Departure

At six o'clock on the morning of August 1, the Mingyue Residential Area, silent throughout the night, began to stir with noise.

In the plaza before the Limitless Martial Arts Hall, three martial arts school buses stood waiting for the Quasi-Warriors participating in today's Combat Assessment.

There were still ten minutes before the scheduled departure, yet the area around the buses was already packed.

Those wearing the martial arts school's standard black training uniforms were the Quasi-Warriors taking part in the assessment.

Even more were family members seeing them off, their blessings and reminders filling the crowd.

The hall director stood before the buses with the roster in hand. After confirming that no one was missing, he called out, "All right, everyone's here."

"All Quasi-Warriors taking the assessment, board the buses. Family members seeing them off, please disperse. The assessment will be over tomorrow, and they'll be back then."

Though that was what he said, every year's Combat Assessment left Quasi-Warriors injured, crippled, or even dead.

Unable to set their minds at ease, the family members continued offering endless reminders, hoping only that their loved ones would return safely.

Xia Zhi and his grandfather stood off to one side as well.

Grandfather Xia Dahai looked at Xia Zhi's still somewhat youthful face. He was only eighteen.

His lips parted, but no sound came out. His mouth trembled, and his eyes instantly reddened.

His remaining hand gripped Xia Zhi's tightly. In the end, all he said was, "Be careful. Come home safe!"

Xia Zhi nodded and boarded the bus under his grandfather's earnest gaze.

Even after the bus started and drove away, he could still see his grandfather standing there.

Carrying the hopes of the Mingyue Residential Area's families, the buses took Xia Zhi's group of Quasi-Warriors all the way to Yangzhou City Railway Station.

There, Xia Zhi and the others boarded a fully enclosed Armed Train.

As the train set off and gradually accelerated, it finally left the safety of the base city and headed into the world beyond.

Inside the train, the Quasi-Warriors sat in their seats. Some chatted in small groups, while others rested with their eyes closed.

"Next, a news bulletin. Qin Yiyi, who once became famous throughout Huaxia with her song 'The Sky of Adolescence'..."

"After enrolling in Jiangnan Music Academy, she was recently signed by Huaxu Entertainment Company, the strongest entertainment company in the country."

"At the signing press conference held by Huaxu Entertainment Company for Yiyi, they stated that they would tailor-make..."

A news item on the screen at the front of the carriage suddenly caught Xia Zhi's attention.

The girl on the screen was someone who had always held a special place in the original owner's memories.

The already hardworking original owner had put in unimaginable effort so that one day, he could stand proudly at the girl's side.

Without any special resources to support him, he had reached the level of a Quasi-Warrior at just eighteen.

Xia Zhi's fixed stare at the screen caught the interest of the person beside him. After looking up at it, the man teased, "Your dream girl?"

"No. She was a former classmate. I didn't expect to see her on the news. She's become a star," Xia Zhi said, shaking his head.

"Ha, my little brother is seventeen this year. He was crazy about her a couple of years ago. If that brat had even half your strength, Xia Zhi, my deceased parents could rest in peace."

The man speaking was named Yang Ming. Xia Zhi had met him at a martial artist gathering in the Mingyue Residential Area.

Yang Ming had become a Quasi-Warrior last year. After signing with the martial arts school, he had failed that year's Combat Assessment.

Fortunately, he had not been injured. After another year of preparation, he was extremely confident this year and firmly believed he would pass.

Xia Zhi had learned a great deal about the Combat Assessment from him.

Whenever they happened to run into each other while taking walks around the residential area to relax after training, they would chat for a while.

News that Xia Zhi had signed with the martial arts school under the legendary A-level contract had gradually spread among the martial artists over the past month.

Knowing that Xia Zhi would surely become one of the strong if he could keep moving forward, Yang Ming had grown exceptionally close to him.

After the news ended, a figure appeared on the screen. It was Zhuge Tao, the headquarters Supervisor who had previously taken a liking to Xia Zhi.

"Hello, Quasi-Warriors. I am Zhuge Tao, Supervisor of the Limitless Martial Arts School in Jiangnan Base City."

"Our Limitless Martial Arts School was founded by Hong, the world's strongest expert, and is currently the world's number one organization. After becoming a warrior and joining our Limitless Martial Arts School, you can..."

"Hello, everyone. I am Wang Zhihong, president of the Thunderbolt Martial Arts School in Jinan Base City. Our Thunderbolt Martial Arts School was founded by Thunder God, the world's second strongest expert..."

"Hello, everyone. I am Zhou Feng, president of the HR Family Alliance in Jiangnan Base City. Our HR Family Alliance was jointly established by the world's most powerful families and possesses the world's strongest financial conglomerate. Join us, and..."

One high-ranking representative after another appeared on the screen, introducing the advantages of their respective organizations to all the Quasi-Warriors taking this assessment.

For those Quasi-Warriors who had yet to sign with any faction, this was undoubtedly an excellent way to learn more. Even Yang Ming, who had already signed a contract, watched with great interest.

Xia Zhi stared at the screen, but his thoughts had long since drifted elsewhere.

How could the girl who had appeared in the news be merely a classmate to him? The original owner's lingering memories still deeply influenced his feelings.

She was a beautiful and kind-hearted girl.

The original owner had grown up poor, enduring ridicule and mockery since childhood. He had been sensitive and insecure.

When he learned that warriors were the most admired and envied people, he trained like mad, determined to become one.

Being sensitive, he had been unwilling to socialize with others. Being insecure, he had trained alone even when he practiced.

The memories of his adolescence had been gray.

Then that girl, beloved by so many of their peers, lit up his gray inner world for the first time.

Qin Yiyi—everyone who knew her liked to call her Yiyi.

At thirteen, she had become famous throughout Huaxia with a song called "The Sky of Adolescence."

Unwilling to become a child star, she chose to continue studying at school and lay a foundation for her future.

At school, Yiyi was the dream goddess in every boy's heart, and countless people wanted to show off in front of her.

The girl and the original owner should have been two parallel lines that would never cross.

But in a study mutual-aid group organized by the school, Yiyi and the original owner were assigned to the same group.

In his insecurity, he had only wanted to hide to one side and silently watch her.

Thus, the original owner often used indifference to disguise himself when faced with the girl's kindness.

It was also from that time onward that Li Wei and the other arrogant sons at school began to resent and target the original owner.

Originally, life would have gone on like that.

But one ordinary morning, the girl saw the original owner training alone in the park.

"You're amazing. I've never seen anyone our age with such strong martial arts skills."

"Do you want to become a warrior someday?"

After watching the original owner finish training, the girl took the initiative to ask him.

Startled by the girl's sudden appearance, the original owner merely nodded coldly.

The smile that bloomed on the girl's face etched itself deeply into his heart.

"You'll definitely become a powerful warrior. I believe you can do it!"

It was as though the world had suddenly gained color at that moment. His racing heart and the emotional defenses he had always hidden behind indifference were shattered.

From then on, the original owner trained even more desperately—not only for himself and his grandfather.

But also for that girl who had given color to his memories.

When I become a warrior, only then will I truly stand before you. At the time, he silently made that vow.

Just then, a rough male voice rang through the carriage.

It interrupted Xia Zhi's memories.

The fully enclosed Armed Train, speeding along at high velocity, began to slow down as well.

"We've arrived. Prepare to disembark!"

"Welcome to Armed Base No. 1049 of Jiangnan Base City."

After getting off work, I managed to write a chapter. Because I have a job, two updates a day are almost my limit. I have to consider the plot and whether everything before and after fits together logically. All entertainment has stopped now. I've truly experienced how difficult it is to be an online novelist.

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