Anyang Martial Arts School

Blue Star.

Jun'an Residential Area.

"The custom-made contact lenses have finally arrived!"

Shi Yi opened the delivery package and looked at the contact lenses inside, his heart stirring with excitement.

These contact lenses had been tailored to his condition and could conceal the abnormality of his Double Pupils.

Following the instructions, Shi Yi put on the contact lenses, then used his phone to take a photo of his eyes.

On the phone screen appeared a handsome face, its eyes looking no different from those of an ordinary person.

One of the two pupils in each eye had been covered, making him look like a normal person.

Shi Yi stared blankly at the image in the photo.

Once, he had wanted nothing more than for his eyes to return to normal, so he could live the beautiful, happy childhood that other children had.

Shi Yi went to the bathroom again and looked at his eyes in the mirror.

Unlike in the photo, he could still see two pupils—one blue, one red.

The contact lenses could conceal the outward appearance, but they could not conceal the vision granted by his Double Pupils.

All falsehoods laid bare at a single glance.

"With these contact lenses, I can change into a normal identity and go to Anyuan Town!"

Previously, he had used the identity of a blind beggar to gather information in Anyuan Town because such a lowly identity would not draw attention and was relatively safer.

The weakest among the weak—people even ordinary folk looked down on and never took seriously—were also easily overlooked.

"Anyuan Town is no peaceful place either. Among the information I gathered through filming, eavesdropping, and inquiries, there were plenty of vile, filthy deeds."

"Children born with different-colored pupils in a single eye were gouged out and murdered."

"Children as strong as oxen had their heads cut off at night, their blood drained dry."

"If there is anything unusual about you, unless you belong to a great power, it is all too easy to die young. So it is better to hide the Double Pupils for now."

Shi Yi had used all sorts of methods to investigate information, paying particular attention to those who displayed traits unlike ordinary people.

Quite a few of them had met exceptionally miserable ends.

Therefore, with his current identity as an ordinary person, Shi Yi still chose to conceal the abnormality of his Double Pupils.

Without strength, displaying the abnormality of his Double Pupils would only make him an abnormality to be persecuted.

In that world, killing was far too common. When ordinary people died, no one cared.

The authorities barely bothered with it either.

"This time, when I change identities and go to Anyuan Town, I still need to bring the silenced pistol, sleeve arrows, and other protective tools I assembled myself."

"And the forged travel permit."

"As for money, I'll use this silver I specifically bought and weathered to look old. There's no need to bring too much."

Shi Yi went to his bedroom and took out the pistol, sleeve arrows, and other items from a hidden compartment beneath the bed.

He had bought all these things separately and assembled them himself. The process was somewhat complicated, but relatively safe.

As for purchasing and assembling them, he had followed tutorials he found online. For someone with Eidetic Memory like him, learning them was as easy as turning his hand over.

When he had previously disguised himself as a blind beggar and entered Anyuan Town, he had already carried protection, though he had never encountered a situation where he had to use it.

He had also practiced his shooting accuracy.

With the aid of his Double Pupils, his accuracy was extremely high.

"This time, I'll choose Anyang Martial Arts School to learn martial arts in Anyuan Town."

"It is a subordinate martial arts school of Anhe Martial Arts School in Ninghe County. Later, I can use Anyang Martial Arts School to enter Anhe Martial Arts School."

While choosing a martial arts school to study at, Shi Yi was also selecting a suitable stepping stone.

What he needed now was a suitable identity, then he could use that identity to gradually come into contact with more supernatural knowledge.

Compared with the martial path of qi and blood, he wanted even more to master that mysterious Path of Immortality.

According to the information he had investigated, there were fewer people cultivating the Path of Immortality than practicing martial arts, but they were not rare either. It was possible to come into contact with them in the county city.

This was somewhat different from his previous assumption that immortals cultivated in blessed lands and hidden grotto-heavens, beyond the reach of ordinary people.

In the end, he simply possessed too little information, which was why everything remained unclear.

"Beep beep! Beep beep!"

At that moment, a notification sound rang from the chat app on Shi Yi's phone.

"Student Shi Yi, next Thursday and Friday will be the final examinations for the second semester of your second year of high school. All students must attend."

A message had been sent by the contact marked as his homeroom teacher.

"Understood, Teacher Yang. I'll be there on time for the final examinations."

Shi Yi typed his reply.

He was currently a second-year high school student.

However, unlike ordinary students, he studied at home and only attended school during final examinations.

This choice was also related to his Double Pupils.

In the eyes of some students at school, he was an outcast, excluded and criticized by them.

They restrained themselves in front of parents and teachers, but when they were only among fellow students, they had no such scruples.

At first, the school had disagreed. But after seeing Shi Yi's examination results, along with the connections his parents had used, the school had agreed.

That was also why Shi Yi was still a student yet had so much free time.

As for studying, it was nothing to someone with Eidetic Memory.

Others studied bitterly and laboriously, while he only needed to read something once to know it all.

He had finished reading everything high school required him to learn, and had also read many historical records, Daoist texts, Buddhist scriptures, and more.

After turning sixteen and awakening the mystical abilities of his Double Pupils, it was as though his mind had suddenly opened. He had fully integrated all the knowledge he had read.

Shi Yi closed the phone app and prepared the items he needed to enter the Central Great World.

Anyuan Town.

Shi Yi, dressed as a scholar, appeared at the roadside entrance.

He wore a square headscarf. His face was refined, his nose high, and a pair of bright black eyes gleamed with clear light.

His ancient and elegant blue robe gave off an air of scholarly refinement.

This was his new identity: a scholar with some learning.

He knew some things, but not much. It fit the image of an ordinary scholar perfectly.

Shi Yi walked into Anyuan Town. Not a single one of the "acquaintances" he had seen before recognized him as the blind beggar from before.

The two were utterly unlike each other in appearance, complexion, bearing, and expression.

They were completely different people.

By the roadside, Shi Yi even stopped to ask passersby for directions.

Before long, he arrived in front of Anyang Martial Arts School.

"Young brother, are you here to learn martial arts?"

Zhao Cheng, standing at the entrance of Anyang Martial Arts School, saw Shi Yi approach and took the initiative to ask.

Although Shi Yi carried a strong scholarly air, it was perfectly normal for scholars to practice martial arts as well.

If scholars heading to the capital for the imperial examinations lacked a few means of protecting themselves, they might die on the road before ever reaching the examinations!

"This junior is Shi Yi. Having heard of the name of Anyang Martial Arts School while traveling, I came here especially to learn martial arts."

At Zhao Cheng's words, Shi Yi cupped his fists and replied.

These manners of speech and gestures were also things he had deliberately displayed after organizing and collecting information.

Sure enough, after hearing Shi Yi's words, the other man could not help but smile.

Being praised for Anyang Martial Arts School, as someone from the school, naturally made him feel honored.

"Young brother has a good eye. Come with me inside to meet Master."

"Our Anyang Martial Arts School likes taking in sharp-eyed young brothers like you most of all."

Zhao Cheng pulled Shi Yi into the martial arts school, saying with a smile.

"Let me tell you, in Anyuan Town, our Anyang Martial Arts School is—"

As they walked, Zhao Cheng spoke of the impressive aspects of Anyang Martial Arts School, deliberately mentioning its connection with Anhe Martial Arts School in Ninghe County as well.

This was information Anyang Martial Arts School deliberately made known, so there was no need to hide it. On the contrary, it allowed those who came to learn martial arts to understand just how formidable Anyang Martial Arts School was.