The undead have descended upon the world? I possess a sword that can cleave the heavens once more!

Besides the newly added "Sword Heart Clarity" entry, Wu You also noticed something else—the energy level of Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Source had changed.

He clearly remembered that when he last woke up in the hospital, the number was 35%. Now, after fighting that black-skirted zombie, it had risen to 75%.

This time, he only fought with that royal corpse, neither killing it nor injuring it—well, he only slightly injured it; those sword marks weren't even superficial wounds.

But the charge level did indeed increase.

Wu You's previous guesses have been somewhat confirmed.

The charging of Wan Jian Gui Cang was indeed related to the royal corpse species.

The energy level will increase as long as you engage in combat with it.

This made Wu You wonder: if just fighting would increase energy, how much energy would he gain if he could kill a royal corpse?

But now is not the time to think about these things.

He looked up and found Hu Lie looking at him.

The smile was still on that rugged face, but there was now a hint of approval in his eyes.

Hu Lie nodded slightly.

A true strong person should have a heart that dares to forge ahead and their own beliefs.

Those traitors who betray humanity and join the zombie race can never become true strongmen. Only those who face despair and continue to maintain their faith and move forward are qualified to embark on the path called the throne.

"It seems Xiaoyou has indeed understood what I meant." Hu Lie's voice carried a hint of relief.

Wu You nodded: "Thank you, Uncle Hu."

"See, you're being too polite again." Hu Lie waved his hand with a smile, but there was no blame in his tone. Instead, it conveyed the satisfaction of an elder looking at a junior.

Wu You thought for a moment and then asked a question he had always wanted to ask: "Uncle Hu, what level of power are you?"

He was genuinely curious about just how strong the being that could reduce a sixth-tier royal corpse to half its body with a single punch, forcing it to escape using its offspring, really was.

Hu Lie's smile widened.

A desire for strength fuels motivation. He casually pulled something from his pocket and tossed it in his hand—a small, golden torch badge, gleaming under the streetlights.

"With your talent, it won't be long before you reach my level."

A small golden torch.

Wu You understood. If the director of the municipal bureau was already at the seventh rank, then Hu Lie, as the deputy director of the provincial investigation bureau, was most likely at the eighth rank, or even higher. He had seen Ye Yi and Wang Qi's silver badges before, and he had seen his own bronze badge; this was the first time he had seen a gold badge.

"Oh, right." Hu Lie seemed to remember something. "Xiao You, remember to update your rank information at the bureau recently. Your Director Ye has high hopes for you."

Wu You was taken aback.

Director Ye, Ye Yi? Judging from this, it seems Ye Yi has some plans for him.

He quickly pressed on, "Uncle Hu, you mean...?"

Hu Lie smiled and patted his shoulder with such force that it made him sway.

"Let's go back to the station first, and let Director Ye tell you."

-

The Bureau of Investigation building, the director's office.

The lights were on, the curtains weren't drawn, and the night outside was as dark as ink.

Hu Lie sat on the sofa, still wearing that smiling expression.

This expression, combined with his rugged features, made him appear much gentler.

Ye Yi sat behind his desk, his gaze behind his silver-rimmed glasses calm and focused.

"Old Ye, I've brought the person back to you." Hu Lie leaned back on the sofa, his voice laced with laughter. "I must say, you're really lucky. This year's qualifiers are going to be quite a show."

Ye Yi naturally understood his meaning, and without responding, simply nodded to Wu You: "Xiao You, sit down first. We'll talk about Xiao Qi later."

Wu You sat down on the chair next to him. The office was small and simply furnished, with a few documents stacked on the desk and a potted plant in the corner with glossy leaves.

Not long after, there was a knock on the door.

"Enter."

The door opened, and a figure walked in. He wore a black trench coat, had a stubble beard, and an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth; it was Wang Qi.

When he came in, he glanced around and saw Hu Lie. He paused noticeably, quickly put the cigarette out of his mouth, stuffed it into his pocket, and looked a little embarrassed.

"Ahem, Chief Commander Hu, what are you doing here?"

Clearly, Hu Lie and Wang Qi had known each other for a long time.

Hu Lie still smiled and said, "I'll tell you about that later. This time, it's Director Ye who needs to see you."

Wang Qi then noticed Wu You was also there and nodded to him. Wu You nodded in response.

Wang Qi walked over and sat down next to Wu You. As he leaned closer, Wu You smelled a faint scent of tobacco, which matched Wu You's impression of him.

Ye Yi clasped her hands together, rested them on the table, and looked at the two of them.

"I've called you two here today because I'd like to ask for your opinions on something."

His voice was neither hurried nor slow.

"The Investigation Bureau of the entire Dongling Kingdom is divided into municipal bureaus, provincial bureaus, and the headquarters located in the capital, Donghua City. Of course, you should all be aware of this."

Wu You and Wang Qi both nodded. This information was available on the survey platform; they had seen it on their first day at the company.

Ye Yi didn't stop and continued speaking.

"The heads of the various departments of the municipal bureau are generally elected by the local municipal bureau itself, while the bureau chief is usually transferred by the provincial bureau. Besides that, you may not know how the chief executives and commanders of the provincial bureau, as well as the few real supreme leaders of the investigation bureau headquarters, are elected."

At this point, he glanced at Hu Lie, who was still smiling, before continuing, "This involves another agency within the Investigation Bureau."

Wu You and Wang Qi sat up straight at the same time.

This is information that truly involves the highest-ranking leaders of the Investigation Bureau, which is normally inaccessible.

"That organization is called—"

Ye Yi paused.

"Jiuli".

Jiuli.

Wu You and Wang Qi exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes. This was a word that had never appeared on the investigation platform before.

"You can think of it as an organization primarily responsible for talent selection and job selection," Ye Yi explained. "Many of the directors of municipal bureaus and the chief executives and commanders of provincial bureaus are from Jiuli."

He pointed to himself.

"Besides being the deputy director of the Lanhe City branch, I am also an ordinary member of Jiuli."

He then looked at Hu Lie.

"And your Chief Hu is also a member of the Jiuli."

Wu You now understood that this was the Whampoa Military Academy within the Investigation Bureau.

"And those nine Li Lords in Jiuli are the supreme leaders of our entire Anomaly Investigation Bureau, and also the strongest beings in our Dongling Kingdom." Ye Yi's tone became solemn. "Well, no. It should be said that the nine Li Lords are the strongest beings on the entire Earth."

Lord Li. The strongest.

A strange feeling welled up in Wu You's heart. It wasn't excitement or awe, but rather a sense of...distantness.

A supreme expert? What level of expert is that? Ninth level? Tenth level? Or higher?

Wang Qi's expression was similar, his mouth slightly open and his eyes somewhat glazed over.

Ye Yi didn't give them time to process what she was saying and continued.

"To join Jiuli, you can only do so through internal referral, and only Jiuli members are qualified to make recommendations. Of course, even if you're recommended, you can't just get in; there's a preliminary selection and training process."

He adjusted his glasses.

"It's called training, but it's actually also an assessment."

His gaze fell on Wu You and Wang Qi.

"I happen to have two recommendation slots available this year. Would you like to apply?"

Wu You and Wang Qi both widened their eyes at the same time.

Is there such a good thing?

The atmosphere in the office immediately relaxed, and Hu Lie laughed loudly from the side.

"This training isn't that simple," he said with a chuckle. "It could easily lead to someone's death."

Ye Yi nodded and added, "That's right. Those who can be recommended to Jiuli are the elite of the Investigation Bureau. Only those under the age of twenty-five and with a strength of level five are qualified to be recommended."

He paused.

"In other words, those who are recommended to participate in the preliminary training in Jiuli are all geniuses."

The words fell.

Wu You and Wang Qi looked at each other at the same time.

Wu You's gaze fell on Wang Qi's unshaven face, and a huge question mark popped into his mind: This guy is not even twenty-five years old? He looks at least thirty, right?

With his stubble-covered face, weathered eyes, and the "I'm a seasoned veteran" aura emanating from him, he was barely twenty-five.

Wang Qi was also looking at him, his eyes equally filled with disbelief.

How did this guy get to level five already?

Wasn't he only Tier 3B before? How long has it been? A month? He jumped directly from Tier 3 to Tier 5? What kind of monster is this?

The two stared at each other for a full three seconds.

Ye Yi looked at their expressions, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

"Alright, stop staring at me like that." Ye Yi tapped the table. "Let's get down to business. Are you going to this training?"