The Dream Shattered.

All the images shattered along with it.

And this small black cocoon was preserved... This is the transcendent Arche of "Qu Shui", and also the last strand of spirit that supports the preservation of this dream.

The blazing fire slowly enveloped the black cocoon.

"I am... digesting the transcendent Arche..."

Gu Shen felt an unprecedented sense of wonder. It was completely different from imprinting the spirit of the solemn stone carving. After the blazing fire wrapped the black cocoon, his spiritual power began to "rapidly" surge... A slender flame grew dozens of times in just a few breaths, now resembling a plump red jujube.

But Gu Shen vaguely felt... that the amplification brought by this transcendent Arche was not as huge as it appeared to the naked eye. After the blazing fire wrapped the cocoon, countless dark shadows were melted away. After the flame expanded, it slowly retracted bit by bit.

This is... refinement!

The blazing fire was like the stomach of a glutton. It was now hungry and eager to devour the transcendent Arche... Just swallowing the cocoon, it already felt a bit bloated.

And along with the digestion of the transcendent Arche... the stomach would also return to its original state.

He just didn't know how much his blazing fire would shrink after completing the refinement.

"Eating this transcendent Arche... can I complete the trial of the first layer of the Deep Sea..."

Gu Shen's willpower had reached its limit.

With that strand of blazing fire, carrying the black cocoon, he slowly retracted his forehead.

He couldn't resist the overwhelming fatigue that came rushing in.

...

...

Warm air circulated in the attic, slowly washing over.

The window was covered with a thin layer of frost.

"Mr. Cui Zhongcheng, to be honest... the purpose of my visit this time is very simple..."

A faint conversation entered his ears, each word indistinct and ethereal.

As the noise entered his ears, Gu Shen slowly woke up.

He slowly opened his eyes and saw a spinning ceiling. The negative effects of overdrawing his spiritual power with the ruler of truth last night surged in his mind, causing a needle-like pain...

"Ah..."

Where was this?

He endured the pain and observed the surroundings. He was in a simple and realistic office, with only a reclined chair facing the warm air vent. No wonder he felt comfortable and warm even in his dream.

This room was well hidden, like a rest area built inside a large office, specifically for taking a nap.

The door was slightly ajar.

Faint sounds could be heard from outside.

"Mr. Zhao Qi asked me to come. He wants to take some money from the third quarter's dividend... to be precise... it's an advance..."

The reporting voice was sharp and thin, as sharp as a sword.

Looking through the slightly ajar door, Gu Shen saw a tall woman in a suit standing in front of a large desk. She had a high ponytail and wore bright red lipstick, exuding a dazzling and fierce aura.

Just a glance and a sharp pain struck his brow.

He had glimpsed an "existence" that he shouldn't have. Gu Shen quickly averted his gaze.

He leaned against the stone wall, suppressing his breath... The memories of last night surged like a tide.

He remembered.

He had dealt with Qu Shui... and obtained the black cocoon. This should be the first time he fully absorbed all the Arche of a transcendent. Overnight, the blazing fire seemed to have undergone an incredible evolution.

He closed his eyes.

Gu Shen seemed to see the scene inside his own skull.

The flames entwined into a cocoon, still slowly digesting... The transcendent Arche of Qu Shui was being digested at a slower pace than he had imagined. It might take another week to completely refine it.

But in just one night, Gu Shen felt that his spirit had become much more full, and even without summoning the blazing fire, his vision had been enhanced.

When he looked at the woman outside the door just now, he had a strong intuitive warning.

This was a transcendent!

And a powerful one at that!

Gu Shen rubbed his brow and murmured, "I told Hu Danian about last night's situation... Did he bring me here to Cui Zhongcheng?"

...

...

"Mr. Zhao wants to withdraw money... of course, there is no problem... but he overestimated my abilities."

"The gold mountain is locked, I am just a person holding the key." Cui Zhongcheng remained calm, glanced at the document, and casually pushed it back, saying, "Liu Yi, please tell Mr. Zhao... for such a large sum, I don't have the authority to decide. He should find the old master or the lady in his own family. If these two agree, a phone call and the money will be immediately transferred."

"It's just a withdrawal, why bother disturbing the old master?" Liu Yi smoothed her temple hair and slowly said, "If you are willing to help with this small favor... Mr. Zhao said he would be very grateful."

She closely observed Cui Zhongcheng, hoping to find some clues from his poker face...

But she was disappointed.

There was no expression on that face at all.

Cui Zhongcheng was like a wooden man, seemingly uninterested in saying another word."......"

Liu Yi hated this kind of situation the most, and she sighed softly. This man, who was also under the Zhao family, had a completely different style from her own. He was so rigid and lacked any sense of human emotion.

Zhao Xilai was old and frail, and it seemed like he didn't have much time left. And he only had one son... There was no need to think too much about it. The massive Zhao family would definitely be taken over by his only son, Zhao Qi.

Even a golden mountain, with all its locks, was about to change owners.

Cui Zhongcheng remained stubborn and refused to give in. In her opinion, this was simply foolish. By helping the young master Zhao with some money at this critical moment, it would be like giving him a helping hand. When the massive Zhao family changed hands, Cui Zhongcheng could continue to be the guardian under the new owner.

Even if it was out of fear of angering Mr. Zhao, he shouldn't have refused so coldly.

She was entrusted by the young master Zhao to come to Huazhi and didn't bring a single penny with her. It was embarrassing for Zhao Qi and a slap in the face for Cui Zhongcheng.

Liu Yi didn't continue to argue, she just sighed lightly and said, "I will tell him the truth."

After speaking, she suddenly looked towards the slightly ajar door of the office and frowned.

"Who is he?"

Liu Yi became interested all of a sudden and squinted her phoenix-like eyes.

Based on her understanding of Cui Zhongcheng, this man who acted like a stone machine was always rigid and followed the rules strictly. In Huazhi Building, different guests were received in different reception rooms.

That room was the private resting room reserved by Cui Zhongcheng for himself, and outsiders were strictly forbidden from entering. Who had the qualifications to go in?

Tap tap.

Cui Zhongcheng knocked twice on the table, using his fingers to draw Liu Yi's attention back, and gave an answer that made people convinced.

"...Someone whose identity you definitely don't want to know."

Liu Yi immediately withdrew her gaze.

In the past ten years in the Zhao family, the person she was most curious about was Cui Zhongcheng. This man always had a unique temperament that was difficult to understand and made people want to explore.

But the person she was least curious about... was also Cui Zhongcheng.

Because in these ten years, anyone who tried to explore Cui Zhongcheng's bottom line out of curiosity... had all disappeared.

It was not an exaggeration.

In Liu Yi's heart, she had already regarded Cui Zhongcheng's words as another form of ironclad rule. Once spoken, it must be done, and there would be consequences.

If Zhao Qi wanted to borrow money and he said that he wouldn't lend until the old master and the madam spoke, then he definitely wouldn't lend.

Even if the sky fell, he still wouldn't lend.

He said that he didn't want to know the person's identity... then if she really knew, she would definitely regret it.

So Liu Yi immediately closed her mouth and stopped asking or thinking about it.

"If that's all... you can leave."

Cui Zhongcheng lowered his head and opened his notebook, flipping through it slowly, and said in a low voice, "Also, tell the young master Zhao... the old master is very dissatisfied with him recently, so he should stay away from Chen San's people."

...

...

After Liu Yi left.

Cui Zhongcheng remained at his desk, but he calmly spoke.

"Now that you're awake, come out."

His voice clearly reached the resting room.

So Gu Shen, who had been eavesdropping on the wall for a long time, was exposed by this sentence. He couldn't continue pretending to be lying down or sitting, so he reluctantly revealed himself and walked out with a somewhat embarrassed look.

Gu Shen came to sit in front of Cui Zhongcheng, found a chair, and looked at his calm and poker-faced expression. The anger that had almost extinguished in his heart suddenly flared up again.

"You're very angry."

Before Gu Shen could explode, Cui Zhongcheng spoke first.

He stopped flipping through the notebook, looked up at Gu Shen, and spoke slowly and deeply, "Being used as bait without knowing anything, almost dying... You're angry at my deception, angry at my manipulation. Perhaps there is also some anger coming from your sense of justice, that I, who have the ability to solve the insomnia problem of the masses, chose to let the symptoms spread and observe first..."

After saying these words, Gu Shen froze.

Every word he said struck deep into his heart. He had a feeling that Cui Zhongcheng had dissected his chest, and this man understood his anger even better than he did.

"But in fact... is the truth really as anger-inducing as you think?"

To read the uncut version, go to [pawread.com].

Cui Zhongcheng pushed his glasses and spoke with some disappointment, "If you had been more perceptive on the plane... and paid attention to the details of what I said, you should have known what you were about to face. The review team said that you have a good memory, that you don't forget what you see, so do you remember every word of our conversation by the lake? Since you have already experienced a fire case... then you should know better than anyone that the Longevity Foundation is a fanatical group that will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. They are even crazier than you can imagine."

Gu Shen was suddenly speechless.

Because... every word Cui Zhongcheng said was the truth.In a sense, Cui Zhongcheng hadn't hidden anything from himself, because in the case of the fire, he knew no more than he did.

"To uncover the mastermind behind the fire and pick up the broken clues, the best way is to use yourself as bait..." Cui Zhongcheng's voice poured down like a bucket of cold water, saying, "I've already told you, this mission isn't as simple as you think. If you still underestimate it, even if you lose your life, it's your own fault."

Gu Shen sat silently in his chair.

His chest was full of anger, and he had already thought of many questions to ask, but now, under Cui Zhongcheng's few words, his anger had nowhere to vent, as if he had been doused with cold water, and he couldn't even utter a word of rebuttal.

"You can continue to hate me until you become a true 'S-class'."

Cui Zhongcheng continued, "As long as you can remember the lesson and stay alive... Paying such a small price as hatred is too small. If your file is released, the uncontrollable and extremists you will face in the future will be ten or even dozens of times more than now. I don't want the words 'careless and contemptuous' to be your epitaph."

First a stick, then a date.

But it was in Cui Zhongcheng's nature... Even comforting words were cold from his mouth.

He was still young.

This was a cunning old fox, advancing by retreating.

There was nothing more to say now.

Gu Shen was silent for a long time, finally took a deep breath, and said in a deep voice, "I remember the lesson this time."

"Since you came with anger... Then you must have understood the meaning of our conversation on the plane." Cui Zhongcheng slowly explained, "The main reason for not rushing to give you the 'S' title is this mission in the city... The solemn stone sculpture is just the beginning, using the sealed file, we successfully baited a suspect."

Members of the Long Foundation were lurking all over the East Continents, some even infiltrated the parliament.

Gu Shen's expression tightened.

Before landing in the city, his file was sealed in order to bait the big fish behind the scenes.

"Look at this file."

Cui Zhongcheng took out a file from the drawer.

"Shi Li, 37 years old, leader of the fifth group of the Chengxin Society..."

It took Gu Shen three minutes to read the life file of this man named Shi Li.

He looked up and asked seriously, "Chengxin Society... I've heard of it more than once. What kind of organization is this?"

"The city is a place for unofficial Transcendents to live together."

"If you insist on a precise definition, the Chengxin Society... is a legal illegal organization." Cui Zhongcheng said lightly, "The greatest power of speech in the East Continents Parliament belongs to the north in Nagano and the south in the city, which can judge the prison command and the Federal Security Committee... There are only so many seats in these Transcendent institutions, and with strict control, not everyone can enter, so the homeless Transcendents should have a place to stay, right? So in the city, the Chengxin Society was established."

Gu Shen was stunned.

"You should also know... there is white in this world, and there is black. Some things can't be done officially, so they have to be done by others." Cui Zhongcheng patiently explained to a newcomer from the Judgement Office, "The city's status is destined to bear a great mission, its every move radiates the surrounding three major areas, the river bank is across the sea, the west is close to the Qing River, the north is the Redwood, in recent years the Judgement Office is seriously short of staff... Not every Transcendent event can be solved."

"Organizations with too many people are often difficult to control."

Cui Zhongcheng said, "Now the Chengxin Society in the city is roughly divided into the South and North Halls, and the highest power of speech corresponds to the hands of two members. One is called 'Chen San', and the other is..."

He pointed to himself.

Behind Cui Zhongcheng was the Zhao family.

Gu Shen silently looked at Mr. Cui, across a long table, as if looking at a huge mountain.

He suddenly remembered what Nanjin had said to him.

Above the crown, it is for justice.

Under the sword, it is for judgement.

If the Judgement Office is a dazzling crown, self-proclaiming its justice in blinding white.

Then the Chengxin Society... is a sword hidden in the undercurrent, secret and silent, black and invisible.

The East Continents is vast, there are only a few crowns in the light, but under the light, the undercurrent is surging, hiding countless swords.