Chapter 34: Level Assessment Ceremony

Chapter 34: Level Assessment Ceremony

Qi He froze for a moment.

The situation had exceeded his expectations—Yan Chuanbai’s violently pounding heart was pressed tightly against him.

Is this what Yan Chuanbai is like when he truly lets go?

A voice, thick with suppressed emotion, sounded close to his ear: “Qi He.”

He felt Yan Chuanbai pressing flush against him, lips dangerously close. Subconsciously, Qi He gripped the fabric at Yan Chuanbai’s shoulder, his own heartbeat quickening for no reason. “…What?”

The hand on his lower back traced upward along his spine, drawing him even tighter—

Yan Chuanbai lowered his gaze, locking onto Qi He’s earlobe and neck:

“Are you sure I shouldn’t suppress it?”

“No matter what I do—everything I am—can you truly withstand it?”

Do what?

Qi He’s eyes widened slightly, taking in the pure white ceiling of the training room. Scorching breath washed over his ear, triggering fine tremors from his spine down to his tailbone.

He instinctively sensed an unusual, non-ordinary danger.

But at the same time, he could also feel it.

Amidst the rapidly dropping temperature around them, the average kinetic energy of particles was continuously decreasing. Ice Superpower was breaking through a certain limit, infinitely approaching the concept of "absolute zero"—

Yan Chuanbai had to break through.

Overwhelming waves of psychic energy crashed against him.

Qi He frowned slightly, tilting his neck back, and let out a strained murmur in response: “…Mm.”

Yan Chuanbai’s gaze abruptly intensified.

He turned his head and sealed his lips against Qi He’s slender neck.

Beneath the warm skin, he could feel the pulse beating. His eyelashes fluttered as he deepened the kiss, his arms tightening almost as if trying to meld Qi He completely into his embrace.

Qi He’s fingers clenched, clutching at Yan Chuanbai’s muscular back.

The burning lips against his neck—by any normal standard, Yan Chuanbai was kissing him.

But were they supposed to be this “close”?

The psychic energy before him continued to assail him incessantly.

Simultaneously, the surrounding temperature, materials, and atomic movements were all changing. A torrent of scrambled sensory data rushed into his mind.

Qi He simply closed his eyes and clung to Yan Chuanbai more firmly.

Their bodies were pressed flush against each other from top to bottom, his leg braced against Yan Chuanbai’s waist. As he resisted, his body leaned even closer. The surroundings were extremely cold, yet within this small space, it was burning hot: though nothing explicit had happened, it felt like a silent, desperate embrace.

…

After a moment, the psychic energy crashing against him seemed to stop.

Qi He’s eyelashes twitched as he opened his eyes.

But the lips against his neck hadn’t moved away. When he turned his head slightly, the warmth grazed past.

“Yan Chuanbai?”

Yan Chuanbai didn’t let go. He looked down at the pale skin now flushed from his breath. His lips lingered gently as a husky sound escaped through the slight gap: “…Mm.”

Qi He’s thighs felt weak. “Are you done?”

—No.

It wasn’t nearly enough.

Yan Chuanbai lowered his gaze deeply. An uncontrollable, surging craving was sprouting within him. His Superpower had just broken through one limit, yet it was already seething once more. Holding Qi He, he yearned for more.

It was Qi He who said he could take all of him.

The part he had suppressed seemed on the verge of erupting entirely—

His hand slid toward Qi He’s waist, about to tighten its grip.

As psychic energy breached an unknown boundary, the instruments throughout the room set off alarms at the impending qualitative change:

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Like a jarring alarm, Yan Chuanbai jerked back to awareness.

His heart hammered wildly. He took a deep breath, gently released Qi He, and pushed himself up.

He couldn’t go any further—it had to stop here.

Yan Chuanbai closed his eyes, reining in the part of him that was nearly out of control.

Below, Qi He was also jolted alert by the alarm.

But he quickly regained his composure and glanced around: without a doubt, Yan Chuanbai had broken through. The equipment degradation in the training room was at least 30% or more—

He had overlooked it. He could withstand it, but the training room couldn’t.

Above him, Yan Chuanbai moved, straightening up.

Qi He’s gaze fell on him—Yan Chuanbai was still kneeling between his legs. His muscular thighs stretched the fabric of his pants, his trim waist and firm abdomen. A fallen strand of hair brushed past his brow, and the aura of predatory intensity around him hadn’t fully dissipated yet.

After a delayed moment, Qi He’s heart skipped a beat. He extricated himself and rose.

Yan Chuanbai seemed to need only a couple of seconds to steady himself before getting to his feet too.

Qi He said calmly, “The training room is temporarily out of commission.”

Yan Chuanbai didn’t look at him, turning his head toward the training room instead. “Mm.”

“Your upper limit is higher than this. It’s a shame the training room couldn’t handle it, or you could’ve improved even further.”

The lingering heat from their contact still remained on his body.

Yan Chuanbai didn’t reply. It wasn’t just because of the training room—he shouldn’t have continued with Qi He like that.

Seeing his silence, Qi He assumed he was still assimilating the power surge.

"You Tianxing must be having a headache. Let's go back."

Yan Chuanbai turned slightly away from him, his Adam's apple bobbed. "You go first."

Qi He studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Alright."

With that, he turned and left the training room.

The pure white automatic door slid open and closed as he walked down the hallway. Suddenly, he touched the side of his neck, where a lingering warmth remained:

—Yan Chuanbai had kissed him.

What did that mean?

Qi He lowered his gaze slightly.

Yan Chuanbai’s repressed instincts had surfaced earlier, and that naturally included desire. Perhaps it was simply because he happened to be the person present.

That was all.

…

*Ding!* A sudden sound echoed in his mind as the system came online.

It had retreated into the Little Genius Watch the moment Yan Chuanbai pushed him down, opting to turn a blind eye. Now, it coldly watched Qi He covering his neck. "Done?"

"..." Qi He lowered his hand. "You have a dirty mind."

"Then what were you covering?"

Qi He replied without changing his expression. "I strained my neck. What else could it be? What could possibly be between Yan Chuanbai and me?"

"He! Hehehe, hehehehehe!"

The system snorted in frustration. "You'd better keep it that way."

"Of course."

This was just an accident. Under normal circumstances, Yan Chuanbai couldn’t possibly still desire him, right?

-

The next day, a temporary S-rank meeting.

You Tianxing stood at the front, smiling. "Ha! Hahaha, hahahahaha!"

Qi He: "..."

The system: "..."

After finishing his laugh, You Tianxing narrowed his eyes, scanning the room with a chilling gaze, implying meaningfully: "Certain S-ranks, please know your limits. Whether it’s training or anything else, do not damage precious instruments and equipment."

Yu Jiang tried to parse the meaning: S-ranks… be careful… no same-sex relations, what kind of… veterans on the front lines…

Yan Chuanbai listened calmly.

Kamiue Jun paused, his gaze shifting toward the two.

Yan Chuanbai sensed it and glanced sideways, then lifted the corner of his mouth in a smirk before turning away.

—That smile held a hint of something secretive, along with a trace of self-satisfied pleasure, inexplicably irritating.

Clearly, You Tianxing noticed it too. He quickly cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention back. "There’s one more important matter. The S-rank level assessment device has been completed. The day after tomorrow, headquarters will hold a live-streamed assessment ceremony. I hope everyone prepares accordingly."

Qi He was immediately intrigued. "System, what level do you think Yan Chuanbai and I are?"

The system, now unable to stand the two of them together, had completely lost its original mission-driven mindset:

"Him, frustrated and desperate; you, stopping at nothing."

"..."

Qi He decided it was just acting out and chose to ignore it.

After the meeting, the group walked out of the conference room.

Qi He walked ahead.

Kamiue Jun watched his receding back and was about to quicken his pace to catch up when a tall figure stepped in front of him.

Yan Chuanbai turned his head, his gaze sharp and imposing. The aura around him, usually restrained, now radiated a powerful and oppressive psychic power.

Kamiue Jun, highly sensitive, was startled.

How… after just one night…

In that moment of shock, Yan Chuanbai had already stepped between Kamiue Jun and Qi He, moving forward first.

Outside the conference room, footsteps drew closer.

Qi He turned and saw Yan Chuanbai walking beside him. The latter’s expression was as composed as usual. Neither brought up yesterday’s little "accident," though at that moment, Qi He was reminded of it again.

He changed the subject. "What level do you think you are?"

Yan Chuanbai said, "Probably above 3S."

Qi He narrowed his eyes keenly. "You’ve seen the device." Otherwise, he wouldn’t have known that the device’s upper limit exceeded 3S.

Yan Chuanbai gave a light laugh, his gaze lingering. "Yes."

Qi He quickly figured it out: military personnel likely underwent testing in advance.

"What’s the upper limit of the device?"

"They’ve set the scale up to 5S."

Qi He nodded. In the games he’d previously evaluated, many had upper limits set at 3S. But standards varied. A device specifically for S-ranks might have more detailed grading—it didn’t necessarily mean anything.

His psychic power wasn’t weaker than Yan Chuanbai’s. He was probably above 3S too.

He asked another question. "For such a formal event, is there anything to pay attention to?"

Yan Chuanbai thought for a moment, then cast him a penetrating gaze. "Be careful not to say anything shocking."

"..."

-

The level assessment ceremony was set for the morning two days later.

In the main control room, all five S-ranks had gathered.

You Tianxing calibrated the equipment in front of him. The seldom-activated screen flickered twice as the signal connected. Three images appeared simultaneously above.

The screens for Bases I and II are live, but headquarters' feed hasn't started yet.

Qi He glanced at the screen for Base II and spotted a familiar white-clad figure.

Gong Lianyu, with his striking golden-brown hair, made eye contact with him via the screen, jolting as if electrocuted. Then he gave Qi He a penetrating stare.

Qi He raised an eyebrow slightly, returning the greeting.

After that, he didn’t pay attention to the others and averted his gaze—after all, they would be observing each one individually during the assessment later.

However, he noticed someone watching him.

Yan Chuanbai glanced up and scanned the room, making the onlookers quickly look away.

At 9:00 sharp, the headquarters feed came on.

A row of figures in military uniforms stood at stern attention, their rank insignia indicating their ranks. Eight individuals stood apart from the others—likely the Class S superpowered affiliated with the headquarters.

Qi He looked toward the opposite side: a General, Lieutenant General, and Major General were present. Among the military’s Class S superpowered, the highest rank was Lieutenant Colonel, one rank below Yan Chuanbai.

The General had golden-brown hair and was apparently surnamed Gong.

When the feed went live, Yan Chuanbai and You Tianxing beside him saluted.

The other side returned the salute, after which General Gong said, “It’s an honor to meet all of you outstanding superpowered here today. Thank you for your contributions to the human bases thus far.”

“To measure your combat capabilities more accurately, we have developed a special assessment device for Class S superpowered.”

“Today, with all of you as witnesses, we will determine your superpower levels.”

As soon as he finished, a familiar voice spoke up.

Zhong Panqing said gently with a smile, “Then, let’s get straight to the point. We'll start with headquarters' assessments.”

The eight superpowered from the opposite side stepped forward one by one.

Lights climbed up the gauge: 2S-level, S-level, super-S-level, 3S-level…

In the end, two were confirmed as 3S-level superpowered.

Qi He glanced at those two. Indeed, 3S-level was among the highest tiers. After all, Yan Chuanbai had only recently broken through to 3S-level, and given that they were from the headquarters, it was understandable that they had an air of arrogance about them.

As he was observing, one of them appeared to be looking right at him.

His gaze scanned Qi He, carrying a hint of dismissive disdain.

Qi He, “?”

He thought to himself: “System, have any stories about me somehow reached the headquarters?”

The system replied, “Who knows? Your business is unpredictable. Don’t ask me—I shouldn't say.”

“...”

The system’s rebellious phase seemed like an endless rainy season.

Qi He stopped asking and turned his attention back to the screen.

The assessment order went in base order. Now, it was Base II’s turn to be assessed.

The familiar lights lit up, and the levels were announced one by one.

Gong Lianyu was super 2S-level.

The Combat Department member from Base II was 3S-level, surnamed Xi, wore a military cap and looked aloof; the other three were all rated at 2S-level or below.

Once the assessments were completed, it was nearly Base I’s turn.

Suddenly, a young man with freckles from the opposite side leaned toward Gong Lianyu. Not wearing a military uniform, he seemed to flout regulations. “Gong Lianyu, didn’t you say there’s a particularly powerful Class S at Base I? Even stronger than Brother Xi. Today we'll find out.”

Gong Lianyu closed his eyes as if pained.

Xi Moqing glanced sideways and stopped him, “Fang Ming.”

Fang Ming glanced casually at the screen, his gaze settling on Qi He. “It’s him, right?”

Instantly, numerous eyes turned toward Qi He.

Qi He: “...”

At least he didn't badmouth him—just not making shocking comments.

As he was thinking this, a voice suddenly came from the headquarters side. The previously arrogant 3S-level superpowered glanced over and remarked, “That powerful? No wonder you could ignore headquarters' orders before. So, you have the confidence to back it up.”

After saying this, he smirked ambiguously at Qi He. “Perfect. We’ll wait and see.”

His words were a backhanded compliment full of sarcasm and mockery.

Qi He narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled back. “Yeah, I can disregard them. It must make you jealous.”

Everyone: “...”

Yan Chuanbai: “...”

The 3S-level superpowered was so startled by his words that his expression changed instantly, and he immediately retorted, “I’m not jealous!”

Zhong Panqing took a deep breath. “Enough.”

Yan Chuanbai seemed to let out a soft laugh, openly curling his lips into a mocking smile directed at the former.

The opposite side turned livid, glaring back with suppressed anger.

It seemed they were waiting to see the results of their level assessments.

...

Meanwhile, Yan Chuanbai withdrew his gaze.

You Tianxing and Yu Jiang stepped forward first for the assessment. They placed their hands on the device one after another: 2S, super 2S.

Next, it was Yan Chuanbai’s turn.

His superpower level had long been reported to the headquarters, so the other side had expectations. Each base had at least one 3S-level superpowered, making the combat power distribution quite balanced.

Yan Chuanbai placed a hand on the device.

As his spiritual power surged, the indicator light climbed level by level. When it reached the 3S mark, the headquarters recorder was about to note it down when the light suddenly broke through the 3S threshold—

Everyone present was stunned.

Even Headquarters, which had received the report in advance, couldn't stay calm. Its members leaned forward, eyes wide with shock.

...Wait a second! Didn't they say it was 3S?

The indicator stopped somewhere between 3S and 4S.

Yan Chuanbai calmly withdrew his hand.

You Tianxing was also stunned, snapping his head around with a mix of astonishment and accusation in his eyes: Are you a monster, or are you just messing with everyone? Breaking through to 3S in just two days—is that even human?!

But with the appearance of the first super-3S level, the shock only lasted a moment before the room erupted in excitement!

Zhong Panqing slapped his thigh and praised, "Nice work, Chuanbai! I knew you wouldn’t let Headquarters down!"

The 3S-level officer nearby stiffened.

After the brief uproar, the testing continued.

Next was Qi He. The atmosphere, already at a peak, hadn’t fully settled. With Yan Chuanbai’s super-3S performance earlier, even if Qi He turned out to be 3S, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise.

The officers’ minds were still reeling.

Fang Ming from Base II scrunched up his nose, while the Headquarters’ 3S-level officer also fixed his gaze intently on Qi He, waiting to see his level.

Amidst the varied stares, Qi He stepped forward.

He pressed his hand onto the device.

As his psychic energy surged, the light climbed steadily: S, 2S, 3S… Just as the recorder was about to note it down, the scale shot past 3S once again—the room fell into another stunned silence. Someone blurted out in such a moment:

"Holy shit."

Two super-3S levels in Base I—is that even possible?

However, the light didn't stop.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, it continued racing upward—

Author's Note:

You Tianxing: Monster!!!

You Tianxing: ...Total monster!!!

System: He. (I'm done)