I logged into the God panel.

"My power... has increased."

In a training room, Zhang Youwei stared at the readings on the dynamometer, lost in thought.

He tried again, without using any special power-generating techniques, just a simple straight punch.

*Thump!*

The force gauge shook, and the numbers jumped wildly.

479.8.

Indeed, I've gained a full 60 pounds since yesterday!

The problem is, he was already close to becoming a fighter, with twice the physical abilities of an average person, and wasn't far from a life-altering transformation.

At this point, even increasing punching power by one pound is not something that can be done overnight, let alone sixty pounds.

"It seems that my overall physical fitness has improved somewhat."

Zhang Youwei muttered to himself that the increase in physical fitness and strength was not a simple linear relationship. For example, he had twice the physical fitness of an average person, yet he could deliver a punch with a force of over 400 jin.

An ordinary person, however, weighs no more than 100 pounds.

"Because..."

He murmured to himself, recalling the black-robed man's gentle touch on his head as he crawled on his stomach.

The depleted body was replenished, and a force seemingly more surging than before collided between the bones... Yes, it was that gentle touch.

"A miracle..."

Zhang Youwei felt a chill run down his spine, his heart felt like it was being gripped tightly by a hand, and he could hardly breathe.

A long silence followed.

In the empty, spacious training room, the deep, reverent voice of the middle-aged man echoed.

"O Lord, who sits atop the mountain city..."

.........

"You're willing to come back?"

Lu Daosheng took the pastry from Lu Yu's hand with a disgruntled expression.

"How dare you talk to your sister like that?"

Lu Yu put her hands on her hips, rolled her eyes, and said, "Your sister Mint is here too."

She stepped aside, and Li Bohe entered the house, greeting everyone with a smile:

"It feels like Lu Daosheng has grown quite a bit taller in just over a month... He must be about 1.4 meters tall now, right?"

Lu Daosheng opened the plastic bag, took a bite of the shortbread, and found it so sweet it hurt his teeth.

After a 0.1 decrease in physical fitness, the effect was 'significantly worse than before'.

"Sister Mint, why do you sound like an old person?" Lu Daosheng said casually, "Things like 'you've grown taller' are usually said by older men and women."

Li Bohe didn't take it to heart. As a young and energetic girl, she didn't feel offended by being told she was old.

She closed the door behind her, and without any hesitation, sat down on the sofa and took a pastry from the boy's hand.

"You don't understand. The teacher said in physiology class the other day that we girls are a little older than you boys."

As they were talking, Li Bohe noticed the boy staring intently at her, which surprised her.

"Xiaoyu, your brother really likes me, doesn't he?"

"What are you looking at?" Lu Yu slapped Lu Daosheng on the head.

The fourteen-year-old girl was already 1.65 meters tall, a head taller than Lu Daosheng, and currently maintained the absolute dominance of the older sister over the younger brother.

"Hiss... Lu Yu, give him some face in front of outsiders."

Lu Daosheng shrank back, his hand gripping the pastry tightening slightly.

Just now, when Li Bohe got close to me... I felt a tingling sensation.

It's like a warning from the body, or rather, from one's own mental will.

The level of warning was almost comparable to facing Zhang Youwei head-on!

This is terrifying. Old Zhang is an underground hunter, after all. His stats say he's close to his "first life transformation."

Li Bohe... is just a fourteen-year-old girl.

"Your brother is so cute." After finishing her pastry, Li Bohe reached out her greasy hand and pinched Lu Daosheng's cheek, causing the latter to frown again.

She said casually:

"He just has a rather gloomy demeanor, like that admissions officer at White Elephant Academy."

White Elephant Academy?

Lu Daosheng's heart skipped a beat. That necklace, that alchemical artifact, was the one Zhang Youwei had stolen from White Elephant Academy.

He looked curious.

"Mint, what is White Elephant Academy?"

"It's a long story. It's a very prestigious school, with junior high, high school, and university programs."

Li Bohe answered casually, and then chatted with Lu Yu with great interest—mostly about some gossip in the class, or the latest popular TV series.

Lu Daosheng pretended to wash his hands, and as he left, he quietly opened his Yin Eyes and glanced at Lu Yu and Li Bohe.

Damn it.

It's truly unbelievable.

His body tensed, and his pupils contracted sharply.

Under the gaze of Yin's eyes, a 'ghost' floated beside Li Bohe.

A ghost shrouded in a tattered black robe, its skeletal hands gripping a scythe.

It looks a lot like the Western Grim Reaper from some movies and TV shows from my past life.

The ghost held a scythe in one hand and rested the other on Li Bohe's shoulder. Its face was a blurry, pale white, but Lu Daosheng could actually see 'compassion' in it.

next second.

The ghost suddenly turned its head and stared at the boy with his sinister eyes.

Goosebumps rose on my skin, and cold sweat broke out.

Lu Daosheng remained calm, walked into the bathroom, closed the door, and turned on the tap.

Heart beating wildly.

"What is that ghostly, death-like thing?"

"It seems like they don't have any ill intentions towards Li Bohe."

Lu Daosheng scooped up some cold water and splashed it hard on his face. His heartbeat slowly calmed down. He closed his dark eyes and quietly left the bathroom.

At this moment, nothing unusual could be seen, but one could vaguely sense that some gaze was watching them.

"Lu Daosheng!" Lu Yu called out, "When are Mom and Dad coming back?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the sound of a key being inserted into a lock came from the doorway. The door opened, and her mother, Zhao Baiqin, walked in looking exhausted.

"Is it Mint?"

As her mother, Zhao Baiqin, changed her shoes, she greeted him with a smile.

She had just turned forty and didn't look old at all. Overall, she appeared to be an intellectual woman with a scholarly air.

Although they were dressed plainly, their faces were still very delicate, and Lu Daosheng and Lu Yu had inherited their mother's excellent genes.

"mom!!"

Lu Yuxing rushed over and took a bag of milk and bread from his mother. "Where's Dad? Why isn't he back yet?"

"Your dad said there's some kind of operation at the police station... why are they being so attentive today?"

She reached out and tapped her daughter's forehead, then pinched her youngest son's cheek. "Daosheng, go get some water for your sister Mint."

"Okay." Lu Daosheng nodded obediently and went into the kitchen.

That feeling of being stared at only then slowly dissipated.

"What exactly is that thing?"

Lu Daosheng frowned.

When I took the hot water out, my mother was already chatting with Lu Yu and Li Bohe on the sofa.

"White Elephant Academy?" Zhao Baiqin looked surprised. "It seems that you...bohe, have a special talent."

Li Bohe and Lu Yu were both stunned. A special talent?

The latter grabbed Zhao Baiqin's arm:

"Mom~"

"I also want to go to that White Elephant Academy... with Mint."

Zhao Baiqin frowned:

"It's not like you can just go there whenever you want. Besides, do you even know what you're studying there? You're just going anyway."

"Oh well, they're all schools anyway, what's the difference?"

Lu Yu shook her mother's arm, acting coquettishly:

"Mint said that as long as I pass some kind of spiritual test, I can enroll... We can have the admissions officer come to our house and take the test for me too!"

"Oh, by the way, it can also be used to test Lu Daosheng."

Lu Yu pointed to her younger brother:

"Before you came back, Lu Daosheng heard about it and kept wanting to go to that White Elephant Academy to test his spirituality..."

Lu Daosheng:? ? ?

When did I say that?

He had a bit of a toothache, and if he weren't outmatched, he would sometimes really want to punch Lu Yu.

but.....

Lu Daosheng noticed his mother's tightly furrowed brows.

She also noticed her mother's gaze occasionally drifting towards Li Bohe's shoulder.

He lowered his eyes.

Will Mom be able to see this too?