Whoa!
A beautiful girl taking the initiative to propose a contract – could anyone really turn that down?
While everyone else was overjoyed to confirm their innate abilities and even managed to form spiritual contracts with partners of the opposite sex, Bai Hao alone felt a suffocating emptiness deep within his being. When ordinary people awakened, their consciousness seas would glow like rivers of starlight, revealing the shape and nature of their talents. But all he could perceive was endless chaos, a thick fog that blocked every attempt at exploration.
"Hey, why are you daydreaming?"
Yun Meng's voice cut through his thoughts – clear and firm, with an edge of impatience. "Don't overthink this. My time is valuable, and I don't do small talk. One hundred thousand yuan – I'll buy your services as my Spirit Envoy. Do you agree or not?"
Her slender figure was neatly wrapped in white sportswear, and her stunning face was partially shadowed by the brim of a low-profile baseball cap. Even so, her bright, clear eyes shone with unmistakable hope as they fixed on him.
Bai Hao's lips twitched as he thought to himself: Is there really such a thing as a free lunch? A contract with a Saint-level genius – was she really willing to take such a huge risk?!
"We're honest and fair, with reasonable pricing. Once sold, no refunds or exchanges – please respond carefully!" she added, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Cut the nonsense and let's just sign the contract already," Bai Hao said, shaking his head in amusement.
Yun Meng's brow furrowed slightly, showing a hint of impatience. "How can a grown man be more long-winded than me!"
Without another word, her slender white fingers began drawing intricate lines in the air with lightning speed. In an instant, clusters of soft light flowed from her fingertips, and a faint humming filled the air around them – the sound of spiritual energy resonating with the fabric of reality.
She took a deep breath, her expression growing solemn, then gently pressed her palm against the back of Bai Hao's hand. Normally, when a Spirit Master places their contract mark on their chosen location, a unique sacred rune – exclusive to that Master – would form on the Envoy's skin.
But something unexpected happened the moment her powerful contract energy touched Bai Hao's spiritual sea!
His dormant sea of consciousness suddenly began to churn violently. The endless chaos that had always filled it surged to a fever pitch, and an indescribably deep, ancient power burst forth like a sleeping dragon roused from its slumber. Instead of leaving a mark as intended, Yun Meng's light trails vanished without a trace – like stones thrown into a bottomless chasm, they were instantly swallowed, absorbed, and shrouded by that inexplicable force!
Then, from the deepest recesses of Bai Hao's body, from a corner so hidden he'd never sensed it before, a strange and mysterious energy emerged, flowing back into Yun Meng's body like a tide.
"Wh-what…?!"
Yun Meng's confident expression froze instantly, replaced by wide-eyed horror. She felt as if her mind had been seized by an invisible giant hand, her consciousness and control over her body stripped away in the blink of an eye!
BOOM!
An invisible storm erupted between them. Suddenly, a light a hundred times brighter than before blazed to life – so intense it was impossible to keep one's eyes open. But this light didn't come from Yun Meng; it burst forth from Bai Hao himself. On the back of his hand, an impossibly bright and complex mark was rapidly taking shape and solidifying!
At the same moment, a projection of this mark – carrying an aura of undeniable authority – slammed back into the stunned Yun Meng with force!
"NO—!"
The light faded as time itself seemed to stand still. Bai Hao panted heavily, staring blankly at the back of his hand where the glow was slowly dimming. There, a prism-shaped sacred mark filled with deep light pathways was clearly visible, gradually merging into his skin until it became part of him.
"Waaaah…!"
The silence was shattered by sobs filled with frustration and anger. Yun Meng stared fixedly at the inside of her left wrist, her face pale as paper, her body trembling slightly from the impact of the immense energy. On her porcelain-white skin, an incredibly detailed contract pattern stood out starkly – it resembled a black peacock spreading its wings, displaying magnificent feathers that shimmered with iridescent light and exuded a mysterious, powerful aura. Every line was crisp and clear, the intricate patterns far surpassing those of ordinary Spirit Envoy contracts!
"You… you bastard!!"
Yun Meng suddenly lifted her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her shocked face was now twisted with rage and disbelief. "Your contract mark?! What… what did you do?!"
"No, I…"
"Stop crying! I want to know what happened too!" Bai Hao shot back, equally confused.
Every Spirit Master grants their Spirit Envoy a unique contract pattern – also known as a Sacred Mark. Its shape, size, color, and even the thickness and complexity of its texture are all one-of-a-kind and impossible to replicate. The more intricate and beautiful the sacred rune, the stronger the abilities it grants.
At this moment, the sacred mark on Yun Meng's wrist – though small and beautiful – was far too complex. Up close, it looked exactly like a peacock fanning out its tail feathers.
What on earth was going on? It was one thing if he couldn't discover his own talent and abilities, but why did signing a spiritual contract with Yun Meng leave his mark on her? Weren't only women supposed to qualify as Spirit Masters in this arrangement? Everything was completely reversed!
Not only had Yun Meng developed a sacred rune marking her as a Spirit Envoy, but Bai Hao had also formed a sacred mark of his own. There was no record of such a phenomenon in the tens of thousands of years of Blue Star's Spirit Calendar history.
Yun Meng angrily wiped the tears from her face, finally managing to calm herself slightly. Though she had no idea what had actually happened, it seemed that Bai Hao had somehow become her Spirit Envoy after all. For now, she could only conclude that this bizarre situation was caused by something unique to Bai Hao himself. After all, he was one of the few people who'd experienced such unusual events during his awakening process. Perhaps his Envoy talent was so special that it had reversed their roles.
Voices suddenly grew louder behind them, and both Bai Hao and Yun Meng knew what it meant – a large group of students was leaving school after classes ended for the day. Yun Meng's expression changed dramatically. If someone saw them here together, especially if they spotted the sacred runes on each other's wrists… rumors and gossip would spread like wildfire in no time!
"I'll find you after school tomorrow! Don't you dare run away! If you've let me down, you'll pay for it!"
Before she finished speaking, she'd already transformed into a nimble white figure, vanishing without a trace after just a few quick steps. Only a faint, floral scent lingered in the air as proof she'd ever been there.
Bai Hao watched Yun Meng's retreating form, still struggling to process the sudden turn of events. How could someone with only Profound-rank Spirit Envoy talent be approached by a Saint-level Spirit Master looking for a contract? Was the world really this much like a dream, or was he the one dreaming?
He weighed the thick bundle of 100,000 yuan in his hand, feeling its satisfying heft, and immediately confirmed he was wide awake. Even if he didn't understand what was happening, the outcome didn't seem to have caused him any harm. Without hesitation, he quickly stuffed the money into his backpack and hurried away into the growing darkness of the evening.
Back in his small, simple, and cheap rented room, Bai Hao leaned against the cold door, feeling completely drained of energy. The room was quiet, save for the city's neon lights casting ever-shifting shadows through the narrow window.
Sigh…
He let out a long, exhausted breath, finally allowing himself a moment of rest. Compared to his previous life – where he'd had a happy, fulfilling family – his current existence in this world was marked by tragedy. To put it simply, he was an orphan.
From what he'd pieced together over the past few days, his "parents" in this world had sacrificed themselves in a major incident while fighting against an invasion by alien creatures known as the Black Wave. A world with extraordinary powers was bound to face dangerous threats, and mythical beings were just one of them. If his appearance, body, and most personal relationships hadn't been identical to those in his original world, he might have suspected he'd accidentally entered a parallel universe. But at least in his current state, this body and the soul within it belonged entirely to his former self. After all, even the scar on his lower abdomen from a childhood accident was exactly the same – in a parallel universe, it would be impossible to replicate someone's experiences so perfectly.
He shook his head, pushing those heavy thoughts aside for now. His most urgent task was to figure out exactly what he'd gained from all this!
He lay down on his hard bed, staring intently at the back of his right hand in the dim light filtering through the window. The prismatic sacred mark that had glowed so brightly during the day was now almost completely hidden in the low light, leaving only a very faint, barely visible halo beneath his skin. When his fingertips traced over the area, he could feel faint but distinct energy pathways – like tiny electric networks woven from warm currents flowing just beneath the surface.
He closed his eyes, as he'd done countless times before, trying to sink his mind into the sea of consciousness that had always blocked his hopes. The thick, chaotic barrier still stood firm – cold and lifeless, like an eternal ancient mist. The cataclysmic event that had swallowed and reversed Yun Meng's contract energy seemed to have never happened at all. It was clearly disappointing, and feelings of frustration, anxiety, and confusion tangled around his strained nerves like vines.
Fatigue washed over him like an avalanche. Under the weight of such intense mental and physical exhaustion, he finally surrendered to overwhelming drowsiness, his consciousness slowly fading…
Unbeknownst to him, his soul had drifted into a deep sleep within his sea of consciousness. In the depths of this dark realm, time lost all meaning – it felt like mere seconds had passed, yet also as if eternity had come and gone.
Around his dormant spiritual core, the thick, lifeless chaos that had always repelled all exploration began to change slowly. There were no strong winds, no thunder or lightning – instead, the chaos seemed to be stirred by an invisible force, rising gently like thick ink mixing with clear water, or ancient dust that had slept for millions of years being stirred by a primordial breath. Silent waves rolled, collided, and settled within it, and something indescribable – hidden at the bottom of the abyss – seemed to slowly reveal itself as its master slumbered…
The endless chaos suddenly began to flow like a bubbling stream, surging forward like thick fog rolling over a valley.
...
Ring! Ring!
The alarm clock blared insistently, signaling the arrival of the next morning. Bai Hao – who should have woken up to sort everything out – was still lost in the chaos of his sea of consciousness, unable to hear a single sound. He slept until he woke naturally, feeling completely refreshed, and the chaos that had shrouded his consciousness vanished in an instant like receding tide.
Sunlight streamed through the gap in his curtains, flooding the room with blinding light. The wall clock had long since passed the early morning hours and now pointed casually at 10:20 AM.
Bai Hao's eyelids fluttered violently several times before he suddenly snapped them open!
"Ugh… ah—!"
An incredible sense of relief washed over him, as if a thousand-pound weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He stretched lazily, and his bones let out a series of pleasant, soft pops. A feeling of freshness and vitality he'd never experienced before coursed through every cell in his body. This was the deepest, most restful sleep he'd had since being reborn into this world filled with unknown powers!
"Cool!"
He couldn't help but hold his breath, a content smile spreading across his face. Hidden innate talent? A windfall of 100,000 yuan? Who cared – good things were meant to be celebrated!
He rubbed his still-sleepy eyes and instinctively reached for his phone on the bedside table. "Looks like I've broken my own record again. I always set my alarm early, but I never hear it. Guess what time I woke up today? Two hours late… or maybe one?"
His gaze fell on the glowing phone screen, and his eyes immediately widened in shock.
Are you kidding me?
It was 10:20?! He could have overslept until 6:20, or 5:20, even 4:20 – but 10:20 was impossible!
He jolted upright with a thud, realizing he'd slept in his clothes from the night before.
"Yun Meng's going to kill me!"
Bai Hao grabbed his backpack and bolted out the door.