Chapter 4: Registration and Intelligence

Late at night.

At Lin Lei’s home.

In the bedroom.

Lin Lei stood before the full-length mirror on the wardrobe. With a mere shift of his thoughts, his hair suddenly began to lengthen. Guided by his will, it swayed and writhed through the air like seaweed.

A glint flashed in Lin Lei’s eyes.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

His strands pierced the air again and again, as though countless stabbing swords were shooting forth.

With another thought, his hair surged outward and effortlessly blasted the wooden chair beside him into splinters.

Lin Lei raised an eyebrow. He plucked up a lock of hair, then picked up the fruit knife on the table and wrapped the strands around it, applying force.

The hair remained unharmed, while the fruit knife was cleanly severed in the middle.

Under Lin Lei’s control, his hair had become even tougher than steel wire.

He licked his lips and raised his hand once more.

Hiss, hiss, hiss!

A black bone spike extended from the center of his palm. He used it to coil around another lock of hair and applied only the slightest pressure. The strands were effortlessly sliced apart.

“I’m still nowhere near the upper limit.”

Lin Lei shook his head.

Compared with ordinary objects, his hair was sufficiently tough and powerful. But compared with his bone sword, it fell far short.

In truth, it was not only his hair. He could control every strand of hair on his body at will, including his armpit hair and even his fine body hair. At a critical moment, they might prove surprisingly useful.

Shaking his head, he withdrew the hair.

Looking at his neat, short hair in the mirror, Lin Lei rubbed his head and said, “Looks like I won’t need to cut my hair anymore.”

…

The next day.

The Investigation Bureau.

An office.

“Advisor Huo, you wanted to see me?”

Lin Lei pushed open the door and entered.

Huo Qi waved him over. “Come in, come in. Have a seat.”

Lin Lei coughed. “Uh, I have something to take care of in a moment… Whatever it is, Advisor Huo, perhaps you could get to the point…”

Huo Qi laughed. “Don’t worry. It’ll be quick. Come inside first.”

Lin Lei raised an eyebrow, then entered the room.

“You didn’t even close the door.” Huo Qi gave a snort and shut it himself.

He then sat down across from Lin Lei once more.

There was a peculiar expression on Huo Qi’s face. “You’ve applied to take this year’s promotion exam for the Third Realm?”

Lin Lei nodded.

He had reached the required limit of investigation points long ago. The moment he heard that this year’s promotion exam had begun accepting applications, he had signed up.

Huo Qi sighed. “Although you’re already a Second-Realm Origin-Energy Adept, you’re still a newcomer. You’ve only been with the Investigation Bureau for a few months. There are some things I need to make clear to you in advance.”

“The promotion exam for the Third Realm isn’t merely a test. It’s a genuine combat exercise, and there is even a risk of death.”

“In Clear River Prefecture alone, nearly five percent of the candidates die in the promotion exam every year.”

Lin Lei raised his eyebrows slightly. “That death rate doesn’t seem particularly high.”

He had heard before that the promotion exams for investigators carried a certain degree of danger, but the mortality rate was considerably lower than he had expected.

Any assignment undertaken by an investigator came with the risk of death. Five percent could even be considered quite low.

Seeing Lin Lei’s attitude, Huo Qi shook his head.

“But more than ninety percent of those who take the promotion exam each year are Third-Realm Origin-Energy Adepts!”

“Under those circumstances, a five-percent death rate is extraordinarily high.”

“And you only advanced to the Second Realm recently. I don’t need to say more… More importantly, you lack actual combat experience. No matter how good your composure or talent may be, you’ve only been with the Investigation Bureau for a few months. That’s simply too short a time…”

“Given your current situation, do you think there’s any chance you could become one of that five percent?”

Listening to Huo Qi, Lin Lei could not help frowning. Then he shook his head.

“No.”

Huo Qi froze. After a moment, he said earnestly, “Lei, you’re a genius in Origin-Energy cultivation. Doctor Zhou has told me as much. Your future is limitless…”

“If something happened to you at such a young age because of inexperience or recklessness, it would be a terrible waste.”

Lin Lei looked at Huo Qi with unwavering eyes. “Advisor Huo, I’ve thought this through. I have confidence in myself.”

“And besides…”

A flicker passed through Lin Lei’s eyes. “I’m already close to reaching fullness in the Second Realm. Advisor Huo, you should know what that means, shouldn’t you?”

Huo Qi stared at him. “You’re about to reach Second-Realm fullness?”

He knew that Lin Lei possessed the Ever-Burning Feather.

If Lin Lei had truly reached fullness in the Second Realm, he would naturally be able to break through into the Third Realm.

And thinking of Lin Lei’s past performance on missions, Huo Qi had to admit that if Lin Lei advanced to the Third Realm, passing the investigator promotion exam would not be difficult at all.

*The Point Guard Is Here*

“You…”

Admiration showed on his face. He shook his head, then took a document from the folder in front of him.

“If you’re truly prepared, sign this ‘death agreement.’”

Lin Lei raised an eyebrow and accepted the agreement, skimming through it.

“This sort of thing isn’t legal, is it?”

Huo Qi could not help laughing bitterly. “Once you’ve entered the Investigation Bureau, do you really think ordinary laws can still restrain us?”

Lin Lei frowned. “Then why cling to the formalities and sign this so-called ‘death agreement’?”

At those words, Huo Qi shook his head and glanced at him without answering.

Something stirred in Lin Lei’s heart. “This isn’t merely a formal agreement? There’s another kind of restraint involved?”

Huo Qi smiled. “I didn’t say anything.”

Lin Lei’s thoughts churned. He shook his head and carefully read every clause of the death agreement. Only after confirming that there were no hidden traps did he sign his name.

Lin Lei then asked, “What exactly will the promotion exam test?”

Huo Qi shook his head. “Everyone who has taken the promotion exam in the past was required to sign a confidentiality agreement, so they’re forbidden from revealing its secrets. I can only tell you that the exam will take place inside a special Restricted Zone…”

“That Restricted Zone has not yet been liberated, and its danger rating has reached the Calamity level.”

Lin Lei raised his eyebrows slightly, and a gleam lit up in his eyes. “What does Calamity level mean?”

Huo Qi explained, “The danger ratings of Restricted Zones are divided into Ordinary, Disaster, Calamity, and Catastrophe. When a Restricted Zone contains only aberrations below the Fifth Tier, it is classified as an Ordinary Restricted Zone. If a Fifth-Tier aberration or an equivalent danger exists within it, it is classified as Disaster level. Calamity level means that the Restricted Zone contains a Sixth-Tier aberration.”

“You don’t need me to explain what the Sixth Tier means. The highest level in our Investigation Bureau is the Fifth Realm. A single Sixth-Tier aberration would be enough to annihilate the entire city of Emerald Sun!”

The corner of Lin Lei’s mouth twitched. “Sending Origin-Energy Adepts who are generally only at the Third Realm into a Restricted Zone containing a Sixth-Tier aberration… Is that really reasonable?”

Huo Qi shook his head. “Restricted Zones vary greatly, and each follows its own rules. Some Restricted Zones can be escaped through special methods even before they are liberated.”

“This Restricted Zone is extremely unusual. Although its danger rating is high, it is divided into many different areas. As long as you don’t venture recklessly into the depths, a Third-Realm adept should have no trouble staying alive.”

Lin Lei nodded in understanding. A flicker passed through his eyes, and he licked his lips.

A trace of anticipation rose within him.

His Gluttony energy had been almost completely depleted, and he desperately needed to replenish it.

In the outside world, encountering aberrations—especially those that lived in groups—was extremely difficult. Accumulating Gluttony energy was a troublesome business.

He now had less than a hundred units of Gluttony energy left. At most, he could plunder an ordinary Second-Realm target, which was nowhere near enough.

Fortunately, there were still more than two weeks before the investigator promotion exam. There was no need for him to rush.