made a confused "wu wang."

Lin Lin was even angrier, "Idiot, that's an idiom! My grandma's house is of course in North Continent, not East Continent!"

The huddled Labrador didn't dare to make a sound.

"Sir... there's no need to be angry."

Zou Hai smiled wryly.

He said sincerely, "I don't think the little Gu seems to want to pursue this matter... Speaking of which, he's really a little different from the previous guests."

Lin Lin fell silent.

He was writing a long letter, starting and abandoning it several times... Before learning about this, most of his thoughts were immersed in the letter.

The beginning of the letter was:

"To my long-lost sister."

At this moment, Lin Lin completely gave up writing the letter. Anyway, this letter... wouldn't be finished tonight.

He raised his head, looked at Zou Hai's face under the candlelight, and completely pulled his thoughts back to reality: "What kind of person do you think that young man surnamed Gu is?"

Zou Hai thought for a long time and said slowly, "What I say is just my personal opinion. Although we haven't spent much time together, I think he's a reliable person."

"Reliable?"

Lin Lin chuckled. He knew his adjutant's personality too well. He was prudent and steady as a mountain.

This was the first time he had heard such high praise from Zou Hai.

Keep in mind.

Gu Shen had only arrived at Gubao Fortress two hours ago.

The word reliable... was even more out of the question.

"After the elite team of 'Maze Thirty-Eight' set off, I've had an ominous feeling in my heart." Zou Hai said softly. He said sincerely, "That ominous feeling has been lingering in my heart. The elite team was wiped out, Hong Zhong returned, and even today, that ominousness has not dissipated... This feeling is like..."

"Something is about to collapse."

Zou adjutant was silent for a moment, and said: "Maybe it's a delusion, but after seeing that Mr. Gu, this uneasiness slowly dissipated..."

Lin Lin listened quietly.

He didn't interrupt Zou Hai's speech, but after he finished speaking, he said meaningfully: "His strength is only at the seventh level of the Deep Sea."

After Gu Shen arrived at Gubao Fortress, Zou Hai was responsible for receiving him.

This arrangement was naturally not just a simple chat.

"Yes."

Zou Hai frowned slightly, recalling the scenes when they were together, he said somewhat uncertainly: "Actually, the adults should have seen it too, right? When dodging the [Source Energy Cannon]... his strength was already exposed, that is the level of the seventh level of the Deep Sea."

That fireworks display.

High-level transcendents have already seen Gu Shen's strength.

Although he staged a "thrilling" close-range flight, but... the source quality remaining in the air, and the third-level source armor that he barely drove, all proved Gu Shen's source quality level.

Deep water area, seventh floor.

"It's just that, I think, Gu Shen has something hidden, this feeling always appears when I look at him."

"Wang!"

Labrador strongly agreed.

"Shut up."

Lin Lin gave it a brain burst and continued to ask: "Look at each other?"

"That's right, when looking at each other, I feel that this young man's eyes... seem to hide a deep sea."

Zou Hai murmured: "Looking at him is actually a very contradictory feeling. I seem to see both light and darkness. I guess this is the influence of mental power. His mental power may exceed the seventh level of the Deep Sea."

"His ability [Blazing Fire] is an S-level spiritual power."

Lin Lin narrowed his eyes, finished smoking all the cigarette butts, pressed them in the ashtray, and said slowly: "Remember Cn021, the Nagano of East Continent is not a greenhouse, a genius who can make such a reputation in Nagano is a person with real strength... This young man is likely to be a freak who is extremely good at spiritual power."

"You mean, Gu Shen's spiritual power is likely to exceed the current realm... is at the eighth level?"

Zou Hai's expression was a little dazed, he murmured: "If that's the case, he deserves the title 'S-level'..."

Transcendents who practice to the third stage will know how difficult mental practice is in this big stage.

Being able to keep pace with one's own extraordinary strength is a top genius!

As for surpassing a major realm... that is definitely a monstrous figure.

The cultivation path of transcendents who can achieve this level is destined to be bright. Due to their extremely stable spirit, the upper limit of these people's combat power is also higher. They can develop the higher potential of sealed objects, and can also achieve incredible "cross-border slashes"!

"Sir, tomorrow is Hong Zhong's 'mental appraisal'."

Zou Hai said softly: "Mental transcendents have always been scarce resources. The appraiser in our fortress has a mental strength of only the eighth level. I think it would be better to let Gu Shen conduct the appraisal directly..."

"There's no need to bother him with such a small matter as mental appraisal. Hong Zhong's mental strength is probably only around the seventh level, and our mental transcendent is enough to complete this appraisal."

Lin Lin said in a gentle voice: "Gu Shen came to Gubao all the way, first he was shot in the face by the source energy cannon, and then he met a vicious dog knocking on the door in the middle of the night... Is it appropriate for us to send him to do such things tomorrow?"

Zou Hai was stunned.

He didn't expect the adjutant to be so kind.

Originally, he thought... Lin Lin didn't like this guest from East Continent.

"After all, he is a guest personally brought by A'liuer, and he also showed the courage to resist the source energy cannon. It's not good for the reputation of North Continent to embarrass such a young man again..."

Lin Lin stood up, opened the window, breathed in the cold snow wind, and said softly: "He came to Gubao, probably for that piece of unknown scepter wood chips. Tomorrow, after the mental appraisal is over, the truth will be revealed."

...

...

"Mr. Gu."

The next morning.

Zou adjutant knocked on Gu Shen's door.

After Gu Shen opened the door, he couldn't help laughing when he saw the dog Zou Hai was holding: "Lieutenant Zou, there's no need to do this... I can tell who is human and who is a dog."

Zou Hai was a little embarrassed.

He said sincerely: "Lord Lin Lin expressed deep apologies for what happened last night. This vicious dog has been disciplined. He came to the door again this morning to reiterate his apologies."

"Woo woo woo..."

The Labrador was covered in bumps.

It could be seen that it had been severely disciplined.

Gu Shen smiled.

Of course, he wouldn't care about such a trivial matter... He walked with Zou Hai under the giant wall last night, because of these people stationed in Gubao, there was a peaceful life in the five continents, Gu Shen had great respect in his heart, but in fact, to him, whether it was Lin Lin or Zou Hai, they were just passers-by in life.

This time he came to Gubao, just to find the clues to the scepter wood chips in the "Maze Mission".

After completing the mission, he would return.

"I specially arranged for you to have a North Continent breakfast, delivered to the attic. You can taste it."

The combat environment in Gubao Fortress is very difficult.

Preparing breakfast... is not easy.

However, the breakfast Zou Hai brought was not a luxurious meal. It was a frozen long block of bread, smeared with butter, and curd residue... and a large pot of thick milk skin tea in a thermos.

"This... um..."

Gu Shen tried to take a bite of the long block of bread. He chewed with difficulty, it was hard to say that it was delicious.

Zou Hai laughed and said: "You can't chew this thing, can you? This is what North Continent men like to eat. It's made of flour, distiller's grains, and salt. We call it 'Lieba'. It's easy to carry and can be stored for a long time. The soldiers eat it every day, and they have the strength to train after eating enough!"

North Continent is cold and freezing.

Even transcendents need a lot of heat to maintain their daily lives.

This kind of food, only the people of North Continent can eat it.

After finishing breakfast, the two set off together and walked towards the recuperation room where Hong Zhong was.

On the road.

Zou Hai said again with a guilty expression: "I'm sorry, Mr. Gu..."

This was not the first time he had apologized.

Gu Shen smiled and said: "There's really no need to take yesterday's matter to heart."

"There's actually one more thing."

Zou adjutant said: "Today is the day for the 'Hong Zhong' mental appraisal. I told Lord Lin Lin last night that maybe you could do the appraisal yourself... It's just that the adults thought it was not a good way to treat guests."

Gu Shen paused and understood what Zou Hai meant.

"It's okay, I'll just watch from the sidelines."

Zou Hai's guilt was because the North Continent military had extended an invitation to him, but after arriving at Gubao... he had no place to play a role.

Gu Shen didn't care much about this.

It was just a simple "mental appraisal", the North Continent military was enough to cope with this kind of small matter.

Most importantly.

His spiritual power was still under the suppression of the golden hoop.

It might be a little troublesome for him to appraise it...

Gu Shen is not someone who wants to take the lead in everything. It's best to be able to watch this kind of thing.

"Mr. Gu..."

Zou Hai hesitated for a moment and said: "My ability has given me a strong intuition. I don't know why, but I always feel that this matter is not that simple... and you are a person worthy of trust."

Gu Shen shook his head and said softly: "Lieutenant Zou, you are too kind."

He has always been cautious.

A'liuer invited him to North Continent... saying it was the guidance of Her Majesty the Queen.

But at present, it seems that there is nothing unusual.

It's all calm.

I just don't know what will happen in the next mental appraisal.

...

...

The two had just arrived when they heard an uproar.

The recuperation room where Hong Zhong was located was surrounded by dozens of transcendents wearing snow-white robes. These people all wore a shoulder badge with a pale lizard.

White Lizard.

The man in the lead put his hand on his twin knives and said softly: "Lieutenant Zou, you're here."

"Who are these people...?"

Gu Shen raised his eyebrows and asked in a low voice.

"The Second Team of the Investigation Corps, the absolute elite transcendent under General Bai Xi." Zou Hai transmitted in a low voice, and said: "This man is Yuan Yuan, the deputy captain of the Second Team, a very difficult character."

Zou Hai's expression remained unchanged, he took a step forward and asked softly: "Deputy Captain Yuan, what does this mean?"

Yuan Yuan pressed his twin knives flat and said calmly, without any intention of retreating.

"We are here to protect the heroes in the 'Maze Thirty-Eight' mission under the orders of the captain."

Hero...

Obviously, it was Hong Zhong, who was lying in the hospital bed and was currently in a semi-comatose state.

This man returned from a life-and-death exploration mission.

And brought back the clues of the oasis.

It can indeed be called a "hero".

...

...

(ps: I originally wanted to add more updates tonight, but it was too long to cut off, so I'll cut off this big chapter here first, and there will be a corresponding second half of the big chapter tomorrow during the day.)