Chapter Ninety-One: The Sixth Rank

Ye Chen took off his wristwatch and held it in his hand, studying it intently.

On the surface, he was as steady as a veteran hound, but inside he was practically dancing with joy.

One more awakened artifact meant he was now in a dual-awakened state. How could he not be thrilled?

Across from him, You Ya chose to wait quietly. She sipped her coffee in silence, feigning idly toying with her nails, while now and then casting a faint, sidelong glance at Ye Chen, who wore a thoughtful expression.

Yet the frantic beating in her chest betrayed just how excited and expectant she truly was.

Ye Chen felt that, as the master of a self-awakened artifact, figuring out its function should not be difficult.

The simplest method was to pour his internal essence into it.

But this time, Ye Chen seemed to fail.

Not only did his internal essence not decrease, nothing happened at all.

Seeing Ye Chen lower his eyes in thought and frown, You Ya asked, “You can’t test it out?”

Ye Chen first nodded slowly, then slowly shook his head, leaving You Ya frowning as well. What exactly did that mean?

The nod meant that when he tried to continue pouring his internal essence into the second orb, it no longer absorbed anything, as if an invisible barrier were blocking him.

The shake of the head meant that the instant he completed the bond of ownership, the temporary task on the notice board had been fulfilled.

Along with that came the usage instructions for the self-awakened artifact:

[Self-awakened storage artifact]

[Ownership condition: The master fills the orb inside the dial with his own internal essence]

[Special function: By adjusting the dial, the master can accelerate or slow the flow of time for the items stored within]

[Note: The six orbs inside the dial correspond to six different tiers; different tiers mean different storage capacities]

Is it because my level is too low right now, so I can’t satisfy the conditions to infuse the second orb? That must be it... Ye Chen drew the most reasonable conclusion from the information he had.

He read the description over and over. Suddenly, he felt that something was wrong.

In the next moment, he abruptly opened his eyes, lifted his head, and looked at You Ya, whose gaze was burning with curiosity, and asked in surprise, “So far, the known ranks of awakeners are only E, D, C, B, and A. That’s only five tiers. Are there any other tiers above that?”

Ye Chen was not asking without cause. His own guess had startled even himself.

The note clearly stated that there were six orbs, corresponding to six different tiers, six tiers in all... That was clearly at odds with the rank system given by the Transcendent Office.

You Ya relaxed her delicately furrowed brows, her eyes glinting as she asked with curiosity, “You’re just an E-rank awakener. Why are you suddenly asking such a high-level question?”

Ye Chen realized he had said a bit too much earlier, but as an old hunter who knew how to remain composed in changing circumstances, he quickly adjusted his mood and adopted an earnest, studious expression.

Seeing that she could not easily catch him in a trap, the clever woman shifted tactics and said indirectly, “I’ve never seen an awakener above A-rank. There isn’t any record of one in the Transcendent Office’s database either. If anyone’s internal essence can break past one million, I’d gladly call that divine rank.

“So, when you were testing it just now, did you discover something?”

“Didn’t you already guess it?” Ye Chen showed no embarrassment at all. Instead, he flattered her shamelessly. “Chief Director You Ya really is the perfect fusion of intelligence and beauty.

“The abilities displayed by this self-awakened artifact are closely tied to the owner’s rank.”

Reasonable... You Ya muttered to herself, and in the next instant she felt it was a terrible waste for such a self-awakened artifact to recognize a low-rank awakener like Ye Chen as its master.

With a soft snort, she said, “You made a huge bargain today. Even my brother will probably be insanely envious, so I suggest you don’t die easily. If people learn that you possess a self-awakened artifact, there’ll definitely be a line of people waiting to strip your corpse.

“But then again, if you use the awakened artifact you swiped from me to do anything wicked, the Transcendent Office will personally come to reclaim it!

“Now, then, please begin your performance!”

Damn, is that a threat or a warning?

If you want to use seduction on me, bring it on!

Wait a second! If word gets out that I possess a self-awakened artifact, it’ll definitely be your Transcendent Office’s doing.

Ye Chen added this silently in his heart, though he was still a little uneasy.

“I’ll keep your secret for you, and my brother will keep the mouths of the other researchers in the Transcendent Office shut!” You Ya brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and once again had Ye Chen firmly under control.

Ye Chen curled his lip and chose not to look at the triumphant expression she was surely wearing now. He first turned the dial, then drew out his internal essence and infused it into the watch.

With a hum, the watch immediately reacted. The face popped open, revealing a base beneath it with a square recess.

The reason the watch had no response earlier was because he had not yet set the speed at which time would flow, and the watch had been waiting for the activation of the second orb.

In the next instant, You Ya suddenly lunged over and, with a complete lack of ladylike composure, snatched the watch from Ye Chen’s hand, staring closely at the exposed base.

But she could not tell what was special about it, because in her eyes, the recess was just a recess, a shallow carving in the base and nothing more.

Yet in Ye Chen’s perception, that recess was a space measuring one cubic meter.

It was not large, but the discovery truly delighted him for a moment.

If he had guessed correctly, this space confirmed the note’s words. It could be used to store things.

You Ya stared at Ye Chen’s eyes and asked, “You’ve already mastered how to use it?”

Ye Chen gave a slight nod.

“And what does it do?”

After some thought, Ye Chen chose to tell the truth.

“The recess you see is actually a space one cubic meter in size. I can store things inside it.

“Watch closely...”

Ye Chen casually picked up the coffee spoon from the table and brought it near the recess. A flash of silver later, the spoon in his hand vanished instantly.

You Ya’s eyes lit up.

Ye Chen brushed his hand across the recess again, silver light flashing once more, and the coffee spoon reappeared in his hand.

“A spatial storage device. This watch is actually a spatial storage device. It’s far too rare,” You Ya murmured in excitement.

A box’s function was originally to hold things, which was perfectly in line with its nature. But when the space inside was suddenly magnified countless times, its value became enormous.

Excitedly, You Ya fetched quite a few small items, all of which Ye Chen stored in the space without exception.

Moreover, if he wanted to retrieve any one of them, he only needed a single thought.

You Ya looked like a little girl who had just discovered a novel toy, but Ye Chen knew there was an even greater surprise waiting for her next...