A week and some days quietly passed.

Life returned to the familiar and comfortable (high-pressure) track that Lin Guang was accustomed to.

Lisa's arrival didn't bring much change to Lin Guang's life, at least for the time being.

...except for some economic burdens.

Not only did he have to slightly modify his training plan, but there was also an extra mouth to feed at home. The food expenses skyrocketed since, although she was small, she was a Spirit Beast with Purple Legend Potential, requiring more advanced and plentiful ingredients to ensure her growth.

And this was just the small part; there were many more investments to be made, such as preparing Perfect Level Potential Development Potions and Potential Enhancement Potions of Tier One and Two for Lisa, as well as various Spiritual Materials.

In fact, the cost of purchasing a Spirit Beast is almost trivial in the entire nurturing cycle, as often one can afford to buy but not raise them properly.

To exhaust one's entire fortune to acquire a high-potential Spirit Beast without providing sufficient nutrition and resources, forcing training while financials are strained, has always been cited as a cautionary tale.

Whether this method can improve levels or not, even if improved, one might be stuck at a bottleneck at a major tier that shouldn't have been a problem, eventually immobilized and becoming a disgrace of the same tier, possibly even taken down by low-potential but well-nurtured counterparts.

This is the bloody lesson for many Spirit Masters who focus only on initial Potential without emphasizing training.

And facts have proven that Dr. Kaiwen, who appears to have lived a long time as a True Man, indeed knows how to tire people out.

In the plan formulated by Kaiwen, not only did it require the complete exhaustion of the body and Spirit, but it also included facing various trials — including but not limited to various skills and training methods for Spiritual Power, practical application, and review, and even provided many combat recordings and theoretical analyses from some unknown database for Lin Guang to observe and contemplate.

Perhaps stimulated by the shapeshifting silver creature during training, and coupled with Lisa's display of a fighting spirit and resilience completely unmatched to her frail appearance, these days Vishdair was particularly serious in training, pouring in 120% enthusiasm, hence further motivating both Lin Guang and Lisa.

They absorbed these precious nutrients like sponges, swiftly bridging the biggest gap between them and the offspring of established sects and Spirit Beasts — that is, being immersed in such systematic, rare knowledge and training methods nearly never circulated outside.

The power of systematic talent is undoubtedly strong, yet whether one can apply their own strength effectively is undeniably crucial too.

Although the pace of Energy Level enhancement itself did not accelerate much, the tangible experience of improvement and empowerment each day, combined with culinary rewards after training, made such days seem not particularly unbearable.

Originally, Lin Guang thought such days would persist until the schedule for the joint examination was set and preparation began.

But a phone call interrupted his thoughts.

...

It was Sunday night.

After having dinner and tidying up, Lin Guang sat in front of the table, studying the materials Kaiwen had sent him on his computer.

Suddenly, the phone next to him rang.

"...Hello, Lin Guang, it's me."

On the other end was Officer Peng's voice. Lin Guang didn't recognize it immediately; it was only because the caller ID had a name note.

The voice sounded somewhat weary, lacking much Spirit.

Lin Guang found the tone of the other side a bit strange, yet he still responded: "Good evening, and congratulations to Officer Peng on destroying the Divine Heart Association's stronghold."

Recently, after he reported the poaching site of the Divine Heart Association to Officer Peng, Officer Peng quickly verified the authenticity of the message and even called to thank him, saying they'd apply for a banner as a sign of gratitude after the success.

And the news about dismantling the Divine Heart Association's stronghold was something he happened to see on TV during dinner and subsequently looked up online.

Yet Officer Peng's voice carried no excitement, and after hearing his words, he even paused for a few seconds before speaking:

"On the surface, it's considered a success."

Lin Guang slightly furrowed his brows: "On the surface?"

Officer Peng's voice continued: "This should typically be confidential from the average public, but as the informant, you indeed have the right to know."

Immediately, a sense of foreboding flashed in Lin Guang's heart: "You mean...?"

"Sorry, just as you thought, the operation was actually a failure."

Lin Guang straightened in his chair, holding the phone, frowning slightly: "What happened?"

"The news was merely to give the public a plausible explanation; in reality, there wasn't any 'major victory'."

"A day before the capture action commenced, the data from the surveillance squad showed oddities — key two-star and three-star leaders found excuses to leave the stronghold and never returned.

"I suspect... someone within our ranks leaked the information."

"As a result, we only nabbed some small fry; the only three-star Spirit Master we caught seemed deliberately left behind by them, didn't resist at all, and was already bailed out this morning, apparently with aid from the prestigious families."

"When I reported this point to my superiors, I received a response of 'The operation was immensely successful; those who fled were just small fry, no more police resources need be wasted'."

"I'm sorry, my capabilities are limited, failing your trust in me. But rest assured, only I know your information, and I won't tell anyone under any circumstances."

"..."

"I understand, Officer Peng."

Lin Guang hung up the phone, set it down, exhaled deeply, and squinted slightly.

Just a Divine Heart Association can hold such substantial influence within the Great Xia police?

"Prestigious families..."

He murmured, the tone inexplicable.

Suddenly, a sense of crisis stirred within Lin Guang's heart.

He didn't know much about Officer Peng, unsure whether the officer's probity could be trusted.

Even if he genuinely didn't wish to speak, numerous Spiritual Skills — like [Hypnosis] and [Entering the Dream] — can unearth truths unless Officer Peng possesses corresponding Defensive Spiritual Artifacts or regularly has someone set protections in his Sea of Spirit.

Take a step back; even if not targeting Officer Peng, if they really wanted to get to the bottom, to find out the source of the information, they could eventually use technical means to trace back to Lin Guang, who was in contact with Officer Peng.

Lin Guang had initially presumed that the Great Xia would exert significant pressure on the Divine Heart Association, and even if one or two key figures escaped from that stronghold by luck, they wouldn't have the leisure and capability to investigate the informant.

But now it seems Lin Guang underestimated the control of the Great Xia authorities over Zhen Sheng City, underestimated the connection between the Divine Heart Association and the Protective Umbrella Company and the prestigious families.

Now, it appears the Protective Umbrella Company possibly requires illegal Spirit Beast Hunters from the Divine Heart Association to obtain more Spirit Beasts for experimentation, to release even more and better Spirit Beast products.

Further speculation suggests potentially progressing any possibly initiated "Artificial Legend" experiments.

The involvement of the prestigious families potentially indicates entanglements of interest with the Protective Umbrella Company, willing to provide protection to the Divine Heart Association for personal benefits.

The combined forces of these two, as long as the Divine Heart Association hasn't committed atrociously heinous acts, even the Great Xia authorities might have to make concessions.

According to Officer Peng, there were at least four or five three-star Spirit Masters in that stronghold; even if their equipment wasn't peak, three-star Spirit Masters are formidable by themselves, considered core forces wherever they are, and among such lawless ones, Spiritual Spirit Beasts are especially coveted. Should anyone desire to retaliate against the informant, Lin Guang's chances to remain uninvolved aren't high.

Even if Lin Guang has the backing of Principal Liu and Dr. Kaiwen, they are neither nannies nor bodyguards, unable to protect him 24/7, and there's no eternal vigilance in old wisdom.

He took a deep breath, murmuring: "It seems I'm still not strong enough."

Thus, there's only one answer.

System, give me a boost!

Oh no, draw a card!

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