The following morning, Fang Xiu was abruptly awakened by the ringing of Zhao Hao's phone.
"Xiu Ge! Xiu Ge! I finally figured out what my ability is!" Zhao Hao's voice crackled with excitement from the other end of the line.
"What ability?" Fang Xiu responded calmly.
"Hehe... if I tell you, it might shock you. The reason I couldn't sense my ability yesterday was because it only activates after 11 PM. It lasts until around 1 AM. When I got home last night, I couldn't sleep, but as soon as it hit 11, my ability just appeared."
"Mm, so what exactly is it?"
"Xiu Ge, don't be jealous now. Even though your ability is strong, mine is what every man in the world desires. You don't know, I tested it all evening yesterday, and it's simply..."
Beep... beep... beep...
Fang Xiu ended the call.
A moment later, Zhao Hao called again.
"Xiu Ge, you—"
"If you're going to waste my time with more nonsense, don't bother me while I'm resting."
From the other end, Zhao Hao's voice sounded aggrieved. "My ability is... after 11 PM, I get more handsome, my physical abilities improve, and I become all muscle!"
"Is that it? I'm hanging up."
Just as Fang Xiu was about to end the call, Zhao Hao urgently shouted, "Wait, wait! I haven't finished! You think my ability is that simple? The best part is still to come! The improvement in physicality is just a side effect. What really improves is... my... my... ability!"
"You don't understand, Xiu Ge. My ability is incredibly strong in that department. I tested it yesterday, and it's absolutely indestructible, bigger and stronger, I could carry a hundred-pound weight easily..."
Beep... beep... beep...
Fang Xiu decisively ended the call. Though he had never expected Zhao Hao to awaken any impressive abilities, he certainly hadn't anticipated such an absurd power.
What was this nonsense about becoming more handsome, bulking up with muscle, and enhancing... his manhood? Was this some sort of bizarre joke?
"I should have expected this. A person who overcomes fear with little films... what serious abilities could they possibly awaken?"
The powers of spiritual practitioners were closely linked to their souls. What one deeply yearned for would manifest in their abilities.
As for why Zhao Hao's abilities only activated after 11 PM, Fang Xiu could easily understand, as 11 PM was typically when Zhao Hao was lying in bed, about to sleep.
So, what could Zhao Hao possibly be fantasizing about every night at 11 PM to awaken such an ability?
The specifics remained unclear, perhaps only Zhao Hao knew.
"Darling, it's time for breakfast," came the soft voice of his wife as she stepped through the door into the bedroom.
Fang Xiu's expression remained unchanged as he rose and made himself breakfast.
His wife always asked him to have breakfast, but had never once made it herself.
The damned woman! She should be forced to swallow a thousand needles!
At that moment, a black business car quietly parked on the street just outside Fang Xiu's apartment complex.
Inside, a man and a woman sat.
The man appeared to be in his thirties, dressed in a black suit, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and had a sharp, competent demeanor.
The woman was elegant, her delicate face and graceful figure framed by a black uniform skirt. Beneath the skirt, she wore high-quality black stockings that shimmered with depth and richness, not the cheap variety that tore easily. On her feet, she wore exquisitely sculpted high heels.
Her attire, along with her tall figure and cold, aloof demeanor, gave off an air of elegance rather than the vulgarity often associated with black stockings.
This man and woman were none other than Shen Lingxue and Li Wenhao from the Investigation Bureau.
At that moment, Li Wenhao was wearing black headphones, listening to a monitoring device.
After a while, he removed the headphones.
Shen Lingxue calmly inquired, "Did you manage to intercept their conversation?"
Li Wenhao nodded. "From their conversation, we can preliminarily confirm that both were ordinary people before, and their abilities were awakened in the Bailiu Academy's anomalous domain, turning them into spiritual practitioners."
"What about their abilities?"
"Fang Xiu didn't mention his ability, but from Zhao Hao's words, it seems like it's not too bad."
"I hope it's not disappointing. The Investigation Bureau is in desperate need of personnel. If Fang Xiu's ability isn't lacking and can pass the mental pollution test, we might consider recruiting him."
"What about Zhao Hao?"
Upon hearing Zhao Hao's name, Li Wenhao hesitated, clearly uncomfortable to speak.
Shen Lingxue furrowed her brows. "What is it? Spit it out."
"Yes," Li Wenhao quickly responded, sounding slightly respectful.
It was obvious that Shen Lingxue held a higher position than him.
This was normal, considering Shen Lingxue was a spiritual practitioner, while Li Wenhao was just an ordinary person.
The Investigation Bureau often assigned a regular person to supervise each spiritual practitioner, to ensure that their mental state remained stable and to prevent them from acting on impulse or making mistakes due to the influence of anomalous forces.
The concept was sound, but typically, the spiritual practitioners were the ones in charge. If the supervisor failed to intervene, all they could do was report to their superiors, who would then take appropriate action.
Usually, male spiritual practitioners were paired with female investigators, and vice versa, to maintain balance and reduce the potential for conflict.
Li Wenhao hesitantly spoke, "According to Zhao Hao himself, his ability is that every night between 11 PM and 1 AM, he becomes more handsome, his physical strength increases, and he gets all muscle... but what really enhances is... his... masculine abilities."
When Shen Lingxue heard those last words, her face twisted with disdain.
"Hmph, his abilities would be more suited for a nightclub."
She scoffed, then added, "An individual with such a filthy mind and revolting abilities doesn't belong in the Investigation Bureau. Furthermore, Zhao Hao must be strictly monitored from now on, or he might use his abilities for some unsavory deeds."
"Understood," Li Wenhao nodded, silently sighing inwardly.
Shen Lingxue's attitude toward Fang Xiu and Zhao Hao was starkly different—one was worth considering for recruitment, while the other was not only rejected but would be closely watched.
It wasn't that she held Fang Xiu in particularly high regard, but Zhao Hao's abilities had left an utterly unpleasant impression.
"Let's go. We'll visit Fang Xiu first."