Chapter 198: Gaining Fame
The news that Chu Feng was an ability-user spread quickly online. Netizens gave him the title “Divine Wind Envoy.” Forums and Weibo were flooded with posts about him.
“So Chu Feng is the one who cut the car?”
“I knew it! If the Snow Prince picked him, he couldn’t possibly be useless.”
“That was amazing—one move and he sliced off the wolves’ heads. So cool!”
“Is the video real? Not special effects?”
“Come on, no special effects can do that!”
“He did it for the Snow Goddess, right? She’s the best! The moment something happened, two male gods came to her rescue.”
“She really is a girl of destiny—always turning danger into safety.”
“Apparently Chu Feng only came because he couldn’t reach her by phone.”
“He’s such a warm guy! Goddess, I want a brother like that too. Holding one on each side, lucky you. Can you share one?”
“Looking closer, Chu Feng’s actually quite handsome!”
“Our Divine Wind Envoy was always handsome!”
“Hey, weren’t you the one saying a few days ago that he had a rat face and looked like a beast in human skin? Said Snow Prince had terrible taste.”
“Nonsense! That definitely wasn’t me!”
“No one’s noticed that between those two male gods, the Snow Goddess looks like a third wheel?”
“I’d love to be that third wheel—please, heaven, bless me with such a handsome little brother! I’ll shine between him and his boyfriend!”
—
A lot of people who had been trash-talking Chu Feng online suddenly vanished. In this era, strength was the most respected currency. Chu Feng, who had once been scorned, suddenly became a male idol after revealing his power.
The truth about the “car cutter” was out, sparking not only online buzz but also discussions among other ability-users.
“So the second young master of the Chu family, the one who was lost, was the car cutter?”
“No wonder Zhuang Cheng came out of the kidnapping unscathed—he’s got a brother like that!”
“Word is it’s not a wind-type power, but a space-type one. He can not only cut things but teleport. That’s amazing.”
“Manning seems to be with him.”
“Manning? I’ve heard of him. A foreign ability-user. He can just glance at someone and tell how many family members and lovers they have. Any bigshot standing in front of him—he sees all the mistresses immediately.”
“Manning’s ability is cool, but Chu Feng’s is even better.”
“Totally agree! I heard he’s an S-rank ability-user. No idea how he trained, but he progressed fast.”
“Chu Feng’s strong, but Illya’s no slouch either. She’s an A-rank, right? Maybe they’re dual cultivating?”
“They must be. Is dual cultivation really that effective?”
“Seems like Chu Feng has a bunch of strong allies. Besides Illya and Manning, he’s probably backed by a pharmacist-type ability-user. All those elixirs and potions—they probably came from that person. Maybe Chu Feng has even better ones up his sleeve.”
The group of ability-users were having a heated discussion. As fellow ability-users, they all knew how difficult it was to improve one’s powers. With Chu Feng’s abilities being so powerful, many ability-users suspected he had found some shortcut to enhance his powers.
“Linlang, what do you think of Chu Feng?” Zheng Xue asked. Mu Linlang replied seriously, “He’s a very powerful person.” Zheng Xue nodded, “I think so too.”
The National Bureau of Paranormal Abilities had originally hoped to groom Yuan Bin into a second Windwalker, but now, that seemed like a fantasy—the gap was simply too large.
After the earthquake, many wild beasts appeared across the country. The military suffered heavy casualties in the battles against them.
When facing these beasts, average ability-users were less useful than seasoned special forces. Only truly powerful ability-users could make a significant impact—but even they couldn’t compare to Chu Feng.
Chu Feng clearly had many secrets.
Zheng Xue smiled and said, “I heard that Crescent Group is hiring. I’m planning to give it a shot.”
Mu Linlang asked, somewhat suspicious, “You’re going to apply?”
Chu Feng was in high demand right now, and his organization had put out a call to recruit various experts and ability-users.
“Planning to leave the National Bureau of Paranormal Abilities?” Mu Linlang asked.
Zheng Xue shook her head. “No need. I already asked—Chu Feng doesn’t mind part-timers, and the Bureau doesn’t mind their people taking side jobs at Chu Feng’s place.”
Mu Linlang thought to herself: Is the Bureau trying to send people in to probe Chu Feng’s background?
…As Zheng Xue and Mu Linlang chatted, they heard some ability-users discussing, “Illya is here, and Manning too.”
Zheng Xue grabbed someone and asked, “Why are Illya and Manning here?”
“Miss Shen invited them to help. Right now, a lot of people want to find out about their family members. Also, after the earthquake, some important people went missing. Now you can find out what happened by spending a few points.”
Mu Linlang nodded, “So that’s what it’s about.”
She had heard about Manning’s abilities before—apparently, those in power both wanted him and were wary of him.
“Let’s go take a look too,” Zheng Xue said. Mu Linlang nodded, “Sure.”
Manning didn’t charge much—only two points per inquiry. But all he needed was one glance to know everything, so the money was coming in fast.
When Mu Linlang and Zheng Xue arrived, they saw Manning sitting at the consultation table, with a long line of people in front of him.
It wasn’t just ability-users lining up, but also many ordinary people.
“What level is Manning?” Mu Linlang asked. Zheng Xue shrugged. “Just tested—he’s a D-rank ability-user.”
Mu Linlang was surprised, “D-rank? That’s not very high.”
“D-rank is already decent, and Manning’s not a combat-type ability-user. Among the Bureau’s people, only a few are high-ranked.”
“That’s true. But can a D-rank really handle so many consultations?” Mu Linlang asked, a bit puzzled.
Her own ability allowed her to make flowers bloom, but after blooming a whole courtyard’s worth, she would be weak for days and unable to use her ability at all.
Zheng Xue nodded, “Manning can’t do it alone. But Illya is here too. I heard he’s a support-type ability-user who can replenish others’ energy.”
Mu Linlang was surprised. “Illya’s ability is that amazing?”
Zheng Xue nodded, “Yup. Not only amazing—he’s also an A-rank ability-user.”
Mu Linlang took a deep breath. “Chu Feng really found himself a treasure.”
Zheng Xue nodded. “No kidding. Handsome and powerful—it’s rare.”
Manning worked very fast—he had helped over a hundred people in just one hour, earning over two hundred points. Two points per person didn’t seem like much, but two hundred total was a huge amount.
Yuan Bin watched Illya and Manning from a distance, feeling down.
His own ability hadn’t improved much lately. Meanwhile, many new, strange ability-users were entering the Bureau, and Yuan Bin was gradually being forgotten.
With Chu Feng rising in popularity like the sun at noon, Yuan Bin, the former “Little Windwalker,” was completely overlooked.
“Yuan Bin, you came to see Illya too? I heard he’s an A-rank ability-user, just as powerful as Boss Chen.”
The Bureau had only one A-rank user: Chen Chu. He was a traditional martial artist with some magical skills. Even before awakening his abilities, he had been formidable—after awakening, he became even more so.
“Manning sure is raking in points fast,” Yuan Bin said bitterly.
Points were incredibly important for Bureau ability-users. Though Yuan Bin received certain privileges, ability-users needed endless resources—and he lacked them. Two hundred points was a sizable amount for him.
Lu Ke nodded, “Yeah. Manning seems to be going for the low-margin, high-volume approach.”
“If I had that kind of ability, I wouldn’t have to work so hard doing grunt work for those old guys.”
Lu Ke’s ability was “Restoration”—a rare and special power that could restore items to their original state. It was useful in many experiments…
Jiang Yuening and a few companions stood together, looking in Manning’s direction and sighing.
“Miss Jiang, that’s Illya. So handsome!”
Jiang Yuening nodded. “He really is.”
“Aren’t you going to say hi? Didn’t you used to be obsessed with talking to Illya and trying to poach him from Chu Feng?” teased a chubby female ability-user walking over with folded arms.
Jiang Yuening smiled awkwardly. “You’re overthinking it. Who would dare try to steal from Chu Feng?”
She had once had her eye on Illya, thinking such a strong ability-user was wasted on a mere high school graduate like Chu Feng. But reality had proven that Chu Feng was far more powerful than she ever imagined.
“Good thing you gave up. Otherwise, you might’ve ended up like those wolves—beheaded,” Qian Jiajia said.
Jiang Yuening glanced at the ability-user beside her, her expression a bit ugly. She had originally thought her supernatural ability was quite powerful, but after entering the Abilities Bureau, she realized there were always people stronger than you and skies higher than the one you know. Her power, for now, wasn’t highly destructive or particularly useful. The female ability-user beside her, however, was different.
Qian Jiajia’s family originally raised chickens and owned a large poultry farm. One day, an outbreak of bird flu hit the farm, and her parents were devastated, crying every day in despair.
Just as the farm was about to go bankrupt and the bank loans couldn’t be repaid, Qian Jiajia suddenly awakened her ability. With a wave of her hand, the bird flu was driven away, and the chickens became healthy again.
Not long ago, there was an outbreak of swine flu in the south, and she dispelled that as well. Her ability seemed related to bacteria or viruses. If fully developed, it could be incredibly powerful.
Several microbiology experts in the National Bureau of Paranormal Abilities placed great importance on Qian Jiajia’s ability.
Jiang Yuening and Qian Jiajia joined the National Bureau of Paranormal Abilities around the same time. They had a quarrel not long after entering — Jiang Yuening looked down on Qian Jiajia’s background, while Qian Jiajia mocked Jiang Yuening for being pretentious. When the two met, they always exchanged sarcastic remarks.
Jiang Yuening had thought her water-based ability would be highly valued, only to discover that the Bureau favored Qian Jiajia’s power even more. While she was unwilling to accept it, there was nothing she could do.
