The comments said I was deeply affectionate, I just added points by using an alternate account.

He came and went quickly; in the blink of an eye, the white-clad figure once again merged into the space and vanished. Guan Jinyue had also disappeared, seemingly vanishing along with Baal. It was unknown whether he had been sent away by the White Tiger.

An Changqing couldn't lift the coffin, and his personal experience showed it was much heavier than he had imagined. Coupled with what had just happened, he couldn't help but feel a little frightened.

Chen Guan's hidden strength was deeper than he had imagined. He had thought that Chen Guan's strength was at most comparable to his own, but he hadn't expected that once Chen Guan used his hidden power, it would far surpass his own.

At least, he believed there was absolutely no way he could harm that high and mighty demon.

He placed the medicine from Baihu into Chen Guan's mouth without suspicion. If Baihu wanted to harm him, he would have done so long ago; there was no need for such a fuss. He had once again proven his strength. At least, his strength was greater than that of the higher-ups in the academies outside; otherwise, he would never have been the first to arrive here.

Who exactly is he?

What is his purpose?

An Changqing felt a sense of unease, but that was not something he should be thinking about right now.

"An Changqing..." Chen Guan raised his hand with difficulty and pointed to the coffin left in place. Su Yuehe understood the message the fastest: "Move it over here quickly."

Seeing Chen Guan nod, An Changqing then pulled Long Ao along, and with Su Yuehe losing several buffs, they managed to move over.

Chen Guan touched his coffin with a sense of peace and closed his eyes contentedly.

The school staff arrived relatively quickly, shortly after Baihu left. Although it was somewhat belated, they were safe in the end. However, Chen Guan himself could no longer feel any of this.

Under the influence of the medicine, Chen Guan felt his eyelids growing heavier and heavier, and finally, his consciousness gradually faded away.

……

the other side.

Baal stood casually in mid-air with his hands in his pockets, facing the White Tiger, who was still dressed in white.

He looked at the white tiger on the ground with a look of inquiry in his eyes. This person was really unfamiliar to him. Among humans, there were very few experts he did not know.

Looking at the white mask with that annoying smile, Baal tilted his head and observed for a moment. Suddenly, he laughed: "The Origin Group? You haven't disbanded yet."

Baihu wasn't surprised that Baal could see through his background. He waved his hand and said, "You, Lord Baal, are still alive at your age. What's so strange about our Guiyuan Group passing down its traditions?"

He pointed to Guan Jinyue beside him: "Old Demon, let's make a deal. I won't touch this little girl, and you can't touch my prospective subordinate."

Baal's smile was even brighter than the white tiger's mask: "Have you really sunk so low as to recruit child laborers?"

"Hey, old man, you're one to talk. This girl and that boy are the same age, aren't they?"

Although Baihu couldn't defeat Baal in his full form, he was still quite defiant when facing a Baal clone: ​​"Besides, even if that kid is weak, he still stole your rage flames, and I wonder who got half their body burned off."

When this matter was brought up, Baal couldn't help but feel embarrassed. As a dignified demon god, he had his home stolen by a brat and was even exposed by the White Tiger. It was so shameful that it was beyond redemption.

"Hmph, you're being too talkative."

There's nothing that can be done now that I can't hold on any longer. Who would have thought that the ability of echoing still exists in this world? But after today, too...

Hmm, wait, the mark is still there, so that kid isn't dead?

Barth realized it too late.

Although he couldn't guess what Baal was thinking, seeing this scene made the White Tiger even happier: "Then it's settled, my dear little Baal sweetheart."

Before Baal could unleash his power, the White Tiger made a swift escape, leaving only his sly laughter in the air.

Guan Jinyue looked at Baer hesitantly: "That person is...?"

"Ignore him." Baal snorted and turned away with a flick of his sleeve. "That guy is a lunatic from the Guiyuan Group."

"The Guiyuan Group?" This was the first time Guan Jinyue had ever heard of this name.

"It's not important. You won't have access to those people yet." Baal turned around, looking at her with a complicated expression. "But you, don't you regret giving up your privileged life?"

No regrets.

Is it worth it?

"worth."

Baal laughed heartily: "Hehehe, I hope you'll tell me you won't regret it later."

Guan Jinyue calmly looked at Baal, who was known as the Demon Lord.

Although this old devil is sometimes mentally unstable and likes to laugh like eight elders of the Soul Palace, he is her only hope now.

wait for me……

She also has someone more important than life itself, someone she's willing to give everything for.

……

When Chen Guan regained consciousness, the first things he smelled were the smell of disinfectant and the soft bed beneath him.

He slowly opened his eyes and found himself lying in a hospital room. The decor didn't quite resemble Huaqing Medical Center, so he was probably sent to Taipei College, which was nearby.

Sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the blinds, bringing a touch of warmth, though it couldn't compare to the warmth of self-immolation.

A dull ache emanated from various parts of my body, especially deep within my mind, as if something had scraped me hard, leaving a lingering, aching pain.

He tried to practice the Stargazing Meditation Technique and look inward at himself. His spiritual power recovered somewhat, but it was far from being full. More obviously, a lingering cold aura still lingered deep in his soul, like a brand left by a venomous snake's gaze. It was the mark left by Baal's mark.

"Awake?" A gentle voice came from beside the bed, giving him no time to observe further.

Chen Guan turned his head and saw An Changqing sitting in the chair next to him, holding a report in his hand. Although his face was still a little tired, his gaze had returned to its usual composure.

Long Ao leaned against the window, arms crossed, eyes closed, resting. His breathing was steady, and he seemed to be fine. When he saw Chen Guan wake up, he merely raised his eyes slightly before closing them again. Su Yuehe, on the other hand, was asleep on a table not far away, her face still showing signs of fatigue.

"We..." Chen Guan's voice was hoarse from dehydration.

"We're all alive, a little injured, but nothing serious. You've been through the most."

An Changqing put down the report, poured a glass of warm water and handed it over: "This is the Taipei Medical Center. After we lost consciousness, the academy and association's rescue teams arrived and brought us out of the secret realm. The space structure over at the trial grounds was severely damaged and is temporarily closed."

Chen Guan took the water and drank a few sips, feeling some relief in his throat. "Where's Guan Jinyue? And... that other person?"

An Changqing understood that he was referring to the White Tiger, and his expression became more serious: "Guan Jinyue and Baal's clone disappeared together. No trace was found at the scene. The association is doing its best to investigate, but..."

He shook his head: "There are no clues at the moment, and there probably won't be any in the future. As for that Mr. White Tiger, it's still the same as always, there's not a single clue."

"What happened in the secret realm has been classified as top secret," An Changqing continued. "The official statement is that the secret realm encountered a spatial storm, which caused the trial to be terminated early and some students were injured. The matter concerning Baal, Guan Jinyue, and Baihu is strictly forbidden to be disclosed."

"What was the result of the Four Schools League?" Long Ao opened his eyes at some point and asked in a muffled voice. His injury was second only to Chen Guan's, so he hadn't had time to find out what happened afterward.

"Based on the existing points statistics, Huaqing ranks first in both individual and team battles. The Secret Realm Tournament was unexpectedly suspended, but the points are calculated based on the points before the suspension, and we are still in the lead."

"Based on comprehensive evaluation, Huaqing College has won the overall championship of this year's Four Schools League. We have... completed the Grand Slam."

"The second grade got second place, the third grade also got second place, and the fourth grade got first place."

This was probably the only good news amidst the gloom. Long Ao snorted, but couldn't help but smile.

"Chen Guan." An Changqing didn't continue the topic of the Four Schools League, but instead looked at him, his tone serious: "Regarding the ability you used at the end... I didn't say. When they asked, I only said that you took the hit from Baal's attack to save me. You should be prepared."

"Dean Situ is willing to vouch for you, so you won't encounter any trouble in the short term."

Chen Guan nodded: "I understand, thank you."

He knew that An Changqing was helping him cover up the abnormality of the aftersound. This ability to steal the essence of the demon god's power would likely attract even more attention if exposed.

To his surprise, Situ Ming actually helped him with his studies. Although the old professor was a bit rigid and serious, he was truly admirable to him.

After chatting briefly and confirming that there were no problems, the group left one after another, leaving Chen Guan to rest quietly. The black iron coffin still stood beside him, and it was unknown who had moved it there.

"What a good person," he thought to himself. He couldn't leave the coffin's side; once he got a certain distance away, it was like encountering an invisible wall. If he hadn't been turned around, he wouldn't know what would have happened.

He opened the forum, hoping to see if there was any news about Baer and Guan Jinyue.

But to my surprise, the first thing I saw was himself.

[On the connection between Chen Guan and Baer]

The poster's ID was "President of Chen Guan's Fan Club." Chen Guan remembered this ID, and the title was so attractive that he clicked on it immediately.

But after seeing the contents, he realized it was just a cell phone for the elderly on the subway.

[1. Chen Guan has never denied that he is not Baal.]

2. Both of them have black hair.

3. Both of them are skilled at handling fire.

4. The two of them...

After reading this long post, all I can say is that the poster's thought process is far removed from humanity and very close to God.

He exited at lightning speed and started browsing through normal posts.

Unfortunately, details about those two remain vague, but he has seen many comments about him.

[@President of Chen Guan's Fan Club, although the boss's post was a bit far-fetched, upon serious discussion, I feel that Chen Guan and Baal are indeed somewhat related.]

[Why is Chen's coffin like an onion, requiring me to peel away layer after layer? How many more surprises do you hold that I don't know about?]

We still don't know the true identity of the person in the coffin. Even though the coffin itself has been physically burned out, we haven't forgotten to take one last look at him.

[He punched Baal, and he cried in fear. Is this still enough? In the analysis post about the main characters' combat strength, Chen Guan is weaker than An Changqing.]

[Strengthen Long Ao! Our Long Ao is always in jail, this kid's been innocent since he was little.]

[A reasonable speculation is that Long Ao's descent into darkness was due to his friends being like the Thousand-Hand Guanyin, each hiding countless secrets from him.]

The audience's reaction was not unexpected, but their imaginations were a bit too much.

Although Echo recorded the skill "Rage Flame," its master was none other than Baal, and who knows if that old devil can interfere with him.

……

Over the next few days, Chen Guan and the other three underwent multiple inquiries and psychological evaluations from different departments.

The questions mainly focused on his experiences within the secret realm, his understanding of Guan Jinyue and Baal, and his observations of the White Tiger. Chen Guan responded cautiously, telling the truth for the most part, but naturally refrained from mentioning details of his own special abilities and the matter of the Guiyuan Group.

The person in charge seemed to be just going through the motions, asking a few simple questions before making things difficult for the person.

Long Ao has become even more taciturn lately, dragging his still-unrecovered body to exercise every day, while the nurses' sharp sirens echoed throughout the entire corridor.

With access to top-notch medical resources and his own formidable regenerative abilities, Chen Guan's injuries and mental strength recovered rapidly.

But the mark of Nabal, like a persistent affliction, could not be dispelled, reminding him that he was being targeted by a demon god.

Fortunately, only he knew about this thing, and no one else could detect it. Nothing strange also appeared on his body.

A week later, they were granted permission to return to Huaqing College.

Although it was a lot of trouble, it actually brought Chen Guan a lot of benefits.

Name: Chen Guan

[Identity: First-year student at Huaqing College]

[Special Abilities: Life-based - Resilience, Mental-based - Illusionist, Mythological-based - Echo]

Special Skills: Military Combat (Blue), Heavy Weapon Mastery (Green), Scythe Specialization (Blue), Breath Concealment (Green), Stargazing Meditation (Blue)

【property:】

【Strength: 20.7】

[Stamina: 12.5]

[Agility: 11.2]

【Intelligence: 10】

【Spirit: 31.1】

Popularity: 47231

His attribute panel has seen a new leap forward.

His mental strength broke through the 30-point mark, reaching an astonishing 31.1. His strength, stamina, and agility also saw significant improvements.

In particular, once his strength broke through 20 points, his basic scythe also upgraded to scythe specialization. With 20 points of strength combined with scythe specialization, his melee ability is now completely different from before.

What surprised him most was the popularity value. After purchasing the distance points, he still had 47231 points left, which was undoubtedly a huge reward brought by the outstanding performance of the four schools league.

"It's time to properly plan how to use this huge sum of money." Chen Guan's eyes gleamed; it was time for his favorite part: shopping.

First, there's the weakness in the attributes. Although Intelligence has also increased to 10 points, it's still relatively low compared to other attributes. The surge in Intelligence is likely related to Echo, so it must be improved.

"Exchange for 5 free attribute points and add them all to Intelligence."

【Intelligence: 15】

Instantly, Chen Guan felt a cool sensation in his head. He wondered if it was just his imagination, but the flow of gray mist in his mental world seemed to have become more spiritual. His gray energy was a combination of spiritual power and mental power, and now it seemed that his intelligence attribute had indeed enhanced his gray energy.

Next, we'll focus on enhancing skills and equipment.

The blue-quality Stargazing Meditation technique is quite effective, but its recovery and enhancement speed is still insufficient when facing higher-level enemies. He looked at the higher-level options in the shop.