The Ancient Gods' Whisper

"This combination in itself signifies resources. Whenever someone wants their help, they have to pay. For things money can't achieve, they must offer resources. For instance, more cost-effective alchemy weapons or ascension materials."

He smiled. "Joining their team means you won't need to worry about resources for ascensions before reaching the Superdimensional Level."

Gu Jianlin paused for a second. "Is it really that important?"

Lu Zicheng shrugged. "You could check out the Deep Space Network and browse the forum."

Gu Jianlin took out his phone and connected to the Deep Space Network interface.

Now that his access had been upgraded, aside from personal data, general knowledge inquiries, and the resource exchange library, he was also granted access to the official forum of the Peak City branch.

He clicked into the forum. Countless threads flooded the screen, filled with titles marked in red.

"Looking to hire a First Order Herbal Expert for three days—daily pay of 50,000!"

"C-rank hunting mission urgently requires a Second Order Nun, with half of the mission reward as her exclusive share."

"Resource exchange urgently needs Second Rank ascension materials for the Sword Sect Path. Budget is ample; serious inquiries only!"

"Team recruitment! Seeking Priests or Alchemists Path users urgently..."

Gu Jianlin glanced at these posts. It was like looking at the announcement screen of an online game.

Endless posts.

Either the team lacked a healer, or someone was stuck at an ascension bottleneck, seeking secret medicine or materials.

Among them, requests for Spiritual Secret Medicine were the most common.

"See that?"

Lu Zicheng said coolly, "This is why Alchemists and Priests are so crucial. Without a Priest in the team, casualties are inevitable. And Alchemists dictate your ascension speed."

Gu Jianlin scrolled through the forum and nodded. "The majority of posts are looking for Alchemists. If an Ascender has an Alchemist backing them, their ascension speed will undoubtedly be much faster than others."

Judging by the hordes of Ascenders clamoring for Spiritual Secret Medicine on the forum, the importance of Alchemists was clear.

However, he suddenly thought of the mentor in the Ancient Tomb, a Fourth Rank Alchemist.

And one who could refine Extraordinary Level Spiritual Secret Medicine.

In that case, Gu Jianlin already had a major resource supporter behind him!

"Exactly, that's the point."

Lu Zicheng chuckled. "Zero-tier requires the least resources, but once you ascend to First Order, the demand for Spiritual Secret Medicine multiplies geometrically. Not only does it increase in quantity, but you also need ascension materials. Lin Wanqiu's team has the best resources in the Peak City branch, especially their Alchemist. Ever since CMJ113 Spiritual Secret Medicine went out of production, the medicines he produces have been among the finest."

He paused. "Don't underestimate the Alchemist Path. Many individuals have suffered mental breakdowns and turned into Fallen due to consuming inferior Spiritual Secret Medicine."

Gu Jianlin remained silent for a long time. He always felt inexplicably agitated when hearing about Fallen.

"And Lin Wanqiu is a beauty."

Lu Zicheng said lazily, "You've missed out on a rich lady. Unlike me, who's a new captain with limited connections in Peak City. All I have is an unreliable older sister. The Lu Family specializes in the Ancient Martial and Heavenly Master Paths, and we've only hired one Alchemist, but he focuses solely on refining Superdimensional Level Spiritual Secret Medicine."

Gu Jianlin shook his head. "No problem, Sister Chen Qing is also a beauty."

It was one of the rare moments he showed humor.

Chen Qing, who had always been expressionless, softened her gaze subtly upon hearing this.

She placed the breakfast bag on the table and remarked neutrally, "Have breakfast first. I bought soy milk, fried dough sticks, and tea eggs."

Gu Jianlin politely said, "Thank you."

"You're surprisingly good with words."

Lu Zicheng sighed. "Frankly, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't even want to take on the captain role."

Both Lu Zicheng and Chen Qing knew that even if Gu Jianlin completed his assessment missions, as the son of a Fallen, life in the Ether Association would be tough, full of prejudice and isolation.

The Joker incident was only the beginning.

Although Lin Wanqiu offered extremely attractive terms, her intentions were obvious.

She was after the Mythical Weapon.

If Gu Jianlin didn't hand over the Mythical Weapon, he wouldn't get those privileges.

And if he did hand over the Mythical Weapon, he'd lose all value.

Self-Ascenders were rare, but he wasn't the only one.

Being the son of a Fallen, the better his innate talent, the greater his perceived danger.

"By the way, I have something very important to share."

After much contemplation, Gu Jianlin decided to voice his hypothesis.

If there really was some ghostly entity from the Immortal Palace infiltrating the human world, it would pose massive dangers.

If overlooked, countless people could be dragged into the mess.

"About the Joker?"

Lu Zicheng squinted at him.

Gu Jianlin nodded. "I obtained two Mythical Weapons from him. One of them..."

"Stop."

Lu Zicheng calmly interrupted, "You don't need to tell me what effects your Mythical Weapon has. That's your possession—your secret. Remember, whether it's alchemy weapons or Mythical Weapons, under feasible conditions, don't disclose them to anyone. The deeper you hide it, the safer you'll be."

Gu Jianlin remained silent for a few seconds and gave a slight nod.

"I learned some intel from the Joker."

He withheld information about the Qilin Immortal Palace and said directly, "From his confession, the person responsible for the Blood Moon Slaughter Incident doesn't seem to be my father but someone else."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zicheng frowned.

Chen Qing pursed her lips and said softly, "However, that case had surveillance footage, palmprint and fingerprint comparisons, DNA matches, blood tests, and other concrete evidence. High-level Spirit Mediums even reconstructed the scene on-site."

In other words, the evidence was ironclad.

"I know."

Gu Jianlin spoke deliberately. "But in this extraordinary world, is there a possibility that some ability exists which can perfectly mimic or even duplicate a person, thereby replacing them?"

Lu Zicheng and Chen Qing froze momentarily.

"During the Blood Moon Slaughter, my father should have been trapped in the Qilin Immortal Palace."

Gu Jianlin said gravely, "I want to know—were there any eyewitnesses to the incident? Who investigated? Was the investigation process overseen? Is all this information publicly available?"

After a long silence, Lu Zicheng shook his head. "I don't know. By the time I returned from abroad, everything was already over. The Blood Moon Slaughter Incident had been concluded and classified as top-secret. We only saw the incriminating evidence against Professor Gu. The crime scene had already been cleared."

Gu Jianlin froze. Why would the crime scene be cleared so hastily?

"I'll report this to my sister, but keep in mind, her primary role is limited to ensuring Peak City District's safety and wartime command authority. She doesn't have much power outside of that."

Lu Zicheng thought for a moment. "Besides, you lack hard evidence."

Gu Jianlin stayed silent. That was indeed the key issue.

The Joker's soul had shattered.

"But if you're talking about witnesses, there may still be some."

Lu Zicheng commented.

Gu Jianlin raised an eyebrow. "The Joker's accomplices?"

"Exactly. If you can locate the Joker's accomplices, you might uncover some clues."

Lu Zicheng smiled and said, "Moreover, until the Joker's accomplices are eliminated, you won't feel any peace of mind, will you? Even if we promise to protect your family, as long as they are alive, that thorn will remain lodged in your heart."

"Indeed."

Chen Qing pulled out a tablet, tapped twice, and brought up some data. "The Joker had someone pulling the strings behind him. His accomplice is still at large. Peak City District has already issued a bounty for their capture. If you can locate the Joker's accomplices, you'll likely prove your earlier assumption."

Gu Jianlin thought it was spot-on. No matter what, the Joker's accomplices had to die.

"Wait a minute."

He was taken aback. "You guys believe me?"

Lu Zicheng and Chen Qing exchanged glances.

"You don't think I'm rambling on and on?"

Gu Jianlin probed cautiously. "Don't think I'm being ridiculous?"

Lu Zicheng raised an eyebrow and spread his hands. "Why would I think you're ridiculous? A son wanting to clear his father's name—isn't that a perfectly normal thing? Besides, you're Professor Gu's son. If I don't believe you, who would I believe?"

Chen Qing chuckled softly. "Are we supposed to believe the Judgement Court instead?"