Chapter 87: The Publicly Recognized Most Gifted Individual, Holder of the Multiverse Artifacts

As for what Master Zhong said—that he held power stronger than himself—naturally, it was the Rat Talisman; yet the Rat Talisman could not truly serve as a basis for Ye Xuan’s strength to surpass Master Zhong’s.

Would the upper limit of the Rat Talisman—or the strength of the Holy Master at his peak—exceed that of “Zhong Li”?

In the world of Journey to the West, under the rule of cosmic balance, its upper limit would naturally fluctuate; but in this world, the Rat Talisman’s upper limit depends solely on the original Holy Master, whose strength could never surpass that of “Zhong Li” at his full power.

Master Zhong, in a certain sense, is the same.

“I’ve already bonded with you—how could you not progress?”

“It’s hard not to progress!”

“You’re the only known fifth-rank cultivator in all of Daya—and indeed the entire world—besides Master Zhong.”

“Those two other suspected fifth-ranks? They were you, weren’t they? The other one was probably your doing too?”

“Whenever Kunlun is mentioned, I should’ve realized—but back then, I dared not even consider it; the gap in strength was too vast.”

When Su Mengyao heard rumors of two fifth-rank experts fighting in the Kunlun Mountains, the first person who came to mind was Ye Xuan, because he had just returned from Kunlun at that time.

But since they were fifth-rank experts, she thought it impossible for Ye Xuan to have reached such a level, so she said nothing; after initial suspicion, the Capital Tian Shu Headquarters also ruled him out.

No one could have imagined that a holder of the Multiverse Character Template would surpass the template’s own limits in such a short time.

As for progress, Ye Xuan is the sole fifth-rank expert in all of Blue Star besides Master Zhong—and he is publicly recognized across the net as the “most gifted individual.” Even without the Wangquan Baye template, he still holds the potential to become one of Daya’s top experts, even the strongest.

As his bonded partner, Su Mengyao has nearly ascended to heaven overnight; had it not been for Ye Xuan’s importance, she would already have been transferred to the Capital Headquarters to assume a far more critical position.

Even so, her responsibilities have been piled higher and higher.

In the realm of power, many have grown close to her; within her family, expectations for her have grown ever greater.

As for their motives, she knows well—and everyone else knows too.

Logically, having entered the realm of power, she ought to accept these things gladly; as a member of her family, she enjoys its benefits and should, when capable, give back to it.

After all, with Master Zhong standing above, whatever she does or can do will remain within acceptable limits.

She will do so; but doing something and knowing whether it is right are not mutually exclusive.

Within the scope of her own ability, under multiple influences, she will not refuse—but when it concerns Ye Xuan, she will never agree.

She clearly understands what she relies upon.

Capital Tian Shu Headquarters, First Conference Room.

The spacious conference room was filled on both sides of the long table with personnel in different uniforms, their shoulder insignia and badges clearly indicating their ranks.

Unlike previous internal meetings led by the Tian Shu Bureau, this session involved broad matters, so the participants differed.

This location was chosen because the matter concerned “Spirit Qi”—and that falls precisely within the Tian Shu Bureau’s jurisdiction.

At the head of the table, a middle-aged man with faint streaks of gray at his temples lightly tapped the table, his voice steady and powerful:

“Regarding the disturbances triggered by the first Spirit Qi surge, coordinated efforts across departments have largely brought them under control.”

“Especially the Tian Shu Bureau, which efficiently suppressed all mutated creature outbreaks—including within urban zones—within twelve hours, minimizing losses. This deserves special commendation.”

His gaze swept the room and settled on the Tian Shu Bureau’s seat, giving a slight nod.

The head of the Capital Tian Shu Headquarters, a stern-faced man, rose and bowed slightly to all around, his tone calm yet solemn:

“It is my duty—I dare not claim credit.”

The middle-aged man smiled, turning his gaze to the far end of the table, where an elderly man with white hair sat. Though slender, he radiated an aura of profound stillness and unshakable dignity.

“Yet, this operation’s smooth success owes much to Li Lao’s precognitive ability.”

“Had you not foreseen the Spirit Qi surge, our preparations would not have been so thorough.”

His voice carried respect as he bowed slightly toward Li Cheng’an’s seat; those around immediately rose and bowed deeply to Li Lao.

Li Cheng’an slowly shook his head, rising as well, his tone calm yet firm:

“I have merely done my duty.”

“The peace of Daya matters more than anything.”

The middle-aged man nodded solemnly, then his expression turned serious as he continued:

“Though the beast surge has ended, and observations over this period show regional situations gradually stabilizing—with only isolated cases of mutated creatures harming civilians and no further large-scale beast gatherings like those during the Spirit Qi surge—”

“We must not lower our guard.”

“Moving forward, all departments must continue cooperating with the Tian Shu Bureau, prioritizing civilian safety above all else.”

“Moreover, the cultivation of psychics must not be neglected.”

The mutated creatures emerging now remain mostly first- and second-rank, posing little threat to humans; unless they gather in large numbers, even if they harm people, the casualties remain limited.

But as the Spirit Qi surge deepens, third-rank, fourth-rank, and even stronger mutated creatures will inevitably appear. In their classification, even a third-rank creature can directly confront a small armed unit and shrug off gunfire.

If such a level of mutated creature emerges and is not eliminated immediately, the death toll will no longer be a matter of just a few lives.

Multiverse Artifact holders remain few. The psychics appearing en masse under the Spirit Qi surge are the ones they must cultivate as their future core strength.

Of course, this “core cultivation” refers to the middle tier; the true priority remains the Multiverse Artifact holders—unless a psychic demonstrates unimaginable talent.

Pages turned. No department head voiced opposition.

Wang Shouguo, head of the Capital Tian Shu Headquarters, then spoke:

“Since the Spirit Qi surge, Gu Che, Lu Jing, Lin Ruoxi, Shen Mo, and others have accelerated their cultivation and strengthened their power. Though they have not yet reached the third rank, they are nearly there.”

“At this rate of progress, they will enter the third rank within no more than half a month.”

“Notably, during this Spirit Qi surge, they all awakened their psychic abilities, which align closely with their respective Multiverse Artifacts.”

“Preliminary research by the Science and Technology Institute suggests this may be a form of adaptive evolution triggered by prolonged exposure to Multiverse Artifacts, causing their awakened abilities to resonate with the artifacts’ properties.”

“Regardless, this benefits both them personally and the Tian Shu Bureau’s overall combat strength.”

“Multiverse Artifacts have their limits—but psychic abilities, at least for now, have no known upper bound.”

(End of Chapter)