Chapter 265: Spirit Perception and the Second Floor

After sending another letter, Li Yi's confidence greatly increased.

Three consecutive successful letters had brought him nearly through the first month; now, as long as he proceeded steadily, two more months would see him reach the deadline and cross over. Moreover, after this encounter with a Spirit Controller, he realized that, at certain moments, his status as an Evolver still granted him an advantage.

Especially when striking first, instantly killing a Spirit Controller was no difficult task.

"But I should still avoid fighting Spirit Controllers whenever possible. This time I succeeded, but if I'd failed, I'd have been attacked by supernatural forces—and then it would be me who died. After all, with my current means, I can't possibly resist the supernatural."

Li Yi had not returned to the Ghost Post Office, because according to normal logic, his next destination was the second floor of the Ghost Post Office.

No one knew what kind of people or dangers he'd encounter on the second floor, so he needed to continue cultivating during this time.

Out of caution, he left the city and returned to the familiar Dazhuang City.

He had come to this city because he had met its administrator once before and was certain the Spirit Controller named Wang Qiao wouldn't attack him—but in other cities, that was far from guaranteed.

Considering he'd be staying for a while, Li Yi decided to crash at Zheng Yaoyao's rented apartment and return the money he owed her.

Soon.

Under cover of night, Li Yi returned to the residential complex; with just a few wall-jumps, he effortlessly landed on the balcony.

Li Yi's eyes glowed as he scanned the room and saw Zheng Yaoyao sleeping soundly on her bed, completely unaware of his presence.

He did not disturb her or enter the room, but sat on the balcony and began practicing the White Bone Contemplation technique, closing his eyes to cultivate.

As time passed, dawn arrived.

When Zheng Yaoyao woke up, stretching lazily, she saw Li Yi sitting on the balcony with his hands forming the Treasure Seal—and she rubbed her eyes, doubting whether she was seeing things.

Her own balcony had somehow respawned the alien from another world who had vanished for so long.

She felt excited and wanted to call out, but held back, for she noticed that Li Yi's body was emitting a faint glow—dim, yet brilliant and crystalline, like a galaxy, extraordinarily radiant. Merely being near it, letting the light wash over her, filled her entire body with an indescribable sense of comfort.

"Is this cultivation?" Zheng Yaoyao's eyes darted endlessly, her mind racing with countless thoughts.

Li Yi, stirred by her movements, awoke from meditation, slowly opened his eyes, and said directly: "I'll be staying here for a while. These one hundred thousand yuan are your payment. Any expenses I incur will be deducted from this. You have no problem with that?"

He tossed the bundle of cash beside Zheng Yaoyao from his backpack.

"Of course you can stay—I welcome it! But… where did you get this money?" Zheng Yaoyao's eyes widened.

Li Yi said: "I passed by a villa district and took a little."

"What? You stole this money?" Zheng Yaoyao exclaimed.

"Only if you get caught is it stealing. If you aren't caught, it's just money that vanished mysteriously." Li Yi said: "Enough talk. Do you want it or not?"

"Of course I want it! Why wouldn't I? I just lost my job and have to start looking again. I'm about to be so broke I can't even order takeout. If you hadn't given me ten thousand yuan last time, I couldn't even afford rent now—you'd come back here and find me gone."

Zheng Yaoyao immediately scooped up the money, hugged it to her chest, and happily began counting it.

In truth, she had planned to leave Dazhuang City and return to her hometown—but because of Li Yi's presence, she stubbornly refused to go.

Li Yi said: "I admire Earth people—you've flexible moral boundaries."

"That's not true," Zheng Yaoyao said, slightly embarrassed. "It's called knowing when to adapt. How long do you plan to stay here this time?"

"I don't know. Maybe a week. Maybe ten days." Li Yi said: "During this time, I'll be in seclusion cultivating. Do whatever you need to do—don't bother with me. I'll stay on the balcony."

He then formed the Treasure Seal again, preparing to resume the White Bone Contemplation.

But Zheng Yaoyao put the money down, ran out to the balcony, sat facing Li Yi, and mimicked his hand position: "Then I'll cultivate with you. Look—is this right?"

"No, you can't learn it. This is the White Bone Contemplation technique—it requires specific conditions to master. Even if you copy my posture exactly, it'll have no effect." Li Yi closed his eyes again and slipped into cultivation.

Zheng Yaoyao didn't disturb him, just propped her chin and stared at Li Yi.

Eventually, she couldn't hold it anymore, rubbed her numb legs, and slinked off the balcony. She decided to pay this month's rent, buy groceries, and cook a meal—she believed Li Yi would enjoy this world's food, and perhaps, in his delight, he'd stay with her forever.

Hehe!

Zheng Yaoyao felt a strange, quiet joy inside.

As days passed, Li Yi's body finally entered its next stage of evolution. On the fifth morning, his Spiritual Perception fully awakened; his cultivation base broke through, making him a master of the Spiritual Perception Realm—no, precisely, a Spirit Orifice master of the Spiritual Perception Realm.

Only after the breakthrough did Li Yi clearly understand what Spiritual Perception truly was.

It was nearly a form of precognition.

He could anticipate enemies before they moved, perceiving his surroundings with extreme precision.

Before the mosquito on the table moved, he predicted its next flight path; before the sparrow outside the window arrived, he sensed its approach and knew its exact trajectory—down to the smallest detail.

The sensation was strange.

But upon reflection, it felt natural—like a raindrop falling from the sky; absent environmental interference, it must land on the ground.

Even ordinary people could predict such an outcome. But if wind arose, the situation grew complex, for ordinary people couldn't track environmental changes—yet a Spiritual Perception Realm cultivator could.

"Perception means awakening. The Spiritual Perception Realm refers to the soul awakening. This awareness is no longer physical—it's the soul's grasp of the external world. Only the soul can perceive everything around it with such subtlety." Li Yi felt a new insight arise within him.

After the breakthrough, his martial cultivation also improved; his blood qi became even more robust.

He was a martial cultivator who had opened nine Orifices—his potential for growth had been minimal—but now, his blood qi continued to increase, as if without limit.

This was due to his body's evolution.

He casually condensed his blood qi; crimson blood qi Gangqi coiled around his fingertips, granting immense destructive power with every gesture.

"After Spirit Orifice comes Blood Qi Formation. When I return to the Four Seas and Eight Provinces and obtain the Blood Qi Formation method, I'll refine all this blood qi into my body, generating Gangqi naturally—no longer draining my blood qi excessively. At that point, my Gangqi will be invisible and colorless." Li Yi gazed at the crimson Gangqi, thinking to himself.

"Hey, Li Yi, are you eating today? I made beef—this time I didn't burn it, it's definitely delicious." Zheng Yaoyao's voice suddenly came from the kitchen.

Li Yi replied immediately: "I'll just drink nutrient solution. You cook for yourself."

"Don't be like that. I worked hard on this—just taste a little." Zheng Yaoyao urged.

"Did you taste it?" Li Yi asked.

Zheng Yaoyao smiled: "I didn't taste it—if I did, I'd throw it out. That'd be wasteful."

"..." Li Yi said nothing, just drank a bottle of nutrient solution.

He then tossed her the last bottle: "I've finished all the supplies I brought. From now on, I'll be eating steamed buns. This is the last bottle in my pack—I noticed you like drinking it. Keep it."

"I don't particularly like it—I just noticed it's good for the skin." Zheng Yaoyao touched her smooth, luminous face. Only now did she realize how miraculous this golden nutrient solution truly was.

Too bad it couldn't be bought in this world—if it could, she'd borrow money to get it.

"Also, this cultivation phase is over. I'm leaving." Li Yi gathered his belongings and prepared to depart.

Though no new letter task had arrived, he needed to go ahead to the Ghost Post Office to familiarize himself with the environment, learn about the second-floor messengers, and gather intelligence—he couldn't stay here any longer.

"Where are you going? Why leave all of a sudden? Didn't you enjoy staying here?" Zheng Yaoyao asked.

"We'll meet again when we have time."

Li Yi didn't answer. He flipped over the balcony and leapt down; with just a few jumps, his figure darted through the air like a sparrow, vanishing swiftly.

"So graceful. If only I could be that carefree," Zheng Yaoyao said, watching his departure, filled with admiration.

Li Yi arrived at a secluded spot in the city and lit the black letter paper in his hand.

As a wisp of black smoke drifted, a path leading to the Ghost Post Office appeared.

"It's daytime—going to the Ghost Post Office is relatively safe." Li Yi's expression shifted slightly; he walked cautiously along the winding path.

Soon, he pushed open the door and entered the familiar lobby.

Yet strangely, directly ahead stood an old wooden staircase leading to the second floor—signaling he was about to become a second-floor messenger.

"Before, on the first floor, I never saw this staircase. Another inexplicable supernatural occurrence?" Li Yi wasn't afraid. He stepped onto the creaking stairs and ascended to the second floor.

The second floor was a U-shaped corridor with seven rooms.

212, 222, 232, etc.

The walls were peeling, the dim lighting oppressive.

"A new messenger? Looks like you got lucky—you arrived at just the right time." A middle-aged man's voice came from one of the rooms as its door opened.

Li Yi said nothing, pretending to be an ordinary person, merely glancing in that direction.

"Don't be nervous. I'm Wang Chuan, a senior second-floor messenger."

A middle-aged man stepped out of Room 25—calm-faced, with a short beard, bearing the weight of many experiences.

"Li Yi? Is that really you? You're here on the second floor too?" Another man emerged from the same room—a young man who looked excited upon seeing Li Yi.

Li Yi glanced—he recognized Guo You, the first-floor messenger.

He had successfully delivered his third letter and ascended.

Guo You deeply admired Li Yi. Though he knew Li Yi wasn't a Spirit Controller, he was no ordinary person—his strength was immense. But he had told no one, fearing it might upset Li Yi.

"Guo You?" Li Yi nodded slightly in greeting.

"You're unique—the most unusual person I've ever met. Not a Spirit Controller, yet unlike any ordinary human..."

Then a woman's voice spoke: from another room emerged a woman—slender, tall, dressed in a qipao, stunningly beautiful yet coldly elegant, her aura unforgettable at a single glance.

Li Yi's expression shifted slightly.

He stared at the qipao-clad woman—she emitted no heartbeat, no sign of life, only a chilling, icy presence.

"A Spirit Controller?" His heart tightened.

Indeed, messengers on the second floor had changed drastically—Spirit Controller messengers now existed. If so, what strength must the messengers on the third, fourth, and fifth floors possess?