The Limits of Genius

Only after confirming the integrity of the partition door did Xǔ Tiānlí finally release a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, his gaze immediately shifting to Féng Yè, who stood beside him.

“Branch Head Féng, are you alright?”

“Something is indeed wrong,” Féng Yè replied, his voice strained.

“And it’s quite serious.”

Féng Yè took a deep, shuddering breath, only to cough out a mouthful of blood, now disturbingly black.

“It was my negligence,” he continued, a bitter self-reproach in his tone.

“I should have been more cautious of those close to me.”

“To think I’d fall into a trap here, of all places.”

“…”

Xǔ Tiānlí grasped the grim implication of his words.

The assailant’s target had been the Heaven’s Will Bureau from the very beginning, or perhaps more specifically, Féng Yè himself, as its Branch Head.

To ensure the success of this attack, the perpetrator had even secretly poisoned Féng Yè.

A Tier-3 Spirit Wielder was not someone who could be easily killed by ordinary toxins.

Féng Yè had immediately suppressed the discomfort within his body, temporarily averting any immediate danger to his life.

However, his combat capabilities were now severely weakened.

The balance he once held against an otherworldly demon could no longer be maintained, forcing him into this desperate retreat.

Boom!

Heavy thuds continuously echoed from behind them.

Boom!

Each impact reverberated through their chests, as if it wasn’t merely the partition door being shattered, but their very hearts.

Xǔ Tiānlí helped Féng Yè up, and they moved as far away from the partition door as possible.

Féng Yè tried to explain something, but each half-sentence was interrupted by a cough that brought forth blood.

Resigned, he simply pressed his phone into Xǔ Tiānlí’s hand.

Xǔ Tiānlí quickly scanned the intelligence Ren Qi had sent, his expression visibly darkening with each line.

“Someone is actually researching otherworldly demons.”

“What an utterly irrational madman.”

Xǔ Tiānlí swiftly scrolled past the detailed information about the victims.

“Were those previous cases all part of the experiment, intended to test the otherworldly demon’s capabilities?”

For any research, before the final objective could be pursued, one typically needed a few ‘guinea pigs’ to validate their findings.

The preceding cases had likely been the culprit’s way of testing the various abilities of that nine-headed otherworldly demon.

They needed to ascertain if it would obey commands at critical moments, and if it could tear apart prey with maximum speed, ensuring no errors during the ultimate mission.

And that ultimate mission was Féng Yè himself!

Xǔ Tiānlí saw the contents of the last page of the notes—a full page dedicated entirely to Féng Yè.

His photographs, his physical data…

“Where did this pervert come from?” Xǔ Tiānlí felt a surge of disgust just looking at it.

“If I were twenty or thirty years younger, I might fantasize that the person was a beautiful girl who had a crush on me,” Féng Yè admitted, a hint of awkwardness in his voice.

“But now, all I can imagine is an ugly monster, hideous inside and out.”

“Even if it were a beautiful girl, it wouldn’t make anyone like them, would it?”

Xǔ Tiānlí tried to put himself in that position, but felt no stir of affection, only an unsettling chill.

Such a person was a completely inhumane madman; if he ever met them, he would definitely cleave them with his blade.

After moving a certain distance, the two entered an adjacent office.

It was empty, save for a scattering of disheveled documents and an overturned chair.

Féng Yè sat down again, taking a deep breath, his voice hoarse.

“You go first.”

“I’ll tell you how to find the escape tunnel.”

The base had been designed with a secret escape route specifically for such emergencies.

After all, when immortals fought, mortals suffered.

Evacuating non-combat personnel would allow the Spirit Wielders to fight without restraint.

“That monster’s target is me.”

“If I can buy some time, and you run fast, there’s a good chance you’ll survive.”

“And you, Branch Head Féng?”

“I, of course, can’t escape,” Féng Yè sighed.

“No matter what, I’m a Tier-3 Spirit Wielder.”

“I have my own desperate measures.”

His unspoken meaning was clear: he intended to perish alongside that otherworldly demon.

Xǔ Tiānlí pressed his lips together, remaining silent for a long moment.

Outside, the sounds of the otherworldly demon destroying the partition door grew louder, drawing ever closer to their room.

Inside, Féng Yè earnestly urged him to leave, reminding him that he was still young and shouldn’t lose his life here.

“A promising talent like you, with such innate ability and righteous character—even if you don’t join an official agency, you could still save more people from otherworldly demons, couldn’t you?”

“Unlike us older folk, whose lives are pretty much set.”

‘Talented?’

‘Is he talking about me?’

Xǔ Tiānlí didn’t understand why everyone seemed to flatter him so much.

‘If I were truly talented, would I have been rejected from marriage and fallen to such a state?’

‘If I were truly talented, I would probably be fighting alongside Féng Yè right now, having already subdued that otherworldly demon.’

Xǔ Tiānlí himself couldn’t comprehend what made him so worthy of their kindness.

Was it merely pity for a poor soul?

To be honest, Xǔ Tiānlí didn’t feel happy being treated this way; on the contrary, he felt irritated, even a surge of nameless anger.

It wasn’t resentment towards Féng Yè and the others, but rather self-loathing for being so useless, for having fallen to such a pathetic state.

‘What about Master?’

For some reason, Xǔ Tiānlí suddenly thought of Qín Yuè, whose whereabouts were unknown.

‘Does she also feel this way about me?’

‘Did she invest so much care and effort because she saw me as a homeless, pitiful dog?’

No, that wasn’t right.

For Qín Yuè alone, Xǔ Tiānlí couldn’t convince himself with such a reason.

If her attitude towards him were truly the same as Féng Yè’s, there would have been no need for her to go to such lengths.

If she had merely regarded Xǔ Tiānlí as an interesting plaything, she could have offered a small token of kindness, then watched the show from the sidelines, disappearing without a trace the next day once she grew bored.

But she hadn’t.

She had genuinely and diligently taught him.

Moreover, everything Qín Yuè had given him, from the Return to the Void One-Strike Decapitation to the black longsword, was a meticulously chosen item of excellent quality, not something given half-heartedly.

‘At least Master believes in me, genuinely hoping I can grow stronger and become independent.’

Xǔ Tiānlí took a deep breath, then slowly rose.

Féng Yè thought he had come to his senses.

He propped up his slumped body, his raised finger pointing in a direction.

“The escape tunnel is…”

“No need, Branch Head Féng.”

“What?”

“You rest here, or go to the shelter yourself.”

“No, if I leave, who will cover the rear?”

Féng Yè was stunned, instinctively looking around, wondering if Master Qín Yuè had arrived at the base, making Xǔ Tiānlí so confident.

“I will.”

“Can we pray for Master to descend from the heavens to protect us right now?”

“No, you, I…”

“No matter what, we’re both men.”

“Wouldn’t it be too pathetic to always be protected by others?”

Féng Yè’s pale face instantly regained some color, and his tone became agitated.

“You’re crazy!”

“That’s a Tier-2 otherworldly demon, and you’re only Tier-1!”

Spirit Wielders had six tiers, while otherworldly demons only had four.

Thus, their strengths didn’t directly correspond one-to-one.

Even by Ren Qi’s account, Xǔ Tiānlí wasn’t afraid of Tier-2 Spirit Wielders, but he could only handle Tier-1 otherworldly demons.

Even Féng Yè himself wasn’t certain he could defeat the Tier-2 otherworldly demon outside, let alone Xǔ Tiānlí, a Tier-1?

“Young man, it’s good to have courage, but you must understand: how is this different from throwing your life away?”

“Does that mean every time I encounter danger in the future, I can only flee, leaving everything to you powerful individuals?”

Xǔ Tiānlí didn’t rush to respond.

Instead, he tightened his grip on the scabbard of his longsword.

“I won’t die.”

“I will only grow stronger, until enemies of this caliber can be easily defeated.”

A Tier-2 otherworldly demon sounded intimidating, but when he thought of his enemy, Mù Qīngyǔ, it didn’t seem so terrifying.

According to others, that person was already Tier-2, and might even be Tier-3 the next time they appeared in public.

Xǔ Tiānlí couldn’t guess how strong she would become by the day of their three-year agreement.

An ordinary person like him simply couldn’t compare to a genius.

If he ran now, he would still have to face it in the future.

He couldn’t keep running forever, could he?

‘Consider this a rehearsal.’

As long as he imagined that otherworldly demon as Mù Qīngyǔ, Xǔ Tiānlí felt no fear, only a surge of fighting spirit.

Even as Féng Yè called out to him, his voice drawn out, Xǔ Tiānlí merely waved his hand, tossing back a “Sorry, but I’m not your subordinate,” before stepping out of the office.

Bang.

After the door closed, Féng Yè collapsed onto the sofa, letting out a helpless, long sigh.

“These young people nowadays, why are they all so troublesome?”

He was glad Ren Qi wasn’t here right now, otherwise, his heart would truly be shattered.

As Xǔ Tiānlí’s expression when he turned to leave flashed in his mind, Féng Yè fell into a prolonged silence.

Recalling Xǔ Tiānlí’s past performances, a bold idea began to form.

‘Could it be, he can truly win?’

After all, for an ordinary person to guess the limits of a genius was simply too fanciful.