The three of them walked forward along the red carpet.
The crowd was lively and noisy.
Shen Ye’s gaze flickered, revealing a trace of reminiscence.
From the moment the fights began—
His memories always circled back to that hotel.
Countless corpses.
The expressions on the faces of every innocent victim were something he could never forget.
“Whoever wants to cause trouble, just come at me.”
Shen Ye closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again and followed Qian Rushan toward the palace.
Xiao Mengyu remained at his side.
At the palace entrance—
A crowd gathered, bustling as they took photos.
Qian Rushan stepped forward first, exchanging pleasantries with a few people.
He kept Shen Ye hidden behind him, talking while pulling Shen Ye along.
Beyond the main entrance lay tonight’s banquet hall.
Elegant gentlemen, charming ladies, and young dreamers filled the room—
A grand assembly.
But the most eye-catching sight was the large screen in the center of the hall.
It displayed the names of 54 newly inducted official members of the deck system.
The ranking board was structured like a pyramid—
At the very top, Nangong Sirui reigned with a six-star rating, towering over all the other examinees.
The second row had four individuals, all at five-star strength.
“You’re in the second row. Tsk, impressive,” Shen Ye remarked in a low voice.
“Hmph, only Nangong Sirui is worth fighting. The others don’t count,” Xiao Mengyu scoffed.
“Then why are you in the same row as them?” Shen Ye asked.
“Because they bullied others to boost their scores,” Xiao Mengyu replied.
Shen Ye continued scanning downward.
The third row had thirteen examinees, all at four-star strength.
The fourth row—
Before Shen Ye could look, a voice rang out beside him:
“I, Wang Jiuyan of the Wang family, a four-star rookie, challenge Xiao—”
Before the challenger could finish speaking, Xiao Mengyu’s sword flashed forward with a sharp clang before swiftly retracting.
“Did you see that clearly? If you did, then we can fight. If not, don’t waste my time,” Xiao Mengyu said coolly.
The challenger was stunned, his face flushing red, but in the end, he chose to preserve his four-star ranking and withdrew in silence.
After a brief pause—
He turned and forced a two-star rookie to accept his challenge.
—That was just an ordinary examinee. How could he possibly stand a chance?
Blood splattered as the two-star examinee was beaten down, unable to move, and was carried away by the emergency medical team.
Looking back at the ranking board—
The two-star examinee had fallen to one-star.
Yet the four-star challenger still hadn’t gained enough points to rank up, and his eyes searched the crowd once more.
“You should’ve struck him down just now,” Shen Ye said.
Xiao Mengyu, however, tugged at him.
“Look, that’s the Archaeology Association’s examinees, but Zhao Yibing isn’t there.”
Shen Ye followed her hint and glanced over.
In the corner of the banquet hall stood a few unremarkable-looking examinees.
No Zhao Yibing.
Something was off.
Zhao Yibing had definitely come.
Where was she?
A sudden realization struck Shen Ye.
That skinner was skilled in the art of human skin.
—Kunlun already knew about Zhao Yibing. There was no way they would let her come as herself.
So, she must have disguised herself as one of the examinees?
But which one?
“Forget them, focus on your own situation first,” Xiao Mengyu said.
“Yeah, we need to head to the private room immediately,” Qian Rushan added.
Grabbing Shen Ye, he moved swiftly, not even giving others a chance to greet them.
Shen Ye found it amusing.
But he had to admit—Qian Rushan’s movement skills were impressive.
From the palace entrance, they maneuvered through the grand hall, passing through the throng of socializing guests until they reached a private room at the back.
The entire time, Qian Rushan shielded Shen Ye, blocking anyone who tried to approach.
A group of seven or eight young men looking for Shen Ye were separated from him by a gathering of noblewomen.
Several professionals from other institutions, eyeing him with ill intent, were delayed by waiters spilling drinks, leaving them no chance to provoke him.
A noble middle-aged man approached head-on, seemingly unavoidable—
But Xiao Mengyu, from who knew where, suddenly splashed a glass of wine onto him.
“Sorry, it wasn’t intentional,” she said indifferently.
Qian Rushan seized the moment to pull Shen Ye away.
Finally—
At the corridor’s end, a young man wielding dual short sticks blocked their path, only to be tackled by a beautiful woman demanding his business card.
Shen Ye glanced at her.
That woman was Qian Rushan’s subordinate, Wen Na.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Qian Rushan led Shen Ye through the corridor and into a private room.
Xiao Mengyu followed closely behind.
Bang!
The door shut.
Qian Rushan wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a breath.
“We’re safe here.”
“This is our company’s private room. No one without an invitation can enter.”
Shen Ye chuckled.
“Shouldn’t I have fought a bit? Made a name for myself in an event like this?”
Earlier, he had spotted Zhang Xiaoyi, his face bruised and swollen.
He had also seen Guo Yunye, covered in wounds.
Both had wanted to speak to him—
But, dragged along by Qian Rushan, he had no chance to greet them.
These commoner youths had been beaten down at the starting line.
But they had no choice.
There was only one road to the heavens. They had to endure in silence until they learned powerful inheritances from the three major academies—
Only then would they have a sliver of hope to turn the tables.
“At first, I considered letting you fight,” Qian Rushan said, “but a certain special guest is attending tonight. There will be countless young elites vying for her favour. I was worried things would get out of hand.”
Xiao Mengyu added, “That’s right. Even though advanced medical staff and equipment are on standby, the exams are coming up. Any injuries would still affect your condition.”
—She seemed particularly composed, as if she knew everything.
“A special guest? Who?” Shen Ye asked.
“So you really don’t know,” Qian Rushan murmured.
Since he wasn’t answering, Shen Ye couldn’t be bothered to ask again. He turned his attention to the private room, where an array of food and drinks was laid out.
The cuisine in this world had developed well. People valued fresh ingredients, so most of the food was served immediately after being prepared.
Shen Ye picked up a piece of strawberry chocolate cake and asked Xiao Mengyu first:
“Do you want some?”
“I’m on a diet,” Xiao Mengyu replied.
Her figure was already great—who knew what she was trying to lose weight for?
Shen Ye shook his head and opened his mouth to take a bite of the cake.
Qian Rushan suddenly snatched it away.
“Don’t eat that—just wait until we get back to the group for a late-night snack. Tomorrow’s the exam, after all. Better safe than sorry.”
Shen Ye spread his hands. “Isn’t that a bit much?”
“If you make it into one of the top three high schools, I won’t interfere anymore. But before the exam, I don’t want anything going wrong,” Qian Rushan said.
“It’s just food,” Shen Ye replied.
“You’ll understand in time—some people will stop at nothing to achieve their goals,” Qian Rushan said with a sigh, as if recalling something.
That convinced Shen Ye.
Yes, being cautious wouldn’t hurt.
Knock, knock, knock!
Someone rapped on the door.
“Director Qian, it’s the reporters,” Wen Na’s voice came from outside.
Qian Rushan glanced at Shen Ye.
Shen Ye looked toward Xiao Mengyu.
“I’m fine with it,” Xiao Mengyu shrugged.
“Every newcomer has to go through an interview. Might as well get it over with,” Qian Rushan said.
The door opened.
A man and a woman walked in.
The woman held a microphone, while the man carried recording equipment.
“Hello, Director Qian—and this must be Shen Ye. Oh? Xiao Mengyu is here too?”
The two reporters greeted them and exchanged pleasantries before sitting down.
“You haven’t mentored a newcomer in five years, yet this time you’ve chosen to take one under your wing. How do you feel about that?” the female reporter asked Qian Rushan directly.
“His attributes all exceed the group’s standard benchmarks. I think he’s quite promising,” Qian Rushan replied.
“Does that mean his mental power is also above 1?” the female reporter asked in surprise.
“It is,” Qian Rushan nodded.
“That’s impressive. Which school do you hope he gets into? Have you discussed it with him yet?”
“For now, our focus is on the exam. As for which high school he’ll attend, that depends on his performance tomorrow,” Qian Rushan said flawlessly.
The female reporter promptly turned to Shen Ye. “So, you’re Shen Ye? Are you nervous today?”
“Nervous,” Shen Ye answered.
“Why nervous? Is it because of the competition, or do you think the exam will be too difficult?”
“This is my first time being interviewed, so I’m a bit nervous,” Shen Ye answered honestly.
…He wasn’t nervous about the exam, but about the interview.
Seriously—
Xiao Mengyu’s lips twitched.
The female reporter was briefly stunned but kept her professional smile.
“What about the exam? Are you worried about your performance?”
Shen Ye thought seriously.
Two days ago, Qian Rushan had already acknowledged his attributes.
Now, all his stats had exceeded 4.
He even had 10 free attribute points.
He had activated the “Moonlit Divine Reflection.”
He had mastered a purple-grade inherited technique.
And he had a complete set of Northeast Divine Fist techniques.
As for the exam—
“I’ll maintain a good mindset, do my best, and strive for an excellent score,” Shen Ye replied, mimicking Qian Rushan’s composed tone.
“That’s too bland—there’s no substance. Shen, can you say a bit more?” The female reporter sighed. “Doing interviews is tough for us too, you know.”
“There are a lot of candidates outside. Are you interviewing all of them?” Shen Ye asked.
“That’s right. Tomorrow, a special exam edition will be released—so tonight, we’ll be working overtime,” the female reporter explained.
Shen Ye looked at her with sympathy.
Overtime—only those who have experienced it know the pain.
—He’d been a working man before. Might as well lend them a hand.
After a brief pause, he spoke:
“Alright, I have some exam tips to share.”
“Exam tips? Please elaborate!” The female reporter’s eyes lit up.
Qian Rushan and Xiao Mengyu also turned to him.
Shen Ye cleared his throat and spoke seriously:
“Take exams rigorously, follow the rules; read carefully, answer diligently; stay calm, write neatly; focus on the questions, avoid distractions; handle challenges steadily, give your best effort; maintain rhythm, adhere to proper format; approach with the right attitude, be confident and composed.”
“Also, I believe exams aren’t the only measure of success, but hard work is the path to achieving it.”
“Every effort is for a better tomorrow.”
“Hard work paves the way to a brilliant future.”
“Exams aren’t the end—they’re a new beginning.”
“Knowledge changes fate; diligence shapes the future.”
“Details determine success, and attitude determines everything.”
“Sweat more before the test, regret less after it.”
“Give it your all, strive for excellence.”
“Push forward with determination, set your sights high.”
“Believe in yourself, surpass yourself.”
“—That should be enough for you to write about, right?” Shen Ye said with a considerate expression.
Qian Rushan: “…”
Female reporter: “…”
Xiao Mengyu turned her face away, her shoulders trembling slightly.
“Our interview with the Mortal Martial Arts Group ends here. Next, we’ll be speaking with Xiao Mengyu,” the female reporter said, lowering her head.
“Go ahead,” Qian Rushan also lowered his head.
Taking advantage of their distraction, Shen Ye quietly swiped a piece of candy from the table.
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