"You and I are one and the same. It’s impossible for me to harm you.

If it’s that big a deal, I’ll stop analyzing and prying into your thoughts.

As for the tasks I make you complete, those are part of my core data parameters. I need to collect enough data to better assist you, and they cannot be changed.

A flower raised in a greenhouse cannot withstand the wind and rain.

If you want to grow and become a more powerful Secret Martial Artist, you cannot bypass this step.

As my host, with my assistance, you’ll suffer some injuries at most. There will be no mortal danger.

And after completing these tasks, you’ll also be trained and grow stronger.

Only by becoming strong enough will you be able to survive when the future world-ending catastrophe arrives."

The young girl spoke calmly.

Her tone was not as stiff as before, but had softened somewhat, as if she were placating Li Yi.

Hearing this, Li Yi’s expression was unsettled.

He didn’t believe any of that bullshit about a world-ending apocalypse.

’To him, it sounded like she was just trying to manipulate him.’

’If he could, he would rather not have this so-called assistance.’

’Although he longed to become strong like Hu Qi, he didn’t have any grand ambitions himself.’

’Having just enough power to protect himself would be fine.’

’But under her supervision, he had become like a robot, forced to do missions every day to collect data for her while also having to constantly cultivate.’

’He had less and less time to call his own.’

’As he saw it, this defeated the entire purpose of getting stronger.’

’But he also understood that there was no possibility of unbinding. According to her, the only way to unbind was for him to die.’

"Alright, we’ve already wasted a lot of time today. Now, I am issuing an advanced mission: collect a..."

Nuo Star, at his side, began to speak calmly, but she stopped mid-sentence. Her gaze shifted to the side, and her tone suddenly grew urgent.

"Warning! High-energy lifeform detected approaching. Extreme danger. Leave this place at once..."

Li Yi was also startled and followed her line of sight.

On the side of the bustling road, a figure had appeared at some unknown time.

It was a tall, handsome young man with sharp, well-defined features.

At that moment, the young man’s gaze swept over him, and the corners of his mouth lifted into a gentle smile.

"Li Yi, long time no see!"

"Brother Qi?"

Li Yi paused, slightly stunned.

Ignoring the girl’s urging from the side, he took a closer look and instantly recognized the person.

He quickly took a few steps forward.

"Brother Qi, it really is you! I haven’t seen you in a while, and you’ve gotten even more handsome. By the way, didn’t Sister Shu say you were in seclusion?"

This person was none other than Hu Qi. As his cultivation increased, his appearance had undergone a world-shaking transformation, becoming as handsome as a god.

However, his current appearance wasn’t that of a god, but had been altered using Twisted Light.

It was the appearance he had back when he was still a Martial Artist.

"I just came out of seclusion, so I decided to take a walk."

Hu Qi smiled, then paused.

His gaze fixed on Li Yi.

"But you... I never expected that in such a short time, you’ve not only reached Qi Blood Perfection, but also opened your Essence Element Divine Treasure and become a genuine Qi Blood Smoke Level Martial Artist!"

His eyes were deep, like a tranquil, bottomless pool.

Under Hu Qi’s gaze, Li Yi felt as if he were being seen through completely.

"Actually, I..."

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, a voice interrupted him.

"Li Yi, are you trying to expose my existence? I told you not to do this. According to the rules, if you do, you will receive due punishment. I hope you’ll think this through!"

At his side, the young girl’s gaze was cold. It was as if she had anticipated Li Yi’s thoughts, and her tone carried an implicit warning.

Li Yi, who had been about to speak, hesitated, his mouth hanging open.

"I am your unique opportunity. What kind of fool would be stupid enough to tell someone else about their own good fortune? Besides, even if you did tell him, do you really think he has a way to separate us?"

the girl said.

"Shut up!"

Suddenly, a cold shout exploded like a clap of thunder! The girl’s expression changed slightly as she looked up.

She saw Hu Qi looking directly at her.

"We’re having a conversation. Who gave you permission to interrupt?"

At this, the placid expression of the girl in the Lolita dress finally changed for the first time.

It was a look of utter shock, as if she had just seen a ghost.

"You... you can actually see me? How is that possible?"

Her tone was filled with disbelief.

It was as if Hu Qi being able to see her was something completely unscientific.

And in fact, that was true.

She was, after all, a top-tier technological product of the Noki Civilization.

Once inside a host’s body,

she could attach herself to the organism’s brainwaves and even simulate its biological magnetic field.

In theory, unless she chose to manifest, it was impossible for any outsider to detect her.

"Brother Qi! Save me!"

Seeing this, Li Yi realized that Hu Qi might actually be able to help him.

Otherwise, this girl named Nuo Star wouldn’t have said so much at once. That, combined with her current expression, clearly showed she was wary of Hu Qi.

His heart steeled, he no longer hesitated. With a miserable look on his face, he explained the whole story on the spot.

As Hu Qi listened to Li Yi’s story, a strange expression appeared on his face.

"So that’s how it is. Interesting!"

He had noticed something unusual about Li Yi, which was why he had come over to check.

The young man was, after all, his nominal cousin, one of only two people in this world whom Hu Qi considered close.

As for the other person, it was naturally Hu Lemei.

But when he arrived, he found that the guy was brimming with an incredibly dense Power of Fortune, and he also noticed the little gadget in his brain.

It only took Hu Qi a moment of thought to understand everything.

’He must have been chosen by this world’s will to be one of the Celestial Fate People.’

’Li Yi probably received this opportunity because of me.’

’Since the world’s will couldn’t pull me onto its side directly,’

’it had distributed the Power of Fortune to those close to me.’

’I have to say, that was a clever move by the world’s will.’

’It was an indirect attempt to drag me into this mess.’

Hu Qi was noncommittal about this.

Even if Mother Earth wasn’t going to destroy the world,

Hu Qi had no intention of letting her go.

As the source of the Black Blood Species,

whether he killed her or raised her in captivity, either option would represent a huge amount of Modification Points.

He didn’t need to be bound by some so-called Power of Fortune.

But if he really couldn’t win, he would definitely not hesitate to leave Earth Star immediately.

In Hu Qi’s value system, nothing was more important than his own life.

Therefore, everything the world’s will had done seemed utterly ridiculous to Hu Qi.

But then again.

To him, the Power of Fortune wasn’t a good thing.

However, for the creatures of this world, the Power of Fortune was something with all benefits and no drawbacks.

This was why he hadn’t interfered the moment he noticed something strange about Li Yi.

After all, an opportunity like this should have been a good thing for Li Yi.

However, as time passed, he realized things were a little different from what he’d thought.

Li Yi’s explanation completely confirmed his suspicions.

This thing was less of an opportunity and more of a ticking time bomb.

"Host has been detected violating the rules by leaking system information. Administering a Level Three electric shock punishment now!"

Just then, the expression on the girl’s face returned to its usual calm, and her tone became icy.

Apparently, Li Yi’s actions had completely infuriated her.

"No!"

Li Yi’s face changed drastically.

He had tried to resist the missions she issued over this period.

However, in those situations, she would punish him.

For example, a Level One electric shock was enough to paralyze his entire body, while a Level Two could make him foam at the mouth and convulse uncontrollably.

As for Level Three, he had never experienced it, but you didn’t have to be a genius to know it would be much more severe.

This electric shock was released from the nerves within his body. According to her explanation, it was a form of his body’s own bio-magnetic field.

There was no way to become immune just by increasing his strength, because as his strength grew, the magnetic currents in his body would naturally become stronger as well.

These thoughts flashed through his mind, but it was already too late to stop it.

However, after waiting for a moment, Li Yi was surprised to find that the expected electric shock punishment never came.

Instead, he heard the sharp, panicked scream of the young girl.

Li Yi opened his eyes.

It was as if someone had pressed the pause button on the world around him.

The speeding cars on the road, the falling leaves—everything had frozen in place. All sound vanished.

At his side, Nuo Star’s figure exploded into points of blue light with a POOF and disappeared.

At the same time,

Hu Qi, who had been standing several meters away, appeared before Li Yi as if he had teleported.

The movement was so fast

that even Li Yi, with the powerful dynamic vision of a Martial Artist, couldn’t catch the slightest trace of it.

Ignoring what Li Yi was thinking,

Hu Qi raised his hand and pointed a finger at the spot between Li Yi’s eyebrows.

The next moment, Nuo Star’s terrified voice suddenly echoed in Li Yi’s mind.

"No... You... Who the hell are you?! How can you strip me away?! According to my data analysis, not even the strongest of the Secret Martial Artists, a Refining God Venerable... could do this..."

Her voice, no longer calm, was now laced with a jarring static. She sounded panicked, as if she were witnessing something beyond her comprehension.

Hu Qi’s expression was indifferent. He paid her no mind.

The next moment, as his fingertip left Li Yi’s forehead,

a hexagonal crystal, the size of a walnut and translucent pale blue, was dragged out from the surface of Li Yi’s forehead.

The crystal was not empty; inside it stood a miniaturized version of the young girl.

Her figure was somewhat illusory and unstable, like a distorted data image. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"You..."

She had just started to speak,

when in the next instant, Hu Qi pinched the crystal and popped it directly into his mouth.

As his teeth clamped down, a series of "CRUNCH, CRUNCH" sounds came from the surface of the supposedly illusory crystal.