Chapter 34: Level Assessment Ceremony
Qi He froze completely.
The situation had gone far beyond what he expected. Pressed close against him, Yan Chuanbai’s violent heartbeat thudded into his chest.
So this was what it looked like when Yan Chuanbai released his true nature?
A strained voice brushed his ear, heavy with something hard to endure: “Qi He.”
He could feel how close Yan Chuanbai was—their lips were almost touching. His fingers instinctively gripped the fabric on the man’s shoulder, his own heartbeat inexplicably quickening.
“…What?”
The hand clasped at his lower back moved upward along his spine, drawing him in tighter—inch by inch—
Yan Chuanbai’s gaze fixed on his earlobe, then his neck:
“Are you sure… you don’t want me to suppress it?”
“No matter what I do, all of it—can you withstand it?”
What… what was he going to do?
Qi He’s eyes widened slightly. The ceiling of the training room was stark white above him. The breath against his ear burned hot, sending a fine shiver rippling from his spine down to his tailbone.
Instinct warned him—this danger wasn’t of an ordinary kind.
Yet at the same time, he felt it.
The temperature around them was plummeting at a terrifying rate. The average kinetic energy of the particles kept dropping—an ice-type ability pushing through a threshold, edging ever closer to the concept of absolute zero—
Yan Chuanbai had to break through.
A surge of spiritual energy crashed into him.
Qi He frowned faintly, tilted his head back, and answered in a soft, breathy murmur:
“…Mm.”
Yan Chuanbai’s eyes darkened.
He turned his head—and pressed his lips to the side of Qi He’s slender neck.
Beneath the warmth of their shared body heat, a pulse throbbed faintly. His eyelashes trembled—then the kiss deepened. Yan Chuanbai’s arms tightened around him, almost crushing Qi He completely into his embrace.
Qi He’s fingertips clenched, clutching at the rise and fall of the man’s back.
The scorching lips pressed against his neck—by any ordinary understanding, Yan Chuanbai was kissing him.
But… were they supposed to be this close?
In front of him, the other’s spiritual energy still kept pressing down on his.
At the same time, everything around them—the temperature, the materials, the motion of atoms—was shifting. Countless overlapping pieces of information flooded into Qi He’s mind.
So he simply closed his eyes and held Yan Chuanbai tighter.
From head to toe, the two of them fit together seamlessly. His legs were braced around Yan Chuanbai’s waist; even as their spiritual energies resisted each other, their bodies were drawn closer. The world around them was freezing cold, yet in this small space, heat blazed—nothing explicit happened, but it felt like a silent, desperate entanglement.
…
After a while, the forceful surge of spiritual energy against him seemed to stop.
Qi He’s lashes flickered. He opened his eyes.
The lips resting on his neck still hadn’t moved. He turned his head slightly, brushing against that lingering warmth.
“Yan Chuanbai?”
Yan Chuanbai didn’t let him go. His gaze fell on the patch of pale skin at Qi He’s neck, now tinged red from his breath. His lips lingered faintly there as a muffled voice escaped between them:
“…Mm.”
Qi He’s knees went weak. “Are you done?”
—No.
Not even close.
Yan Chuanbai lowered his gaze, a feverish thought taking root inside him. His ability had just broken through one limit, yet it was boiling up again. Holding Qi He in his arms, he only wanted more.
Qi He was the one who said it—he wanted all of him.
The part he’d been suppressing was about to break free completely—
His hand slid along Qi He’s waist, just about to tighten its grip—
Spiritual energy broke past an unknown boundary, and in the next instant, every piece of machinery and equipment in the room blared with warning alarms—
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Like a sudden toll of a warning bell, Yan Chuanbai snapped back to his senses.
His heart was pounding violently. He took a deep breath, slowly loosened his hold on Qi He, and pushed himself upright.
He couldn’t keep going. It had to stop here.
Closing his eyes, Yan Chuanbai forced the part of himself on the verge of losing control back down.
Below him, Qi He was also startled awake by the alarm.
But he quickly steadied himself and looked around—there was no doubt about it: Yan Chuanbai had broken through. The surrounding instruments had suffered at least thirty percent damage—
He’d overlooked something. He could withstand it, but the training room couldn’t.
Above him, Yan Chuanbai moved, straightening up.
Qi He’s gaze followed—and saw him still kneeling between his legs. The man’s thighs were tensed, straining against his pants; his waist and abdomen taut, a stray lock of hair falling across his brows. The sense of aggression radiating from him hadn’t completely faded.
Qi He’s heart skipped a beat belatedly, and he stepped back, standing up.
Yan Chuanbai seemed to take only a couple of seconds to recover before rising as well.
Qi He composed himself. “The training room can’t be used for now.”
Yan Chuanbai didn’t look at him, glancing instead toward the room. “Mm.”
“Your limit isn’t just this much. It’s a pity the room couldn’t handle it—otherwise you could’ve gone even higher.”
The warmth of lingering contact still clung faintly to his skin.
Yan Chuanbai said nothing. It wasn’t just because of the training room—he knew he shouldn’t keep going with Qi He.
Seeing that he stayed silent, Qi He assumed he was still processing the power surge.
“Yu Tianxing’s going to have a headache over this. Let’s go back.”
Yan Chuanbai turned slightly away, his throat tightening. “You go first.”
Qi He looked at him for two seconds, then nodded. “All right.”
He turned and left the training room.
The white automatic door slid open and shut behind him. As he walked a short distance down the corridor, his fingers brushed the side of his neck. There was still a faint trace of warmth there—soft and lingering.
—Yan Chuanbai had kissed him.
What… was that supposed to be?
Qi He lowered his eyes slightly.
Yan Chuanbai’s suppressed instincts had broken free just now, and naturally that included desire. Perhaps it was simply because the person in front of him happened to be him.
Nothing more than that.
…
Suddenly—beep!—a sound went off in his mind. The system had come online again.
It had vanished into the smartwatch the instant Yan Chuanbai pushed him down, pretending not to see anything. Now, it eyed Qi He coldly as he rubbed his neck:
[Done already?]
“…” Qi He dropped his hand. “You’re filthy.”
[Then why are you covering your neck?]
Expressionless, Qi He replied, “I twisted it. What else? What could possibly happen between me and Yan Chuanbai?”
[He! Hehehehe! Hehehehehe!]
The system was practically laughing in outrage:
[You’d better never have anything between you two.]
“Of course not.”
This time was an accident. Under normal circumstances, Yan Chuanbai couldn’t possibly desire him.
—
The next day, at an emergency S-class meeting.
Yu Tianxing stood at the front, smiling.
“Ha! Hahaha, hahahahaha!”
Qi He: “…”
System: […]
When Yu Tianxing finally finished laughing, he opened his narrowed eyes, sharp with chill amusement, and swept his gaze meaningfully across the room.
“Certain S-rank individuals,” he said, “please mind yourselves. Whether it’s training or whatever else—do not damage valuable instruments and equipment.”
Yu Jiang struggled to catch the words: S-rank… should mind themselves… if you’re going to fool around or whatever, what kind of… frontline elite are you supposed to be…
Yan Chuanbai listened calmly, unruffled.
Guan Shangchun paused, his gaze flicking toward the two of them.
Sensing it, Yan Chuanbai turned slightly, the corner of his lips curving in a faint smile before he looked away again.
—That smile carried something unspeakably secret, tinged with a trace of smug satisfaction that was, for some reason, infuriating to look at.
Apparently, Yu Tianxing noticed it too. He cleared his throat quickly to pull everyone’s attention back.
“There’s one more important matter. The S-rank level assessment device has been completed. The day after tomorrow, Headquarters will conduct the assessment ceremony online. I hope everyone will be ready.”
Qi He’s interest was instantly piqued.
“System, what do you think—what rank will Yan Chuanbai and I get?”
The system, now entirely allergic to hearing their names in the same sentence, had completely abandoned its professional purpose:
[Him—frustrated and impatient. You—doing the absolute most.]
“…”
Qi He decided to chalk it up to a rebellious phase and didn’t argue.
When the meeting ended, the group filed out of the conference room.
Qi He walked in front.
Guan Shangchun watched his back, just about to catch up—when a tall figure suddenly stepped in front of him.
Yan Chuanbai turned his head slightly, his gaze sharp and commanding. The aura around him was no longer restrained as usual; it radiated a powerful, oppressive spiritual pressure.
Guan Shangchun, ever sensitive to such things, was startled.
In just one night—how could his presence have grown this strong?
Before the shock had fully settled, Yan Chuanbai had already moved past him, smoothly inserting himself between Guan Shangchun and Qi He—reaching Qi He’s side first.
Outside the conference room, their footsteps echoed, drawing steadily closer together.
Qi He turned his head—just in time to see Yan Chuanbai walking up beside him. The other man’s profile was as calm and composed as ever. Neither of them mentioned the small “incident” from yesterday, though the moment Qi He saw him, the memory surfaced again on its own.
He searched for a neutral topic. “What do you think your rank will be?”
Yan Chuanbai replied evenly, “It should be above 3S.”
Qi He narrowed his eyes slightly. “You’ve seen the device already.”
Otherwise, he wouldn’t know that the machine’s scale went beyond 3S.
Yan Chuanbai gave a quiet laugh, his gaze meeting Qi He’s. “I have.”
Qi He immediately understood—military personnel must have been allowed an advance test.
“What’s the highest level it measures?”
“They’ve divided it up to 5S.”
Qi He nodded. In the evaluation systems he’d used in simulation training before, the upper limit was often set at 3S. But this was different—the standards here were specialized for S-rank ability users, likely with finer distinctions. It didn’t necessarily mean anything concrete.
His own spiritual power was no weaker than Yan Chuanbai’s. He should be above 3S as well.
He asked again, “Any advice for big events like this?”
Yan Chuanbai thought for a moment, then cast him a long, meaningful look.
“Try not to say anything too shocking.”
“…”
—
The level assessment ceremony was scheduled for the morning two days later.
In the control room, all five S-rank ability users had gathered.
Yu Tianxing was at the console, making final adjustments. The large screen—rarely used—flickered twice before the signal connected. Three video feeds appeared at once.
The visuals for Bases I and II were already online; Headquarters’ feed hadn’t yet connected.
Qi He glanced toward the feed from Base II—and immediately spotted a familiar figure dressed in white.
Gong Lianyu’s striking golden-brown hair stood out even through the screen. When his eyes met Qi He’s, he froze like he’d been electrocuted—then shot him a gloomy, complicated look…
Qi He raised an eyebrow in silent greeting.
After that, he didn’t pay much attention to the others; he withdrew his gaze. They’d all be watching one another soon enough during the evaluation anyway.
But someone’s gaze did linger on him.
Yan Chuanbai lifted his eyelids slightly and swept a calm glance across the room. A few probing looks instantly dispersed.
At 9:00 sharp, the Headquarters feed came online.
A row of figures in uniform appeared—stern and composed, their shoulder insignia marking high rank. Eight individuals stepped out from the group; they were clearly the S-rank ability users belonging to Headquarters.
Qi He looked across the screen: one general, one lieutenant general, one major general—each representing a different command level. Among the S-rank ability users, the highest military rank was lieutenant colonel—one level below Yan Chuanbai.
The general, with hair of gold-brown, bore the surname Gong.
As soon as the feed connected, both Yan Chuanbai and Yu Tianxing straightened and saluted.
Their salute was returned, after which General Gong spoke:
“It’s an honor to meet all of you outstanding ability users here today. We extend our gratitude for your continued contributions to the survival of the human bases.”
“In order to more accurately assess your combat potential, we have developed a testing device specifically for S-rank ability users.”
“Today, before everyone present, we will determine each ability user’s level.”
When he finished, a familiar voice followed—Zhong Panqing, calm and gentle as always, announced with a smile:
“Then let’s get straight to the main event. We’ll begin the assessment from Headquarters.”
One by one, the eight S-rank ability users from Headquarters stepped forward.
The light indicators on the dial climbed rapidly: 2S, S, super-S, 3S…
By the end of the test, the results were in—two of the Headquarters ability users had reached 3S level.
Qi He glanced over at the two of them. A 3S-level ability user was indeed close to the top tier — after all, Yan Chuanbai had only just broken through to that level himself. Considering that the people on the other side were from Headquarters, it wasn’t surprising they carried a touch of arrogance.
He was still observing when one of them seemed to look his way.
That gaze swept him up and down, carrying an air of casual disdain.
Qi He: “?”
In his mind, he asked, “System, I shouldn’t have done anything that would’ve spread all the way to headquarters yet, right?”
System: [Who knows. Your affairs are unpredictable. Don’t ask me, I’m not qualified to speak.]
“……”
The system’s rebellious phase was like an endless rainy season.
Qi He stopped questioning it and turned his attention back to the screen.
The testing order went by region — and right now, it was Base II’s turn.
The familiar glow of the scanner lit up, and the rankings appeared one by one.
Gong Lianyu: above 2S.
Base II’s combat department representative, surname Xi, wore a military cap and had a cold, sharp face — his result was 3S. The other three were all below 2S.
Once their tests ended, it was about to be Base I’s turn.
Then a young man with freckles suddenly leaned toward Gong Lianyu. He wasn’t in uniform, his manner careless and defiant of rules. “Gong Lianyu, didn’t you say Base I has a particularly strong S-level? Stronger than Brother Xi? We’ll see if that’s true today.”
Gong Lianyu shut his eyes briefly, as if short on oxygen.
Xi Moqing glanced at him and cut in, “Fang Ming.”
Fang Ming shrugged it off and looked toward the screen, his gaze landing on Qi He. “That’s him, right?”
At once, a dozen pairs of eyes turned toward Qi He.
Qi He: “……”
Well, at least no one had insulted him yet — and more importantly, he hadn’t said anything shocking.
Just as Qi He was thinking that, a voice suddenly came from the headquarters’ side. The same arrogant 3S-level from earlier cast a sidelong glance and said, “That strong, huh? No wonder you could refuse headquarters’ command before—so you actually had something to back it up.”
After saying that, he added with a faint, mocking smile toward Qi He, “Perfect, then. We’ll be watching closely.”
His tone was all polished politeness, but every word was soaked in ridicule—like someone waiting for a show to start.
Qi He’s eyes narrowed slightly. Then he smiled back. “Yeah. I can refuse orders. You must be so jealous.”
Everyone: “……”
Yan Chuanbai: “……”
The 3S-level was caught completely off guard. His expression froze before he blurted, “I’m not jealous!”
Zhong Panqing let out a restrained sigh. “Enough.”
Yan Chuanbai seemed to chuckle quietly, his lips curving into an unrestrained, mocking smile aimed straight at the man.
The other’s face immediately darkened to iron blue, his gaze fixed on them, seething—as if waiting eagerly to see their test results.
—
Yan Chuanbai withdrew his gaze.
Next up were Yu Tianxing and Yu Jiang, who stepped forward first to take the test. One after the other, they placed their hands on the device: 2S. Above 2S.
Then, it was Yan Chuanbai’s turn.
His ability rank had already been reported to headquarters, so they had a general expectation. Every base was supposed to have at least one 3S-level—overall balance of power maintained.
Yan Chuanbai set his hand calmly on the instrument.
His spiritual power surged. The scale climbed steadily, reaching the 3S mark—and just as the record keeper at headquarters lifted his pen to note it down, the light burst past 3S—
Everyone present froze in shock.
Even the officials at headquarters, who had already reviewed his file, leaned forward instinctively, eyes wide.
…Wait, what?? Wasn’t he supposed to be 3S?
The reading stabilized between 3S and 4S.
Yan Chuanbai calmly withdrew his hand.
Yu Tianxing was completely stunned. He whipped his head around, eyes full of disbelief and outrage—are you a monster or just messing with us?
Breaking through 3S in just two days—was this still human?!
But the shock lasted only a moment. The moment they realized a super 3S-level had appeared among them, the room erupted in excitement and disbelief.
Zhong Panqing slapped his thigh and burst out, “Excellent! Chuanbai, I knew you wouldn’t let Headquarters down!”
The 3S-level man beside him stiffened, his face visibly cracking.
Amid the brief uproar, the testing had to continue.
Next was Qi He.
The atmosphere, still vibrating from Yan Chuanbai’s result, hadn’t yet settled. After someone had just tested at super 3S, it seemed that even if Qi He reached 3S, it wouldn’t be all that shocking anymore.
The officers hadn’t even fully recovered their composure.
From Base II, Fang Ming wrinkled his nose, and the 3S from Headquarters locked his gaze on Qi He, clearly waiting for the outcome.
Under all those varied, watchful eyes, Qi He stepped forward.
He placed his hand on the testing device.
His spiritual energy flowed—and the light climbed swiftly: S. 2S. 3S.
The record keeper was already lifting his pen—
when the light suddenly broke past 3S again.
The entire room fell silent in an instant.
Someone, unable to hold it in, blurted out,
“Holy sh*t.”
Two super 3S-levels in Base I—was that even possible???
But the light didn’t stop there.
Before everyone’s stunned gazes, it kept climbing—
higher and higher—
—————————————————————
Author’s note:
Yu Tianxing: Monster!!!
Yu Tianxing: …Total monster!!!
System: Heh. (collapses)
