I work as a security guard at a cemetery, and I overhear the dead chatting about getting rich quick.

Zhou Heng immediately raised his hand.

"The protective gate will remain closed."

The six spirit-gathering platforms have been put back into testing mode, and all the spirit field probes around the wellhead have been activated.

Medical personnel also gathered around to re-examine Lin Ye's heart rate, blood pressure, and mental waveform.

Five minutes later, the results came out.

The concentration of the overflow from Lingjing is normal.

There was nothing unusual about the six spirit-gathering artifacts.

The instrument did not record any impact.

Zhou Heng asked, "Can you still hear me?"

Lin Ye closed his eyes.

Only a continuous, low hum could be heard from the well, like the wind passing through a bottomless cave.

"there is none left."

"Where is that wisp of spiritual energy within me?"

"It's still there."

Lin Ye felt it for a moment.

"It shook a little just now, but it's not moving now."

Zhou Heng looked at the monitoring curve.

The moment the sound appeared, there was indeed a very slight fluctuation in the spiritual energy within Lin Ye's body.

But no one else heard it except him.

"Trials are suspended today."

"You are not allowed to actively use your spiritual hearing within 24 hours, nor are you allowed to try to summon spirits on your own."

Lin Ye nodded.

The blood that Shao Yuan vomited had not been completely cleaned up.

He has no immediate plans to use himself to test his curiosity.

Over the next twelve days, Lin Ye entered the Spirit Well a total of eight times.

The first three trial training sessions were held one day apart.

Only after confirming that the previous wisp of spiritual energy had completely dissipated and that there were no abnormalities in his internal organs, spirit, and supernatural abilities data, did the research team allow him to re-enter.

The first time, the spiritual energy stayed in my body for more than three hours.

The second time took nearly six hours.

The third time, the chill in my chest and abdomen didn't completely disappear until late at night.

No fever.

There was no pain.

There was no disorder of supernatural abilities.

Starting from the fourth time, the research team switched him to a low-dose daily trial. As long as the residual energy in his body was below the safety line, they allowed him to introduce even less spiritual energy than the previous day.

By the sixth time, only a very faint trace of the previous day's coolness remained.

When the newly introduced spiritual energy approached, it did not repel it, but instead silently merged with it.

The curve is still low, but it is much more stable than before.

Zhou Heng checked it three times in a row.

"It's not a cycle yet."

Lin Ye asked, "What is that?"

"Accumulate".

Zhou Heng said, "For now, you can only keep the spiritual energy in your body; you can't let it circulate on its own."

Is this a good thing?

"Let's count it for now."

Zhou Heng glanced at him.

"Whether it will count in the future is hard to say."

Lin Ye looked down at his chest.

"Have you always spoken in such a reassuring way?"

"I'm responsible for the research, not for offering comfort."

The trials for the other members of Group Two are also continuing.

Cheng Fang was able to successfully summon spirits each time, but the duration was short. However, his recovery speed was significantly faster, and the duration of his Iron Bones technique was almost a minute longer than before.

Tang Zhi switched to using her left hand to open the pathway, avoiding her old injury on her right wrist, and finally successfully introduced a small amount of spiritual energy. The retention effect was average, but the threading was more stable than before.

Qin Zhao no longer uses the embers to "open the door," and the research team has him regulate only his breathing and body temperature. Spiritual energy is still easily consumed by the embers, but for the same intensity of flame, the consumption is less than before.

Xu Mian showed no reaction for the first few times.

On the fifth attempt, she gave up actively controlling the shadow and instead felt a very faint coolness brush past her feet. Although she couldn't hold onto it, the duration of the shadow probe was extended by several tens of seconds.

Everyone is changing.

The changes in the forest were the most obvious.

The first thing to notice is the recovery speed.

In the past, after intense training, Lin Ye's legs would feel like they were filled with lead when he woke up the next day.

Especially after running with weights, you have to hold onto the railing when going downstairs, and you have to mentally prepare yourself before sitting down.

Now, after a night's sleep, most of the aches and pains will subside.

My appetite has increased, and I sleep more soundly.

In the past, after being awakened by scattered, lingering sounds in the middle of the night, he found it difficult to fall back asleep. Now, even if he hears them, he can suppress the sounds to the edge of his consciousness, no longer being dragged along by them.

My breathing during training has also become much more stable.

By the time he reached the third kilometer, all he could hear in the forest were his own heartbeats and gasps for breath.

Even now, carrying ten kilograms of equipment, he can still distinguish the footsteps of the team members in front, the rustling of their clothes, and the commands issued by Cheng Fang from dozens of meters away.

On the ninth day, Group Two underwent a phase-specific physical fitness test.

Five-kilometer weighted run.

Lin Ye remained at the back of the line.

Tang Zhi flexed her newly recovered right wrist and turned her head to ask him:

"How's it going, going to Lingjing every day lately?"

"Good."

"Be specific."

"I used to be exhausted after training."

Lin Ye adjusted his field bag.

"All I want to do right now is eat."

The whistle blew.

The five of them rushed out at the same time.

For the first two kilometers, Lin Ye controlled his speed according to his usual rhythm.

The process is placed at the very beginning.

Qin Zhao followed closely behind.

Xu Mian and Tang Zhi were in the middle, while Lin Ye, as usual, lagged behind.

When he reached the third kilometer, he realized that today was different from before.

My breathing is normal.

I didn't experience the familiar soreness or swelling in my legs.

The 10-kilogram field bag is still heavy, but it no longer feels like it used to drag him down with every step.

Lin Ye tried to speed up.

They quickly surpassed Tang Zhi.

Tang Zhi was stunned for a moment.

"Did you take drugs last night? You were so strong!"

Lin Ye ran past her.

"Purely by willpower."

"Where has your former will gone?"

"Perhaps he has just awakened."

Lin Ye continued forward.

Four kilometers later, he caught up with Xu Mian.

Xu Mian heard footsteps, turned around and saw it was him, her eyes showing obvious surprise.

In the last kilometer, Lin Ye was even gradually getting closer to Qin Zhao.

Qin Zhao glanced back at him, then immediately quickened his pace.

Lin Ye chased for a long time, but the distance between them actually widened again.

In the end, Cheng Fang came in first.

Qin Zhao ranked second.

Lin Ye third.

The time was more than three minutes shorter than the previous time.

More importantly, after crossing the finish line, he did not lie down immediately. He just held his knees and took a few breaths before standing up again.

"Qin Zhao accelerated at the last moment, showing no regard for martial ethics."

Qin Zhao wiped his sweat with a towel.

"When you're out on missions, the enemy won't wait for you."

Tang Zhi was the last to run back, and bent down to look at Lin Ye for a long time.

"Did you secretly replace parts of your body behind our backs?"

"Seven locations may not offer organ upgrades."

Cheng Fang reviewed Lin Ye's monitoring data.

My heart rate is still high, but the recovery speed is almost twice as fast as last time.

"Rapid progress."

Lin Ye had just smiled when Cheng Fang continued:

"But don't treat Reiki as a stimulant."

"You just recover quickly, not without limits."

"What you inhale exceeds your body's tolerance, and Shao Yuan is the result."

Lin Ye stopped smiling.

"clear."

His vision and reaction time are also slowly improving.

It's not like I suddenly gained some kind of eagle-eye ability.

The previously blurry outlines have become clearer, and the eyes adapt faster when entering a dim environment, so moving targets are no longer a blur in the field of vision.

During firearms training, Lin Ye saw for the first time the small number on the edge of the 25-meter target paper.

He stared at it for two seconds.

"Were there writings there before?"

Xu Mian was checking his gun-holding posture from the side.

"have."

"How come I never saw this before?"

Xu Mian thought for a moment.

"You used to not even be able to find the bullseye."

Lin Ye felt that the sentence lacked tone, yet the hurt was very accurate.

He hit eight out of ten fixed targets that day.

For the first time, the moving target also stabilized at over 60%.

Xu Mian finished checking the target paper.

"It's not that your marksmanship suddenly improved."

"It's that your breathing and hand movements are more steady, and your eyes can keep up with the target."

Lin Ye looked at the bullet holes that had finally not reached the edge.

Is that a compliment?

Xu Mian nodded gently.

"certainly."

The improvement in spiritual hearing is more noticeable than that in the body.

On the tenth day, Zhou Heng arranged a separate retest of his abilities.

Three basic storage boxes were placed in the testing room.

Lin Ye stood five meters away, neither allowed to approach nor touch him.

"Only one box contains a sound-producing item."

Zhou Heng said through the viewing glass, "Find it."

In the past, with the sealed box and a distance of five meters, Lin Ye could only catch a faint noise at most.

This time, after entering a state of spiritual hearing, he did not rush to expand the scope.

Instead, they first reduced the volume of the room layer by layer.

Ventilation system.

Instrument current.

The researchers' breathing behind the glass.

The three sealed boxes were quickly separated from the noise.

The first one was completely quiet and showed no signs of anything unusual.

The third one only makes a slight sound when the metal casing is heated.

From the second box, however, came the sound of raindrops hitting the ground.

Splash!

Splash!

There was also the friction of iron objects dragging across the stone slabs.

Lin Ye opened his eyes.

"The second one."

"What did you hear?"

"The sound of rain."

The staff opened the file in the second box.

Inside was a media player, playing the sound of rain.

Zhou Heng glanced at the timer.

Lin Ye has maintained his spiritual hearing state for twenty-seven minutes.

No headache.

It's not disgusting.

The mental health data remains within safe limits.

"The range has only increased slightly."

Zhou Heng wrote in his record: "What has truly been enhanced is the ability to filter and withstand."

Lin Ye used to stand in a room crowded with hundreds of people.

Every sound drills into my brain.

Now, he can start to decide what he wants to listen to.

Twelve days later, Lin Ye got a day of rest.

Lu Zhixia booked the day in advance.

This was their first real date after they kissed.

No need to deal with parents.

No need to pretend to be a couple.

The location was a quiet little restaurant in the old town.

Lin Ye arrived ten minutes early.

Lu Zhixia walked over from across the street.

She was wearing a beige short jacket over a fitted light-colored knit top, the fabric highlighting her slender and neat waistline.

Her dark long skirt swayed gently with her steps, her shoulders and neck were relaxed, and her figure was tall.

Her hair was loosely tied back, with a few stray strands falling around her ears. She looked less aloof and more casual.

She walked up to Lin Ye but didn't speak immediately.

Instead, she stared at him for a few seconds.

Lin Ye looked down and checked his clothes.

"Did you button it wrong?"

"no."

"Your hair is messy?"

"No, not at all."

Lu Zhixia's gaze moved from his face to his shoulder, and then back to his eyes.

"You seem to have changed a lot recently."

"The new training is indeed effective."

"I'm not just talking about training results."

Lin Ye wasn't bad-looking in the past, but he worked night shifts for a long time, and later encountered anomalies in the cemetery and seven training sessions, so there was always a layer of fatigue under his eyes.

The weariness has faded now.

His back was straighter than before, his shoulders and neck were relaxed, his complexion was clean, and his eyes looked exceptionally bright.

Her facial features remained unchanged, but her whole person seemed to have been wiped clean of dust.

Lu Zhixia paused for a moment.

"I feel much more energetic."

Lin Ye looked at her.

"Anything else?"

"It looks a little better."

"Only a little?"

Lu Zhixia turned and walked into the restaurant.

"You don't have to listen."

During the meal, Lin Ye noticed that she looked at him much more often than before.

When their eyes met for the third time, he finally asked:

"You're looking at me again."

Lu Zhixia paused for a moment as she picked up some food.

"Make sure you've eaten properly."

"That's such a flimsy excuse."

"So, are you going to eat or not?"

"eat."

Lin Ye lowered his head and ate his food.

Having just been promoted to a permanent position, he is not yet suitable to challenge management.

After the meal, the two walked out along the alleys of the old town.

The roadside is lined with low, old buildings, their corners covered in moss. A few shops that repair old books and furniture still have their lights on, the air thick with the smells of paper, wood, and food.

As Lin Ye turned into a narrow alley, he suddenly heard a sound approaching rapidly from behind the wall.

The tire rolled over the stone bricks.

The chain is rotating at high speed.

Before he even saw the car, he had already grabbed Lu Zhixia's wrist and pulled her to his side.

The next second, a food delivery scooter rushed out from around the corner and passed right where the two had just been standing.

The rider quickly apologized and disappeared into the alleyway.

Lu Zhixia was pulled into his arms.

She glanced at the electric scooter that had driven away.

"You saw it beforehand?"

"I heard it first."

"Through a wall?"

"Um."

Lu Zhixia did not retreat immediately.

Lin Ye's breathing was steady, and his arms were stronger than before.

"Has Lingting gotten stronger again?"

"It can distinguish sounds more clearly, and the duration is also longer."

Are there any side effects?

"Not at the moment."

Lu Zhixia caught that word.

"at present?"

Lin Ye did not hide it from her.

"The training methods are not yet complete."

"Some people didn't react, and some were injured."

Lu Zhixia's expression turned serious.

"Just because you're adapting well doesn't mean you're safe."

"The faster you progress, the easier it is to feel like you can control everything."

Lin Ye smiled.

"Team Leader Cheng said the same thing."

That means I didn't overthink it.

Lin Ye took her hand and slowly interlocked his fingers with hers.

"rest assured."

"I value my life more than I used to."

Lu Zhixia asked, "Why?"

I haven't finished paying back the meal I owe you.

Stop being so cheeky.

She did not pull her hand away.

When they arrived at the parking spot, Lu Zhixia did not get into the car immediately.

She stood by the car door and looked at Lin Ye for a while.

Lin Ye asked, "Haven't you seen enough yet?"

Lu Zhixia raised her hand and gently touched his face with her fingertips.

"It's definitely more attractive than before."

"Is this a compliment?"

"remind."

"What reminder?"

"Don't take advantage of your good form and start recruiting everywhere."

Lin Ye smiled.

"You know my social circle."

"Besides training, it's all about you."

Lu Zhixia looked at him for two seconds, then leaned closer and gently kissed him on the lips.

Just as she was about to step back, Lin Ye reached out and put his arm around her waist.

Just for a moment?

"Give an inch and you'll want a mile."

"My physical fitness has improved rapidly recently."

Lu Zhixia's lips curved into a smile as he amused her.

"Your physical abilities aren't meant to be used here."

"The training results need to be fully evaluated."

She didn't argue with him anymore.

The second kiss lasted a little longer than the first.

When they parted, Lu Zhixia nudged him.

"Let's go back."

"Is there training again tomorrow?"

"have."

"Then don't be late."

At 9:30 p.m., Lin Ye returned to the Seventh Division.

The first batch of trainees had to undergo a basic test every night before going to bed.

Zhou Heng was just checking the data according to procedure, but after a few seconds, he raised his hand and called out to him.

"Did you enter the Spirit Well today?"

"no."

"Actively summoning spirits?"

"No, not at all."

Zhou Heng turned the screen towards him.

The spiritual energy curve within Lin Ye's body was slightly higher than when he left Qishi in the morning.

The amplitude is extremely small.

But it did increase.

The researchers reattached the sensor and repeated the test three times.

The result remained unchanged.

It's not a device error.

Zhou Heng asked, "Did you use your hearing ability today?"

"Used once."

Lin Ye said, "It'll only take a few seconds."

"Spiritual hearing does not generate spiritual energy."

"At least not in existing research."

Zhou Heng stared at the slowly rising curve.

Have you ever come into contact with magical artifacts or unusual areas outside?

"no."

Just as Lin Ye was about to continue recalling, a very faint muffled sound suddenly came from inside his body.

thump.

His expression changed.

Zhou Heng immediately asked, "What's wrong?"

Lin Ye pressed his hand between his chest and abdomen.

There was no pain.

His heartbeat was normal.

But he heard that voice very clearly.

"It rang again."

"The Spirit Well?"

Lin Ye slowly shook his head.

This time, the sound did not come from the ninth basement level.

It doesn't seem to come from any magical artifact.

It's inside his body.