I slay evil in the Department of the Supernatural

Chapter 143, Section 142: Under the Spotlight! A Little Lucky Star! (Long Chapter, Please Subscribe)

"Uncle...are you...taking me home now?"

The sudden appearance of the childlike voice startled Xu Lindong, and he immediately stopped in his tracks.

The little girl who had disappeared before had reappeared, and—it seemed—she came out of the carriage with him?

He quickly scanned his surroundings and finally spotted a small figure at his feet.

She was looking up at us, her expression innocent and pure, and she still didn't exude any evil aura. Even the Tower of Heaven didn't stir or send any warnings.

"Captain, what's wrong?"

Tang Lei stopped when he saw Xu Lindong standing there, and asked in surprise.

Xu Lindong hesitated for a moment before asking, "You guys—didn't you see anything?"

"What!?"

Upon hearing this, all three team members felt a chill run down their spines and their hair stood on end. They hurriedly looked around, but still found nothing.

"Can't you see it?"

Xu Lindong felt a sense of surprise.

The little girl was right next to him, but none of the three team members could detect her; even their supernatural senses seemed unable to sense her.

It seems that this little girl is not a simple spirit, and may not even be a spiritual being, but a more special kind of spiritual being.

"This is a bit strange—it seems to be an unusual little fellow..."

He carefully sensed for a moment, but still did not detect any danger.

Even the Heavenly Pride Token couldn't detect the little girl's presence; otherwise, it would have definitely updated the information and left a record.

However, since there is no immediate threat, Xu Lindong decided to leave first.

Then we'll try to take her into the Tower of Babel and have the Tower Master take care of the children, and then consult with the Earth Goddess Houtu.

That being was, after all, at the top of the authentic sequence, and his understanding of spiritual and mental entities far surpassed his.

Once he made up his mind, he turned to his three teammates and said in a normal tone, "It's nothing. I just felt a lingering eerie fluctuation, but it's gone now. Let's go."

"So that's how it is..."

The three of them breathed a sigh of relief, looked around but found nothing, and immediately followed Xu Lindong to retreat.

Upon arriving outside the subway station, Xu Lindong used the Heavenly Pride Token again to seal the entrance, then turned around.

The person in charge of on-site security, along with Li Yunfan and others, quickly approached.

The person in charge, looking excited yet somewhat nervous, asked, "Captain Xu, how's the situation down there?"

The surrounding police officers held their breath, their eyes all focused on Xu Lindong.

Xu Lindong nodded slightly, meeting the many gazes, and calmly replied, "It's all been resolved. The seal has been reinforced, and the danger has been eliminated. Next, as long as a re-inspection confirms everything is correct, residents within a one-kilometer radius can move back in."

"That's wonderful!"

The person in charge suddenly relaxed his tense shoulders and back, let out a long sigh, straightened his back, and solemnly saluted Xu Lindong.

The surrounding security officers also saluted in unison, their eyes filled with admiration.

This young executive captain is truly impressive for handling things so quickly.

Li Yunfan grinned and gave Xu Lindong a big thumbs up.

"Fall back."

Xu Lindong didn't say anything more. With a command, Xia Ping quickly drove the special operations vehicle to the scene.

"Captain, please come in. Everyone has worked hard."

Ning Che quickly opened the door and prepared to resume resupply.

Everyone boarded the vehicle one after another, their movements swift and efficient.

Inside the car, Xu Lindong sat in the passenger seat, his gaze subtly glancing at his thigh.

The little girl, whose spiritual essence was imperceptible to ordinary people, sat there quietly, her little face curiously looking around, then sucking her index finger while gazing at him innocently.

"That guy's really something, starting to suck his nails right now."

He looked away and closed his eyes to rest.

Deep within his consciousness, a wisp of divine thought quietly separated and sank into the Tower of Babel, asking a question.

"Empress Houtu, do you know the origin of this little girl beside me?"

At this moment, the changes on the Prodigy Ranking have quickly attracted the attention of many prodigies.

At first, only some of the top talents ranked next to Xu Lindong noticed his change.

Soon, more attention began to focus on this suddenly emerging "dark horse".

The three cultivators, on their first mission, faced an unexpected situation where the mission's danger level was temporarily increased.

He was still able to single-handedly kill a Sequence 8 evil spirit and completely resolve the crisis.

This record is enough to prove that Xu Lindong is not only strong, but also has extremely amazing potential.

In an instant, many prodigies turned their attention to the 552nd position on the list, staring at Xu Lindong's information.

He is the only awakened one among the top thousand on the current list of geniuses who is marked as "cultivating all three paths," which is really too eye-catching.

Moreover, he was born in Wuhan, not in a top metropolis like Shenzhen, Shanghai, or Beijing.

"When exactly did this person appear?"

"When did it become so easy to cultivate all three paths simultaneously?"

Some people clearly remember that not long ago, Xu Lindong was just a single cultivator of the Heavenly Dao, ranked in the 790s, at most a genius with some talent and fame.

Now, however, it suddenly bared its fangs, instantly surpassing more than two hundred others, its momentum unstoppable, like a giant crocodile suddenly bursting into view, making people turn their heads.

In an instant, numerous forces and countless eyes were drawn to this dark horse that had suddenly emerged.

Information investigations into Xu Lindong have quietly begun in various places.

The top floor of a towering building in Shanghai.

A casually dressed young man in flip-flops was lazily waving a flag that looked like a summoning banner, directing several beautiful wandering spirits opposite him to sway to the music, just to relieve boredom and complete their role-playing.

"I haven't been a big brother for many years!"

A cell phone suddenly rang nearby.

He clicked his tongue impatiently and picked up the phone.

"What's wrong? Don't disturb me watching the female ghosts dance. These few were just captured from the female ghost banner. Their banter is quite interesting."

"Young Master Dong, look at the list of prodigies! Someone has cultivated three paths simultaneously, just like you."

"What? Someone can actually be as outstanding as me?"

The young man brushed aside the side-swept bangs in front of his eyes, revealing two surprised eyes, as if only then could he look people in the eye.

After hanging up, he quickly walked to his desk, opened a drawer, and took out his exclusive Pride Token.

My eyes swept across the list and quickly locked onto number 552.

Jiangcheng, Xu Lindong.

The words "Cultivating the Three Paths of Heaven, Earth, and Man" in the status bar were incredibly clear and glaring.

The young man's eyes narrowed, and his expression became extremely strange.

"Three cards in one hand—all cards revealed from the start? Even the God of Gamblers isn't this arrogant! Is there something wrong with these cards?"

He muttered to himself, his tone a mixture of surprise, amusement, and a hint of barely perceptible seriousness.

He himself is a practitioner of all three paths, but he has always presented himself as someone who "cultivates two paths simultaneously".

It's not that I don't want to be high-profile, it's that I can't.

He has to rely on the institute's "blocker" every day to barely maintain the balance of his internal energy.

Even so, he would never dare to use all three powers at the same time in actual combat, otherwise the extraordinary matter would definitely go berserk and backfire.

But this Xu Lindong—

"Could it be that a newbie who just broke through inadvertently revealed his strength at the third level? How did he do that? How come there was no backlash?"

The young man frowned. "Moreover... to cultivate two paths in one go—this can't be explained by talent alone, unless—"

Several possibilities flashed through his mind.

Alternatively, Xu Lindong's talent and background are even more terrifying than those four "monsters" secretly cultivated in the Extraordinary Research Institute using special drugs from the sinkhole.

Either the research institute has developed a new generation of "blockers" that can perfectly suppress sequence conflicts.

0

Thinking of this, his heart sank slightly.

He himself is a user of the "blocker" and is well aware of its limitations.

It can suppress low-sequence extraordinary matter, but it has many limitations and cannot be escaped for a lifetime.

If Xu Lindong truly achieved this level through the new device, then the technological breakthrough behind it will directly impact the future landscape of all cultivators.

"Of the other six people on the Prodigy Ranking who cultivate both paths, two are pretending, just like me. The other three are the ones who genuinely only cultivate both paths."

The young man paced back and forth, holding his phone. "Those lunatics in the research institute are willing to use themselves as samples, especially those four guys who are privately called 'monsters' within the institute."

Three of them spend most of their time in the lab, almost completely isolated from the world, while the identity and location of the third remain a mystery.

""

"Xu Lindong—what kind of guy is this? He seems to have suddenly popped out of a rock."

Without further hesitation, he picked up his phone and dialed the internal line of the Extraordinary Research Institute.

"It's me, Dong Shaoqing. Regarding the development progress of the new barrier device—have you made any breakthroughs that you haven't shared with me?"

Headquarters of the Jiangcheng Supernatural Bureau.

Chief Shen Guanting stood with his hands behind his back in his office, his gaze fixed on the list projected by the Heavenly Pride Token across from him.

When he saw the words "cultivating the three paths of Heaven, Earth, and Man" after the line of information about [Xu Lindong·Jiangcheng], the fine lines at the corners of his eyes relaxed, and a heartfelt sense of satisfaction appeared on his face.

"Excellent—Jiangcheng has finally produced a promising talent who has a chance to break into the top ten in this year's Prodigy Program."

Before this, only Xie Zhou in the entire Jiangcheng had a chance of breaking into the top 40.

Top ten? That's a pipe dream, something I wouldn't even dare to dream of.

Now that Xu Lindong has suddenly emerged, as long as he doesn't falter halfway through, he definitely has a chance to break into the top ten in the future.

But while he was pleased, he also felt some lingering concerns.

The path of cultivating three paths simultaneously seems glamorous, allowing one to gain a huge advantage in the early stages of competition among geniuses and quickly accumulate resources and reputation.

But as the chief of staff, he knew better than anyone that this was actually an extremely narrow and treacherous road full of thorns.

The practice of cultivating multiple paths was not a secret in the past.

Although resources were scarce and equipment was rudimentary in those days, there were still many exceptionally talented geniuses who made attempts.

Moreover, the people of that era were more energetic, more determined, and willing to dedicate everything to the Xia Kingdom.

But very few people can actually make it through.

Currently, there are very few geniuses nationwide who can cultivate both paths and reach the middle level in both; they are all top geniuses of the previous generation.

Now, however, they have all been left behind by the geniuses who were ranked lower back then and only specialized in one path.

Because even those who only cultivate one path still have a chance to break through and advance to a higher sequence.

Those few old prodigies who cultivated both paths could only reach the middle ranks, and had to rely on the special equipment of the Extraordinary Research Institute to suppress conflicts for many years. Their potential was locked, and they could hardly make any further progress.

"Even today, with several generations of updated barrier devices and more mature technology, there's still no example of simultaneously pushing two pathways to higher sequences—as for three?"

General Shen shook his head inwardly and sighed.

The risk is too great.

Even with the support of a wealth of data and cutting-edge instruments from research institutes, whether they can even enter the middle sequence is still unknown, let alone reach higher levels.

But soon, he took a deep breath, suppressed his worries, and his eyes became firm again.

In any case, the fact that such a prodigy has emerged in Jiangcheng is a great joy in itself.

"The Transcendence Project, after all, is strongly supported by His Majesty the God of Man. Perhaps—the Future Research Institute can truly achieve a key breakthrough."

""

Chief of Staff Shen turned around and looked out the window at the outline of Jiangcheng. His gaze was deep and far-reaching. "If that day really comes, Xu Lindong will probably be the biggest beneficiary."

What we need to do now is not to worry about distant bottlenecks, but to seize the present and strive for the best sunlight and soil for this seedling that has broken through the soil.

On this day, there were just too many people paying attention to Xu Lindong.

Even his friends, such as Lu Qian, as well as Pan Chao, Lei Chong and others who had also joined the Tianjiao Project, all noticed the unusual activity on the list.

They were all shocked.

Their respective rankings were still hovering around 700 or even 900, but they watched helplessly as Xu Lindong's name soared like a rocket, jumping to over 500. Even more shocking was the updated information in the status bar.

"Cultivating all three paths simultaneously... is that really true?"

Pan Chao could hardly believe the contents displayed on the Heavenly Pride Token.

"My god, I was just saying I was about to break through, and my brother is even more powerful now?"

Ding Jian, who had successfully survived the seven-day ordeal, stared wide-eyed at Pan Chao's message of the Heavenly Pride Token.

On the other side, Lu Qian was equally surprised.

She is leading a team to carry out an inspection mission in the sinkhole area near Mulan Tianchi in Jiangcheng.

The surrounding area was shrouded in gray fog and faintly visible field fluctuations.

In this tense and solemn atmosphere, she froze on the spot after seeing the message from the Heavenly Pride Token.

"Ah Dong—?"

The emotions welling up inside her were very complex.

First, I was somewhat shocked, followed by a strong sense of unfamiliarity and bewilderment.

Although I've always known that Ah Dong has exceptional talent, the speed of his rise and the feats he's accomplished are simply too astonishing.

"Why does it feel like... they suddenly left me behind?"

She stared blankly at the edge of the sinkhole, where the mist was billowing in the distance, for a moment.

The Heavenly Pride Token in her hand emitted a slight buzzing sound, pulling her back to reality.

The mission was still ongoing, and she didn't have time to ask further questions.

A purer emotion quietly rose from the bottom of my heart, washing away my doubts; it was genuine joy.

No matter how strong he becomes or how far he goes.

He's still Ah Dong, and that's enough.

..

More than an hour later, at the Eastern District's Department of the Supernatural.

After completing all the tests at Dr. Lei's clinic, everyone returned to their respective rest rooms.

According to regulations, anyone who has come into contact with evil spirits must remain in the facility for observation for one to two hours, even if they pass a psychological assessment.

Inside the lounge, Xu Lindong closed his eyes and concentrated, his consciousness sinking into the Tower of Babel.

The little girl who had always followed him had already been sent into the tower by him.

However, she was not imprisoned or bound by the Tower of Babel. Instead, she floated quietly in front of the oval bronze mirror, her figure hazy. It seemed that because she was not evil, she did not meet the conditions for being imprisoned.

The surface of the bronze mirror rippled like water, and lines of information appeared, revealing the little girl's general condition:

[Name]: None [Category]: Special Mind Entity [Status]: Pure and Flawless (Can Grow)

[Origin]: Transformed from a pure soul, the soul has dissipated, and only the mental form remains. [Characteristics]:

Obsessive Protection: Can attach itself to a specific target, producing a slight "luck boost" effect, slightly increasing the probability of good fortune.

Resonance of Wishes: If one fulfills their obsession ("going home"), it may trigger unknown positive feedback.

[Note]: An extremely rare creation of the mind, free from any evil influences, cannot be observed or imprisoned by conventional means, and poses no threat.

"This little guy is quite a peculiar existence... perhaps a little lucky charm?"

Just as Xu Lindong's consciousness was browsing the little girl's information, the calm voice of Houtu Niangniang came from the top of the tower: "Such a pure spiritual body is indeed rare in the world."

There was a hint of emotion in her voice: "If she fell into the hands of some wicked people, she would become the core sacrifice for some evil rituals."

Or... like those so-called "sanctuaries" and churches in the Federation, they often use these pure spiritual entities as vessels to receive the descending power of what they call "angels."

She paused briefly, then her tone turned to a warning: "But for you, there's no need to deliberately place or drive her away; just let her follow."

Right now, this little guy can only bring a slight boost to your luck, so its effect isn't that great. But when you reach the higher ranks in the future—”

The voice of the Goddess Houtu held a deeper meaning: "This pure essence of the soul will be of great use to you. Keep it for now; you wouldn't understand even if I told you now."

Upon hearing this, Xu Lindong felt reassured and immediately expressed his gratitude.

"I understand, thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty."

Since the Empress has suggested that he take in the little girl, then let him accept her for now.

The Empress spoke casually, but this ability, which had a low probability of bringing good fortune, was still very powerful to him.

There are also applications for higher sequences in the future.

The little girl's value far exceeded expectations; she was hardly something that could be extracted from the body of a Sequence 8 evil spirit.

"It seems that regardless of the level of power, pure truth, goodness, and beauty are scarce resources everywhere..."

'

Xu Lindong glanced at the little girl sucking her fingers, then stopped worrying and turned his attention to the other logs that were being updated on the bronze mirror.

These days, he has consumed a lot of merit. Just the suppression of the agitation of the extraordinary matter during the breakthrough and the frequent consumption afterward have already exceeded five hundred.

However, after clearing out the evil spirits of Sequence 8 and resealing the subway station, they also received a considerable replenishment, which can be considered a recovery.

At this moment, the surface of the bronze mirror rippled slightly.

Xu Lindong stared intently as several new records slowly emerged from the depths of the mirror.