Chapter 78 System Loading...

"Who? Who's speaking?"

The sudden voice startled Zhang Chu half to death.

He didn't know that the moment he entered the water sphere, the mirrored lake vanished into the starbeast's tree hollow, as though it had never existed. Qiao Changnian and the others, who rushed in pursuit, found only the unconscious Su Mingyue and failed to notice the Spirit Realm Fishing Platform right under their noses. It was as if the platform had disappeared into thin air, unnoticed even by Qiao Changnian, a level nine dual-force warrior.

Only now did Zhang Chu manage to calm his pounding heart and take in his surroundings.

"I must admit, there is something truly mystical about this place."

Just as Chen Long and Fan Dayong had described, Zhang Chu now found himself seated upon a vast fishing platform, nearly a hundred meters in radius, its entire surface paved with sparkling jade, exuding an air of wealth and extravagance. But it was the wisteria at the center that truly commanded attention—towering at least a hundred meters high by Zhang Chu's estimate, its long, trailing arms draped around the edges of the platform, the ends burrowing beneath its surface.

The spiritual energy here was abundant.

He glanced over the edge of the platform. Below, thick mist obscured the depth, but faint glimmers of countless purple lights, gourd-shaped, flickered in the darkness. "Could this be the ultimate core of the starbeast's tree hollow—the Spirit Realm Mindforce Pearls?"

With the Mindforce Pearls so close at hand, Zhang Chu dared not act rashly. This was the very heart of the tree hollow's formation. Who knew what traps the Spirit Realm master might have laid? One misstep could spell his doom.

Cautiously, he surveyed the not-so-large platform. His gaze landed on a two-meter-high jade stele. The words "Spirit Realm Fishing Platform" were boldly carved upon its front. Circling to the back, a line of text immediately drew his attention.

After a long moment, Zhang Chu looked up toward the top of the wisteria. "It seems the creator of this platform was quite a leisurely soul, setting up such a 'Willing Fish to the Hook' challenge."

According to the inscription, the Spirit Realm Fishing Platform admitted only one fated individual at a time. This towering wisteria was the very source of the Mindforce Pearls. Whether the chosen one obtained any pearls, or how many, depended entirely on fate—just as the stele declared: "Spirit Realm Fishing—Only the Willing are Caught!"

To fish, one had to climb to the very top of the wisteria—a trivial task for Zhang Chu.

He tensed his legs, and with a flash of his "Silver Step" technique, he leapt up the wisteria with the agility of a monkey, moving with fluid grace. In less than two minutes, he reached the top, where a natural wooden platform awaited.

Zhang Chu sat cross-legged. In the next instant, spiritual energy coalesced around him, forming a long fishing rod that hovered before him.

"Well, this is something! No wonder Spirit Realm masters are called superpowered sorcerers—they can even mold spiritual energy into tangible form!"

Fishing was a skill Zhang Chu had mastered. In his previous life as a beleaguered office worker, his three great hobbies had been drinking, foot baths, and fishing.

Firmly grasping the spiritual fishing rod, he picked a direction and cast his line with practiced ease. The long line shot down, vanishing beneath the platform.

In that moment, Zhang Chu felt the rod connect with his mental strength. Through it, his mind's eye "saw" the purple gourds beneath the platform, clustered densely on the wisteria vines, constantly shifting.

"This feeling... is truly strange," he thought. It was his first time fishing with his mind. In his former world, this would have been mere delusion, but here, in a world reborn with spiritual energy, it was reality.

Seated upon the platform, eyes closed, Zhang Chu gripped the rod, focusing on the purple gourds, trying to control one with his will—but it was as difficult as catching the wind.

Meanwhile, near the now-vanished mirrored lake, two figures appeared.

"Chen Long, are you sure this is where Zhang Chu was last seen?"

Fan Dayong surveyed the area. There were bloodstains and traces of a scuffle, but no sign of Zhang Chu.

"Not just Zhang Chu—there are other traces, likely from the Dual Force Society of the Martial Research Institute," Chen Long said, eyes closed, fingers pressed to his brow as he sensed the lingering energies.

This was Chen Long's awakened innate skill—Mental Probe.

Once they'd sobered up, the two had realized Zhang Chu was missing. Chen Long had used his skill to track his aura to this very spot, but here, the trail vanished.

"Could Zhang Chu have found the Spirit Realm Fishing Platform?" Fan Dayong frowned deeply.

Chen Long's expression shifted. "I told you, Fan—this kid's not as honest as you think. You kept saying he saved your life. Well, now look: he must have followed the clues right to the Spirit Realm Fishing Platform!"

"Ring, ring, ring!"

As the two argued, their locator bracelets suddenly emitted a harsh alarm. A holographic projection appeared, displaying Fan Tianlei's face.

"Fan Dayong, Chen Long, report to my location immediately. Fang Danan just filed a report—real name, no less—accusing Zhang Chu of being part of the Divine Fall Alliance. Even the Dual Force Society has reported him."

What?

The heavy news left Fan Dayong and Chen Long no time to waste. They turned and ran.

The Divine Fall Alliance—a group of ruthless madmen feared even by the Martial Administration Bureau and the Martial Research Institute.

Meanwhile, within the Spirit Realm Fishing Platform, Zhang Chu, eyes still closed, sought the rhythm and method of fishing, unaware that Fang Danan and Su Mingyue had just accused him.

"Buzz..."

Another two hours passed. With three and a half hours left before the starbeast tree hollow's trial ended, the fishing rod in Zhang Chu's hands suddenly jerked tight.

"Willing Fish to the Hook—I've actually caught one!"

Eyes snapping open, he swiftly reeled in the line.

A moment later, a purple gourd, the size of his palm, soared up from beneath the platform, landing squarely in his hand. The moment it touched his skin, the gourd shattered into motes of spiritual energy, dissipating into the air. Lying in his palm was a violet pearl, exuding a strong scent of wisteria.

"What potent spiritual energy! Truly a treasure born of the Spirit Realm!"

Each fisherman was granted only one chance.

With the Mindforce Pearl in hand, the fishing rod vanished without a trace. But Zhang Chu was not greedy—one pearl was enough to push him to three stars.

He gripped a wisteria vine and slid down to the stele, then swiftly swallowed the pearl.

The moment it touched his tongue, it melted away.

Before he could even react, a red panel popped up before his eyes.

"Ding! Host has consumed a super-powered natural treasure. System is now loading energy value!"

Good heavens! How much energy did this Mindforce Pearl contain, for even the system to go off the charts?