Why did you provoke me?

Secretary Wu felt even more sorrowful upon hearing Qingyuan's words. He had worked so hard, yet Yu Meng hadn't even given him such a simple reply.

He stood up, his back slightly hunched.

I slowly returned to my office. Looking at the various documents on the desk, I pulled them all in front of me, but even with my hands on them, I didn't want to open them at all.

He knew his heart was in turmoil.

……

Yu Meng went into seclusion because Ba Wang had eaten too much.

She reached out and poked the sculpted ribs. On the surface, there wasn't much change; even the thickness wasn't that noticeable.

The Overlord dispersed his true form, transforming it into countless lines that floated before the dream.

These lines are all part of the alien. The energy within them is no longer the original alien energy; it is very complex.

Yu Meng slowly sensed it with her hands. When she built the Overlord, she knew that these alien lines were different from her natal lines, but she didn't expect their saturation to be so low.

If things continue to develop like this, the current state is probably the upper limit of the Overlord's advancement.

But this wasn't the outcome Yu Meng wanted. She wanted to cultivate a king of alien lines capable of suppressing the alien battlefield. And he had to be someone she could use.

Things seemed to have reached their end. Yu Meng pondered, "The container isn't big enough; should we increase the volume?"

But there's a limit to the size of these irregular lines; adding more doesn't seem to change the overall quality.

It seems that Ba Wang's advancement has hit a bottleneck, and Yu Meng has not yet found a solution.

The little black cat lazily floated in front of Yu Meng, and with a swipe of its paw, an alien-shaped line fell to the ground with a thud.

Yu Meng didn't move, and the little black cat just kept patting the alien lines.

Only after all the lines had been photographed did it gracefully perch on Yu Meng's shoulder and nuzzle her with its little head.

"You mean you're helping me with chores?" Yu Meng lowered her eyelids and turned her head to look at the little black cat on her shoulder.

The little black cat rubbed against Yu Meng's cheek again.

Yu Meng bent down and picked up the lines from the ground. She carefully sensed them with her hand and, sure enough, the energy within the lines seemed to have merged together.

Yu Meng was surprised. She had no idea that the little black cat had such an ability.

What's going on? Is this the power of the Holy Master?

She really wanted to try again, but lines like the Overlord's are unique, and she couldn't find an opportunity to try again.

Yu Meng re-braided the overlord's lines. It was still the same shape, still so—ugly.

Yu Meng herself sighed. She didn't know how things had turned out this way when she first became the Overlord.

She hadn't figured out the whole story about Ba Wang, but the problem was solved. Yu Meng happily decided to put the matter behind her.

She looked at the little black cat perched on her shoulder.

I reached out and cupped it in my palm, examining it closely. I couldn't see any change; it was still just as small.

Yu Meng specifically studied the cat's paws, but there was nothing special about them!

Lying in bed, Yu Meng fell asleep soon after.

I thought this retreat would last a long time, but on the second day at breakfast, I saw Yu Meng.

She paused for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Fourth Sister, are you going into seclusion later?"

Yu Meng served the porridge, "No need, we already took care of it last night."

Niannian leaned closer, looking surprised. "It was resolved in just one night? So fast."

Yu Meng sat down and started drinking her porridge. "I didn't expect it to be so fast. It's all thanks to the little black cat."

Niannian felt a tickle in her heart, wanting to ask but looking a little hesitant, which made Yu Meng roll her eyes. "Stop worrying about it. After you finish eating, let the little black cat check your figure."

Niannian chuckled twice. "I was just afraid of asking about your most exclusive secrets, weren't I?"

"What secrets could I possibly have? Everything I do is to become stronger." Yu Meng didn't even look up, continuing to eat her breakfast.

Neither Jing San nor Jing Ancheng said a word. Last night, Niannian told them what happened at the excavator.

They were all worried that their dreams wouldn't come true, and yesterday's retreat was just an excuse.

Seeing Yu Meng's words, Niannian felt relieved. "Fourth Sister, is your little black cat that amazing? It can even check lines. How does it do that?"

"I don't understand the principle behind it either, but it can definitely be checked."

Hearing about this good news, Jing San quickly put down her chopsticks and said, "Um, Teacher Yu, could you let Master Cat check my lines too?"

Yu imagined the little black cat's paw strike—it was simple—and nodded. "Okay."

After dinner, the four of them sat down in the living room.

Niannian released the small gray straw, and Yu Meng gestured for Niannian to disassemble it, with individual lines floating in the air.

The little black cat stood on the lines, tilting its head to look at Yu Meng.

"Just like the Overlord." Yu Meng didn't know how to describe this behavior, so she just said it bluntly.

So Niannian stared with her mouth agape as she watched her lines fall one by one to the ground.

Niannian's lines all fell down, and Jing San hurriedly threw her own lines into the air, put her hands together, and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Master Cat. Please step on my lines a couple of times too."

Perhaps it was the phrase "Master Cat" that pleased the little black cat, for its tail swayed slightly. Then, it deftly stepped down on Jing San's lines.

Jing Ancheng followed suit, but the little black cat seemed to glance at him disdainfully. Then, with its tail, it whipped the lines away in one swift motion.

The little black cat returned to Yu Meng's shoulder and slowly disappeared.

Jing Ancheng withdrew his lines, touching them with great care. "Why are you treating this differently?"

Unfortunately, nobody paid any attention to him.

Both Nian Nian and Jing San were sensing their own lines.

Niannian's hands moved faster and faster. By the time she had sensed all the lines, her mouth was practically splitting open, revealing her white teeth.

"Fourth Sister, the energy knots inside are gone, and the energy flow is smooth and silky."

Jing San's lines are now much more defined. The original lines were like a knotted rope. Now they are as smooth as silk.

His face remained expressionless, but inside he was overjoyed. He'd known it all—the benefits of following Teacher Yu were truly everywhere. He mentally gave himself a big thumbs up!

Jing Ancheng looked at Yu Meng quietly. He had only been exposed to the alien lines for a short time and did not quite understand the intricacies of the matter.

Yu Meng glanced at his lines and gave her conclusion: "There's too little energy in your lines; you don't need to work on them."

Jing Ancheng understood that the little black cat disliked him. But he was also happy, at least he could get acquainted with it first, and if he had any problems in the future, he could ask it for help, and then it would be an acquaintance.

Niannian then wove the lines into the shape of a straw. Then she stared directly at Yu Meng and asked, "Fourth Sister, when are we going to the second battlefield?"