Ten minutes later, Zhang Ping arrived at the small park.

Still unsure if the person was friend or foe, he decided to hide in a corner, using the cover of night to wait for the mysterious figure.

There was still much to explore about his Fire Eater ability.

As he waited, he practiced controlling the fire element energy in his body, continuously refining his mastery over it. However, he encountered a limitation: he couldn’t release the energy in its raw form. Once the energy left his body, it would instantly transform into flames, which he lacked the ability to control.

To put it in perspective, he was like a gas cylinder. He controlled the valve, allowing him to release gas, but the moment it escaped, it ignited into fire. While he could regulate the flow of gas, he had no means to control the resulting flames.

The so-called flame-wrapping effect was merely a layer of fire forming on the surface of his body.

The essence of Fire Eater was his ability to consume flames as sustenance, not to wield control over fire itself.

The abilities of Awakeners were endlessly diverse.

In Mingzhu City, many Awakeners possessed seemingly similar powers that operated on entirely different principles.

For instance, two fire-manipulating Awakeners could function in drastically different ways. Some developed unique glands that secreted a flammable liquid. When this liquid mixed with sweat and was expelled through their sweat glands, it ignited violently, effectively turning the user into a human torch.

Others relied solely on physical stamina, conjuring fire out of thin air.

There were even Awakeners similar to Zhang Ping, who didn’t need to consume fire but could generate and store a comparable energy source through regular meals, then expend it to produce flames.

Even among Awakeners with the same energy type, individual differences like personality could lead to entirely distinct effects.

In Mingzhu City, a pair of famous twin brothers both awakened lightning manipulation. The elder brother, fiery-tempered, developed his ability into a raging thunderstorm, while the younger, calm and composed, evolved his power into a subtle static field.

Any ability, with consistent practice, would eventually take on the shape of its user’s habits.

This was why Zhang Ping constantly trained his powers.

Contract Gem could only be used twice a day, leaving little room for practice. Night Walker was a passive skill, offering no control. Currently, the only abilities he could freely train were Identification Skill and Fire Eater.

At nine o’clock, the park was still deserted.

Zhang Ping wasn’t impatient, pondering whether consuming certain types of special flames might yield unique effects for Fire Eater.

Suddenly, a black circle appeared beneath his feet.

The moment he saw it, he instinctively tried to leap away, but in the next instant, he fell into the circle.

The blackness wasn’t the darkness of night—it was an oppressive void where nothing could be seen.

He felt himself plummeting rapidly, but no matter how he tried, he couldn’t stop the fall. Even when he channeled his energy to explode through his feet, burning through his shoes, it had no effect.

After about thirty seconds, he landed with a heavy thud, his body enveloped by a black liquid.

The substance clung to him like a rubber suit, tightly wrapping him from head to toe, leaving only his head exposed.

"You have five minutes to prove you're human."

Before Zhang Ping could fully process the situation, a familiar voice echoed. He looked up to see a woman dressed in white, her face concealed by an ice mask, gripping a sword made of ice.

As soon as their eyes met, she pressed the blade against his neck. The chill emanating from the sword instantly sobered him up.

Prove I'm human?

I am human. How am I supposed to prove it?

Wait!

Zhang Ping's normally squinted eyes widened in realization. He asked, "Don’t tell me you have no way to identify the Mutated Beasts hidden in the city?"

"..."

The woman remained silent, her lack of response betraying nothing. Her eyes, visible beneath the mask, were as calm as still water.

Yet her silence gave Zhang Ping the answer he needed. They couldn't accurately determine the situation in Mingzhu City, nor could they pinpoint the hidden Skyborn Foxes.

It seemed they had only discovered the city's plight through indirect means, but they didn't know the specifics.

No, that’s not right!

Zhang Ping immediately dismissed this thought.

After all, this same woman had intervened when he attempted to assassinate the young Skyborn Fox. She knew what it was, even its abilities.

What they lacked was a way to identify every single Skyborn Fox hiding in Mingzhu City.

This must be why they needed individuals to prove their humanity—they couldn’t ascertain the true identity of every resident. In their eyes, anyone could be a potential Mutated Beast.

Calming himself, Zhang Ping quickly deduced her motives but was now faced with a new dilemma: how was he supposed to prove he was human?

In his past life, a DNA test would have sufficed.

The problem now was that she was aware of the Skyborn Fox's ability to warp perceptions. Standard methods wouldn’t work.

"Could you give me a hint?"

He rubbed his temples, looking at the woman with a headache.

Predictably, she stayed silent, merely waiting for his proof.

After a moment of thought, Zhang Ping decided to try his Identification Skill on her.

[Identification failed]

[Identification failed]

[Identification failed x8]

[Identification failed x20]

As the string of failures piled up, Zhang Ping began doubting whether his skill was malfunctioning. Still, he persisted.

Finally, two minutes later:

[Identification Complete]

[Name: Liu Sishan]

[Race: Human]

[Potential: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐]

[Lifespan: 122 years]

[Level: Advanced Awakener]

[Grade: 21]

[Talent]

[Water Element Manipulation: Stores water-element energy by drinking water and can freely manipulate it.]

[Upgraded Skills]

[Intermediate Level - Energy Compression: Compresses internal water energy, significantly increasing storage capacity.]

[Advanced Level - Water Temperature Regulation: Adjusts the temperature of water energy, allowing converted pure water to range from -150°C to 200°C.]

...

What incredible strength!

Zhang Ping had encountered Advanced Awakeners before, but Liu Sishan's attributes were still astonishing, particularly her potential. Despite already being an Advanced Awakener, she retained a five-star potential that had yet to be fully realized.

If she converted all of it into strength, how powerful would she become?

A Top-Level Awakener?

Or perhaps the legendary King Level?

Closing Liu Sishan's attribute screen, Zhang Ping shook the thought aside. He had no time to dwell on it—only three minutes remained.

His top priority now was proving he was human, not a Mutated Beast.

Initially, he hoped identifying Liu Sishan might trigger some memory from the original Zhang Ping. After all, the note indicated she knew the younger Zhang Ping, which meant Zhang Ping might know her as well.

Skyborn Foxes do not possess abilities like memory reading.

In the eyes of others, they appear human, but their essence is not a disguise—it’s a distortion on the cognitive level.

Thus, as long as you present information that a Skyborn Fox could not possibly know, it is enough to prove your authenticity. Even if a Skyborn Fox attempts to impersonate someone, it cannot suddenly conjure knowledge it doesn’t have.

When faced with information outside their knowledge, Skyborn Foxes typically deflect or muddle through. Due to the cognitive distortion, most people fail to notice anything amiss. However, Zhang Ping had been closely observing the Skyborn Fox’s behavior and was acutely aware of this limitation.

The crux of the issue was the name "Liu Sishan."

Zhang Ping found no clues in the original host's memories.

He speculated two possibilities: either Liu Sishan had changed her name, and her original name wasn’t Liu Sishan, or Liu Sishan knew him while he didn’t know her.

“One minute left!” Liu Sishan interjected at this moment.

Frowning, Zhang Ping kept recalling the original host’s childhood and listed every girl he had known back then.

“Are you Liu Sisi?”

“Are you Liu Xiaoxiao?”

“Are you Liu Pingping?”

“Are you Liu Anan?”

Zhang Ping looked up at Liu Sishan, trying out each name one by one.

Liu Sishan remained silent at first but finally spoke when she saw Zhang Ping’s persistence. “This doesn’t prove you’re human.”

She had a point.

These details could potentially be researched. While a Skyborn Fox might disdain digging for such information, there was always a chance.

Zhang Ping pondered further. If Liu Sishan truly was someone he knew, the most likely candidate was Liu Sisi, given the one-character difference in their names.

Back in the orphanage, Zhang Ping had very few close friends. He recognized most people but wasn’t familiar with them.

Liu Sisi was three years older than Zhang Ping. She entered Mingzhu Ability Academy three years before him, and by the time he enrolled, she had already graduated early and joined the Investigation Unit.

This information came from the original host’s memories.

The reason the original host knew these details was from his last visit to the orphanage. The old dean had mentioned Liu Sisi donating money to the orphanage. The dean brought it up casually, and since the original host had yet to awaken his abilities back then, he was too confident in himself to pay it much mind.

Now, the more Zhang Ping thought about it, the more convinced he became that Liu Sishan was the same Liu Sisi from back then.

He racked his brain, trying to recall everything about Liu Sisi. Any information that could be recorded wouldn’t work as proof; the key was something only the two of them would know.

The small park, martial arts...

Suddenly, Zhang Ping remembered something. As a child, the original host had spent a few days practicing martial arts with Liu Sisi.

It was really just play, like a game of make-believe.

At the time, Liu Sisi had seriously taught him the so-called “Si Si’s Unmatched Fist of Cataclysm,” and he had taken it completely seriously.

“First Move – Huh, Second Move – Oh Huh, Third Move – Huh Oh Huh. Si Si’s Unmatched Fist of Cataclysm.”

Zhang Ping looked up at Liu Sishan. Though he felt a bit embarrassed, he still recited the martial arts mantra that Liu Sisi had taught him years ago to prove he was human.

In an instant, the previously calm and composed Liu Sishan’s eyes, hidden beneath her mask, rippled with unmistakable emotion.