The Black Book: Seven Deadly Sins

"How many times have I told you! No random transformations! Go put on clothes!!"

"Chirp!"

Pushing Diao Chan to get dressed, Zhu Haomiao watched her hop into the bedroom and rubbed his temples in frustration.

Then, his gaze swept across the room and met Li Cang's eyes, who awkwardly looked away, pretending to admire the scenery, making Zhu Haomiao even more exasperated.

How embarrassing...

So awkward you could almost feel it...

Yet, the real culprit beside them was excitedly shouting without a care in the world.

"This dish seems to be glowing!"

With a couple of twitches of her delicate nose, Ye Wan Ning sniffed the fragrant aroma filling the room, instantly salivating and involuntarily swallowing her saliva.

"Shui, your cooking skills have improved again!"

Just by the smell alone, Ye Wan Ning knew that this table of food was far superior to what she had eaten before.

On the other side, looking at [Book of Black] with the LV.3 [Gluttony], Zhu Haomiao composed himself and smirked calmly.

"Only amoebas stand still."

Upon hearing this, Ye Wan Ning frowned, "What do you mean? Are you implying I'm an amoeba?!"

"....."

"Senior sister, paranoia is a mental illness. I suggest you see a doctor."

"Are you calling me mentally ill?!"

"I am not, I did not."

"I don't care, enough is enough! Awoo!"

A few seconds later, staring at the row of tiny teeth marks on the back of his hand, Zhu Haomiao gave Ye Wan Ning a helpless look.

"Senior sister, if you want to bite, you can just say so, no need to beat around the bush."

"No way, you're too pretentious. I must show you how harsh the world can be!"

Ye Wan Ning smacked her lips with satisfaction, showing her little tiger teeth at Zhu Haomiao, her cute antics leaving the young man amused.

But after her playful moment, the suffocating awkwardness in the room gradually dissipated, and everyone returned to their usual relaxed, natural atmosphere.

"Chirp food! Chirp food!"

The little girl came running back, hastily climbing onto her special little stool, awkwardly grabbing chopsticks to pick at her food.

Zhu Haomiao also ate leisurely and elegantly, his strong [Dao Heart] firmly suppressing the mysterious green light deep in his eyes.

Perhaps because the effects of the transcendent cuisine he made improved, Zhu Haomiao vaguely sensed that the LV.3 level of [Gluttony] was harder to suppress, even feeling a bit strained.

Deliberately suppressing his chewing speed, Zhu Haomiao shifted his attention away, suddenly hearing Ye Wan Ning's casual chatter.

"Shui, you mentioned earlier on the phone that you had something to do in the morning. Was it urgent?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Haomiao happened to set down his chopsticks and shook his head.

"Not exactly urgent, I plan to go to the Imperial City [Yanhuang Armory] to inquire about the Second Layer Heaven."

Upon hearing this, Ye Wan Ning instantly caught the underlying meaning and, thinking of the drastic changes in him, widened her eyes in shock.

"You ascended?!!"

Surprised by Ye Wan Ning's keen awareness, Zhu Haomiao nodded calmly.

"Yes."

"Isn't the [Ascension Competition] only halfway through? How did you..."

Seeing Ye Wan Ning's hesitant expression, Zhu Haomiao chuckled and shook his head.

"A little accident happened, couldn't help it, and I was forced to ascend."

"Forced? You only advanced to dominance a few days ago? How did you reach the plane's limit so fast?!"

"Uh... to be precise, I went beyond the plane's limit and was forced to exert all my strength in a battle, then was bounced out by the First Layer Heaven..."

Listening to the young man's light-hearted tone, Ye Wan Ning blinked, nibbled her lips, and looked at Li Cang with a pained expression.

"Even though he's just stating the facts, I still feel somehow overshadowed by him."

Li Cang, expressionless, swallowed his food and murmured, "Unseen flaunting is the most lethal."

"Darn it! Being so strong that you're rejected by the Plane Law, even if it's just the First Layer Heaven, only a very few top dominances can achieve that..."

Staring intently at Zhu Haomiao's handsome face, Ye Wan Ning inexplicably felt her mouth itch, unable to resist grinding her teeth.

Hearing Ye Wan Ning's malicious teeth grinding, Zhu Haomiao hesitated for a moment but couldn't help adding.

"Um... senior sister, I didn't ascend through dominance."

"What?"

Baffled, Ye Wan Ning and Li Cang simultaneously looked at Zhu Haomiao, their beautiful eyes filled with confusion.

"Uh, I ascended with [Abyss Level], and apparently, it's the first in human history."

As he spoke, Zhu Haomiao removed the [Dragon Emblem] from under his coat and gently pushed it across the table to the two of them.

Staring at the Black Iron badge composed of two dragons embracing a Zhu-character inscription, the two involuntarily widened their eyes.

The twin dragons represented his Heavenly Position of Second Layer Heaven, but one dragon's color subtly differed from the other Black Iron color, signifying his energy level when ascending the First Layer Heaven!

Carefully picking up the [Dragon Emblem] for a closer look, they found that as the angle changed, the interior of the black dragon seemed to seal an infinite star sea, its dark and profound color seeming to draw an onlooker's soul into it!

"[Abyss Level]... Does it truly exist?"

Swallowing hard, Ye Wan Ning was dazzled with shock, while Li Cang quickly controlled his emotions and returned the [Dragon Emblem] to Zhu Haomiao.

"Didn't think the colors of [Abyss] and [Black Iron] were so similar, it's impossible to distinguish without close inspection."

With a sigh, Li Cang looked directly into Zhu Haomiao's eyes, solemnly whispering.

"Refine the [Dragon Emblem] into your body as soon as possible, avoid showing it off easily, and be wary of the [Nihility Sect]."

Hearing the strange name again, Zhu Haomiao furrowed his brow slightly.

"Nihility Sect?! Is it some sort of cult?"

Seeing the young man's confusion, Li Cang and Ye Wan Ning exchanged troubled glances, finally making up their minds to explain after a long hesitation.

"Strictly speaking, the [Nihility Sect] isn't a religious organization in the traditional sense, but a collective term for individuals and groups following a certain ideology!"

Sharply perceiving the key to the problem, Zhu Haomiao furrowed his brows deeper.

"What ideology?"

"Sigh..."

With a sigh, Ye Wan Ning carefully chose her words and began to speak slowly.

"Shui, you're a qualified Transcendent now. Have you ever pondered over the relationship between reality and the Illusion Realm?"

Blinking blankly, Zhu Haomiao shook his head in confusion.

He hadn't even learned all the basic Transcendent knowledge yet, let alone pondered metaphysical questions like these.

"You're still young, it's normal not to have such deep thoughts, but since ancient times, many wise people have thought about this issue."

"From where does the Illusion Realm arise? Is it a fragment of history, a projection of human spirit, or a kind of parallel world..."

"But as research progressed, a deeper and more fatal problem surfaced before everyone."