Psychic Master Is Promoted, Annie Is Missing?
In the training room of the Star Tower, Xu Mo sat cross-legged in the air, eyes closed.
After spending two days in Bentley, California to settle Wanda, he had returned to the Island of the Dead to continue his cultivation.
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The Breakthrough
Within his sea of consciousness, the final strands of spiritual power were refined under the [Spirit Forging Technique].
Mist-like spiritual energy condensed into liquid, forming a miniature sphere of water at the very center. The moment it appeared, the suction intensified, drawing in more power until a whirlpool spun furiously within his mindscape.
For more than half an hour, the water sphere absorbed all of his spiritual energy. When it finally stabilized, Xu Mo knew the next step was the most critical: compressing it into a crystalline planet-core.
"Congeal!" he commanded.
The sphere shrank rapidly, compressed to less than one percent of its original size — yet still not enough. Gritting his teeth, Xu Mo forced every last ounce of strength into the effort.
Then—
Boom!
A critical threshold was reached. The liquid solidified into a sky-blue polygonal crystal. Power erupted outward, expanding his consciousness space hundreds of times over in seconds. His soul had leapt to a new stage, and his mind grew sharper than ever before.
Xu Mo opened his eyes.
"Congratulations, Master!" Xing Ji's cheerful voice rang through the training room. "You've advanced to a planetary-level psychic!"
At her words, ribbons and flower petals materialized, floating down from nowhere. Xu Mo stared, dumbfounded.
"Who taught you this?"
"Online! Isn't this how your world celebrates? Oh, there's more!"
Champagne bottles appeared and popped one after another, spraying foam across the room.
"Enough!" Xu Mo vanished in a flash step, reappearing outside the training chamber with a dark expression.
"Don't do this again."
"Yes, Master!" Xing Ji chirped. Then she pressed herself against his back, kneading his shoulders. "You must be tired from training. Let me massage you."
Her warmth against him was distracting. Xu Mo had resisted her advances before, but she always pulled away at the last moment — teasing without release. Frustrated, he quickly disengaged.
"Enough. I'm leaving."
---
Bad News
As soon as Xu Mo stepped outside, his phone rang. He answered.
"Boss," Avril's voice came urgently through the line. "Something's happened to Annie!"
Xu Mo's face darkened.
Annie had been with him the longest of all his lovers. Their relationship began when she was still a student. At the time, she dreamed of becoming an actress, while Xu Mo was clear about his own nature — he wouldn't tie himself down to one woman. Their arrangement was simple: he funded her rise to stardom, and she became his lover without jealousy over his other affairs.
Over time, affection had grown between them. Even Avril, fully aware he was now married to Wanda, still called him because she knew Annie's place in his heart.
"What happened?" Xu Mo asked.
"She disappeared during a film shoot a few days ago. Her parents called the police, but there's been no word since."
Xu Mo hesitated, then scrolled to a number and dialed.
"Xu," came Agent Maria Hill's voice. "It sounds like you're in trouble."
"I want to know what happened to Annie," Xu Mo said firmly.
Normally, he avoided S.H.I.E.L.D. — he disliked unnecessary entanglements. But when it came to intelligence gathering, no organization surpassed them.
He had considered building his own intelligence network through the system. Semi-intelligent lifeforms there were vastly superior to Jarvis, capable of treating Earth's entire digital network as their backyard. But they cost 60,000 points — far beyond his current means.
Xing Ji might have been able to achieve something similar, but as the spirit of the Star Tower, she could not yet leave his sea of consciousness.
For now, he had no choice but to rely on S.H.I.E.L.D.
---
At S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters
Hill hurried to Nick Fury's office after hanging up.
Since Xu Mo's last display of power, Fury had elevated his importance. He had ordered Hill to report any development concerning him immediately.
After hearing her out, Fury remained calm. He handed Hill a dossier.
"This contains what he wants."
Hill glanced inside, her expression shifting.
"You knew he would call?"
"That's right." Fury's face was unreadable. "I received the report about Annie this morning. Natasha is already in place, protecting her."
He allowed himself the faintest of smiles.
"This is the perfect opportunity to win Xu Mo over."
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