Translator: CinderTL
Sitting at his desk, Feng Qi flipped through the list of new students.
Based on the information he had received from the future, he was now certain that at least one of these eleven newcomers was an "undercover agent."
More precisely, some of these students had already been members of that mysterious organization before even entering Star City Academy.
Therefore, to investigate which faction was secretly targeting the Scarlet Research Institute and had ultimately sent him to the guillotine, he could start by examining the backgrounds of these new students.
Opening his notebook, he recorded each student's name alongside their affiliated organization:
Monk (Affiliation: Jinxian Temple)
Liu Yue (Affiliation: Unknown)
Yang Xiaoxin (Affiliation: Star City Military Department)
Le Ping'an (Affiliation: Technology Research Institute)
Yan Fu (Affiliation: Mountain Crag Domain Combat Team)
Jia Yi (Affiliation: Eight Trigrams Talisman Array Research Institute)
Xia Long, Xia Hu, Xia Bao (Affiliation: Hundred Beasts Domain Combat Team)
Cai Guo (Affiliation: Eighth Military Department Medical Research Institute)
Xu Hongyun (Affiliation: Void Shattering Conglomerate)
These eleven students all came from influential backgrounds. Among them, he could immediately rule out the monk as a werewolf.
The monk had never joined the organization he would later establish in the future. After graduation, they parted ways, making it impossible for him to have obtained and leaked any intelligence from within the group.
As for the remaining ten, the power behind each of them could potentially be connected to the mysterious organization.
Liu Yue's background was shrouded in mystery, but he had only recently learned of the organization's existence and passed the information on. This made it highly unlikely that he was the werewolf.
Next was Yang Xiaoxin, the second member to be captured. Her chances were also low, but neither of them could be completely ruled out.
He reopened the freshman roster, studying the photos of the new students as he sank into deep thought.
There might be one mole, or perhaps several.
This time, he absolutely couldn't hastily form an organization and expose his situation. Otherwise, when he entered the Dream Realm again, history would inevitably repeat itself.
The existence of this mysterious organization also piqued his curiosity about the Scarlet Research Institute.
Why are they targeting the Scarlet Research Institute?
Could it be that the Scarlet Research Institute is actually the organization protecting humanity's geniuses, while the mysterious organization is the hidden hunter?
Unable to grasp the reason, he rubbed his temples and stood up to leave the dormitory.
Outside, the sky had cleared after the rain, bathed in the soft glow of dawn.
Many students in athletic wear were jogging along the lakeside, while couples sat on benches, their figures silhouetted against the water. Compared to the Dream Realm, the real world teemed with vitality.
He took a deep breath of the fresh air, a hint of contentment spreading across his face.
Human Civilization contained both good and evil, but as long as there was beauty worth preserving, it was worth fighting to protect.
After breakfast with Mu Qing and Lin Ran at the Academy Cafeteria, he and Lin Ran headed straight for the academy's training grounds.
The arrival of new students was a major event for Star City Academy.
All freshmen, except for him, were assigned to a month-long intensive training program.
Similar to pre-cataclysm military drills, the training aimed to cultivate resilience, teamwork, and the spirit of enduring hardship among the newcomers.
This year's program included an additional component: practicing the latest version of cultivation exercises—the very set he had copied from the future.
The Tiger Soul Research Institute recognized the significance of these improved cultivation exercises. After adding the updated version to the cultivation technique database for global sharing, they issued new regulations to all academies.
The regulations mandated that all freshmen must practice the cultivation exercises for a month, with academies required to meticulously record progress and report detailed findings to the Tiger Soul Research Institute upon completion.
The institute's latest notice concluded with a detailed introduction of his personal background, signaling to all academies that this newcomer warranted special attention.
This led to a flood of early admission offers from various academies during his time back at Star City High School.
When the proctoring teams arrived, teachers from different academies even visited him personally, offering generous incentives such as annual scholarships of 500,000 credits, luxurious single-occupancy dormitories, and more.
In essence, their message was clear: if he chose to attend their academy, any terms could be negotiated.
However, having already promised Bai Fusheng and with Lin Ran and Mu Qing at Star City Academy, he politely declined all offers.
On the training grounds, the special training instructor team, personally led by Bai Fusheng, was putting the new students through their paces.
The post-rain weather had cooled considerably, but as the scorching sun climbed higher, the air gradually grew stifling.
In the sweltering summer heat, even standing still would leave one drenched in sweat, let alone the grueling exercises the freshmen were forced to endure. It was truly unbearable.
In this new world saturated with spiritual energy, the physical capabilities of ordinary people had vastly improved compared to before the cataclysm. However, most freshmen had only practiced cultivation exercises and had yet to learn true cultivation techniques, leaving their physical prowess far inferior to that of genuine cultivators.
Thus, the special training became a test of willpower.
Yet there were exceptions. Those who made it to Star City Academy were typically the elite from various schools, and some had already been exposed to cultivation techniques before arriving.
Feng Qi, for instance, had studied cultivation studies under Wang Jinsheng's tutelage before graduation, acquiring a solid foundation in the subject.
As a result, several freshmen distinguished themselves during the training, demonstrating exceptional aptitude.
Feng Qi and Lin Ran squatted in a corner of the training ground, licking ice pops they'd brought from the Academy Cafeteria amidst the complex gazes of the freshmen—anger, envy, longing, and more.
As Feng Qi scanned the crowd, he couldn't help but think that none of the freshmen in his class seemed like particularly good people.
"Brother Qi, is that bald guy one of our classmates?" Lin Ran asked, pointing at the monk in the distance.
The monk's appearance had changed. He now wore a brand-new special training uniform, and his tattered cloth shoes had been replaced with pristine sneakers.
The only constant was his gleaming bald head, which reflected the sunlight with blinding intensity.
Feng Qi nodded in response, but his gaze remained fixed on a freshman standing nearby.
The young man stood about 1.8 meters tall, with a well-proportioned physique and striking features. His sharp, sword-like eyebrows and bright, starry eyes exuded an air of righteousness.
Unlike the other freshmen, he carried an ancient longsword on his back at all times, even during training.
Throughout the session, the freshman maintained an expressionless demeanor.
The special training seemed to pose no challenge for him. After half a day of rigorous drills, he showed no signs of fatigue—not even a bead of sweat on his forehead.
Feng Qi wasn't particularly interested in the freshman's performance during the special training. After all, he wasn't the only one among the newcomers who could handle the drills with ease; many others who had prior experience with cultivation techniques could do the same.
What truly caught his attention was that this freshman was none other than Liu Yue, the most enigmatic newcomer in Combat Class Three.
Recalling the blank background information on the freshman roster, Feng Qi's curiosity deepened. He was eager to uncover Liu Yue's true origins and understand why he was shrouded in such mystery.
Just then, Bai Fusheng's booming voice echoed across the training ground:
"Dismissed! Fifteen-minute break!"
At Bai Fusheng's command, the rigidly standing freshmen immediately collapsed onto the ground, grumbling about the grueling training as they chatted among themselves.
Meanwhile, Liu Yue, the freshman Feng Qi had been observing so intently, walked straight toward him after the dismissal.
Stopping before Feng Qi, Liu Yue asked expressionlessly, "You've been watching me the whole time. Is there something you want?"
Feng Qi didn't conceal his identity. He stood up, smiled, and introduced himself:
"My name is Feng Qi. I'm the teacher of Combat Class Three and will be your homeroom teacher in a month, so I came to observe how the new students are performing during special training."
Upon hearing this, a look of surprise crossed Liu Yue's face, as if he couldn't quite believe his teacher was so young.
"Hello, Lin Ran here. I'm also a freshman in Combat Class Three, your senior brother and classmate," Lin Ran said, standing up and extending a hand with a smile.
"Lin Ran? You're the Lin Ran who got early admission to the Tiger Soul Research Institute?"
"That's right."
Hearing Lin Ran's confirmation, the coldness on Liu Yue's face faded, and he shook Lin Ran's hand.
When Liu Yue's gaze returned to Feng Qi, he had abandoned his initial disdain.
Though he still couldn't understand why his teacher was so young, the fact that Lin Ran acknowledged him and that he had been appointed as the teacher of Combat Class Three suggested he must possess extraordinary qualities.
"Liu Yue, may I ask you a question?" Feng Qi asked with a smile.
"Please do," Liu Yue nodded.
"Why is your personal information completely blank? Could you tell me about your background?"
Before launching a full investigation, he decided to simply ask directly. If Liu Yue was willing to answer, great. If not, he'd find another way.
Liu Yue visibly startled at the question, then shook his head and replied, "I'm afraid I can't disclose that information. Even the principal doesn't know the details of my background."
"So mysterious? Are you some big shot's illegitimate child from a research institute?" Lin Ran asked, his face alight with curiosity.
"No!" A vein throbbed on Liu Yue's forehead as he continued, "Lin Ran, if it were you, you might one day learn my origins. Because the place I come from is somewhere you might also have the chance to go."
"I hate riddle-mongers! We're not asking you to reveal any information about your backing forces, just your name. Is that really too much to ask?" Lin Ran said, sounding slightly exasperated.
Hearing Lin Ran's retort, Feng Qi nodded in agreement. Lin Ran's words struck a chord with him; Liu Yue was indeed a riddle-monger, always speaking in veiled terms.
Liu Yue looked somewhat embarrassed under the disdainful gazes of Feng Qi and Lin Ran. After a moment's hesitation, he said,
"It's not that I don't want to tell you, but the confidentiality level regarding this matter is extremely high. Even the name itself is classified under the highest security clearance."
Hearing this only made Feng Qi want to know more.
The more he knew, the better he could access information in the future database.
Observing Feng Qi and Lin Ran's still-disapproving expressions, Liu Yue hesitated repeatedly before finally saying:
"I come from the Heaven-Reaching Road. I really can't reveal anything else!"
Heaven-Reaching Road?
He made a decision: the next time he entered the Dream Realm, he would research everything related to the "Heaven-Reaching Road."
(End of the Chapter)
Translator's Corner
Hey guys, so as I tried to login into my ScribbleHub account to today and found that it was banned.😭 All the stories have also been taken off of the site. I don't what has happened, I will try to contact them and figure out what's going on. Please contact me if you know what could be happening and have any potential solutions.
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