Lin Qiye took a deep breath and decided to immediately test his newly acquired [Summoning Magic Mastery]. Recalling the strange "jellyfish summoning" theories Merlin—currently acting as Patrick Star—had just taught him, he let his mental energy flow through his fingertips and began tracing a magic circle in the air.
The "special formation" Merlin described was incredibly clear in his mind. Every node and every line contained the deep principles of summoning magic.
Lin Qiye intended to summon a powerful magical beast to test the limits of his new ability.
His mental energy surged outward, constructing a complex and ancient summoning array. Light flared as the center of the formation distorted, slowly opening a miniature portal.
Lin Qiye held his breath.
He expected some ferocious magical beast to emerge.
But when the light faded—
What appeared before him was a skeleton holding a bow.
Made entirely out of white blocks.
Lin Qiye: "..."
This aesthetic...
Something is very wrong.
Merlin leaned forward curiously. His enormous pink starfish body nearly shoved Lin Qiye aside.
He poked the skeleton's blocky ribs with a fleshy finger.
"SpongeBob!" Merlin exclaimed excitedly. "Is this a new robot you invented for jellyfish hunting? It doesn't look very smart!"
Lin Qiye's mouth twitched.
He waved his hand helplessly, and the blocky skeleton instantly dissolved into particles of light.
Clearly, Merlin's "illness" wasn't going to be cured anytime soon.
For now, Lin Qiye decided it was best to leave the bizarre asylum.
"Patrick," he said, forcing a calm tone, "I need to go."
Merlin—still in Patrick Star form—looked disappointed.
"Oh... SpongeBob, you're leaving?"
"Alright then."
"But you will always be my best friend!"
After saying goodbye to Merlin, who remained deeply immersed in his Patrick Star persona, Lin Qiye turned and walked out of the ward filled with books and absurdity.
The moment he stepped outside—
"Yo, you're out already?"
A familiar voice rang out beside him.
Yang Yi was sitting casually on a nearby table, swinging his legs as if he had been waiting for a while.
Lin Qiye's eyelid twitched.
Yang Yi stretched lazily before jumping down from the table.
"I've been pretty bored lately," he said casually. "So I figured I'd come out with you and experience life."
"From now on, I'm your long-lost cousin."
Lin Qiye rubbed his temple.
"Cousin?"
Yang Yi snapped his fingers.
In an instant, Lin Qiye felt the surrounding space—and even the rules of the world—shift slightly.
"Done."
Yang Yi clapped his hands happily.
"I've written my identity directly into the world's backend."
"From now on, I, Yang Yi, am officially your cousin."
"Oh, and I'm also the Agent of Two Gods."
He blinked mysteriously.
"As for which two gods..."
"Care to guess?"
Lin Qiye's mouth twitched again.
After everything he had experienced today, his worldview was already on the verge of collapsing.
Taking a deep breath, he brought his newly created "cousin" back to the Night Watchmen squad's base.
Inside the base, Wu Xiangnan and the others were gathered together, discussing something with serious expressions.
When they saw Lin Qiye walk in with a stranger, their gazes immediately became vigilant.
Lin Qiye coughed awkwardly.
"Everyone... this is my cousin."
"Yang Yi."
The moment he finished speaking, Wu Xiangnan and Hong Ying both sensed something strange about Lin Qiye.
Their eyes widened.
"Qiye..."
Hong Ying stared at him in shock.
"Your mental energy..."
Wu Xiangnan nodded slowly.
"Peak Pool Realm."
"And... there are signs of breaking through into the River Realm."
The others quickly examined Lin Qiye as well.
All of them were stunned.
How long had it been since they last saw him?
His mental power had grown so explosively.
Zhao Kongcheng was the most excited.
He rushed forward and slapped Lin Qiye's shoulder heavily.
"You brat!"
"Your cultivation speed is completely abnormal!"
Yang Yi smiled politely and introduced himself at the perfect moment.
"Hello everyone."
"I am the Agent of Unknown Minor God A and Unknown Minor God B."
"As for my strength..."
He shrugged casually.
"Just average."
Everyone's mouths twitched.
Average?
To them, the aura coming from this man felt at least at the Sea Realm—possibly even higher.
However, no one questioned his identity as Lin Qiye's cousin.
After all, that fact had already been written directly into the laws of the world.
At that moment, the base door opened.
Chen Muyue walked in.
Her gaze swept across the room, pausing briefly on Yang Yi before settling on Lin Qiye.
"Lin Qiye."
"The Night Watchmen headquarters has decided to begin a new round of rookie training."
"You are on the list."
"The training will take place at a secret base near Kyoto."
"Understood."
Lin Qiye answered immediately.
Rookie training was mandatory for every official Night Watchman.
For him, it was also an excellent opportunity to grow stronger.
Since the training was about to begin, time was limited.
Lin Qiye decided to use the remaining days to break through to the River Realm.
He still possessed the Soul Stone.
And he still had the roasted Jormungandr skewers he had brought out from the asylum.
Both items contained enormous amounts of mental energy.
Yang Yi, meanwhile, claimed he was going out to "look around and find something fun."
Lin Qiye could only hope he wouldn't cause any disasters.
Over the next few days, Lin Qiye shut himself in his room to train.
The Soul Stone floated in front of his chest, emitting a soft glow.
Pure mental energy flowed steadily from it into Lin Qiye's body.
At the same time, he ate the Jormungandr meat in small bites.
The enormous energy exploded within his sea of consciousness before being stabilized and absorbed with the help of the Soul Stone.
Inside his consciousness, the pond representing the Pool Realm churned violently under the constant influx of power.
Finally—
Several days later—
Boom!
A thunderous roar echoed within Lin Qiye's soul.
The pond in his sea of consciousness broke its limits.
The waters surged outward, transforming into a flowing river.
River Realm.
Breakthrough complete.
A powerful mental force—far beyond the peak of the Pool Realm—spread through his entire body.
Lin Qiye slowly opened his eyes.
A sharp light flashed in them.
His perception range, mental energy strength, and control had all undergone a qualitative transformation.
His power had risen once again.
The rookie training was about to begin.
Lin Qiye adjusted his state and pushed open the door.
Just then—
Yang Yi strolled back in from outside.
And he was dragging someone with him.
It was a beautiful woman with an alluring figure.
She was tightly bound by dark golden energy ropes.
Lin Qiye's pupils shrank.
"Brother Yang... who is that?"
Yang Yi casually swung the woman forward.
"Oh, her?"
"She's apparently a newly promoted Evil God Agent."
"I think her name was... Medusa?"
Yang Yi curled his lip dismissively.
"If this is Medusa's level, she really doesn't deserve to be called a god."
Then he added casually,
"Also, she tried to flirt with me."
"I thought she looked pretty interesting—especially those vertical pupils and the forked tongue."
"Very exotic."
"So I grabbed her and decided to keep her as a little figurine."
The snake-woman struggled desperately.
Her eyes were filled with terror.
Inside her mind, she screamed in despair.
What kind of horrible luck had she run into?
She had only recently become an agent of the great Medusa and had just joined the secret organization known as the Old God Church.
Today was her first reconnaissance mission.
She had merely been observing Michael's agent when she noticed Yang Yi walking down the street.
Seeing his extraordinary aura and handsome appearance, she had tried to strike up a conversation.
But before she could even say a few words—
He knocked her unconscious with a single slap.
And when she woke up...
She was already tied up like this.