16.
A number that should never appear on someone undergoing Ascension for the first time.
“What kind of level is a Scale of 16?”
Jiang Qi had recovered.
He looked at the number and frowned slightly.
Remembering how the mechanical disc’s Psychic Shock had knocked him straight to the ground, he was gripped by a deep anxiety about his own strength.
“Ascendants at Stage One usually have a Scale value between 1 and 10. At the Second Stage, it’s between 11 and 20.”
A cool female voice rang out. It was Shen Yuehuai.
“In other words, your Mental Power is already on the stronger side of the Second Stage.”
A question immediately occurred to Jiang Qi.
“Why do the ranges for the first and second stages both span 10?”
Shen Yuehuai answered.
“To avoid using large numbers. Every stage is divided from 1 to 10.”
“Each stage represents a leap in the level of one’s life.”
“Within the same life level, strength is divided into grades from 1 to 10.”
“But normally, the increase from 15 to 16 is already about as difficult as the increase from 2 to 10.”
So that was how it worked.
Jiang Qi immediately felt much better.
It seemed he wasn’t too weak; the mechanical disc had just been too powerful.
Being able to take a World-Devouring Species’ Psychic Shock head-on was already impressive.
“16… So am I already an Ascendant at the Second Stage?”
he pressed.
“No. Your stage is determined by whether you’ve completed the Ascension Ritual.”
Shen Yuehuai continued to patiently answer Jiang Qi’s questions.
“Your situation is very rare. It means that your limit at Stage One is far beyond 10.”
“When you’re ready to undergo Ascension again, you’ll naturally sense it.”
Jiang Qi was even more confused.
“And then? Will I automatically be teleported to the Ascension Tower?”
“When the time comes, the Ascension Tower will appear in your mind. Just use your ability to reach out to it, and you’ll be teleported again.”
Shen Yuehuai seemed to never show much expression.
“So I’m pretty impressive?”
At the same time, Old Chen studied Jiang Qi, his eyes shining with fervor.
That kid’s brain had to be out of the ordinary!
His Mental Power had reached this level right after Ascension!
In the records, there should only be one person whose Scale exceeded 15 upon their first Ascension...
Was it a mutation caused by a congenital disease?
Or was it related to his return from the dead?
Was the person standing before him still the original Jiang Qi?
So many mysteries. So much worth researching.
Chi Yanqiu licked her lips, undisguised desire filling her eyes.
“An orphan, unusually talented, and good-looking, too.”
“He looks so composed. I really want a drop of his blood.”
“You’re very impressive.”
Shen Yuehuai looked at Jiang Qi and gave him an affirmative answer.
“Thank you.”
Jiang Qi returned her smile.
Just then, Shen Yun, who had remained silent all this time, stood up.
The moment he moved, the atmosphere in the entire room froze.
Everyone’s gaze involuntarily converged on him.
“Let’s have a brief introduction.”
He started from the right and moved left.
“Wang Huan, Director of the Fourth District Inspectorate. He used to be in the military.”
“Chen Ren, the Fourth District’s Researcher. He’s the only one.”
“Chi Yanqiu, the Fourth District’s attending physician. She’s not very tactful.”
“Shen Yuehuai, my younger sister.”
He noticeably slowed down over the last four words.
Finally, he looked at Jiang Qi and introduced himself.
“I’m Shen Yun, the Fourth District Chief Inspector.”
Jiang Qi took a step back, glanced around the room, and bowed slightly.
“Greetings, seniors. I’m Jiang Qi. I’m glad to meet you all today—”
“All right, enough chatter. Come with me.”
Shen Yun simply picked Jiang Qi up and carried him out of the room.
The two took the elevator to the 21st floor.
When Shen Yun pushed open the office door, the room was pitch-black. He entered first, with Jiang Qi following behind.
“Have a seat.”
Shen Yun sat down first and gestured for Jiang Qi to take the seat opposite him.
An orange-red flame burned on the candle atop the desk, illuminating only a small area.
Jiang Qi sat down somewhat uneasily.
He stayed silent, waiting for the other man to speak first.
“Jiang Qi, what’s your favorite color?”
A slightly hoarse voice rang out.
Jiang Qi’s body tensed slightly. He consciously controlled his movements and expression.
His gaze seemed to fall casually on the flickering flame between them.
“Yellow.”
“And second?”
Jiang Qi’s mind raced, but he really had no idea.
All he could see was Shen Yun’s indistinct silhouette.
“Orange.”
“Good. Any others?”
“Red, too.”
“All warm colors... Jiang Qi.”
Across from him, part of Shen Yun’s face remained hidden in darkness.
“The human brain usually avoids trauma instinctively. Do you like fire?”
Damn it!
Only now did Jiang Qi realize what Shen Yun was really asking!
Under pressure, plunged into a completely dark room, he had focused nearly all his attention on controlling his expression and movements.
His mind had instinctively picked up on the only dynamic color in the room.
“Then I’ll try another approach.”
“Green.”
As Shen Yun spoke, the candlelight abruptly turned a dim green, making his face look ghostly.
Then, one after another:
“Cyan.”
“Blue.”
“Purple.”
“Black.”
“White.”
“Gray.”
The flame flickered again and again, then finally turned orange-red once more. Nothing happened.
Jiang Qi kept every reaction as tightly controlled as possible.
The final word fell, but it didn’t trigger Mad Laughter.
He breathed a long sigh of relief inside.
Shen Yun wasn’t as extreme as he had imagined. He hadn’t used any mental abilities.
And with 【Reversal】, Jiang Qi was quite confident he hadn’t revealed anything.
“Cyan, or black?”
Jiang Qi felt a chill run down his spine and straight to the back of his head!
His nerves, which had just relaxed, snapped taut again, and his mind went blank!
“Cyan, or black?”
Shen Yun asked again, his tone unchanged.
“...Black.”
Jiang Qi gave up resisting and answered in a hoarse voice.
Shen Yun slowly stood up, walked to the window, and yanked the curtains open.
Sunlight poured in, driving away all the darkness and pressure.
Everything that had just happened seemed like an illusion.
The office was furnished quite simply.
It was spacious, but looked like an old cadre’s office. The only thing on the desk was a powered-off holographic screen.
There was no candle at all.
With his back to Jiang Qi, Shen Yun looked out at the city skyline, giving him plenty of time to collect himself and process what had happened.
Meanwhile, Jiang Qi was in turmoil.
He hadn’t failed to prepare for the possibility that the color of the flame would arouse suspicion.
But the Inspectorate had reacted far too quickly!
And the pressure brought by Shen Yun, the Chief Inspector, was unlike anything he had ever experienced!
Most importantly, without using any mental abilities, Shen Yun had uncovered two of his secrets with just a few words.
Only his Left Eye could see the Black Flame, and the Forbidden Zone couldn’t possibly be under surveillance.
Before this, he had wondered whether the Inspectorate already knew about the deviation in his first teleportation and the battle he had fought.
But it seemed his worry had been unfounded.
The Inspectorate simply believed that he had really taken eight hours to teleport back from the Ascension Tower.
It couldn’t have been an ability like Mind Reading, either; otherwise, there was no way he’d still be sitting here.
Yet this only deepened the chill in Jiang Qi’s heart.
How had Shen Yun done it?