"I need to observe these external traits to deduce just what kind of person this is. The simplest are age and profession—guessing age from external conditions, and inferring profession based on physical characteristics. Profiling ordinary people is relatively straightforward because they typically don't hide themselves; there's little misleading information."

He said, "But in the Extraordinary World, some people, in order to conceal their identities, deliberately create a plethora of misleading traits. This indeed causes me trouble—it affects my intuition."

Tang Ling was silent for a moment. "So, you can't profile them?"

"Not necessarily."

Gu Jianlin said flatly, "It's a different story if Extraordinary Ability is employed."

Ever since he entered the Extraordinary World, or perhaps when spirituality manifested in his body, profiling had changed altogether.

It was as though his ability expanded its applicable range—not just profiling personality portraits.

He could even sketch their Extraordinary images.

"Do you have paper and a pen?"

Gu Jianlin asked.

Tang Ling froze slightly. "You're sure you want to sketch now?"

Gu Jianlin frowned and asked, "What's wrong?"

Tang Ling glanced at his face. "You don't seem to be in a great state right now."

Gu Jianlin waved his hand dismissively. "It's nothing."

Just the aftereffects of admiring a beauty, that's all.

"Quick, quick, quick—get the waiter to bring over some paper!"

Cheng Youyu said excitedly.

Zhang Cheng took off without saying anything and returned from the reception desk with paper and a pen.

Nie Xiangsi's eyes sparkled brightly.

From a young age, she had heard about the wonders of Professor Gu's profiling.

Now, she had the chance to witness it firsthand.

Gu Jianlin took the paper and pen. To kill time in the past, he had studied sketching for a while.

With the pencil scratching against the paper, a simple sketch was completed.

"Here, this is the person."

He paused. "The expression is drawn purely based on intuition—if you ask for reasoning, I can't give you any. But from the way he looks at you, it feels like he's smiling."

Tang Ling accepted the sketch. Her sharp eyes suddenly turned piercingly intense.

The drawing depicted a man wearing a white robe, with long, pale hair. His facial features were somewhat blurred, revealing only a bizarre smile. Yet behind him was a different figure.

A figure carrying over a dozen rusty iron swords on his back, enveloped entirely in chilling Sword Qi, his body scarred with relentless sword marks, vast beyond imagination. Coiling around him was a pitch-black flood dragon.

"He's exclusively looking at you—it's unclear whether he knows you."

Gu Jianlin paused. "Sword Sect Path, at least Sixth Rank."

Tang Ling studied the sketch for a long time before carefully folding it and placing it in her pocket.

"Understood, thank you."

She reminded him, "If nothing unexpected happens, the Ether Association higher-ups will give us a reply soon. By then, they're likely to select candidates during your second-tier training session. Hmm... Pay close attention to Instructor Wan Rentu—he's already terminally ill, and you should know why."

Gu Jianlin thought to himself that he obviously did; otherwise, he wouldn't have pushed himself this far.

"By the way, I hear you subdued the Little Princess."

Tang Ling said each word deliberately, "Nicely done."

With that, she picked up her violin case and turned to leave.

Gu Jianlin turned to watch her departing figure, lost in thought.

The man in the sketch—if nothing went awry—this woman recognized him.

That's why she didn't question the authenticity of the profile; she simply took it and left.

"Brother Lin."

Cheng Youyu teased, "You still claim there's nothing between you and Senior Sister Tang?"

Gu Jianlin frowned. "What do you mean?"

Cheng Youyu smirked. "Don't play dumb! We all saw it."

Zhang Cheng, his expression full of admiration, gave a thumbs-up. "She's personally chosen by Catastrophe·Silver King as a successor. Don't be fooled by her current Fourth Rank—Extreme Thunder wasted a lot of her time. But now, it's finally her moment to surge forward. Believe it or not, within three months, she'll reach Fifth Rank."

"Senior Sister Tang is incredibly aloof—whether in her white-haired phase or red-haired phase, she's hard to approach. But she seems different with you; she doesn't even mind physical contact."

Nie Xiangsi murmured, "Also, she almost never shows care for anyone."

Gu Jianlin stared at the glass of cola pushed in front of him and fell into deep thought.

·

·

That night, Tang Ling stood on the apartment balcony, staring at the sea with her violin case on her back.

"The information has already been reported to the teacher."

Bai Simu sat on the couch, watching a nighttime variety show, her voice gentle and pleasant: "Junior Sister, don't overthink this matter, and there's no need for you to face him directly. He's someone you cannot handle."

Tang Ling hummed in acknowledgment. "I understand."

"Mm, just keep your emotions in check and get Junior Sister Mu back—that's all that matters."

Bai Simu said softly, "By the way, the teacher is quite interested in that boy."

Tang Ling turned her head slightly, startled.

Bai Simu glanced at her and continued, "Gu Jianlin, like you, has already mastered the Breathing Technique. In less than a month, he's reached Third Rank. That kind of speed is truly astounding, and his profiling ability is immensely valuable. Unfortunately, being cursed by Fusang Divine Palace means he'll only live to forty."

"Still, his talent is undeniably remarkable—so much so that even the teacher is tempted."

She paused. "If possible, the teacher permits you to interact with him more."