The Creatures that We Are

Springrise Lake, botanical garden in Beiyong District, three days later.

The naturally formed lake nestled at the foot of a hill, its surface broken only by the gentle movements of waterfowl gliding across the water. White camellias lined the shore like a blanket of snow, punctuated by a single tree heavy with red blooms at its heart. As spring snow melted, crimson petals drifted down to scatter across the white expanse below.

A solitary figure in a black trenchcoat approached the red camellia tree, carrying two bouquets of white carnations and one of forget-me-nots. Gao Yang activated his borrowed Sensory, methodically scanning the three-kilometer radius for higher lifeforms to ensure he hadn't been followed.

Satisfied, he vanished. The teleportation carried him down into the catacomb below.

Following a narrow stone tunnel, he emerged into the heart of the underground chamber. The space stretched several hundred meters wide, illuminated by irregular sprouts of purple ice crystals that bloomed like otherworldly flowers throughout the cavern. Among the denser crystal formations stood the tombs, each coffin visible through the translucent walls of its crystal enclosure.

The creator of the tombs, White Dew, stood at the chamber's center, her black dress as solemn and graceful as ever, holding a bouquet of purple crystal flowers. Before her stood three crystal tombs, each with its sarcophagus and crystal altar bearing dates and names. From left to right: Spring, Waking Insects, and Fresh Snow.

She remained motionless as Gao Yang approached, acknowledging his presence only with her continued stillness. He moved deliberately, placing the white carnations on Spring's and Waking Insects' altars with formal bows. At Fresh Snow's altar, he knelt, laying the forget-me-nots on the rightmost tomb.

The two looked at Fresh Snow’s crystal tomb quietly, one kneeling and one standing.

The long moment passed in shared silence.

Gao Yang and White Dew had been two parallel lines that should’ve remained unacquainted until doomsday came, yet they stood here together for the girl recently buried, and they might see each other many more times here.

Finally, Gao Yang rose, his gaze still fixed on Fresh Snow's tomb. "What are you going to do?"

White Dew's eyes remained on the crystal formation. “My curse will not claim me for a while. I’ve promised Spring that I won’t take my life. If I die helping his son-in-law, though, it won’t count as me breaking the promise.”

“Alright.” Gao Yang turned to leave. “I’ll seek you out when necessary. Stay hidden until then and watch out for Qilin.”

“Don’t lie to me, Gao Yang!” White Dew’s voice echoed through the chamber. “Pick a good stage for my epilogue, you hear me?”

Gao Yang waved at her and vanished.

…

Gao Yang hadn’t told anyone about Fresh Snow’s death, so they didn’t know where he had gone.

After leaving the botanical garden, he walked five hundred meters to an underground parking lot beneath a mall. A black car waited for him, with Nainai at the wheel and Chen Ying in the passenger seat, both in disguise.

Chen Ying closed her eyes, focusing on Sensory.

“Mortal, the wheel of fate is turning. Begin your adventure!” Nainai punctuated her proclamation with the horn.

In simpler terms, she was asking: where to, Captain?

“Tiger’s den,” Gao Yang said.

That was War Tiger’s hiding place.

For the past three days, he had been hiding with those freshly defecting to them to test their loyalty and will. In other words, it was a boot camp for the newbies.

“Let’s go!”

Nainai stepped on the accelerator and started the car.

While War Tiger had a good eye for people, Gao Yang planned to verify their loyalties with his newly enhanced Lie Detection. The Talent, despite ranking outside the top hundred, had inexplicably advanced to level 7. A welcomed development, even though he couldn't explain it.

Lucky, however, remained at level 5. He'd resigned himself to the reality.

After reaching level 7, Lie Detection saw a substantial evolution with a small increase in its stat bonuses. Now he could detect lies every three hours and test multiple targets simultaneously. Beyond just determining hostile, neutral, or benevolent intentions, he could read specific emotional states—nervousness, calm, excitement, sadness, anger, confusion, loss, and conflict. The enhancement had elevated Lie Detection to rival a top hundred Talents in utility.

This development had led him to theorize that perhaps all Talents originally had the potential to reach level 7, with less disparity in their power levels. The restrictions on Talents beyond the hundredth might have been imposed later. Now, with the Heavenly Way's power waning—similar to Clear Mirror's weakening control in his Judge's realm—these restrictions seemed to be lifting.

His other Talents had seen similar growth. Absolute Defense at level 7 granted impressive improvements: An Absolute Barrier could now span the size of a sports arena, though larger sizes meant shorter duration. Smaller barriers now lasted twice as long, and he could maintain six simultaneously.

The energy armor—officially termed Golden Armor—showed a 50% increase in defense, now protecting against psychic, poison, and spiritual damage in addition to physical and elemental threats. He could extend this protection to companions, though at half effectiveness, maintaining up to four armors including his own.

Teleportation's evolution brought enhanced range and frequency, plus a new ability: Flash Shadow. Within teleportation range, he could lock onto a target and teleport to them regardless of obstacles, like becoming their shadow. It had a three-minute cooldown, and it was a double-edged sword—deadly efficient when used well, potentially fatal if misused.

Level 7 Replicate granted greater bonuses to some stats while decreasing others. The number of Talents he could replicate was still three, but now with a three-day storage time and a use time of 60 seconds. The cooldown decreased to 3 hours. He was still limited to replicating Talents from serial number 11 to 189. He wasn’t sure if he could replicate Judge just yet.

However, level 7 Replicate came with a new ability, named Evanescent Omnireplication.

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