Otherworldly Affairs Office

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Cen Xiaoran cleared his throat to signal Lin Rui next to him to chair the meeting. Lin Rui slightly bowed and said in a deep voice, "Everyone is here, so Director Gu, please share your report and thoughts with us."

Upon hearing this, Gu Shenghui stood up, glanced around, and nodded reluctantly, beginning to slowly unveil his plan.

Twenty minutes later, Yu Zhongmin, who was seated, had been silently listening to Gu Shenghui's explanation, appearing calm on the surface but feeling as if sitting on pins and needles. Rumors had vaguely circulated within the bureau about Gu Shenghui using that thing, and such assertions had escalated after the confrontation with Mu Fanchen that night. Today, it was finally confirmed by him directly!

Absorbing and using others' abilities was something desired yet feared by other adepts, and was strictly forbidden by the Investigation Bureau. Surprisingly, Gu Shenghui voluntarily pierced this paper-thin barrier for Pei Yan!

At this point, Gu Shenghui had concluded his explanation, and the room remained silent until Minister Cen's voice sounded again, "Regarding Xiaogu's proposal, what does everyone think? Please share your views."

Yu Zhongmin raised his gaze towards Zuo Huaxian, hoping that this elder, who was generally at odds with Gu Shenghui, would be the first to speak out, allowing him to concur, but he saw the elder seemingly indifferent and resting peacefully.

"Having Pei Yan absorb Song Mingyuan's ability is good, but how likely is it to succeed? According to Director Gu's description, this seems like a very dangerous matter, right? We must avoid ending up worse off than before. Remember, although Song Mingyuan forcefully advanced to second-tier awakening through external support, he has indeed awakened, whereas Pei Yan just recently reached first-tier awakening." Mei Simiao broke the silence seeing no one else spoke.

Yu Zhongmin frowned at this, was this matter just going to be lightly brushed aside? This was a golden opportunity to capitalize on Gu Shenghui's weakness, how could it be missed so easily!

Thinking this, he interjected before Gu Shenghui could respond, saying, "Director Mei, that's not the way to discuss this matter. Whether Pei Yan absorbs the ability or not is beside the point; this issue itself is a violation! When the Investigation Bureau fortuitously acquired that divine artifact from the alternate plane, its usage was explicitly forbidden. I believe everyone here understands why that decision was made!"

Having said this, he looked around the attendees as if with daggers, finally fixing his gaze on Gu Shenghui and sternly said, "Once this opens up, all adept people will feel threatened, and those with sinister intentions will be eager to act. We at the Investigation Hall will become the target of public criticism!"

Continuing, Yu Zhongmin gazed at Gu Shenghui with regretful eyes, painfully stating, "But Director Gu, Director Gu, I truly didn't expect you to use that thing. You've unleashed Pandora's box!" Then he turned to Yao Xuefang and accused, "Moreover, Xiaoyao, that thing has always been stored by your Equipment Department. It was stipulated back then that it requires approval from three bureau leaders and three advisors to be utilized. I wasn't even aware of this matter. How could you dare to secretly procure the divine artifact and allow Director Gu to misuse it?"

Confronted by Yu Zhongmin's righteous questioning, Yao Xuefang remained unfazed, sitting cross-legged, pushing her glasses up with a mocking smile; "Director Yu, is there a need to be so indignant? Always speak based on evidence. Everyone here at the hall, did your eyes see me secretly retrieve the divine artifact for Director Gu? Clarify your words, or have Director Mei investigate me. Otherwise, I'd rather not serve as the Equipment Director anymore! The hall should hire someone more competent!"

Observing Yao Xuefang's defiant tone and expression, Yu Zhongmin wondered if it really wasn't her doing? Did Gu Shenghui bypass him, obtaining approval from the bureau?

"I realize I was directly assigned from outside into the bureau, and there isn't much trust from everyone. But setting up a secretary position and appointing me to it, then bypassing me in making decisions, seems rather exclusionary, doesn't it? If that's how it is, what was the purpose of assigning me here in the first place?" Yu Zhongmin questioned discontentedly with a bitter smile.

Elder Lin, seeing the situation spiraling out of control, with Yao Xuefang poised for more bitter words, quickly intervened to stop further argument, "Calm down, everyone. Xiaoyao, speak less harshly and stop using resignation threats all the time. You're no longer the new girl who just entered the Investigation Bureau! And Director Yu, no one in the bureau treats you as an outsider. According to regulations, any usage of the divine artifact would inevitably be communicated to you! But Gu Shenghui violated and absorbed others' abilities without using that thing, relying on his own opportunity!"

"What? On his own?" Yu Zhongmin frowned at Elder Lin's words. Turning to Zuo Huaxian, he saw the elder remained silent with eyes closed. It seemed this old man had long known about this and didn't bother to forewarn him, letting him embarrass himself!

"So does this mean Director Gu has awakened a new ability, reaching fourth-tier awakening, and can absorb other adepts' abilities?" Yu Zhongmin turned to the silent Gu Shenghui and probed.

Gu Shenghui, somewhat impatiently, nodded, "Sort of!"

"What do you mean by 'sort of'? Your earlier explanation about your ability to absorb and how you absorbed was unclear! How are we supposed to form judgments this way?"

"I've reported all of this clearly to those above. We were once equal rank, and still are; I don't feel obligated to divulge my personal matters to you. If you're curious, ask those above!"

Facing Yu Zhongmin's aggressive stance, Gu Shenghui, having anticipated such a confrontation, responded sharply without backing down.

Feeling stifled and seeing Minister Cen remaining silent on the matter, Yu Zhongmin understood that Gu Shenghui's ability issue must have been tacitly approved by the higher-ups. Continuing any further dispute would be fruitless for him, so he returned to his seat and reluctantly said, "I will no longer comment on this matter."

"Does anyone else have any thoughts?" Elder Lin continued to ask.

"I still hope to receive an answer to my initial question regarding the certainty of Pei Yan absorbing Song Mingyuan's ability. During Director Gu's earlier explanation of his own absorption process, I noticed two points—first, the other party willingly allowed Director Gu to absorb their ability, and second, the inner source of both comes from the Daoist Plane. Even so, Director Gu encountered numerous crises during the absorption process. So, what are the odds of success if it's a different plane with someone like Song Mingyuan who resists?" Mei Simiao raised the crucial question once more as the office returned to calm.