Chapter 3053 Third Fold Professor Fu

"I am Ji Zhaoyi. Does Professor Fu not recognize me?"

Even though he was accustomed to great storms and held immense power, the Head of the Ji Clan standing before him seemed entirely caught off guard by Professor Fu's reaction.

He stared for several seconds before calmly introducing himself and capping it off with that question, looking more than a little skeptical.

"I do now. Hold your question for a moment."

Unfortunately, Professor Fu had always been a man of absolute conviction. He simply gave a self-assured nod and gestured for the man to wait to be called on.

One had to learn to use the right identity in the right situation to secure an advantage.

For a massive family like the Ji Clan, bringing up the revenue of the Shangjing Little Shop wouldn't exactly make them look at him with newfound respect.

But speaking as an educator naturally forced a student's parent to be a bit more polite. It even meshed perfectly with the man's opening greeting.

Since the man had already assumed the role of a student's parent, wouldn't it be a waste not to make him raise his hand to answer a question?

"Is that name right?"

After gesturing for the roll-called contestant to sit tight, Fu Qian turned to Excellency Corvos to verify that Classmate Liushuang hadn't just hired some random actor to fool the teacher.

"That is correct." Corvos clearly hadn't expected to serve as a class roster, but he maintained his excellent manners and gave a slow nod.

Moreover, although Ji Zhaoyi had opened by directly stating his name and expressing disbelief that Professor Fu didn't recognize him, Corvos—as a master of fate—could conclude from their brief exchange that Fu Qian genuinely had no idea who the man was.

"No wonder he looks so distinguished."

Going along with that, Professor Fu immediately changed his tune, offering high praise.

"The higher the Rank, the harder it is to be influenced."

Corvos obviously didn't think Professor Fu was the type to pander to power. He took the initiative to explain why Ji Zhaoyi didn't look as rigid as the others.

"I see."

Fu Qian nodded repeatedly as he listened.

It made perfect sense. The fact that even the Head of the Ji Clan could be summoned so easily—appearing at the first summons—was terrifying enough. If fate could also be influenced and altered at will, Excellency Corvos's authority would rival that of a player with console commands.

The fact that the fate of a High-Tier Transcendent could still be reflected demonstrated the power of destiny.

But the higher the Rank, the harder it was to influence or rewrite, which showcased a transcendent lifeform's own power to control its fate. Perhaps this was why so many people strove to climb to the top?

Even as he elevated the depth of his thoughts, Fu Qian didn't forget to offer further commentary.

"The oppressive aura this old man gives off feels even heavier than Excellency Stoss's."

...

Wasn't that assessment a little too precise?

As someone in the same camp—in a sense—at this time and place, Stoss naturally wouldn't take offense at being used as a point of comparison.

But faced with Fu Qian's conclusion in that moment, he was still visibly shaken.

"According to our intelligence, Ji Zhaoyi has indeed taken another step beyond Tier 2, and his condition is fairly stable."

However, he didn't bother asking what brand of radar Professor Fu was using. Stoss simply spoke up and shared the relevant intelligence.

"What a formidable youth."

Fu Qian immediately praised him, sounding full of lament as if he were still immersed in the past.

A youth? The emotion was certainly rich, but the tone didn't quite match his image. The various listeners all wore strange expressions in that moment—though no one dared to question it.

'Do the Night Watchers also have a solid grasp on Old Man Ji Feng's life? Is that why they find it understandable for a fellow administrator like me to address someone from the Ji Clan as a junior? Do they even view me as some sort of old monster as well?'

Quietly arriving at this triple string of deductions, Fu Qian wasn't too surprised.

Based on what he had learned so far, Senior Ji Feng was arguably the administrator with the widest range of activity. His earliest known involvement had been causing trouble at the Blood Wedding.

Such a long time span should have been more than enough for the Night Watchers to build a proper file and record it well.

Especially considering that Excellency Corvos had practically just admitted that the Night Watchers' rise to the political stage had been secretly pushed by the Warehouse.

'Then who was the one doing the pushing?'

Factoring in the scope of activity, Fu Qian's first thought had been Old Man Ji.

So in his view, the connection between Ji Feng and the Night Watchers was likely the deepest among all the administrators.

The fact that the Ji Clan had managed to develop to its current level might even be related to this—they were sheltered by the legacy of a true predecessor.

"Professor Fu..."

Right then, An Gui stepped up to prove Corvos's point. Holding the Demigod Rank, second only to Ji Zhaoyi, he was the second to speak up and offer a greeting.

As for him also addressing him as Professor Fu, that was perfectly normal.

When they were dealing with each other in the Wasteland, Fu Qian had used his real name and had even revealed his Demigod Rank.

As long as someone bothered to pay a little attention to Classmate Liushuang's situation, a lot of information lined up perfectly.

'As for why the rest of the Ji Clan didn't seem to make the connection?'

It was simple. The stakes were too high, and An Gui's clean-up work hadn't been for nothing.

"Please believe me."

Even now, right after his greeting, the very first thing An Gui emphasized was his own reliability.

"I believe you."

The biggest taboo when picking a side was making people think you weren't absolutely committed.

Fu Qian naturally understood this very well. He gave an easygoing nod, signaling the man to just walk down this path to the very end.

...Did they really look like they were conspiring to commit murder?

Though the exchange was brief, the onlookers—with their wealth of jianghu experience—could easily read between the lines.

An Gui's reaction was clearly not normal. It seemed there was some unspoken understanding between him and Professor Fu... he even seemed terrified that the latter would think they didn't have enough of an understanding.

In any case, the successive reactions of the two big shots from the Ji Clan actually seemed to increasingly validate all of Professor Fu's previous outrageous statements.

Following Professor Fu's response, An Gui's complexion even seemed to improve a fraction.

This point didn't seem to require Excellency Corvos's interpretation. It was easy to guess that Professor Fu's promise had ensured that An Gui's upcoming fate would continue to improve.

"Professor Fu."

Right then, a third greeting rang out.

As a highly valued research assistant, Classmate Liushuang used the exact same title. Even his tone and demeanor were virtually identical to how he acted in the Laboratory.

Following this display, Fu Qian could almost feel the disappointment in the onlookers' eyes.

It was obvious that because he had a close relationship with Professor Fu, this young person had been placed under high hopes—hopes that he would expose more explosive gossip about Professor Fu, or reveal a more sensitive alternate persona.

But the address he used was utterly mundane.

"Please take care."

His next words lacked even more substance.

Meeting Professor Fu's gaze, Classmate Liushuang's tone sounded just like someone bidding farewell to a boss heading out on a scientific expedition, offering an earnest and careful reminder.