Lin Qi didn’t know what this dazzling light was. The source was beyond the range of his Spiritual Vision.

Looking up from below, all he could see was a gradually expanding sphere of light.

’A grand explosion?’

This seemed to be the grand explosion King Arthur had spoken of.

’This is a method from the Extraordinary Side. The thing emitting the light must be an Extraordinary Item.’

The sphere of light expanded quickly. It caused no physical damage upon contact with buildings, instead passing right through them in defiance of all logic.

When the sphere of light entered the range of his Spiritual Vision, Lin Qi finally understood its nature.

’These are Spiritual Particles. Exotic Spiritual Particles.’

This was not the first time Lin Qi had seen Exotic Spiritual Particles.

Back in the Doomsday World, Exotic Spiritual Particles had also appeared when he was experimenting on the Crimson Crystal Stone.

But those particular Spiritual Particles were beneficial to the human body, capable of enhancing its physical strength.

However, not every type of Exotic Spiritual Particle was beneficial to humans.

At the very least, Lin Qi felt a strong sense of repulsion the moment the sphere of light entered his Spiritual Vision.

His body and mind recoiled from contact with the expanding sphere.

But it was unavoidable. Even if Lin Qi fled at his top speed, he couldn’t outrun the sphere’s expansion.

Finally, the sphere of light expanded to the 13th floor, and a surging torrent of Spiritual Particles washed over everyone there.

The bodyguards were completely unaffected, as if they had merely been grazed by a beam of light.

But it was a different story for Lin Qi.

Pain!

A pain originating from his mind.

Within his Spiritual Vision, Lin Qi could feel his tentacle-like Spiritual Power warping uncontrollably.

’This sphere of light is harmless to ordinary people. It’s a measure targeted at Wizards.’

The pain didn’t last long. As it subsided, it was replaced by an itching sensation.

His Spiritual Power retracted involuntarily, and his Spiritual Vision shrank with it.

His Spiritual Power flooded back into his Sea of Consciousness.

Immediately after, his tentacle-like Spiritual Power spread throughout his body, as if trying to merge with his very flesh and blood.

His flesh was about to transform into that same tentacular form.

’Am I turning into a Tentacle Monster?’

That was the thought that flashed through Lin Qi’s mind. If nothing intervened, his body would merge with his Spiritual Power and take on the same form it had when fully extended.

As if that form was a Wizard’s true appearance. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Just as the Spiritual Power was about to merge with his body, from within his Sea of Consciousness, the [Door] silently released a sliver of its aura.

Suppressed by this aura, the Wizard’s bizarre Spiritual Power was instantly pacified. It immediately retracted into his Sea of Consciousness, returning to its usual docile state.

The itching that covered his entire body vanished in an instant.

Lin Qi no longer felt the slightest thing amiss; he could even use his Spiritual Vision again.

His extended Spiritual Power felt just like normal. Though still bizarre and tentacle-like, he could control it as easily as his own limbs.

Better still, his Spiritual Power had absorbed a significant amount of the Exotic Spiritual Particles, causing it to increase dramatically.

The range of his Spiritual Vision reached 150 meters.

’My Spiritual Power has reached another peak? It seems I can directly analyze the next Extraordinary Item now.’

It was a blessing in disguise. The [Door] had suppressed his Spiritual Power’s rampage, which was the only reason Lin Qi had returned to normal.

But this was no time to celebrate. Lin Qi had important things to do.

He immediately contacted the bodyguard in the next room. "What was that light? Are you okay?"

It sounded like he was concerned for the bodyguard, but in reality, Lin Qi was establishing his own alibi.

The sphere of light was clearly designed to target Wizards. Anyone caught in it would have their Spiritual Power go on a rampage, and they might even transform into a Tentacle Monster on the spot.

But logic told Lin Qi that even if one did turn into a Tentacle Monster, it wouldn’t be permanent. Otherwise, the sphere’s effect on Wizards would be too devastating; the Wizard community would never tolerate the existence of such a thing.

Based on his deductions, Lin Qi concluded that the device was used to identify Wizards.

Any Wizard caught in the light would undoubtedly be exposed.

"I’m not sure yet, but it appears to be harmless." The bodyguard didn’t know the sphere’s purpose, but that didn’t matter.

Lin Qi had already created a communications log at the first possible moment.

Later, if anyone checked, it could be used to prove his innocence.

Definitely not a Wizard!

Even at a time like this, Lin Qi was still concealing his identity.

’The explosion downstairs was just a feint. This sphere of light is the real attack.’

’The target is a Wizard—or rather, the true heir of the Liu Clan.’

’The Liu Clan’s heir must be a Wizard?’

Lin Qi reached a conclusion and formed a bold hypothesis.

On the train to Greenfield City, Lin Qi had learned that two members of the Liu Clan, the conductor and Liu Li, were Wizards.

But he hadn’t connected their status as Wizards with the matter of the Liu Clan’s heir.

But tonight, the appearance of the sphere of light gave Lin Qi the opportunity to connect the dots.

The sphere of light itself wasn’t lethal. Its true purpose was to force a Wizard to reveal their true form, thereby confirming their identity.

Outsiders didn’t know who the Liu Clan’s heir was, so they were using this method to find out.

From this, Lin Qi concluded that the Liu Clan’s heir had to be a Wizard.

’Just a sphere of light isn’t enough. There must be more to their plan. They at least need to see their target—meaning, they need to see my condition.’

’If I turn into a Tentacle Monster, it proves I’m a Wizard and the Liu Clan’s heir, and that their intel is correct.’

’If I don’t change, it means I’m not the Liu Clan heir they’re looking for—at most, just some other person of importance.’

’Show myself to prove my innocence?’

’I could do that, but it can’t look too deliberate.’

’I’ll have to keep playing it by ear.’

’Wait, this is... ’

’Damn! This method is so brutal!’

Lin Qi was still thinking when the next part of their plan unfolded.

In the distance, a small missile marked "Liu’s Heavy Industries GM-L-09" streaked into the range of his Spiritual Vision, trailing fire.

It was just an L-Class product, but the quality of anything made by Liu’s Heavy Industries was unquestionable.

The missile precisely struck the wall of room 1313.

A violent explosion erupted, and most of the wall in Lin Qi’s own room collapsed from the blast.

It didn’t take much to figure out this was the follow-up plan Lin Qi had predicted.

Blast open the wall with munitions to get a direct look at the person inside.

A mere L-Class missile was inconspicuous and cheap. It also likely wouldn’t be enough to kill an Implanter with a high-quality Prosthetic Body.

After all, it wasn’t a direct hit to the face.

The real damage would just come from the shockwave and shrapnel like wall fragments and glass shards.

And if it did manage to kill Lin Qi, the suspected heir, that would be a huge win for them.

Amidst the smoke and dust, a barrage of wall fragments and metal shrapnel froze in mid-air just in front of Lin Qi.

Momentum Manipulation. It was Lin Qi’s third Tier One Ability, extremely effective against projectile weapons. It had instantly reduced the momentum of the shrapnel and debris to zero.

The current limits of his control ranged from objects as small as half a coin to as heavy as an average adult.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Lin Qi shouted, taking the opportunity to walk over to the large hole that now connected the two rooms.

He let his face be seen for an instant in the gaping hole in the building’s exterior before quickly ducking back into cover.