"I said that superpowered individuals are superior to ordinary people, but that's just a rational conclusion I came to." I answered honestly. "It's one thing when it's those people gossiping behind my back, but when it comes to Chang'an, or anyone who can engage with me normally, I just can't bring myself to feel that kind of superiority."

"Then, if your reason and emotions come into conflict, which one would you choose?" Zhu Shi asked next.

Without thinking, I retorted, "Do I seem like a person who prioritizes reason?"

"…It seems I asked a pointless question." She was speechless.

"I understand why you're so focused on my answer. You're trying to confirm my stance, right?" I said. "Now I can tell you directly, I won’t side with those who think superpowered individuals should integrate into the mundane world, nor with those who think superpowered individuals are above it. I have no interest in your political factions; just thinking about those things makes me feel bored.

"But, Zhu Shi, I’ll stand by your side. Since you’re Chang'an's sister, you’re also my friend. If anyone becomes your enemy, they’ll be my enemy too.

"Now, tell me, what do you want me to do?"

Zhu Shi slightly opened her mouth, and after a moment, she sighed and laughed. "You’re cheating with this answer..."

"I’m just speaking the truth."

Actually, there was a bit of theatrics in what I said. Normally, I wouldn’t sound so grandiose.

But it was the truth, and it was what I intended to do.

"Honesty is the most unfair," she responded softly at first, then began to vent her frustrations. "You might think I’m annoying for bringing up such topics, but honestly, I hate political discussions like this too. What girl my age likes to talk about serious politics? So, I hope you don’t misunderstand me, I really wasn’t trying to pressure you with any political persuasion."

"I won’t misunderstand you," I promised.

"Good, now, back to your earlier question…" She adjusted her expression and continued, "I hope you can hide your true power in Mount Luo for now."

"If I expose my true power, will someone try to harm me?" I asked, curious.

"On the contrary, most of Mount Luo's factions would fight to have you join their side. Unless they’re out of their minds, they’ll definitely do that. You can choose whichever faction you like and gain immense benefits," she said slowly. "The reason I’m suggesting this is not to represent my own faction or to claim you for myself. It’s just a personal request."

"What's the reason?" I asked.

"I hope you can observe carefully," she said, staring at me seriously. "Once you reveal your power, people with all sorts of ulterior motives will approach you, speaking exaggerated words, pretending to have certain stances. But none of that will be their true selves. You can remain hidden, observe their true faces, and then decide your direction.

"Even if the direction you choose in the end isn’t the same as mine, that’s fine. I just hope you choose the one you truly want."

I had already said that I wasn't interested in these kinds of matters.

Although I wanted to say that, I could sense the genuine goodwill in Zhu Shi's words.

Moreover, upon careful consideration, it was clear that I wasn’t in a position to expose myself to the scrutiny of multiple factions right now.

I personally didn’t mind getting involved in the so-called "political whirlpool." If it happened, then so be it—I would just do my own thing. If anyone tried to force me into doing something else, I could easily ignore them. And if anyone tried to obstruct me, then they would become my enemy. It was simple and clear.

The issue, however, was with Ma Zao.

Mount Luo was currently focusing on tracking down Ma Zao, and she was right by my side. Although I didn’t know exactly which factions within Mount Luo were involved in this, I needed to keep Ma Zao hidden from their eyes.

The dark humor of the situation was that I wasn’t trying to protect the weak, helpless girl from the bad guys—I was another bad guy myself.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

Before I knew about the mutual repulsion between me and the anomalies, it was more important for me to solidify my position within Mount Luo. At that time, I definitely wouldn’t have hidden my true power just for Ma Zao. But now, Ma Zao had become an indispensable option for me, while Mount Luo had become secondary.

Seeing that I agreed, Zhu Shi also relaxed.

"Hiding your true power actually has another benefit," she sighed. "It means others won’t know how to properly deal with you. Like with Agent Kong this time... If he had known in advance that you could elementalize, he would have used methods focused on attacking your soul to ambush you."

"Yeah, fortunately, he's only good at physical attacks," I sighed, then asked, "By the way, you mentioned hiding, but with how big the commotion was during my battle with Agent Kong, isn't it impossible to hide now?"

"I'll figure something out for that. Once I have the results, I'll let you know," she replied.

"Alright, then about me joining Mount Luo..." I brought up the old topic again.

"To become a Hunter of Mount Luo, you need to pass a test. It's not just about testing your power level, but also your knowledge about anomalies," she said tactfully. "If you’ve never formally studied this before, you’ll need at least three years of training before you can pass Mount Luo’s Hunter test."

"Three years?!" I was surprised. "But I heard from Agent Kong that you could be my guide... His tone made it sound like I could join Mount Luo immediately."

"In Mount Luo, the relationship between a guide and the one being guided is essentially that of a teacher and student," she said with a slightly awkward expression. "What he meant was that you could become my student, learn for a few years by my side, and then join Mount Luo..."

"I see. Then, Teacher Zhu Shi."

It was my first time calling her "Teacher," and I said it seriously, though I felt a little embarrassed and had a strange sense of novelty and excitement.

On the other hand, Zhu Shi looked much more flustered than I did. She was shocked, "You really called me that?"

The one who wavers first in situations like this is the awkward one. I continued, trying to keep my face neutral: "What's wrong with that?"

"Don't you think I’m not qualified? Like with age, strength..." she asked, fidgeting.

"You know more than I do, and your experience is richer. As the saying goes, the accomplished are the teachers, so of course you’re qualified," I said honestly.

She carefully observed my expression, seeming to lose her confidence as she sighed and said, "...Actually, becoming a Hunter doesn’t necessarily have to go through the test. There are other paths."

"Please, tell me more," I said, suddenly intrigued.

She gave her answer: "That’s to become an 'External Wu Chang.'"

"'External Wu Chang'? What’s that?"

"The Hunters of Mount Luo who handle anomalies are called 'Wu Chang.' An 'External Wu Chang,' on the other hand, refers to powerful Hunters who exist outside of Mount Luo's system but are recognized by Mount Luo," she explained. "You can think of them as Mount Luo's united front targets. For Mount Luo, most civilian Hunters are less like Hunters and more like potential threats, people they need to manage. However, for particularly powerful individuals, Mount Luo will deliberately grant them the same qualifications as official Hunters."

I ransacked my mind for any scattered knowledge I had learned in the past.

In Buddhism, they refer to their teachings as "Inner Dao," while other teachings are called "Outer Dao," and "Wu Chang" refers to the soul collector in Taoism.

External Wu Chang... I mulled over this term. Without even thinking about its origins, I couldn't shake the feeling that it had an inexplicable charm and an air of rebelliousness that really appealed to me.

"How can I gain Mount Luo's recognition?" I asked.

"You don't have to worry about that. Even if I can hide your true strength in the report, the building you split in half can’t be hidden," she said. "Although fire users are usually seen as only excelling in offensive capabilities, if your power reaches this level, Mount Luo will probably have to acknowledge it. I'll help you apply for this as well."

"Then I’ll leave it to you," I said, seriously entrusting the task to her.

She briefly switched back to her "Junior" mode, smiling brightly as she nodded. "Leave it to me, Senior Zhuang!"

---

Before parting ways, I asked Zhu Shi for one more thing.

That was to check the source of my superpower.

Zhu Shi could only determine that my powers did not originate from the bloodline of demons or monsters, but the specifics still required a thorough examination. I was very concerned about the origin of my abilities. After learning about my request, she took a few drops of my blood, saying she would take them back for testing.

I didn’t head home immediately. Instead, I called Chang'an and arranged to meet him.

Because the Fallen Hunter incident had ended ambiguously, the "fireflies" I had left with him had not been recalled yet.

And as Chang'an himself said, to avoid being implicated if the "mysterious serial killer" targeted him again, he had stopped going to school recently. Normally, one would think that in such a situation, he would want to stay in crowded places for safety, but his way of thinking seemed a bit different.

The agents who had been secretly monitoring him had already withdrawn, likely because Mount Luo thought the Fallen Hunter incident was over and no longer required surveillance. It seemed that he had also received the news, as he appeared much more relaxed. He even sent me a text last night.

We arranged to meet at a fried chicken shop, and when he arrived, he was still wearing his gaudy brand-name clothes. It’s not that I have a stereotype against branded clothing, but he was someone who only pursued expensive clothes without any sense of style or fashion coordination.

As Zhu Shi being his little sister didn't seem to have much knowledge of fashion either, but she favored a simple style in her clothing, which didn’t show any downsides. Chang'an, on the other hand, had a flashy, attention-grabbing style, like someone who had too much money and didn't know how to spend it.

But now, even his dreadful outfit started to evoke a sense of nostalgia in me.

He walked over with a big smile, speaking loudly as he approached: "Ugh, I've been cooped up for the past two days... What’s going on, why did you suddenly call me out? Is this a treat? I’ll treat! Come on, what do you want to eat?"

He had no idea that I was here to end our friendship.