The Ancient Gods' Whisper

In the corner coffee shop, the music played faintly, and the wind chime at the door swayed with the breeze.

Gu Jianlin felt entirely out of sorts, desperately searching for a chance to seek help.

"Ahem."

Lu Zicheng jabbed him sharply in the lower back, signaling with his eyes for him not to panic, though he himself also had no idea what was going on.

Chen Qing, a Fourth Rank Spiritualist, seemed to have lost all his abilities, silently drinking his latte, saying nothing.

This was because Chen Bojun had previously instructed them not to speak casually—not a single word.

Though the reasoning was unclear, they could only obediently comply.

"Allow me to make the introductions."

Chen Bojun cleared his throat and said seriously, "This is…"

"Ji Zhou."

The cold, aloof woman raised her piercing eyes and said indifferently, "Divine General."

The Ether Association's President commanded six Heavenly Generals, all of whom were uniformly Holy Land-level elites capable of harnessing the power of the Heavenly Person's Wedge, hailed as the Guardian Gods of the human world.

Gu Jianlin roughly understood.

Although the Heavenly Fire God General had been smacked away by his teacher with just one slap back then.

Still, you couldn't call the Divine Generals weak.

After all, in terms of their combat strength, killing mortals in the real world would be child's play for them.

It's just that his teacher was far too powerful—an unparalleled figure throughout history—and couldn't be judged against ordinary standards.

After Ji Zhou gave her name, everyone's reactions were intriguing.

"May I ask your honorific title, senior?"

Lu Zicheng, still unable to contain his curiosity, asked.

Chen Qing understood his question's intent, as there were only six Divine Generals in total, each a legendary figure.

The woman before them, however, had never made an appearance before.

Chen Bojun quietly signaled with a glance, ordering them both to shut up.

Ji Zhou seemed disinclined to respond; she simply picked up a metal spoon and stirred her coffee, inhaling lightly before furrowing her brows and saying, "This stuff remains as bitter and unpalatable as ever—far inferior to Heavenly Fragrant Tea."

Although dressed in a beige long coat with icy and striking makeup, her gestures and bearing exuded an air of dignified elegance, as if she hailed from an ancient palace, untouchably noble.

Gu Jianlin thought this person was putting on airs and instinctively began profiling her.

Suddenly, Ji Zhou lifted her stern gaze, scanning him from head to toe, then said flatly, "Your talents are decent—a Third Rank Great Fate Master with remarkable achievements. Ordinary Fourth Rank individuals wouldn't be your match. Being able to transcend the Extraordinary Level to challenge the Superdimensional, you rank prominently in history. Your breathing rhythm is commendable—a Realm of Freedom."

She cast another glance downward at the shadow reflected in the sunlight: "True geniuses, of course, must master Forbidden Spells. But those capable of controlling Original Forbidden Spells are exceedingly rare. Qilin Forbidden Curse—quite good indeed."

Gu Jianlin was taken aback, feeling as though he'd been completely seen through, as if he were stark naked.

"If you could select a Growth Type Mythical Weapon that complements you, your battle power would ascend further."

Ji Zhou remarked dispassionately, "While your talent is excellent, your rank is far too low. When faced with a real expert, you'd be crushed like an insect with just one hand. Your priority should be advancing to the Superdimensional Level as quickly as possible."

She paused: "Although combat techniques can't be mastered overnight, you mustn't neglect them either. Mu Feng's martial arts realm ranks in the top three globally; you could seek his guidance."

Truth be told, Gu Jianlin was somewhat bewildered.

The parrot perched on his shoulder swiveled its eyes: "Who does this woman think she is?"

For just a moment, Ji Zhou squinted her eyes.

"Don't stoop to the level of a beast."

Chen Bojun mediated diplomatically.

"Audacious! You dare show disrespect to me!"

The parrot continued to bluster.

Chen Bojun's eyelid twitched slightly.

"You two... yes, you both."

Ji Zhou raised her hand, pointing at the parrot: "Take this creature away."

Chen Qing immediately stood, grabbed the parrot, and walked away.

Lu Zicheng quietly followed, feeling inexplicably pressured as he always did around Ji Zhou.

Who exactly is this woman?

Gu Jianlin, however, suspected the woman intentionally dismissed them.

"When concerning matters of The Order of the Hidden, the fewer people who know, the better."

Ji Zhou stated indifferently.

Chen Bojun coughed lightly and said, "Xiao Gu, do you have anything to report?"

Gu Jianlin succinctly recounted the intelligence he extracted yesterday, then cautioned, "The Order of the Hidden's next target is Minister Lu. When she advances to the Holy Land Level, there will undoubtedly be issues. Yet for now, there's no way to identify who among us might secretly belong to The Order of the Hidden."

"If my father were still alive, he might manage it. But I can't. I have too few interactions with members of the Ether Association, making it difficult to deduce present anomalies from their past experiences."

He pulled a hand-drawn diagram from his pocket and said, "The Order of the Hidden controls a technique called the Penglai Ascension Array. It's marked by the appearance of child boy and girl tattoos on their bodies. However, I can't guarantee that all members of the Order possess this matrix enhancement. Thus, it can't be used as a definitive indicator of membership."

Chen Bojun listened to his analysis without questioning the origins of the evidence.

After a moment of reflection, he said, "Meticulous reasoning—impressive."

Ji Zhou also nodded approvingly: "Not bad. Yet compared to your father, what you lack is the finesse in handling complex situations. Lone wolves like you—no matter how proficient in profiling—don't make it far."

Gu Jianlin froze, reluctantly admitting the woman had a point.

"On the matter of the Penglai Ascension Array."

Chen Bojun unfolded the diagram, his expression somber.

Ji Zhou glanced at the depiction of the child boy and girl tattoos, narrowing her sharp eyes as she solemnly said: