Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

Its feathers were jet black, reflecting a deep luster under the silvery moonlight, like some kind of liquid metal.

The crow circled once on the oak branch, then folded its wings and swooped down.

Three feet above the ground, its shape suddenly changed.

Black wings stretched, elongated, and split.

The jet-black feathers flowed and reformed like water.

The crow vanished the moment it landed.

Instead, a woman took her place.

She was wearing a black cheongsam.

The fabric was some kind of silk whose material was indistinct, shimmering slightly in the moonlight, like the deep hue of a raven's wing that had been directly cut from it.

The neckline of the cheongsam was very tight, buttoned all the way up to the neck, obscuring the outline of the figure.

But her face was revealed.

Young, very young.

He looked to be in his early twenties.

A mixed-race face.

Her features were so delicate, as if they had been sculpted stroke by stroke with a carving knife: a high, straight nose, slightly upturned eyes, and thin, sharp lips.

The eyes were black, not just any black, but a deep, unfathomable black.

Like two ancient wells without end, when you look into them, you don't see your own reflection, but an endless, heart-stopping void.

She landed and stood still, raising her head and glancing at Xilun.

His gaze was indifferent, as if he were looking at an insignificant object.

Then, she frowned slightly.

A moment of confusion flashed in his dark eyes.

That expression lasted for less than half a second.

Immediately, the confusion vanished, and her eyes regained their clarity.

The memories are coming back.

"It's you."

She spoke.

The voice was soft, with a lazy nasal tone, as if it had just woken up from a long sleep and was not yet fully awake.

Her gaze lingered on Xiren for a moment.

The gaze carried a scrutinizing quality, sweeping from his face to his body, and then from his body to his breath.

Xilun was about to say something.

However, the woman did not give him that chance.

She raised her hand slightly, just a little, her fingers slightly spread.

An invisible force instantly locked onto a hidden pouch at Xilun's waist.

The bag's drawstring loosened automatically, and the jade bottle inside flew out.

The cork popped open silently.

Two serene snow lotuses floated out of the bottle.

Nine translucent petals, like shattered ice, refracted a pale blue light under the moonlight, with fine crystals shimmering among the stamens, exuding a refreshing and invigorating fragrance.

A three-hundred-year-old pair of nine-petaled, twin snow lotuses.

Xilun's eye twitched slightly.

He saw two snow lotuses float in the air for a moment, then one of them was pulled by a gentle force, as if gently plucked by an unseen hand, and slowly floated towards the woman.

The snow lotus fell into her wide sleeve and disappeared.

The other flower returned along the same path and fell back into the jade bottle, where the stopper automatically returned to its place.

The entire process was smooth and seamless, without making a sound.

The woman closed her eyes.

Her eyelashes were long, casting two fine shadows in the moonlight.

She seemed to be sensing something.

After a moment, she nodded slightly.

"Can."

His tone was indifferent, as if he were evaluating a product that barely passed the test.

Her gaze returned to Xiren.

This time, there was something else in those dark eyes.

It's not praise, it's not satisfaction.

It was more like... an accident.

"Well done."

Three words.

When she spoke, her tone was as flat as a stagnant pool, without the slightest fluctuation of emotion.

But this is already extremely high praise.

Xilun forced a smile.

"senior."

He called out.

The woman was about to turn and leave.

Upon hearing those two words, she paused in her steps.

They didn't turn back, but they also didn't continue walking.

"What's wrong?"

Xilun said, "You should know that a horse needs to eat grass to run."

The woman slowly turned her head.

Her expression didn't change, but her dark eyes blinked.

"Are you going to make demands of me?"

Xilun shook his head.

"No."

His tone was neither humble nor arrogant.

"I'm discussing this with you."

He stared directly into those unfathomable black eyes without flinching.

"Many of the conditions you set out for me, senior, are beyond my current capabilities. There are some things that I can only barely manage to do even if I try my best."

He paused.

"Without corresponding returns to support it, this path would be very difficult to continue."

The woman looked at him.

The moonlight fell on her profile, outlining a cold and indifferent silhouette.

"Not killing you," she said, "is the greatest support I can give you."

Xilun did not back down.

That's true.

He said, "But there is only punishment and no reward. Seniors should know what the result of such a method of managing people will be."

His gaze was calm and serene.

"We can't really work for you."

This was said very softly.

But it's not light.

The woman gave a cold laugh.

The laughter was like shards of ice falling on a stone slab, delicate and cold.

"They've gotten too bold."

Her voice dropped by half a tone.

"You dare to make demands of me."

She snorted coldly.

But her gaze didn't actually turn fierce.

On the contrary, something was slowly moving within those black eyes.

It was as if he was pondering, as if he was weighing his options.

After a few seconds of silence, Xilun spoke again.

"Senior, I have a question."

The woman didn't speak, but she didn't stop it either.

"When you first met me, you saw the extraordinary talent I possessed."

"Isn't that right?" Siren said.

He hadn't figured this out at first.

However, during his advancement to the second tier, he briefly gained the ability of internal vision.

In that instant, he clearly saw the structure inside his body, not just flesh and bones, but something deeper.

Gene chain.

Those special chains plundered from the alien species and woven deep into his body.

They resembled luminous threads, wrapped around his NA, forming a strange symbiotic relationship with his human genes.

"Have you noticed an anomaly in my genetic code?"

The woman's eyelashes trembled slightly.

After a moment, she nodded slightly.

"That's true."

She said, "Although I don't know whether your condition is due to a transplant or the result of a special ceremony."

Her gaze lingered on Xiren for a moment.

"But there is indeed a genetic chain of a different species in your body. When this chain is in operation, it allows you to unleash the innate talents of that species."

At this point, her expression suddenly changed.

It didn't become sharper, but rather... more distant.

It's like looking at something from a very, very long time ago.

"There have been people like that before."

She said this in a lower voice, with a touch of emotion.

"He acquired the alien's talents from its extraordinary characteristics. After absorbing them, he wove a genetic chain within his body."

She paused.

"It is said that at his peak, he mastered as many as eight hundred different talents."

Eight hundred kinds! This number made Xilun's breath catch in his throat for a moment.

"A god with extraordinary abilities."

The woman's voice had an indescribable quality to it.

Remembrance? Sigh? Or something else entirely?

She shook her head.

"I'm not going to say anything more."

She glanced back at Xilen, a look that was complex.

It contains reflection, memories, and a very faint... regret.

"Although this ability has its risks."

She said, "But those hidden dangers are beyond your current level. The exotic talent you now possess is practically a real upgrade for you."

She pondered for a moment.

In the moonlight, her face was as serene as a sculpture.

"As for the compensation you mentioned."

She finally spoke up: "It's not impossible."

She turned around and faced Xiren.

"As long as you complete my instructions, I will naturally tell you some things."

Her gaze swept over Xilun's body from top to bottom, like a precise scalpel dissecting something layer by layer.

"You possess a talent for mysticism." Xiren's heart tightened slightly.

"You need a witch to enlighten you."

This sentence contains a lot of information.

But the woman didn't give him time to process it.

Her gaze fell on the resealed jade bottle at Xilun's waist.

Inside was a serene snow lotus.

"The Tranquil Snow Lotus is a sacred medicine for spiritual power."

She said calmly, "If used on you, it can help your spirit safely pass through the vulnerable period after enlightenment."

She extended a finger, just a light touch.

The stopper on the jade bottle popped open again.

Finally, the serene snow lotus rose from the bottle, its nine ice-crystal-like petals slowly unfolding under the moonlight, emitting a cool, ethereal blue glow.

The snow lotus floated in the air and then slowly drifted towards Xilun.

He instinctively reached out to take it.

But the snow lotus did not fall into his hands.

It floated straight to him, and the petals gently touched his lips.

Then it slowly melts away.

In an instant, the entire snow lotus transformed into a clear, icy blue stream, which slid down his throat and into his body.

That feeling was incredibly wonderful.

It's not cold, although it looks like ice.

It wasn't scorching hot either.

Rather, it is a kind of... peace.

It felt as if I were at the bottom of a calm, deep sea.

All around was silent; nothing was heard.

Even my heartbeat became slow and long.

The clear stream did not enter his dantian or meridians, but instead flowed upwards.

It went all the way up, through the cervical spine, through the skull, and straight to the deepest part of his consciousness.

Xilun felt that his spiritual world was like a dark room that had been sealed off for a long time, and the power of the Tranquil Snow Lotus was like a lamp that had been lit.

The lights came on.

Everything in the dark room began to become clear.

He saw the form of his own spirit, blurry and fragile, like a thin layer of ice covering a deep pool of water.

The ice surface was covered with cracks.

That was the mental strain left by intense combat and frequent use of alien talents.

The power of the tranquil snow lotus began to mend these cracks.

It's as if a pair of gentle hands are softly smoothing out those broken cracks.

The ice surface gradually became whole again.

Then, it got thicker.

One floor, two floors, three floors.

Thin ice turned into thick ice, thick ice turned into ice crystals, and ice crystals turned into something more solid and dense.

The spiritual power of Xilun is undergoing a transformation on a level invisible to the naked eye.

He didn't know how long this process lasted.

It could be a few seconds, or it could be a few minutes.

As that clear stream completely merged into the depths of his spirit, Xilun slowly opened his eyes.

The moonlight remains, the oak tree remains.

The woman remained standing in the same spot, calmly watching him.

But Siren sensed something different.

His senses... have changed.

It's not that I've become more perceptive. It's that I've gained another dimension.

He can "see" things he couldn't see before.

Not with the eyes.

Instead, it uses a deeper, more conscious "vision".

For example, the woman in front of me.

To his naked eye, she was a young woman in a black cheongsam, with delicate features and a slender figure.

But in the new layer of "vision" he gained.

He saw something else.

A huge, dark, surging... thing.

Enveloping her body.

It resembles a living black mist.

It also resembles countless crows spreading their wings, clustered together in layers.

The object emitted an aura that sent chills down his spine.

Ancient, profound, and terrifying.

It was far beyond his comprehension.

Xiren's breath hitched.

He quickly withdrew that newly formed sense of awareness, and his expression returned to normal.

The woman seemed to sense something, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.

"You felt it?"

She said calmly.

"After I give you a hand, once you have fully absorbed the effects of the Tranquil Snow Lotus, your mental strength will see a significant boost, roughly comparable to that of an ordinary intermediate scholar."

She said, "This is very beneficial for you now."

She made a fleeting gesture with her finger in the air.

An invisible line emerged from her fingertip, transforming into a faint silver light that disappeared into Xilun's brow.

Xilun felt that something had entered his mind.

It is neither memory nor knowledge.

It's more of a feeling...

An intuition that utilizes mental power.

It was as if someone had demonstrated how to breathe to him, and he had learned it naturally.

"Your occult talent has been fully developed and is now at peace. I will teach you a basic meditation technique."

The woman said calmly.

"You'll have to figure out the rest on your own."

She turned around, seemingly preparing to leave.

Just as Xilun was about to thank her, the woman suddenly stopped.

She didn't turn around.

But the sound came through clearly.

"Although I have met far too many people," she said.

The tone remained flat, but it carried a certain weight.

"But I have to admit that your physical body is quite rare among the thousands of people I have ever seen."

She paused for a moment.

"So I can tolerate some of your willfulness."

Xilun listened quietly, the moonlight illuminating his profile and highlighting his composed features.

"I permit you to blow the bone whistle."

She said.

"but."

She finally turned her head to the side, half of her face hidden in shadow, the other half illuminated by the moonlight, appearing pale and jade-like.

"Once the whistle is blown, a part of you will belong to me forever."

These words were spoken so softly that they were almost drowned out by the sound of the wind.

But every word was like a nail, deeply embedded in Xilun's consciousness.

He was silent.

The woman looked at him for two seconds, then added:

"Of course, you can also choose another path."

"Serve me forever, believe in me, and be loyal to me."

"Then, I can allow you to borrow my power."

As soon as he finished speaking, the night wind suddenly picked up.

The oak branches rustled and swayed, and the moonlight flickered.

The woman's black cheongsam billowed in the wind; she seemed to have no intention of saying anything more.