Tonight.
The welcome banquet was grandly held at Yunshan Port.
Newcomers from various major organizations would make their debut, becoming known to the public.
“Kinda sounds like a debut showcase,” Shen Ye remarked.
“In a way, yeah—this is when the newcomers from noble families and the three major organizations step onto the real stage. Hurry up!” Qian Rushan’s voice came through the phone.
Shen Ye put down his phone and twisted the throttle.
The Ghostfire motorcycle roared, surging into the sky, heading toward a gilded, resplendent skyscraper.
“Can you go any faster?” Xiao Mengyu shouted.
“Safety first in the martial world!” Shen Ye shouted back.
The island floated above the deep blue sea, with an even vaster blue sky stretching above it.
Xiao Mengyu sat sideways, one hand resting lightly on his shoulder, the other gripping the seat, watching the flocks of birds soaring freely through the heavens.
The sky was a vast, unbroken expanse.
The autumn waters reflected the setting sun, the fading light dimming the distant mountains.
The fierce wind whipped through her hair.
Strands of it kept brushing against her eyes and nose, making her giggle.
“Will you die if you act a little braver? Speed up already!”
Xiao Mengyu smacked his shoulder hard.
“Big Sis, this is a Ghostfire motorcycle, but I’m not a Ghostfire punk!” Shen Ye protested loudly.
“What’s a Ghostfire punk?” Xiao Mengyu shouted back.
“Charge ahead—crash—Mamma Mia!” Shen Ye put on an act, mimicking getting hit.
Xiao Mengyu got it and burst into laughter.
The flocks of birds had long since flown away.
Beneath the azure sky, the Ghostfire motorcycle suddenly picked up speed.
Shen Ye gripped the handlebars tightly, carving an arc through the air as he skimmed past the towering skyscrapers.
The explosive roar of the engine echoed continuously.
Amid the girl’s cheering, the Ghostfire motorcycle trailed a long tail of clouds, drawing a graceful curve in the sky before landing smoothly on the rooftop helipad of the Martial Arts Tower.
Qian Rushan, dressed in a sharp black suit and sunglasses, was anxiously checking his watch.
“Hmph, you really cut it close—didn’t I warn you to be careful tonight?”
He shot Shen Ye a fierce glare before turning to Xiao Mengyu with a polite smile.
“Welcome, Miss Xiao. Will you be accompanying Shen Ye tonight?”
“Yes, I will be with him this evening,” Xiao Mengyu replied with a slight bow.
Shen Ye dropped her off, rode his bike away, and returned a few minutes later, picking up the conversation.
“Be careful of what? I don’t recall you mentioning anything.”
—Xiao Mengyu stood beside him, showing a hint of concern.
“The noble family heirs will be making an example of the newcomers. I assume Miss Xiao understands,” Qian Rushan said.
“Oh, same as every year. Boring,” Xiao Mengyu nodded slightly, losing interest immediately, shifting her gaze toward the sky.
Taking the opportunity, Qian Rushan shot Shen Ye an exaggerated look.
—Kid, not bad! You actually got her to attend with you!
Shen Ye half-lowered his eyelids, too lazy to respond.
—I don’t have any ulterior motives. I just wanted to help her.
Yeah, that’s all it is.
“It’s about time we head in.”
The three of them looked toward the edge of the tower.
Beyond the building—
A long staircase hovered in midair.
Following the stairs upward would lead to a palace deep in the sky.
Many skyscrapers had rooftops that conveniently reached the floating stairway descending from above.
—It was designed this way from the very beginning.
“Let’s go!”
The three stepped onto the staircase, ascending step by step.
The sky was a boundless stretch of blue, cloudless and vast.
The calm blue heavens gradually darkened as night fell, leaving only a golden glow sinking toward the horizon. The afterglow and twilight blended together, casting a radiance over the three of them.
“Feels kinda like graduation season…” Shen Ye mumbled.
“What?” Xiao Mengyu asked.
“Ah, nothing!” Shen Ye quickly brushed it off.
“Don’t be too reckless tonight. I already told you, those noble brats are looking to pick a fight. Just find a private room and hide out until the banquet ends. Once it’s over, you can safely enter the exam venue,” Qian Rushan nagged.
“Isn’t this place supposed to be safe?”
Shen Ye found the sky beautiful and kept staring at it as he absentmindedly replied.
“If someone challenges you and you refuse, it’ll be a disgrace to the organization. But if you accept, it’s a formal one-on-one duel, and Kunlun won’t intervene,” Xiao Mengyu said flatly.
“Wow, terrifying. I’m heading back.” Shen Ye turned to leave.
Qian Rushan grabbed him and dragged him back.
“Tonight is when the playing cards finalize their evaluation, you idiot.”
“Besides, your strength is 5, agility is 4, and mental power is 3. Even among noble family heirs your age, those stats are already pretty decent. What are you afraid of?” Qian Rushan barked.
“Nobles have their inheritances, training in all sorts of things from childhood. We’ve got nothing,” Shen Ye spread his hands.
“I heard you learned a martial art?”
“You mean Northeast Fist…” Shen Ye’s thoughts drifted back.
“What Northeast Fist?! It’s the Northern Eastern Divine Fist!” Qian Rushan corrected.
—That technique seemed to require specific conditions to activate its higher resonance, strengthening its power.
What were those conditions?
Still needed to be figured out.
“This is an official debut ceremony. The noble families and the heads of major organizations are all watching. Every newcomer must attend,” Qian Rushan reiterated.
“I get the noble families—are there other groups I don’t know about?” Shen Ye asked.
Qian Rushan continued walking up the floating staircase.
Shen Ye and Xiao Mengyu followed behind, chatting as they went.
The three of them kept ascending toward the sky.
The sun sank lower and lower, slipping past the horizon.
But they continued climbing toward the heavens, allowing them to keep seeing the sun, basking in its last rays for a little longer.
Qian Rushan spoke as they walked, with Xiao Mengyu occasionally adding a few words.
Shen Ye half-listened, half-drifted in thought.
But eventually, night fell.
The dark curtain of night unfurled.
Starlight scattered across the world.
As he walked, Shen Ye slowly pieced things together.
In this world, noble families held dominion.
They had united to form the World United Government, ruling human society and maintaining the World United Army to handle various internal and external threats.
Beyond them, three major organizations also held power.
Mortal Martial Arts Group
Cybernetic Hunting Gear Research Institute
Eternal Life Technology Union
The Mortal Martial Arts Group holds mastery over various martial arts knowledge, making it the most powerful institution of inheritance outside of the noble families.
The Cybernetic Hunting Gear Research Institute possesses the core intellectual property rights for mechas and bionic prosthetics.
Even noble families have to procure a large quantity of war equipment from the institute for external wars, expeditions, archaeology, and maintaining public order.
Luo Feichuan’s combat arm is a product of the Cybernetic Hunting Gear Research Institute.
As for the Eternal Life Technology Union—
This institution is dedicated to the development of gene technologies in medicine, evolution, and life extension.
Even noble families cannot easily interfere with these three major organizations.
After all, both the Mortal Martial Arts Group and the Cybernetic Hunting Gear Research Institute have individuals who stand at the pinnacle of humanity.
The Eternal Life Technology Union belongs to Kunlun.
It possesses intelligence, and any excessive interference with it would lead to unpredictable consequences.
That is the general situation.
Of course—
There are also other organizations.
For example, the Archaeological Association, a group formed jointly by members of the noble families and the three major institutions.
Various churches, being too inflammatory, are still not recognized by the world government.
As for mysterious organizations like the Tower of Tarot, even most professionals rarely hear any news about them, so they are hardly worth mentioning.
Shen Ye suddenly brought the topic back:
“Hey, Old Qian, who exactly is after me?”
“You got yourself into this mess, and you still don’t know?” Qian Rushan glanced at him sideways.
“No idea.” Shen Ye spread his hands.
“Then don’t worry about it. Just eat, leave when it’s time, and I guarantee you’ll be fine.”
Before long—
Climbing the final step, the three of them finally arrived at a floating island.
It was a palace with red walls and green tiles, adorned with ornate carvings and intricate paintings.
—The Celestial Palace.
Standing at such a height, one could look around and see nothing but the vast, endless sky.
At the edge of the sea and sky, the last traces of a magnificent pink glow faded from the world’s horizon.
The sky turned completely dark.
The bright moon soared high, wind curled through cloud-covered mountains, and a hush spread through the heavens.
The world dissolved into the void of night, leaving only the floating palace, suspended in the sky, radiating layers of mesmerizing halos. Like the neon lights of a past life, they shimmered in a flowing haze, blending with the moonlight to create a dreamscape that mirrored the boundless celestial sea below.
A gentle breeze blew.
Frost-like moonlight spilled onto Xiao Mengyu’s delicate face.
Shen Ye found himself staring for a few seconds too long before Xiao Mengyu noticed. He quickly averted his gaze, pretending to glance casually at the clusters of flowers lining the red carpet.
“Kid, focus on the exam,” Xiao Mengyu snorted.
“I’ve always been focused,” Shen Ye replied with a serious expression.
A soothing violin melody drifted from the banquet hall, seemingly to help guests relax and fully immerse themselves in the grand feast.
“Are you two ready?”
Qian Rushan adjusted his sunglasses.
—He seemed even more nervous than the two examinees behind him.
Shen Ye glanced at Qian Rushan and suddenly asked:
“What happens if someone gets killed here?”
“Nonsense, that’s absolutely impossible. The big shots are all watching,” Qian Rushan snapped.
Just moments ago, he was worried Shen Ye wouldn’t show up—now he was worried he’d stir up trouble.
Bringing in newcomers was a headache.
“Sigh.” Shen Ye let out a long sigh.
“I haven’t even sighed yet, what are you sighing for?” Qian Rushan grumbled.
“It’s boring,” Shen Ye replied.
“You like fighting that much? Now that I think about it, the first time I met you, you had just finished a fight.” Qian Rushan started to feel another headache coming.
“He fights?” Xiao Mengyu interjected. “With those skinny arms and legs?”
“He fought multiple people at once while claiming he was being bullied—can you believe that?”
“Oh, that I can believe. He’s shameless enough.”
As they spoke, the three arrived at the palace entrance.
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