In the standalone apartment near the hospital, Gu Jianlin was scrubbing his hands in the bathroom.

Staring at his reflection in the mirror, he felt a surge of emotion.

This Divine Path had its perks, no doubt.

But once he used Ghost Transformation, it was almost impossible to rein in his temper.

Unintentionally, it pushed him further away from the realm of being kind to others.

Suddenly, he saw a pitch-black spider crawling on his hand again.

Faint whispers of ghosts echoed in his ears.

If he were just an ordinary Ascender, he would likely succumb to these eerie hallucinations, leading to some uncontrollable actions. But for him, it had no effect whatsoever.

That was why he dared to take risks like this.

The secret control methods of The Order of the Hidden had no power over him.

"It's best not to spread this around; only reliable people can be informed. The Order of the Hidden's methods are extremely covert. Back then, Tang Zijing, and later Old Gu, must have encountered this as well."

"But the existence of The Order of the Hidden hasn't been exposed. Either they didn't report it, or they did, and the information was blocked. Between the two, I lean towards the latter."

"This organization has already infiltrated the upper echelons of the Ether Association. The President has clearly noticed something, deliberately sending the clues to me. What does that mean?"

Gu Jianlin murmured to himself.

In the living room, Uncle Mu sighed heavily and lamented, "What a tragedy, truly a tragedy."

Wanwan looked up with her innocent face and asked, "Did I do something wrong?"

"No."

Mu Qingge patted her on the head and said, "You're the victim; how could you have done anything wrong?"

In truth, having stayed in the refuge for so long, they had long since developed a habit of patience and didn't want to trouble others. Even after being bullied, they hadn't even mentioned it to the medical staff at the hospital.

"Alright, next time, if you get hurt by accident again, make sure to tell your sister in advance. How can Red Flower Oil compare to the Holy Light Skill? Your big brother specifically reminded me to take good care of you." Lin Wanqiu tidied up the young girl's clothes. After casting a Holy Light Skill, all the bruises on her body disappeared completely.

The strength of the Divine Path was evident.

First Order Physicians, Second Order Nuns, Third-order Prayer Masters, Fourth-tier Holy Mothers.

At the First Order, they gain skills like Self-healing Skill and Holy Light Skill.

The former grants extraordinary recovery abilities.

The latter sacrifices one's own life to heal others.

At the First Order, one also gains an active foreknowledge of threats.

The Second Order grants Holy Light Protection, offering immunity to mental interference.

The Third Order allows for numerous status-enhancing skills, significantly boosting combat and defense capabilities.

By the Fourth Tier, one can unleash the Merciful Domain, an immensely powerful support ability.

In team combat, any side lacking someone on the Divine Path would inevitably be crushed by those who had one.

"Thank you, Sister."

Wanwan beamed sweetly.

Lin Wanqiu ruffled her hair, her slightly fatigued face softening into a fond smile.

Then she prepared to leave.

"Sister, take care of yourself."

Wanwan suddenly spoke.

Lin Wanqiu froze, then pinched her little cheek and said gently, "Got it."

She ran her fingers through her hair, swaying her hips gracefully as she walked away.

"Tsk, no wonder Brother Lin is such a hit."

Cheng Youyu marveled, "He's the ultimate Sister Killer."

Zhang Cheng couldn't help but ask, "What's a Sister Killer?"

"Well, there are plenty of older-sister-type beauties in the Ether Association who have their eyes on him."

Nie Xiangsi pushed a tablet toward them. "Look, there's even a dedicated forum for it."

Ascenders were still human, and when idle, they liked hanging out online. Those shut-ins who spent their days doing missions or staying home, bored out of their minds, had created a website to comment on the looks of the male members.

Gu Jianlin was the latest dark horse, permanently gracing the website's homepage.

According to Taixu's analysis, his fan base was almost exclusively composed of older sister types. Over 95% were women above twenty-two, though there were some seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girls with dominant personalities as well.

The comments were filled with people wanting to hug him tight and make him call them sister.

It was, without question, a symptom of mass hysteria.

Especially with the recent bloody and violent incidents. Instead of being frightened, these fans seemed to have their obsessions deepened.

Uncle Mu skimmed through the comments and sighed, "Are young people these days really this wild?"

"Pretty normal."

Mu Qingge smiled. "Some people just can't resist someone cool and commanding. And the fact that he's only seventeen makes the urge to conquer him even stronger…"

Cheng Youyu suddenly remembered something. "Uh, Uncle Mu? We're not really in a position to comment on this. But overall, he needs to be cautious. Captain Lin, well, she's a bit... complicated."

Both Uncle Mu and Mu Qingge froze.

But Wanwan was the first to protest. "Sister Wanqiu is super nice!"

She's a green tea! (a manipulative, two-faced person)

Cheng Youyu hesitated for a while before saying, "Uncle Mu, maybe you're not familiar since you're not from Peak City. Years ago, among the Ascender Families of Peak City, there was a Lin Family. Lin Wanqiu was the foster daughter of Old Master Lin, deeply doted upon. But then, Old Master Lin's wife was accidentally contaminated, and in search of medicine, he secretly colluded with the Dark World."

"Oh, you mean the Lin Family extermination case from six years ago?"

Zhang Cheng remembered. "I recall the Lin Family was wiped out by the Judgement Court. A lot of people died, and Lin Wanqiu was the only survivor. So here's the question: how did she survive? There's a theory that the Lin Family was exterminated because Captain Lin betrayed them."