New Home

"Because of the fire, the place you used to live has already burned down. But what's burned is burned... You didn't have anything valuable there anyway. Old things have to go before new ones can come."

Da Teng City, outside an apartment building.

"What do you mean, what's burned is burned?" Gu Shen stood at the door, his attention captured by the fingerprint-and-iris dual-recognition lock. He bent down, squinted, and tried to figure out how it worked. Hearing that, he protested, "Do I look like the kind of person who abandons the old for the new?"

After fiddling with it for ages, he still had no idea how to use it.

This lock... was pretty advanced.

"Oh?"

Nan Jin glanced at the boy, swiped her card, and strode inside.

The nearly two-hundred-square-meter apartment had excellent lighting, bright windows, and spotless rooms. As the door opened, lights came on one after another. It was fully equipped with smart home systems, and the wind stirred the curtains, revealing the sunset beyond the twenty-ninth floor.

The trench-coated woman in sunglasses stood before the floor-to-ceiling window. She bent slightly and made a token welcoming gesture. "There you go, esteemed homeless Mr. Gu Shen... Take a look at the new home we prepared for you."

"Holy..."

Gu Shen was stunned by the sight before him. Even though he had already considered it in the car... Zhou Jiren, that Old Fellow, was definitely going to give him some sweeteners next. Still, no matter what, he could not surrender so easily.

After all, one entire apartment had burned down. His landlord would probably come looking for trouble too.

At the very least, they had to arrange somewhere roughly comparable for him to live!

Seeing Gu Shen's expression, Nan Jin smiled silently.

Those who knew her well all understood that she was actually an iceberg of a woman who rarely smiled. To her, the most important thing in life was probably Blade Training... Mr. Shu had kept her records extremely well. Almost no one in the Adjudication Court knew where this woman came from. They only knew that she was a Desperate Fighter who gave everything she had on every mission.

So everyone guessed that someone who fought so desperately probably had a lonely and bitter past.

While taking care of Gu Shen, Nan Jin had read his file.

This boy was the one who was truly alone and bitter. He had been placed in the Welfare Institute as a child, surviving on the meager subsidies provided by the government. After turning sixteen, he left the Welfare Institute and earned his own living.

The thinner the records of Gu Shen's seventeen years of life were—

—the more heartbreaking the boy's background became.

"How does it feel?"

"It feels..."

Gu Shen tried hard not to let his eyes dart around and stubbornly said, "This place... is only decent, I suppose. It's barely livable. It suits my status."

But three seconds later, unable to restrain the urge to inspect the entire apartment, he broke.

"Fine... I admit I'm a country bumpkin." Gu Shen shamelessly echoed her, "Big bro, you were absolutely right. Old things have to go before new ones can come. Yesterday's fire burned beautifully. It's just... what about the landlord?"

"I already handled it for you. I only paid a little compensation."

The instant Nan Jin said that, her image in Gu Shen's eyes became as towering as a great Buddha.

He suddenly had the urge to hug her leg...

"Right."

Gu Shen suddenly remembered something. His Truth Ruler, and Orange Cat... were both still back at the Old Building!

Just as he was about to speak, a soft scratching sound came from the bedroom door.

"Meow..."

A nimble orange cat padded over on tiptoe and slowly reached Nan Jin's feet. It rubbed its head against her pant leg, rolled over to expose its belly, and let out an affectionate purr.

"Purr..."

The icy trench-coated woman unexpectedly cooperated, crouching down and scratching Orange Cat beneath the chin with five pale fingers. "Almost everything in that old house was burned. When we arrived, this cat was still alive. It was lucky. Only some of its fur was burned off."

At the sight of Chu Ling, Gu Shen's first reaction was tension... but he quickly relaxed.

Judging by that rather undignified posture, the one rolling around and begging for affection was probably the silly cat he had brought home. For some reason, the girl Chu Ling's consciousness had already detached from this orange cat.

"After the fire... other than this cat, there was nothing left of my home?" Gu Shen asked tentatively.

"What else did you expect to be left?" Nan Jin raised an eyebrow. "Other than a broken table and a broken bed, what else did your home have?"

"...True." Gu Shen scratched his head.

It seemed they had not found the Truth Ruler either... Had Chu Ling hidden it?

"You can rest and recuperate properly for the next few days." Nan Jin gave Orange Cat two firm rubs, then rose with the little fellow in her arms. "The Adjudication Court is still assessing your Transcendent Ability... There will be a review in a few days. Once you've mostly recovered, you can undergo it."

"A review? What kind of review?"

"Everyone awakens a different Transcendent Ability, and each carries a different level of danger... Although Mr. Turing's Theory holds that the danger of transcendent power is related to its degree of development, there are always people who take a huge lead the moment they open their eyes. Some people awaken abilities that can only bend spoons, while others... can easily burn down an entire building." Nan Jin used a simple metaphor, then warned meaningfully, "The Great Fire last night was truly astonishing. The Adjudication Court will very likely give you an S-Rank intensity rating."

"..."

Gu Shen covered his forehead, suddenly feeling immensely guilty. "To be honest... I might not be as impressive as you think."

"Don't underestimate yourself."

Nan Jin shook her head, her gaze blazing. "I saw the rooftop photos. The destructive power was terrifying, far beyond that of most newcomers. Qinghe District hasn't seen a monster like you in a long time... What kind of ability is it? Can you use it again?"

Gu Shen looked at his hands.

Without that ruler, he was just an ordinary person... What did he have to do with transcendent power?

Having stumbled into this situation by sheer accident, Gu Shen only felt that the troubles tangling around him were growing worse and worse.

When the review day came... the truth that he had no Transcendent Ability seemed bound to be exposed.

What should he do?

He fell into deep thought.

"Looks like you haven't fully mastered this power yet... That's alright. Take it slowly." Nan Jin was unsurprised. She spoke softly, "But there's something else I need to tell you. This time, in fighting over who you would belong to, Teacher and the Tribunal Head from the Prison Institute nearly came to blows... Because the Amnesty Decree was used, many people in the Adjudication Court are dissatisfied."

"For anything dazzling and brilliant... there will always be those who envy it, resent it, and oppose it; there will always be those who want to stain it, bring it down, and destroy it." Nan Jin set the cat down and looked Gu Shen directly in the eye. Speaking incredibly slowly, she said, "The more people try every possible way to crush you, the more it proves that your potential is limitless and your future promising. Rather than shrinking back, giving up, and willingly becoming mediocre, rise up, fight, and carve out a transcendent path."

Orange Cat let out a meow and leaped away.

Nan Jin enunciated each word. "He who would wear the crown must bear its weight."

He who would wear the crown must bear its weight.

Gu Shen raised his head thoughtfully. "Did Mr. Shu say those words...?"

"Because of the Amnesty Decree, Teacher is still busy dealing with those old fossils in the Adjudication Court. He's completely overwhelmed."

"I improvised that just now." Nan Jin lowered her sunglasses, revealing a sly glint in her eyes. "After all, you called me big bro. I had to comfort you, a newcomer. How was that speech?"

"Big bro spoke very well..." Gu Shen praised her earnestly, then abruptly changed course. "Don't say it again next time."

"Tch."

The trench-coated woman did not care. She pushed her sunglasses back up and checked the Hanging Blade beneath her coat as she spoke. "I have something important to do tonight, so I won't keep you company. Rest well."

Before leaving, she tossed him another card.

"There. The password is your birthday. There's some money on this card, compensation for your selling-yourself fee. It'll cover your daily expenses. Teacher asked me to tell you to relax... The review results aren't that important. After all, he had already taken a liking to you before that fire."