Psychic Marking  

The three students arrived at the principal's office, where a middle-aged man in a suit stood up and greeted them warmly.

"These must be the talented students from our No. 1 Middle School, right? I'm Marty from the J City Merchant Alliance."

Marty looked to be in his forties but didn't fit the image of a typical businessman Duke had in mind. Although he was wearing a suit, his bulging temples and calloused, large hands gave the impression of a martial artist.

However, Duke didn't dwell on this; after all, in this era, not having some combat skills would make life inconvenient. Louisa and Clark weren't particularly formal people, so they responded politely.

Marty provided each of them with Raw Stones worth 200,000 dollars and a Yuan-Increasing Pill. Both parties understood that trying to bribe them with these items was impossible. This was merely to leave a positive impression, and if there were any future dealings, new terms would be discussed.

Furthermore, being geniuses now didn't necessarily mean they would become powerful awakened individuals in the future. For the J City Merchant Alliance, having first-tier awakened individuals should not be a problem.

"Alright, I won't take up any more of your time. I hope that in the future, you'll make both J City and the school proud," Marty said, shaking hands naturally with the three of them. When he shook Duke's hand, he lingered for a moment longer, looking confident.

"Is this Duke, the student I've heard about? I wish you good luck."

In the instant he released Duke's hand, Duke felt an unusual energy, as if it had remained in his body.

This energy was extremely subtle, and if Duke's original Force hadn't broken a hundred points, he might not have even noticed it.

What's going on? Although he sensed something strange, Duke quickly regained his composure, smiled, and withdrew his hand, nodding to Marty.

After leaving the principal's office, Duke went straight to the restroom. His face looked somewhat grim. It was no wonder that guy deliberately spoke a few extra words and shook hands with him for a few extra seconds. He had done something.

Entering a state of internal perception, Duke once again saw the familiar Heavenly Tree.

At this moment, a pale gray light was attached to the ancient tree. Duke focused his thoughts, and his original Force surged toward that bundle of energy.

He had a feeling that as long as he was willing, he could consume his original Force to dissolve this mark.

However, Duke paused. The other party's methods were undoubtedly those of an awakened individual. If he erased the mark himself, the other person would definitely notice.

"I should have no dealings with the J City Merchant Alliance. What does Marty want?" Duke pondered, and in the end, he could only turn to one person for help: Law Enforcement Officer Alexander!

Duke made the call, but unfortunately, it was just a busy signal on the other end. 

"Looks like I'll have to rely on luck."

In J City, he knew only two awakened individuals: Alexander and William. But William was just a school instructor brought in by the academy, and he wasn't sure if the man would be willing to help.

Two minutes later, Duke found William preparing to leave on his motorcycle at the school's courtyard.

Upon hearing Duke's request, William, looking at the earnest young man, couldn't help but smile and shake his head.

  "Duke, are you feeling paranoid? What could the J City Merchant Alliance want from you, to leave their mark on you? Are they after your enhancement pills or something? To be honest, Duke, I think you're overthinking this."

The J City Merchant Alliance is willing to come here because they see the potential in all of you. It's an investment for the future, and they do this every year. Even if you haven't awakened yet, or even if you have, they won't pay much attention to you."

Duke knew that William probably wouldn't believe him unless he saw the mark himself, thanks to his inner vision.

"Mr. William, whether it's my imagination or the truth, I don't ask for anything else from you. Just come with me to my home, and I'll bring my sister. In the days leading up to the test day, I'll stay at the school. You can have all the enhancement pills and raw stones as compensation."

William's initial intention was to reassure Duke, but when Duke said this, he realized that convincing this kid was going to be difficult.

"You, kid, are you talking to me as if we're negotiating terms?" William gave Duke a stern look. He wasn't unwilling to help Duke, but he felt that Duke's worries were completely unnecessary.

"Alright, since you insist, I'll come with you. But you, kid, don't play the challenging game with me in the future."

William was slightly annoyed. He had thought that he had become quite close to these students in the past few days, and that was true with most of them. However, he felt that Duke had a certain air of aloofness about him.

"Thank you, Mr. William," Duke sighed in relief, and he looked at William with gratitude. 

"Also, please follow my instructions."

William listened patiently, and his expression grew darker. Did this kid have paranoid delusions of persecution? He agreed to go with him but decided to accompany him discreetly, so as not to be noticed by anyone, just in case the other party didn't dare to show up. If the other party did show up, he would be the first to intervene, not letting anyone get away.

"You make it sound like someone is really out to get you," William chuckled. He had to admit that Duke's arrangements were quite meticulous. However, watching this young man, who hadn't even graduated from school yet, behaving as if he were in a spy thriller, planning for things that were unlikely to happen, he couldn't help but find it amusing.

"Teacher, as long as you remember everything, I'll be at ease," Duke took a deep breath, feeling much more relaxed.

During their conversation earlier, he had also done some thinking. Psychic Marking, this type of awakening ability, had been explained in textbooks. Awakening abilities came in various forms, but they were mainly categorized into combat, support, and utility abilities. Psychic Marking fell under the category of utility abilities and could be used to detect the location of the marked individual.

Duke's address was not really a secret; it could easily be found in the school records. Assuming the other party had malicious intent, marking Duke clearly indicated that they didn't want to confront him at his home.

With William waiting nearby, Duke packed his belongings, and the two of them left the campus one after the other. The sky seemed to have been inked, and not long after, a light drizzle enveloped the entire city in mist.

Outside the J City Enforcement Bureau, a row of black luxury cars was parked, and dozens of tall men in matching black suits held straight black umbrellas, standing on both sides of the street without looking around.

Then, a burly man pushed open the car door, and his assistant handed him a cigar. He took a puff and waved his hand towards the street below, revealing a brilliant smile.