Chapter 35: She Is Not My Sister

When the optical computer chimed again, Wen Li had already emerged from her mental sea.

She had truly been too greedy, she reflected. She thought she could hold on, but she had actually fallen asleep from exhaustion while performing the purification.

Wen Jinnian withdrew his hand and let it drop, his fingertips rubbing together as if trying to preserve the girl's lingering warmth.

The girl’s soft voice sounded: "Thank you, Brother."

Wen Jinnian gazed at the person behind the glass, whom he had missed so dearly; even though he could not see her clearly, his gaze seemed to pierce right through it. Deep within his blue eyes lurked a startling possessiveness.

"Xiao Li, you’ve made great progress at the White Tower." *My sister must have performed purification for those bastards many times.*

"But you must also take care of your health; don't wear yourself out." *My heart aches for you, Xiao Li.*

"After the competition, Father wants you and Baisha to return home for a visit. I’ve already taken the liberty of arranging leave for you both." *But from here on out, the time belongs to me.*

Wen Li quickly agreed, oblivious to the fact that the wolf in sheep's clothing before her was already anticipating the upcoming banquet with such predatory hunger.

Once the sentinel left, the strange, lingering feeling in Wen Li’s heart dissipated. For the next hour, she spent her time performing purifications on mental projections. Happily stroking the fluffy creatures, she saw the competition finally draw to a close.

Declining the friend requests from the sentinels, Wen Li walked out of the arena. Yue Li and the others were waiting for her outside. The midday sun was intense, and Wen Li raised a hand to shield her eyes.

"Little Butterfly, you’ve worked hard." Yue Li handed her a nutrient solution.

"It wasn't too bad, though one sentinel was a bit troublesome."

Stebb handed the organized data over to Wen Li. Each page contained detailed characteristics of the mental projections of over sixty guides.

"A few guides didn't use their mental projections at all throughout the matches," Stebb noted.

Wen Li smiled at them gratefully, her white eyes sparkling. "Thank you all so much, but there is one more thing I need to prepare." She leaned in to whisper to Captain Stebb. The sentinel had already lowered his head to listen before she had even risen on her tiptoes.

After she finished speaking, Stebb looked at her with skepticism. "Guide Wen, these things aren't hard to find, but won't this attract too much attention?"

"I know, but it doesn't matter. Let them guess."

The Alpha Squad was initially bewildered when they received their captain's orders, but they managed to find what was needed by the afternoon. Looking at the items before her, Wen Li gave the sentinels a thumbs up.

"Well done, my teammates!" To reward them, Wen Li promised them a shallow purification after the second round of the competition.

Although the sentinels were wearing masks, their eyes brimmed with irrepressible joy. Tonight was destined to be a lively one.

Listening to a sentinel’s report, Abelis furrowed her delicate brows. "You say Wen Li gathered a lot of dolls? What does she want with those?"

The sentinel didn't know how to answer. Annoyed, Abelis waved him away. At the other end of the sofa sat a cold-looking silver-haired girl, a ceramic cup in her hands emitting wisps of steam. The hazy vapor blurred the girl's deep purple eyes.

Abelis’s attitude noticeably softened as she asked the girl respectfully, "Baisha, this sister of yours is somewhat..."

The sound of the ceramic cup clattering interrupted her. Wen Baisha stared at the petals floating in her tea, her voice icy. "She is not my sister."

Realizing she had caused offense, Abelis watched the girl cautiously.

"However, you are quite right; Wen Li is not simple," Wen Baisha said, sipping the special flower tea. "Is Ethan still paying attention to her?"

Abelis shook her head.

"Abelis, the tea here has always been the best," Wen Baisha remarked. "I look forward to your match tomorrow."

The girl rose and left, accompanied only by a sentinel cloaked entirely in black.

Wen Baisha was an SS-rank healing guide. With her striking appearance and noble background—and the fact that she had reached heights others could only dream of less than a year after coming of age—befriending her meant gaining access to countless resources and channels. In contrast, her disabled guide sister, Wen Li, was a disgrace. The fact that Wen Li was still serving at the White Tower only invited more contempt.

Wen Li was keenly aware that someone was targeting her, yet she never suspected it might be the sister she hadn't seen in so long. She was currently busy channeling her mental energy into the items before her.

"Little Butterfly, stop; your body won't be able to take it tomorrow if you keep doing this," Yue Li said, crouching down to carefully arrange the items. He lingered, reluctant to let go of the residual aura on them. "Little Butterfly, it smells so good, it really smells so good," the youth said, hugging the items to his chest and refusing to let go.

Seeing this, Wen Li hurriedly snatched them back. "Don't break them, I just finished them."

"Then when will you make one for me?" Yue Li acted like a spoiled younger brother, deliberately summoning his iron-eating beast. The little creature at his feet adorably hooked its claws around Wen Li’s calf.

"I’ll make you one when we get back to the White Tower, okay?" Wen Li continued working on the items.

Once the final layer of mental energy was successfully applied, everything was ready. Seeing Yue Li’s lack of restraint in summoning his panda, she chided him, "Make it go back; I don't have the energy to purify you today."

Yue Li slowly withdrew his mental projection and curled up unhappily on the sofa. "Then get some rest early today. Good luck in the competition tomorrow!"

Wen Li responded with a smile, "I will."

The next day, a refreshed Wen Li woke up and packed her things. When she arrived at the crowded outdoor arena, it was already packed with spectators. Wen Li’s match number was quite early—she was the tenth.

Having watched a few matches, she realized that the guides’ method of combat was quite simple: it was essentially a battle of mental projections. Their owners remained in a safe state, and even if they lost, there were always sentinels rushing up to comfort them. This aligned perfectly with Wen Li’s original plan.

"Match ten, White Tower Guide—Wen Li!"

The boisterous, cheering crowd suddenly fell silent. Ignoring the sudden chill, Wen Li carried a shell-like backpack onto the stage. Everyone stared at her, perplexed. Wasn't the second round supposed to be a mental projection duel? Other items would be useless.

Someone remembered that the girl on stage was a disabled guide, which meant she couldn't summon a mental projection. A mocking, boisterous male voice shouted, "A disabled guide who can't even summon a mental projection? Get off the stage!"

The crowd began to chime in. "Yeah, stop embarrassing yourself."

Suddenly, the person who spoke felt a chill run through his body, as if he were being watched by a predator. He braced himself and looked back, only to see the sentinel of that guide staring at him with a cold, murderous gaze.

Shuddering, he quickly lowered his head, not daring to meet those eyes. He recalled the rumors of the day: the sentinel who had caused trouble during yesterday’s matches had been beaten so badly by a group of people that night that he couldn't even summon his mental projection anymore. The beaten sentinel came from a very wealthy family and had even complained to the arena’s security chief, but there had been no official response.

The crowd fell into an instant, suffocating silence.