The examination of nearly a thousand people was completely over within two to three hours.

But an accident still occurred.

A female examinee fell and hit her head directly on a stone, dying on the spot.

When the blood-covered corpse was carried out, everyone fell silent.

Compared to the warm and mellow evaluations of the past, this assessment was undoubtedly bloody and brutal.

...

On the way back, the injured boarded the bus first to leave. They wouldn't go to the Martial Arts Assessment Center again; instead, they were sent directly to the hospital.

Sitting on the bus, the two were silent for a while. Zhou Xue suddenly said softly, "I heard you helped me during the assessment."

"A minor effort." Chen Shouyi shrugged and said.

"Thank you!" Zhou Xue said, her face blushing, quickly turning her head to hide.

Such a shy young girl, she had probably been preparing to say this thank you for a long time.

"You're the landlord's daughter, so I have to look after you a bit!" Chen Shouyi said, noticing her unease, stopped teasing her, and got down to business: "Just to inform you in advance, once we get back to the hotel, I won't be returning to Changmen Town with you. I need to go to Hedong to assure my parents of my safety."

"Got it!" Zhou Xue, though curious, didn't ask as she usually didn't like to ask more.

"Do you know how to get back?" asked Chen Shouyi.

"Yes!" Zhou Xue's face turned cold as she replied.

And thus, the conversation ended there.

...

The bus soon arrived at the Martial Arts Assessment Center.

The registration, certification, and oath processes that followed are not worth mentioning.

The identity issue that Chen Shouyi was worried about turned out to be nothing after all.

Gazing at this small and exquisite certificate, he finally felt like a person with political rights.

A month ago, if he could have gotten this certificate, he might have laughed in his dreams.

But that could only happen in dreams.

At that time, he was as far from being a Martial Artist Apprentice as dream was from reality.

But at this moment, he didn't feel any joy.

Very bland.

Just like an old hand at driving an illegal taxi finally passed the driving test, everything seemed so natural.

For him, he was now pursuing a Martial Artist Certificate.

A Martial Artist Apprentice Certificate was already beneath his notice.

Returning to the hotel with Zhou Xue, Chen Shouyi shouldered his backpack, took his briefcase, unzipped it to check, observed that the Shell Lady was sleeping soundly, and zipped it back up.

After leaving, he knocked on the door across the hall: "I'm leaving now."

"Okay!" Zhou Xue answered from inside.

Chen Shouyi smiled, not minding, as he had grown accustomed to Zhou Xue's somewhat aloof nature. Besides, he didn't want to trouble a young girl.

...

He checked out at the hotel service desk, hailed a taxi, and headed straight for the high-speed rail station.

An hour later, he had boarded the high-speed train to Hedong City.

Arriving at his carriage, he found someone already sitting in his seat. Chen Shouyi indicated with his ticket, saying, "Excuse me, this seat is mine?"

The carriage was quite empty, clearly not overcrowded, so Chen Shouyi felt a bit puzzled.

"Oh, sorry." The young man quickly stood up and sat across from him.

Noticing his strange accent, Chen Shouyi couldn't help but glance at him. He saw that the other was already looking out the window.

This was a young man who looked about twenty, with smooth and delicate skin. Although he was wearing ordinary clothes and wasn't particularly handsome, he possessed a peculiar charm.

Chen Shouyi didn't scrutinize him further and soon pulled out a book of universal language to read.

The train gradually started moving.

The young man maintained this posture for more than half an hour before withdrawing his gaze and looking at Chen Shouyi: "I hope I'm not disturbing you. What book are you reading?"

If one ignored his somewhat strange accent, his voice carried a magnetic quality, sounding pleasant and elegant.

Chen Shouyi looked up and smiled, "Universal Language!"

"Universal Language? What language is this?" The young man seemed a bit puzzled.

"It's a language from another world." Chen Shouyi didn't find it strange because not many people studied Universal Language, only those in Martial Arts Academies or specialized research institutions would learn such a niche language.

"Another world..." he murmured softly, "I'm sorry, could I take a look?"

Chen Shouyi didn't mind and handed the book over.

The young man began to flip through it at an incredible speed, turning a page every second or two, seemingly playfully. After a minute or two, he stopped and returned the book to Chen Shouyi, "Interesting! Is this something every warrior must learn?"

When Chen Shouyi received the book, he was momentarily taken aback upon hearing his question.

Then, puzzled, he asked, "How do you know? You shouldn't be from the Great Xia Country, right? In Great Xia, they're not called warriors!"

"You're right, I'm from far away. As for how I can tell, it's because it can't escape my eyes. You're much stronger than the ordinary people here," the young man said with a confident smile.

Chen Shouyi was stunned, and as he reflected on the final words, realized how unusual they were, as if the young man wasn't from this world.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck his body, freezing him in place, while a cold sweat began to seep from his back.

"Are you nervous?" the young man asked with a smile.

Though his demeanor remained amicable and gentle, Chen Shouyi could distinctly feel a high-handed and superior indifference in his smile.

"No, it's probably just because the carriage is too warm," Chen Shouyi hurriedly concealed, his heart pounding dramatically!

He tried hard to calm himself; he knew being tense was useless. In the presence of such a terrifying entity, his life was a mere thought away from being taken.

The young man did not further press the issue and sighed in an oratory tone: "This world is exquisite yet fragile, powerful yet weak. Fortunately, everything is changing for the better. The war is coming, the foolish will fall into Hell, and the wise will achieve glory!"

Chen Shouyi wanted to object but ultimately held his tongue. Under the eye of someone who could take your life at any moment, any action that might provoke them was foolish.

Just then, an attendant entered the carriage, followed by several police officers.

"We're conducting a temporary ticket check. Please present your ticket and ID card. We apologize for any inconvenience caused." they announced.

The ticket check proceeded sequentially through the carriage.

Chen Shouyi's heart tensed. Glancing at the mysterious young man, he found him looking nonchalant as he even offered a mysterious smile.

Could it be that he was mistaken?

When the attendants reached him, Chen Shouyi took out his ticket and ID from his wallet, placing them on the small table.

Soon, the attendant approached, picked up his ticket and ID for a glance, and said: "Please keep these with you."

As Chen Shouyi slowly put away his ticket and ID, his muscles tensed, his internal alarms blaring.

Unexpectedly, the attendant and the policemen passed by the mysterious young man as if he did not exist at all. Looking around, Chen Shouyi noticed the other passengers didn't seem to be aware of anything unusual either.

What was happening here?

"Is it strange?" As if noticing Chen Shouyi's confusion, the young man smiled and said: "In this world's language, it's simply a minor psychological suggestion. If I don't wish to be seen by them, I might as well not exist."

"However, I must be leaving now. I've foreseen this as a bad omen, with all those annoying surveillance and irksome pursuers," he said with a smile.

As he finished his words, he extended his hand towards the bulletproof glass of the carriage, causing it to blur briefly. The next moment, a gale roared, the glass shattered instantly, and simultaneously, Chen Shouyi saw his figure flicker and vanish completely.

He leaned out of the window quickly, catching the final image of the young man leaping off the high bridge.

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