The Eldritch Files

’Why does it feel like he just readily agreed to my terms and left without asking a single useful question?’

He listened as the food cart rumbled down the corridor, its sound fading into the distance. Gradually, the entire hallway fell silent.

Only then did he have a chance to properly consider how bizarre the situation was.

’Setting that bait for Lu Neng was just a speculative move back then. Has that one move now turned the whole game around?’

’Now, I can only hope the guy doesn’t get too cocky and manages to leave the base successfully.’

Judging by the time, the guy should have been long gone, but everything was still quiet. Only after about ten minutes did he finally hear the faint sounds of a commotion from all around.

Footsteps hurried past in the corridor, running back and forth.

Han Su’s door was also knocked on. The person who entered was a burly, middle-aged man in charge of security for Red Sea Studio. He opened Han Su’s door without a word, his grim gaze sweeping across the room.

Han Su immediately asked, "Did something happen?"

The large man looked as if he wanted to speak but held back. In the end, he just shook his head. After confirming that there was nothing out of the ordinary in Han Su’s room, he left.

’Looks like the guy made it out...’

’Red Sea Studio must have found traces of someone coming and going, but they can’t find any concrete evidence. That’s why they seem so frustrated and helpless...’

...

Secretly relieved, Han Su couldn’t help but marvel: ’Lu Neng is really something else...’

’He’s been cultivating his Talents in all the wrong ways since he was a kid, and as he grew up, he just kept going down that crooked path, turning into a total weirdo...’

Moreover, a weight lifted from his chest:

’As long as I can get this information out, I don’t have to worry about the rest.’

’Song Chushi is no fool. Even if the information I sent isn’t much, that one sentence will be enough.’

’As for Wei Lan, she won’t even need to find Song Chushi directly. She just has to spread the information subtly within the Mysterious Circle—something like Qinggang’s Four Heavenly Kings are on the move—and that will be enough to get Song Chushi’s attention.’

’Once his attention is caught, he’s more than capable of investigating it himself.’

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

’And for my part, I only needed to pass on this message as a form of repayment. I don’t need to concern myself with anything else.’

In fact, besides their plan to eliminate Song Chushi, he had no complaints about Red Sea Studio’s other work. Capturing Bai Senmang, interrogating him, and pushing the kidnapping case forward—it was all what he wanted to see.

Now, with this great weight lifted from his mind, Han Su calmed down and used the time to contemplate another matter of great importance to him.

Advancement to Tier Two.

Before, he had been completely in the dark. He knew how important advancing to Tier Two was, but without a clear path or a capable teacher to guide him, he hadn’t dared to take that step lightly.

But now, Li Moxi had pointed him in a general direction.

’But should I follow the path he pointed out?’

Pondering this question, he wrote ’Do Not Disturb’ in large chalk letters on his door. Then he sat back down on his small bed, activated his Spiritual Activity, and gazed into his Spirit World.

Once again, he saw—or rather, ’felt’—the presence of the Divine Material within his body.

This was the code of life, the source of everything.

In Han Su’s perception, this substance was dim, fragile, and minuscule. If his own Spiritual Activity hadn’t reached over 70%, he wouldn’t even have been able to realize it existed within his body.

If he were to follow the popular method in the Mysterious Circle, Han Su would now need to use an Encrypted Spell to start tapping into that Mysterious Power. He would then use this external power to begin stimulating the Divine Material deep within his spirit.

This external stimulation would cause his own Divine Material to undergo a change of the same nature as that Mysterious Power.

Take the "Banshee" Sequence, for example. When one begins to draw in the power of a Banshee to stimulate one’s own Divine Material, that Divine Material will in turn affect the body, causing one to gradually undergo changes similar to a Banshee.

After undergoing this change, a person’s body gains the ability to host the power of the "Banshee," allowing them to truly integrate its power.

It’s like taking something from the shadows of this world and making it your ’private property’.

’Is this Stealing?’

At that point, a person no longer needs to rely on an Encrypted Spell to cast spells, because they themselves have become a "Banshee."

’But... is this truly the right path?’

Han Su thought to himself as he observed the Divine Material in his body with fascination. ’Why does it feel like I don’t need any external power? Like this Divine Material itself already holds infinite possibilities?’

’After all, it is this very substance that has triggered all the changes throughout history.’

’It is this substance that allowed ’Man,’ in the harshest of environments, to achieve all sorts of incredible feats, and even evolve into ’Gods’.’

’Could the ’Understanding’ required for Tier Two be the understanding of this Divine Material itself?’

’If I can understand it, then I can understand why so many strange and bizarre species have appeared in this world, and why all the different kinds of Mysterious Power exist.’

’When it comes to the source, this material is clearly the true source...’

’This could work!’

As Han Su observed the Divine Material, an intuitive understanding finally formed in his mind.