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

Today is the first round of the league, and matches are being played one after another on the stage.

Just as today's schedule was about to end, with only a few teams remaining.

Wu You, whose eyes were slightly closed, suddenly opened them and looked at the two contestants who were sparring on the stage.

His lips twitched slightly.

Are there more experts?

On the ring, a young man in a black martial arts uniform was exchanging blows with his opponent.

His movements weren't very smooth; the angles of his punches and the transitions in his footwork were somewhat awkward, making him look like a beginner in Ming Jin martial arts.

His opponent was a burly man at the level of internal strength.

While dealing with her opponent, Zhang Xiaowei nervously glanced at the judges' panel.

He didn't dare to look too obviously, only glancing at it occasionally out of the corner of his eye.

The men in black trench coats sat there with indifferent expressions, showing no sign of anything unusual.

Especially the one sitting in the very center, who kept his eyes closed, as if he were sleeping.

"I've been so careful... I've hardly used my powers at all... I should... not have been discovered, right..."

His heart was pounding, but his hands didn't stop. He threw another punch, but the burly man opposite him dodged it and retaliated with a sweeping kick.

Zhang Xiaowei leaned back slightly, and the leg brushed past his chin.

Very risky.

Just then, Wu You's colleague in the black trench coat sitting next to him also noticed something.

He frowned, his gaze lingering on Zhang Xiaowei on the stage for a few seconds before turning to exchange a glance with the two people next to him.

The three exchanged a glance and nodded.

He then turned to Wu You and lowered his voice: "Lord You, that young man in the black martial arts uniform on the stage seems a bit off."

Wu You opened his eyes, waved his hand, and indicated that he understood.

Chen Qingsong, who was standing nearby, also saw this scene. His expression changed slightly, and he leaned over to speak.

Wu You turned to look at him: "Let's pause the match if anyone with the ability comes to cause trouble."

Upon hearing this, Chen Qingsong immediately nodded, stood up, picked up the microphone, and his voice echoed through the stadium through the loudspeakers: "Some special circumstances have arisen—the match is suspended!"

On the stage, Zhang Xiaowei's opponent stood still, looking somewhat bewildered, scratching his head and looking around.

Zhang Xiaowei instantly broke out in a cold sweat and froze on the spot.

He glanced instinctively at the judges' panel.

The black figure in the main seat had disappeared at some point.

The next moment, a calm voice came from beside his ear.

"It's not fair for someone with special abilities to participate in a martial arts competition."

"Come back to the station with me."

Zhang Xiaowei suddenly turned his head.

The figure who had been sitting in the main seat of the judging panel was now standing next to him, less than half a meter away.

Wearing a black trench coat and a silver badge, her impossibly refined face remained expressionless as she calmly gazed at him.

"My lord." It was Zhang Xiaowei's opponent—the muscular man with bronze skin and arms—who reacted first. As a martial artist with internal strength, he naturally knew about the Investigation Bureau. The moment he saw Wu You, he immediately clasped his hands in salute and bowed very low.

Wu You nodded to him, then continued to look at the obviously young boy in front of him.

"Don't just stand there, come with me."

Zhang Xiaowei finally came to his senses, his lips trembling, his voice shaking: "My lord... I..."

Wu You shook her head, too lazy to listen to his stammering explanation. She reached out and grabbed him by the back of his neck, lifting him up like a chick. Then, in a flash, the two of them disappeared from the stage.

The next moment, Wu You led him back to the judges' table. He put Zhang Xiaowei down and said to Chen Qingsong, "This round is considered a win for the other side. Let's continue the competition."

Then he turned to his three colleagues: "You guys keep watching the game, I'll go check what's going on."

The three nodded in agreement, their expressions serious.

Wu You then grabbed Zhang Xiaowei by the back of the neck.

The next moment, the two disappeared from the spot again.

A moment of silence fell over the judges' panel. A young man in a black trench coat opened his mouth, then after a long pause, finally managed to utter, "Goodness, is this Lord You's skill? Did you all see that clearly?"

"It's gone in the blink of an eye, how can you see it clearly..." The other shook his head.

"Indeed, when will I be able to possess the strength of Lord Yu..."

Upon hearing this, the other two simply chuckled, then each picked up their teacups and took a sip, neither responding to the remark.

In the gymnasium's lounge.

Wu You put the young man he was carrying down on the sofa. Zhang Xiaowei plopped down, bounced a couple of times, and was still trembling, but the fear in his eyes had lessened, replaced by confusion.

Wu You sat down opposite him, crossed her legs, and spoke in a calm tone.

"Why would a second-tier ability user like you try to get involved in the martial arts league?"

Zhang Xiaowei was trembling with nervousness, his fingers gripping the cuffs of his martial arts uniform. He opened his mouth, his voice barely audible, "M-Master, what...what is a second-tier ability user?"

Wu You looked at him without saying a word.

There was silence for a moment.

"Have you suddenly gained some strange abilities? Has your physical fitness also improved dramatically in a short period of time?"

Zhang Xiaowei's pupils suddenly contracted.

His lips trembled slightly, and his eyes darted away, avoiding Wu You's gaze: "My lord, what are you talking about? What strange abilities? I don't understand at all!"

Wu You sighed.

He stood up, and his figure flashed by.

Several afterimages instantly appeared in the lounge—some at the door, some by the window, and some standing right in front of Zhang Xiaowei. The afterimages all opened their mouths simultaneously, their voices coming from all directions, overlapping each other.

This is just a small application of the Nine Shadow Steps, which Wu You can now use with ease.

"That's it."

Zhang Xiaowei's eyes widened instantly, his mouth formed an "O" shape, and he jumped up from the sofa, his face flushed with excitement.

"You...you're also a superhuman?!"

A superhuman?

Wu You's lips twitched slightly, and he roughly understood: this was probably a wild awakened one who had no basic common sense and was also a chuunibyou teenager who had even come up with the term "superpowered person".

"We're not superhumans, we're ability users." He dispelled his afterimage and sat down again. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Wu You, and I'm from the Anomaly Investigation Bureau."

Zhang Xiaowei's eyes lit up, and he seemed to be set ablaze, all his previous fear and tension vanishing.

He leaned forward, speaking rapidly: "The Anomaly Investigation Bureau? That sounds so cool! Is it like the Dragon Group in novels, a secret organization responsible for saving the world? Are they full of powerful superhumans—no, ability users?"

The Dragon Group? A secret organization tasked with saving the world?

Wu You's expression was somewhat strange.

Because in a sense, the description of this immature teenager is actually quite accurate.

"More or less." He nodded.

"Can I join?" Zhang Xiaowei's eyes shone like two light bulbs. The boy, who was just nervous, was now full of excitement, as if he had been injected with chicken blood.

Wu You hesitated for a moment: "Yes, but it will require certain reviews and assessments."

"Yay! Please test me, Organization!" Zhang Xiaowei slapped his thigh and jumped up from the sofa.

Wu You raised his hand and pressed it down, gesturing for him to sit down.

"Alright, tell me why you disguised yourself as a martial artist to participate in the martial arts league."

"Huh?" Zhang Xiaowei's smile froze on his face. He scratched his head, his expression turning embarrassed. "I saw online that if you participate in the martial arts league and pass the first round, you can get a prize, right..."

For money?

Wu You raised an eyebrow: "You really need money?"

Zhang Xiaowei nodded, his voice lowering and his eyes dimming: "My mother is sick and needs surgery, which requires a large sum of jade coins. Otherwise, I wouldn't want things to turn out this way."

Wu You remained silent for two seconds.

The person in front of me might be a bit immature, but he's not a bad person at heart. Even after awakening his abilities, he didn't think about using violence to make money; instead, he wanted to win prize money by participating in competitions—his path might be crooked, but his heart was pure.

He thought for a moment, then asked, "How did you get into the league? I remember you need a martial arts certificate to register for the league."

To obtain a martial arts certificate, one must participate in an examination at the Martial Arts Federation. Only those who pass the examination will be issued a martial arts certificate. This certificate is issued under a real-name system and cannot be obtained casually.

Zhang Xiaowei scratched his head again, this time with a hint of embarrassment: "I went to the Fengxiang Martial Arts School in the city to attend a few introductory classes on boxing, and then practiced on my own for two days, and passed the association's assessment."

Wu You glanced sideways.

He only attended a few trial classes and then studied on his own for two days before breaking through to the Ming Jin martial artist level? Even if he is an ability user and his physique and energy are stronger than ordinary people, this speed is enough to prove that he has excellent martial arts talent.

"My special ability—no, my ability to practice boxing—" Zhang Xiaowei was interrupted by Wu You raising his hand halfway through his sentence.

"You don't need to tell me about your abilities, nor do you need to tell anyone else. It's your own secret."

Zhang Xiaowei paused for a moment, then nodded vigorously.

"Can I join the Bureau of Anomalies?" he asked again, his tone more serious than before.

Wu You nodded: "Joining shouldn't be a problem, but like I said, you need to pass the review and assessment."

"My lord, when can I participate in this assessment?"

"This is necessary—"

He hadn't finished speaking.

Boom—!

A loud bang suddenly came from outside.

At the same time, the cold energy within his body began to fluctuate restlessly, as if giving a warning.

Wu You's pupils suddenly contracted: Something's happened!

He flashed and disappeared from the lounge in an instant.

On the rooftop of the stadium.

Wu You stood by the railing, looking up at the sky.

Then his breathing stopped for a moment.

Black beams of light rose from all over Lanhe, piercing the sky.

Those beams of light were incredibly thick, each as thick as dozens of people could hug. They rose from the ground, pierced through the clouds, and disappeared into higher and farther places.

The number of light beams is still increasing.

One, two, three—he couldn't count them all. Some were in the east of the city, some in the west, some in the south, and some were just a short distance away within his sight.

At this moment, the sky, which was originally full of orange-red sunset, was darkening at a visible speed.

It wasn't the darkness of nightfall, but rather as if something was covering the sky, slowly swallowing up the light and dragging the whole world into a somber hue.

Then, a thin layer of black mist filled the entire sky within Wu You's field of vision.

Although the mist was very thin, Wu You, who had always dealt with the Corpse Species, recognized it at a glance: it was the black mist unique to the Dark Domain!

At this moment, the faint black mist hung down like a curtain from the sky, gathering from all directions and enveloping the entire city of Lanhe.

A curtain of sky looms over the city!

Wu You stood on the rooftop of the city center stadium with a solemn expression. A cool breeze blew from all directions, making his trench coat flutter.