Marvel: The other side of the double-passing door is Devouring the Stars

Chapter 518 Complementary Combinations!
They were three monsters resembling large spiders, enormous in size, with eight legs covered in sharp barbs, and constantly dripping slime from their mouths.

Without wasting words, Rowan drew his sword and charged forward.

The battle lasted less than ten breaths.

Before the three evil spirits could even put up a fight, Rowan killed them all with a single sword strike.

“Too weak,” Rowan sheathed his sword. “This level of evil spirit doesn’t even need testing.”

After cleaning up the battlefield and confirming that there were no other evil spirits, he returned to the headquarters of the Mysterious Bureau.

After listening to his report, Chen Yuan remained silent for a long time.

"You...you killed three evil spirits all by yourself? How long did it take?"

“About ten breaths,” Rowan answered honestly.

Chen Yuan took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

"You've passed the practical test," he said. "From now on, you are a full member of the Mysterious Bureau."

He took out a token and a booklet from his pocket and handed them to Rowan.

"This is your identity token, which allows you to enter and exit the various branches of the Mysterious Bureau. This booklet is your merit record book; every time you complete a mission, your merit will be recorded in it. Once you accumulate a certain amount of merit, you can exchange it for the privilege of learning various secret techniques."

Luo Wen took the token and the booklet and looked at them carefully.

The token was black, with the words "Secret Bureau" engraved on the front and his name and number on the back. The booklet was blank, waiting for him to fill it with merits.

"If you want to learn the sealing technique, you need to accumulate five thousand merit points," Chen Yuan said. "That's a considerable amount; an ordinary officer might need eight to ten years to accumulate that many. But with your strength, it should be much faster."

"Thank you, Deacon Chen," Luo Wen said, clasping his hands in a fist salute. "I will do my best."

Chen Yuan nodded and then asked, "You're new to Tianqi City, do you have a place to stay?"

“Not yet,” Rowan said. “I’m just about to go look for it.”

“I recommend a place to you,” Chen Yuan said, “Qingfeng Lane in the East District. It’s a quiet place, the rent isn’t expensive, and it’s a great place to live. Plus, it’s close to the headquarters of the Mysterious Bureau, which will make it convenient for you to take on missions.”

"Thank you for your guidance, Deacon Chen."

Luo Wen bid farewell to Chen Yuan, left the headquarters of the Mysterious Bureau, and headed to Qingfeng Lane to find a place to stay.

Qingfeng Lane was indeed as Chen Yuan had described, a quiet alley. On both sides of the alley were houses with blue bricks and gray tiles, the walls covered with vines, and occasionally the laughter of children could be heard from the courtyards of a few houses.

Rowan walked around the alley and found a house with a small courtyard that he liked.

The house wasn't big, with only three main rooms and two side rooms, but it was clean and tidy. There was also an old locust tree and a well in the yard. The landlady was a kind and friendly old woman in her sixties, and her price was very reasonable.

"This house has been empty for more than half a year," the old woman said. "The gentleman who lived here before moved out, and no one has rented it since. Young man, if you like it, I'll give you a discount, two taels of silver a month, how about that?"

“Okay,” Rowan readily agreed, “I’ll pay for three months first.”

He took out six taels of silver from his pocket and handed it to the old woman.

The old woman took the money, beaming from ear to ear: "Young man, you're such a generous person! Just let me know if you need anything; I live in the house at the end of the alley."

"Thank you, Grandma."

After the old woman left, Rowan began tidying up the room.

Although the house had been empty for more than half a year, the previous tenant was clearly a clean person, as there wasn't much dust in the room. Luo Wen did a simple cleaning and went to the street to buy some daily necessities, and that was it, he was settled in.

As evening fell, he sat under the old locust tree in the courtyard, watching the sunset gradually darken on the horizon, and a strange feeling welled up in his heart.

He was a martial artist from the depths of the universe, whose cultivation had reached the eighth level of the stellar realm, making him virtually invincible on this planet. Logically, he should be high above, looking down upon all living beings.

But at this moment, he settled down in this small courtyard like an ordinary mortal, preparing to spend the next few years or even ten years here.

"Perhaps that's life," Rowan smiled slightly. "No matter how high your cultivation level is, there will always be a time when you need to stop."

He closed his eyes and began to sense the situation in the distant Demon-Suppressing Abyss.

The seal remained stable; although the energy fluctuations of the ancient star beast were still present, they had not significantly increased. The energy he had previously injected was now taking effect, buying precious time for the seal.

“Very good,” Rowan nodded in satisfaction. “As long as the seal doesn’t break, everything is still possible.”

He opened his eyes, his gaze hardening.

The next day, Rowan got up early and went to the headquarters of the Mysterious Bureau to receive his mission.

The Mysterious Bureau's missions are divided into several levels: A, B, C, and D. Level A missions are the most dangerous, usually involving mid-level or higher evil spirits, and require multiple people to complete; Level B missions are next, involving lower-level to higher-ranking evil spirits; Level C and D missions are relatively simple, involving lower-level evil spirits.

As a new member, Rowan can only accept Class C and Class D missions. But this is not a problem for him—lower mission levels mean faster completion times, and as long as there are enough missions, merit points can still be accumulated quickly.

“I want to take on Class C missions,” Rowan said to the steward of the mission hall. “As many as we can.”

The manager was a middle-aged woman who looked at Luo Wen with some surprise upon hearing his words.

"You're new here, aren't you?" She flipped open the mission book. "You can only accept three Rank C missions at a time, and you can only accept new ones after you've completed them. That's the rule."

"Okay, I'll take three first."

The steward registered the task in the task book and then handed three task documents to Rowan.

"These three tasks are: the wandering spirits in the mass grave south of the city, the ghost infant in the abandoned house north of the city, and the water ghost by the river east of the city. All are Rank C tasks, with an estimated reward of fifty merit points for each. Report back here upon completion to collect your merit points."

“Understood,” Rowan said, taking the mission document. “Thank you.”

He turned and left to begin his mission.

The first task is to find the wandering souls in the mass grave in the south of the city.

The mass grave site is located on the southern outskirts of the city, where unclaimed corpses are buried. Due to the heavy yin energy, wandering spirits often appear and harass passersby.

When Rowan arrived at the mass grave, the sun was already setting and it was getting dark.

He released his spiritual power and quickly sensed the presence of several wisps of wandering spirits. These spirits were the residual consciousness of the dead; they had no physical form, but they could interfere with the minds of the living, and in severe cases, even drive them insane.

“Ordinary wandering spirits,” Rowan said softly, “can be dispelled with yang energy.”

He mobilized the genetic energy within his body, transforming it into a gentle light that spread outwards.

The wandering spirits, upon encountering the light, emitted faint screams before quickly dissipating into nothingness.

In less than fifteen minutes, the wandering spirits in the mass grave were cleared away. The second task was to find the ghost baby in the abandoned house in the north of the city.

It was a house that had been abandoned for many years. It was said that a long time ago, a woman died in childbirth there, and her child also died. Since then, the sound of a baby crying could often be heard from the house, frightening the surrounding residents so much that they dared not approach.

When Rowan arrived at the abandoned house, it was already completely dark.

The gate to the abandoned house was tightly shut, the paint peeling off to reveal the rotten wood underneath. The yard was overgrown with weeds, a scene of utter desolation.

Luo Wen pushed open the gate and walked into the courtyard.

"Waaaaah...waaaah..."

A baby's cry came from the main room, intermittent and sounding particularly mournful.

Rowan entered the main room and saw the so-called "ghost baby".

It was an infant form created from yin energy, suspended in the center of the room, radiating an eerie green light. Its eyes were hollow, and its mouth was wide open, constantly emitting cries.

“Poor child,” Rowan sighed softly, “you left before you even had a chance to see the world.”

He stretched out his hand, and a gentle light shone from his palm, enveloping the ghost infant.

The ghost baby's cries gradually stopped, its body began to become transparent, and finally turned into a speck of light, dissipating into the air.

“Go,” Rowan whispered, “I hope you will be safe in your next life.”

The third task is to find the water ghost by the river in the east of the city.

A large river flows through the east of the city, and there is a section of the river where drowning incidents frequently occur, supposedly caused by water ghosts.

When Rowan arrived at the riverbank, the moon had already risen, and its light shone on the river, creating shimmering ripples.

He stood on the bank, using his mental power to sense what was happening beneath the river.

Sure enough, a dark shadow was writhing in the silt at the bottom of the river. It was a creature that resembled a human, but its body was severely decomposed, leaving only a skeleton and some remnants of flesh. Its eye sockets gleamed with an eerie green light as it stared menacingly at the bank.

"A water ghost, lower level three," Rowan judged, "not worth mentioning."

He jumped into the river and rushed straight at the water ghost.

The water ghost was clearly caught off guard by someone daring to enter its territory, and momentarily panicked. But before it could react, Rowan's sword had already pierced its skull.

The water ghost let out a sharp shriek, then turned into a pool of black water and disappeared into the river.

Having completed all three tasks, Rowan returned to the headquarters of the Mysterious Bureau to report.

The steward checked his task completion and recorded 150 merit points in the merit book.

"So fast?" she said, somewhat surprised. "You've only been gone for less than two hours, and you've already completed three tasks?"

“Luckily,” Rowan chuckled, “I’ll get three more missions.”

The manager shook his head and handed him three more task documents.

And so, Rowan began his mission career with the Bureau of Mysteries.

He leaves early and returns late every day, frantically accepting and completing tasks. Rank C tasks are a piece of cake for him; he can usually finish one in half an hour. In a day, he can complete seven or eight tasks, accumulating three or four hundred merit points.

This speed amazed everyone in the Mysterious Bureau.

"That newcomer named Rowan is a monster!"

"He completes more work in a day than we do in a month!"

"I've heard his strength is unfathomable; even Instructor Zhang Meng couldn't last ten moves against him!"

Rowan's reputation quickly spread throughout the Bureau of Mysteries.

Chen Yuan also noticed his behavior and had a special talk with him.

“You completed your tasks too quickly,” Chen Yuan said. “At this rate, you could accumulate 5,000 merit points in just one or two months. But I suggest you don’t rush things. Communicate more with other members of the Bureau and learn how the Bureau of Mysteries operates. After all, you might be staying here for a long time.”

Luo Wen took Chen Yuan's advice and slowed down the pace slightly.

A month later, Rowan's merit points had accumulated to more than two thousand.

This speed was unprecedented in the history of the Mysterious Bureau, attracting the attention of the headquarters' higher-ups. Chen Yuan had a special talk with him, not only reminding him again not to be too hasty, but also telling him some news.

"Headquarters has decided to assign you two team members," Chen Yuan said. "They are both young people who have recently joined the company. They are talented but lack experience. We hope you can mentor them and help them grow in real combat."

"Leading a team?" Luo Wen was somewhat surprised. "I've only been with the company for a month; perhaps it's not appropriate?"

"Your abilities are undeniable," Chen Yuan said. "Moreover, your efficient and decisive approach to tasks makes you an excellent role model for newcomers. After discussion, headquarters believes you are the most suitable candidate."

Luo Wen thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

Anyway, he wasn't in a hurry to leave Blue Star. Bringing two new recruits would be good; they could gain a deeper understanding of how the Mysterious Bureau operated and also cultivate some talent for the organization. After all, if the ancient star beasts really awakened, the Mysterious Bureau would be the main force on Blue Star fighting against them.

“Alright, I agree,” Rowan said. “May I ask who these two are?”

"Have them come to you tomorrow," Chen Yuan said. "One is named Lin Feng, and the other Zhao Xue. Both are at the first level of the Qi Circulation Realm and have been with the department for about six months. I'll have their information sent to your residence."

That evening, Luo Wen received information on two team members.

Lin Feng, twenty-two years old, comes from a small merchant family in Tianqi City. He has practiced martial arts since childhood and awakened his talent for cultivation at the age of eighteen, which led to his discovery and recruitment by the Mysterious Bureau. He is cheerful, quick-witted, and sociable. His cultivation level is the first stage of the Qi Circulation Realm, and he is skilled in swordsmanship.

Zhao Xue, nineteen years old, comes from a farming family on the outskirts of Tianqi City. When she was sixteen, her family was murdered by evil spirits; she escaped by chance and vowed revenge. At seventeen, she joined the Mysterious Bureau, diligently cultivating and reaching the first level of the Qi Circulation Realm within two years. She is introverted and taciturn, but possesses a strong will. She is skilled in swordsmanship and concealed weapons.

"One is lively, the other is calm," Rowan said after reviewing the information. "They make a rather complementary combination."

The next morning, the two young men arrived at Luo Wen's residence in Qingfeng Lane on time.

When the knocking sounded, Rowan was practicing his sword in the courtyard. He sheathed his sword and went to open the door.

Two young people, a man and a woman, were standing outside the door.

The man was in his early twenties, of medium build, with delicate features and bright, intelligent eyes. He wore a blue, fitted outfit and had a long sword at his waist, looking quite dashing. Upon seeing Luo Wen open the door, he immediately flashed a warm smile.

"Brother Luo! I'm Lin Feng, and I'll be following you from now on! Please take care of me!"

As he spoke, he bowed deeply.

(End of this chapter)