In Heilanja, when Tianci arrived at Han Qiu's room, the latter was watching television.
He thought Han Qiu was watching some movie, but instead discovered that the screen was playing a video only a few seconds long on a loop.
"Authority must be an incredibly powerful force." Han Qiu remarked. "To think it could strengthen him to this extent."
Tianci watched a few more loops with him: "Chairman, you think Shadow's ability to fly comes from the power of Authority? Have you already confirmed he's that Awakened One?"
"Who else could it be?" Han Qiu shrugged. "This world isn't as big as people imagine, and the number of strong individuals is limited. I refuse to believe some random guy could just pop out of a corner somewhere and surpass him."
"But..."
Tianci still had doubts.
"Can't he fly using wings conjured by his shadow? Could the power of Authority strengthen or evolve his exclusive item?"
"That's hard to say, but I'd guess it's related to body control. Free flight isn't as easy as people think. Tianci, have you ever gone skydiving?"
Tianci shook his head.
"I have. Humans are creatures that keep their feet on the ground. Without a point of leverage in the air, the body is extremely difficult to control; you can almost only move by inertia. But look at the video, his movements are so smooth, it shows his body control has reached an absolutely terrifying level."
Tianci hadn't noticed it at first, but after hearing Han Qiu's explanation and staring at the screen a few more times, he realized the point was indeed valid.
"Tsk, I really don't know why this guy always manages to stay one step ahead of everyone else, as if he's holding a game strategy guide in his hand." Han Qiu pursed his lips, his tone carrying a slightly sour edge.
Then he looked at Tianci: "Something happen?"
"Oh, right." Tianci only then remembered the purpose of his visit. "The agent on the Xisiya side has gone missing. Right now, his status is unknown, alive or dead."
"The agent we sent to post the commission at Twin Stars Bar?"
"That's him."
Han Qiu narrowed his eyes, lost in thought.
Tianci asked: "Chairman, should we send someone else to post the second phase commission? Could Twin Stars Bar be problematic?"
"Problems definitely exist. Yelanka has been tightening her grip on the underground commission market within the Xisiya Empire, yet she leaves Twin Stars Bar untouched. Clearly, it's her black glove... But the commission goes out as planned. We can't let the plan fall into chaos."
"Understood."
Han Qiu saw that although Tianci agreed readily, his expression carried some concern, and he knew what the latter was worried about.
"Tianci, we can't stay hidden in the shadows forever, especially at this critical juncture when human civilization is about to step into the true universe."
Hearing this, Tianci asked curiously: "Chairman, are you saying this moment in time is special?"
"Yes." Han Qiu speculated. "Why did the Fire Thief issue this rule that only an Awakened One can make decisions on? Tianci, have you ever thought about its purpose?"
"This... no, I haven't."
Han Qiu snapped his fingers: "I think it's actually simple. It's a sign to humanity that after entering the true universe, a situation is likely to arise: the Awakened individual within a civilization will represent the entire civilization when facing other civilizations out there."
Tianci was taken aback, momentarily not grasping Han Qiu's meaning.
Seeing this, Han Qiu rarely took the time to explain in detail: "Perhaps in the true universe, only an Awakened One who holds Authority can become the 'spokesperson' of a civilization. We can't afford to give up that opportunity."
Even without Authority, there was no telling what kind of situation humanity would face once they stepped into that vast cosmos.
Tianci roughly understood some of it, but he still had concerns: "Chairman, I know you're a deep thinker with vision far beyond ours, it's just..."
Tianci turned his head toward the television screen, where the looping footage of Guan Tong flying continued to play.
"It's just that Shadow is this strong, and he's constantly looking for you, Chairman. That threat is truly enormous."
"Don't worry." Han Qiu also looked at the screen. "You've been online these past few days, you should be able to see Bruce launching a public opinion war against him. At this rate, forget coming after me, he'll soon be too busy dealing with his own problems."
"Public opinion war..."
Tianci's expression was complicated, as if he wanted to say something but held back.
"You think it's useless?"
Han Qiu smiled.
"An ordinary public opinion war is indeed like a gust of wind, it blows over and disappears, completely painless for someone like Shadow.
But this time is different. Just wait and see. Bruce has absolutely realized the same things I just talked about, so his methods will be more vicious than you can imagine."
...
Guan Tong left the academy and was walking toward the park, still recalling his recent conversation with Shi Jingyi.
Before leaving, he had asked her a question, what her inclination was regarding this rule.
Awakened Ones weren't limited to just Guan Tong himself; Shi Jingyi was also an Awakened One, possessing one opportunity for a deep dive of consciousness.
How Guan Tong chose was his own business, and it wouldn't interfere with Shi Jingyi's choice.
That is to say, on the premise that he chose not to use this opportunity, if Shi Jingyi chose to use hers, he wouldn't stop her.
The answer Shi Jingyi gave him was that she wouldn't use it.
She said she had no interest in the information within the Star Sea database, and at the current stage, she only wanted to fully master the martial arts inherited from the Heavenly Martial Civilization.
This process required Authority to assist, because she had discovered that some martial arts techniques from the Heavenly Martial Civilization could only be mastered with an extremely powerful physical body.
Even with her current body strength, it still wasn't enough. She needed to continuously use Authority to convert chaotic matter to strengthen her physique.
These matters, combined with her duties as Dean, had already consumed nearly all her time and energy. She had no spare thought to explore what content the Star Sea database contained.
This answer from Shi Jingyi was consistent with Guan Tong's understanding of her.
He knew she was actually a very simple person, almost a non-extreme version of a martial arts fanatic, not particularly interested in other technological or entertainment-related matters.
If someone who wasn't interested in martial arts looked at her life, they would definitely find it dull and boring. For someone like her, having no desire to proactively explore the database was completely normal.
But Guan Tong was different.
He actually really wanted to activate the deep dive of consciousness and see what was in the Star Sea Court database, but he was hindered by various dangerous factors from doing so.
This made him quite frustrated.
"Unless... I could hide my identity authentication signal while activating the deep dive of consciousness.
That way, maybe I could prevent my Mind Power signature from being recorded in the database, and also prevent Tianshui Star civilization from becoming a 'reachable' status on the cosmic star map."
Guan Tong thought to himself, but could such a thing even be done?
Wait...
He stopped in his tracks, a flash of inspiration striking him.
Why not?
"Haven't I always kept the eighth page of the Wordless Book blank, without writing on it?"
A long time ago, he had already been able to write on the eighth page. It was only because he hadn't figured out what to write that he kept it blank.
In the earlier days, even if he hadn't thought it through, he probably would have just written something random on it.
But as the requirements for opening new pages became increasingly strict, he had to carefully seize every opportunity, making sure each page played a massive role, so that everything was put to its best use.
So wasn't this exactly an opportunity?
The exploration value of the Star Sea Court database was so high it needed no elaboration; it was practically a consensus of all humanity.
Even those online who opposed Awakened Ones using the query right wouldn't use "the database has no query value" as their reason. They were all afraid that after querying, it would trigger the risk of malicious alien civilization invasion.
If he could use the power of the Wordless Book to circumvent this threat, then performing the deep dive of consciousness would be an unquestionable choice.
"...It's absolutely feasible! Using the power of the Wordless Book to defy the Rules isn't something I've done once or twice. There's no reason it worked before but wouldn't work this time."
The more Guan Tong thought about it, the more excited he became. He wished he could immediately use Body Swap to teleport back to his shelter and run the experiment.
But he temporarily suppressed his excitement, because he still needed to fulfill his agreement to meet Silver Fox for a talk.
Last time he had invited Silver Fox out; this time, she was the one inviting him. He didn't refuse, which was a matter of returning the courtesy.
And ever since he had confirmed his relationship with Shi Jingyi, every time he returned to Pinglu, whether for official or personal reasons, he would first go see her, then handle business afterward.
"Guan Tong."
At that moment, Silver Fox's greeting came from ahead. He looked up, and she had already arrived.
But this time she hadn't come alone. Beside her was a young man in a white shirt.
Guan Tong thought for a moment. Wasn't that Zhao Ming?