Long bouts of wakefulness have their advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is abundant mental energy, thus providing more usable time; the disadvantage, naturally, is the complete lack of rest. Even if one empties their mind, fatigue will inevitably set in after a short while. This is a normal phenomenon for low-level Martial Artists. Only when one reaches the rank of high-level Warriors, or at least Grandmasters, does a Martial Artist's resilience undergo a qualitative change.

So, SLAM! Wang Zhan decisively shut the door.

However, just as Wang Zhan was about to lie down on the large bed in this cozy little room, adorned with anime graffiti and pink accents…

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Open the door! Open the door! Open the door!..."

This person's door-opening ritual was even more intense than Wang Zhan's, if not more so.

Wang Zhan, his face dark, got up again.

"What is it? A bet's a bet, you lost. Are you thinking of going back on your word?"

"You!" Ouyang Yue ground her teeth in frustration. It was the first time she had lost the right to sleep in her own bed, in her own house.

But this guy is backed by a Martial King! Just you wait! Tomorrow, I'll call seven or eight genuine high-level Martial Kings!

So, Ouyang Yue, with righteous indignation and a heart full of reluctance, looked at her bed, then glared at Wang Zhan. "Can't I even take one last look at my bed? And I'm warning you, don't touch my things, or I'll make sure you learn how to behave properly!"

Wang Zhan shook his head. "Alright! Have you had your fill of looking? Or should I open the door and let you in to watch me sleep?"

Little did he know, Ouyang Yue's expression changed instantly, her face dark with fury. "Get lost! Who'd want to watch you? Go to sleep, you rotten scoundrel!"

Wang Zhan replied, "Thank you! Goodnight!"

Good... She still has some fire in her. I'll just have to provoke her a few more times... Wang Zhan mused, a slight smile playing on his lips.

「Outside the door.」

The world outside fell completely silent. Ouyang Yue, however, felt like crying but couldn't shed a tear.

Damn it! My bed… Who on earth is this guy? And when did he find my house?

At this moment, she could have slapped herself a few times for being such a bigmouth, making sarcastic remarks for no good reason. This was a classic case of trying to gain an advantage but suffering a loss instead! And the most infuriating part was, even if she wanted to fight, there was a ninety-nine percent chance she wouldn't win.

How pitiful…

「Inside the door.」

Wang Zhan surveyed everything in the room. Regardless of whether he appeared serious or casual about making Ouyang Yue honor this promise, it was actually because he had genuinely developed some interest—interest in the Federal Martial Arts Academy. So much so that his thoughts on the matter felt somewhat weighty.

What kind of martial arts academy is it exactly? Why did the two students from the Federal Martial Arts Academy I randomly met bring me such surprises!

Mysterious and strange, yet they seemed to perfectly delineate the boundary between Martial Artists and ordinary people. This was a feeling Wang Zhan had never sensed from the students of the Royal Martial Arts Academy, the general Federation Martial Arts Academy, or any other martial arts academies.

He even wondered if he might, through these two siblings, truly open a door to the real world. Because in this world teeming with geniuses, he was, up to now, the only one capable of suppressing Martial Kings while being a Martial Master. Such an experience was truly too lonely!

It was also because of this that Wang Zhan's desire to understand the truth behind the two siblings grew even stronger.

However, just after Wang Zhan had formed such a high opinion of the two siblings, within the range of his perception, a scene unfolded that made him incredulous.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK, followed by a CREAK. Ouyang Yue had actually knocked on Ouyang Win's door and brazenly walked in. And Ouyang Win, far from leaving or showing any sign of avoiding suspicion, allowed his older sister to affectionately leap onto him, asking for a hug…

HISS! This sent a shiver down Wang Zhan's spine, and he hastily retracted his mental energy.

"What the hell did I just see!"

Damn it, my eyes have been tainted… After such an incident, how could I still have any interest in extending my mental energy into other people's rooms? It was simply too unethical, and often, it was just plain cringeworthy…

Especially now that he had clearly sensed something was off about these two siblings, he was even less inclined to entertain such thoughts.

But what frustrated Wang Zhan was that although he didn't want to look, he could still hear the sounds from the Surroundings. Although these sounds clearly originated from elsewhere, they undoubtedly made him abandon any thought of further exploring the Surroundings. His mind was somewhat troubled. Listening to those SQUEAKING sounds, who knew how many bedframes had been disturbed.

Consequently, even though Wang Zhan felt this bed indeed lived up to his expectations, possessing a comforting, home-like smell and a pleasant softness, he could only block his hearing, close his eyes, and attempt to drift to the edge of sleep, gradually beginning to meditate.

Perhaps this was the natural camouflage that allowed the two siblings to live hidden within this small Bar? Or was it because of this environment that they failed to recognize themselves, blurring the boundaries of their sibling relationship?

The problem was, just as Wang Zhan was wracking his brains and had decided to give up and surrender to the Duke of Zhou's embrace…

BANG!

Wang Zhan was startled awake. His face showed some irritation, the kind one gets when woken abruptly. But he quickly realized and lightly punched the pillow. "Damn it! How can I still hear it when I've clearly blocked my hearing?"

Of course, he couldn't be blamed. Just a moment ago, Wang Zhan had actually heard a high-pitched scream, causing his recently relaxed mental state to instantly become highly tense.

In this regard, I really ought to thank Ouyang Yue. Her home is truly a good place for a Martial Artist's mind to be kept on edge! If only I could ignore the fact that I was gradually waking up and... my 'banner' was being 'raised high'.

Things having reached this point, Wang Zhan found he couldn't get back to sleep anyway, so he could only continue with his unfinished task.

After taking a deep breath, he held his breath and focused his mind, expelling all distracting thoughts.

Soon, BUZZ. Almost all the mental energy he could mobilize surged out, spreading like rays in all directions. Gradually, a vision—real and dense, yet hazy and elusive—formed in Wang Zhan's mind. This was a view from the mental energy aspect, and it was also Wang Zhan's trump card, one that no one had yet seen through.

Imagine, once on a battlefield, his opponents would know nothing about Wang Zhan, yet Wang Zhan would silently grasp the enemy's every move. What a formidable deterrent this would be. Moreover, due to the nature of Wang Zhan's mental energy aspect, although his current mental energy was limited, for someone at the peak Martial Master level, its usability was almost inexhaustible.

Therefore, besides being a monster, he was also like a surveillance camera that never tired and could conduct reconnaissance at any moment!

Subsequently, the various sights within the room, despite the sometimes noisy, sometimes quiet, dim world of the Surroundings, were reflected in Wang Zhan's eyes in their entirety. This room, aside from some daily necessities typical for a girl, seemed to be filled with plush toys and clothes, giving it a very warm and cozy feel. At the foot of the bed, facing it, was a dressing table mirror. There was also a home computer setup, with what looked like a few notebooks on the desk. Other than that, there seemed to be nothing particularly special.

Naturally, Wang Zhan's interest was piqued by those notebooks. He directly manifested a pair of hands from his sea of mental energy and began to carefully flip through them. Meanwhile, he continued to probe every nook and cranny of the room.

Nothing. Still nothing. Nothing at all. Wang Zhan frowned, his gaze sweeping the surrounding darkness.

"'What's going on? This shouldn't be the case!'"

If he didn't already know that the two siblings weren't ordinary people, Wang Zhan might have actually believed it. But for them to be powerful Martial Artists, yet for there to be not a single trace related to Martial Artists in the nooks and crannies of their dwelling, nor any secrets hidden beneath the surface—that in itself was an extremely unusual thing!

But soon, Wang Zhan seemed to have discovered something.

"'Huh?'" With a soft sound of surprise, he suddenly turned his head to look at a small cabinet embedded in the headboard. If not for being in the world of mental energy, where he perceived a gap in his view of the Surroundings, he likely would never have discovered this spot.

Therefore, Wang Zhan intuitively concluded, It can actually evade my perception; the secret must be hidden in there…

However, this kind of means made Wang Zhan somewhat cautious. It was even stranger than Ouyang Yue's plant-like surveillance device from the daytime. If the former was disguised as a plant, then this latter one had clearly weakened its own presence to an extreme degree. It looked just like an ordinary, unremarkable headboard.

But the problem now was… The secret of these two siblings is getting more and more interesting. But if it's really in there, what happens if I open it…?

One should know, his current actions were already unjustified. Although his visit this time was directly driven by ill intentions, there was still a premise to that. But if he really opened it, then no matter what was hidden inside—be it benefits, secret manuals, or any other strange and peculiar things—once discovered by others, Wang Zhan's intentions would be exposed. Moreover, it would undoubtedly leave a huge scar on Wang Zhan's conscience, turning him into someone who had lost his original moral compass.

Therefore, even though the secret was right before his eyes, Wang Zhan slowly narrowed his eyes. It was as if he were standing in the dimness, witnessing a light that could lead to Heaven or Hell, or perhaps gazing at his own path forward.

「After an unknown period.」

CREAK. Wang Zhan opened the door, his expression once again calm and sunny. He even ran into Ouyang Yue from behind, who was dressed scantily and brushing her teeth, her eyes still sleepy but a smile on her face.

He took the initiative to greet her: "Morning! What do you want to eat? I'm going out to buy it now. My treat!"

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