In a high-level martial arts game, a wife is given to you at the start.

"Luo Song has already been corrupted by Yin He's residual consciousness." Lin Qiye interrupted him, his voice as calm as if stating a fact unrelated to himself. "He fused with the crystal core left by Yin He, attempting to elevate his consciousness to a higher level through the power within the crystal core. However, in the process, his soul was gradually eroded by Yin He's residual consciousness, and he has lost his independent will. What I just did was simply remove the last pawn Yin He left in the arena."

The moment Lin Qiye finished speaking, the temperature in the entire underground laboratory seemed to drop by ten degrees.

Shangguan Lin and Mo Shan simultaneously felt an invisible pressure emanating from Lin Qiye. This pressure was not the aura of Origin Qi, nor was it a deliberate intimidation, but something more fundamental—like standing in front of a sleeping ancient behemoth, whose mere turn of body caused the surrounding air to freeze.

Mo Shan's knuckles clenched tightly around the heavy battle sword, causing a thin crack to appear in the ground beneath his feet—the result of his instinctive use of his source energy to resist the pressure, the force transmitted to the ground. Several of the black-armored guards behind him turned pale, cold sweat beading on their foreheads, the tips of their crossbow bolts trembling slightly—they didn't even know what they were afraid of, but their bodies had reacted with utmost honesty.

Shangguan Lin's expression also changed.

He stood at the doorway, furthest from Lin Qiye, yet the pressure was still clearly felt by him. He felt his heart being gently squeezed by an invisible hand for a moment, its rhythm briefly disrupted. Under that pressure, the source energy within him seemed to encounter a higher-level being, producing an almost instinctive retreat reaction, much like a low-level beast instinctively lowering its body when encountering a high-level predator.

His pupils contracted slightly.

He had seen countless powerful figures and fought against them. He had even personally faced an old monster who had almost stepped into the forbidden realm during a rebellion in an arena. Although that pressure was powerful, it was far less unsettling than the feeling emanating from Lin Qiye at this moment—because that pressure was not violent or aggressive, but rather a more ancient, deeper, and more profound sense of presence that seemed to seep from the depths of his bloodline.

The feeling was as if he wasn't standing there as a person, but as a volcano slowly awakening. The volcano didn't erupt, didn't tremble, and didn't even emit a scorching aura, but its mere "existence" was enough to make all living things that approached it instinctively feel uneasy.

Mo Shan loosened his grip on the battle sword slightly, then tightened it again. His gaze swept quickly across the laboratory—the five array masters lying unconscious on the ground, the scattered fragments of crystal cores, Luo Song's corpse, and Lin Qiye standing in the center of the laboratory. His brain rapidly assessed the current situation, and the conclusion he reached made his heart sink.

If the aura Lin Qiye just released was only the tip of the iceberg of his true strength, then even if he brought all the elites of the combat department, let alone the twenty black-armored guards he brought, they might not be able to hold Lin Qiye in this cramped underground laboratory.

More importantly, he has no reason to take action against Lin Qiye now.

Luo Song was indeed dead, but Lin Qiye's explanation was reasonable—Luo Song was being corrupted by Yin He's residual consciousness and was completing some kind of dangerous ritual. Lin Qiye's intervention to eliminate the threat, in effect, maintained the stability of the arena. Furthermore, the conversations Shangguan Lin overheard outside the door confirmed that Lin Qiye's statement was not fabricated.

Mo Shan turned his gaze to Shangguan Lin, awaiting his instructions.

Shangguan Lin stood at the door, silent for a long time.

His gaze lingered on Lin Qiye for a moment, then shifted to Luo Song's corpse lying on the ground, finally settling on the scattered fragments of crystal cores. His expression became extremely complex in that instant, as if he had weighed countless possibilities and solutions in a short period of time, and finally chosen one.

He took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled, the feeling of stuffiness dissipating somewhat. He raised his hand, signaling the black-armored guards behind him to lower their crossbows—the movement was slow but firm, as if he had made a difficult but necessary decision.

"Withdraw the formation."

The black-armored guards looked at each other, but still followed orders, putting away their crossbows and shortbows, taking a half step back to clear the passageway.

Shangguan Lin strode into the laboratory, bypassing the unconscious array master and scattered crystal core fragments on the ground, and stopped three steps away from Lin Qiye. He looked into Lin Qiye's eyes, which no longer held the chilling dark golden light from before, but had returned to normal black pupils, calm as a bottomless ancient well.

"Lin Qiye, the Oversight Board will conduct a thorough investigation into Chairman Luo Song's matter." Shangguan Lin's voice was not loud, but it could be clearly heard in the empty laboratory.

Lin Qiye interrupted him, his tone calm, "Luo Song's body and the fragments of this crystal core are both here. You can test them at any time. Although I have cleared away the remaining consciousness of Yin He in the crystal core, the energy residue is still there. Your Array Master Guild should be able to detect it."

Shangguan Lin's gaze sharpened slightly, but he did not refute, only nodding: "Alright. Then let's leave this matter here for now."

He didn't say anything more and walked out of the laboratory.

Mo Shan followed closely behind. As he walked out of the laboratory, he glanced back at Lin Qiye, his rugged eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions—warning, apprehension, and a hint of something indescribable, a mixture of admiration and regret. He didn't speak, but simply looked away and strode after Shangguan Lin.

Twenty black-armored guards filed out, and the laboratory returned to silence, leaving only Lin Qiye standing in the center of the messy laboratory, casting a long shadow in the dimming source energy light after the crystal core fragments shattered.

He glanced down at Luo Song's corpse, then bent down, picked up a fragment of a crystal core that was not completely shattered, put it in his pocket, and turned to walk out of the laboratory.

He walked up the stairs he had come from, passed through the now empty Array Master Guild hall, through the two wooden doors he had smashed open, and stood once again on the evening street.

As dusk fell, the outlines of the arena buildings were tinged with a dark golden-red hue. There were far fewer pedestrians on the streets than during the day. Occasionally, a few people would hurry by, their gazes lingering briefly on Lin Qiye before quickly looking away, as if they had seen something they shouldn't have.