Cast Aside Like Worn-Out Shoes

Qin Cheng was stunned. He had spent a long time and exhausted a great deal of energy, using his family connections to uncover a few secret tidbits.

Yet Wang Xuan had already inferred even more through his own observations, suspecting there was another path that could touch upon supernatural power.

"So Old Arts are just being cast aside like that?!" Qin Cheng was deeply unwilling to accept it.

When he had first learned those secrets, he had been thrilled, believing he had finally seen through the truth: studying Old Arts was meant to reach supernatural power.

It was also at that moment that he had strengthened his resolve. From then on, he would seriously study Old Arts, overcome every hardship on this road, and keep walking forward.

But now he had heard that there seemed to be another path to approaching supernatural power. It was like a basin of cold water had been dumped over his newly blazing heart.

It took Qin Cheng quite a while to recover, and he looked rather shaken.

What exactly had New Star discovered? Besides mysterious phenomena, had it found a real path leading to the supernatural?

Clearly, if that were true, it would trigger an unimaginable upheaval—not only in people's beliefs, but also in certain changes within the Real World.

Qin Cheng spoke solemnly and earnestly. "Right now, the chance to go to New Star seems more and more precious. If you can touch supernatural power and stand at the forefront, then whatever you wish for may be possible!"

The two chatted as they ate breakfast.

"Special food shipped in from deep space—every meal means one less. We used to think it tasted awful, but now I'm a little reluctant to part with it."

They both felt quite emotional.

Though these Ingredients were exceedingly rare and frighteningly expensive, once the various foods were put together, the taste truly was not much to speak of.

Qin Cheng asked Wang Xuan whether he had gone to speak with the old professor who taught them Old Arts, to see if there was any way to solve the problem of going to New Star.

Wang Xuan shook his head. Though the old professor liked him very much, he did not possess that much authority. In this Old Arts research project, he had merely been invited to teach Old Arts and had not participated in anything else.

"What standards are they using to pick people, anyway?" Qin Cheng was dissatisfied, feeling that it was terribly unfair to Wang Xuan.

Wang Xuan thought for a moment and said, "I guess it has something to do with keen minds, unleashing potential far beyond ordinary people, and so on. In short, they've slightly touched the mysterious domain."

He had seen the first list of those selected and had drawn this conclusion.

For instance, there was a pair of twin sisters in their class who often had inexplicable sensations between them. If the younger sister was startled unexpectedly, the older sister would feel her heart pound at the same time.

Once, while peeling an apple, the older sister had cut a deep bloody gash into her finger. The younger sister had been in another city at the time, far away, yet the corresponding finger on her hand began to ache as well.

There was no explanation for such a phenomenon.

When students were selected for the experimental class this time, the two sisters had been chosen at the first time.

"Then what's the deal with He Qing?" Qin Cheng asked in confusion.

In his impression, He Qing from the experimental class was introverted and simple-hearted, and usually did not like to speak much.

It was said that He Qing had not been interested in Old Arts at first. He had only signed up after hearing that graduation would guarantee him a respectable, highly paid job.

So Qin Cheng could not quite understand it. He Qing had clearly been resistant, so how had he still ended up being selected?

"Something once happened to He Qing. When he was fourteen, he saw his younger brother about to be hit by a speeding car. He rushed over without regard for his own life and violently shoved his brother away, but the car ran right over him. Yet he wasn't injured at all. The only thing left on his body were dark black marks from where the tires had rolled over him."

Everyone had been shocked at the time and unable to make sense of it. In the end, they could only conclude that, at the brink of life and death, he had unleashed some mysterious potential of the human body.

The investors behind the Old Arts research project had dug up and investigated this incident from He Qing's youth. It showed just how deeply they understood these students.

Every person selected in the first batch had something special about them. For example, one girl had extraordinary perception. Her most famous experience was when, before boarding a plane, she had been so panic-stricken that she thought she was sick and had a heart problem, frightening her into rushing off to seek medical treatment.

As a result, the plane she missed that day crashed.

"That can happen? There was a monster like that in our class!" Qin Cheng stared wide-eyed. He had never heard of this before.

Wang Xuan was also rather moved. When he first heard it, he too had been lost in thought for quite a while. But that girl was the most unusual one; the others and their experiences were barely within the range of acceptance.

That day, the list of people selected to go to New Star was finally confirmed. Sure enough, no new names were added.

Some people in the experimental class had stayed behind, never giving up as they waited for the final chance. Now that the result was revealed, they were incomparably disappointed.

Though some had sensed it coming long ago, their hearts still hurt badly.

Wang Xuan remained very calm. He had long expected this result.

Qin Cheng sighed, feeling sorry for his friend. Wang Xuan had truly made something of Old Arts, yet he had been abandoned simply because the supernatural power at the End of Deep Space had revealed the tip of an iceberg, and another path had appeared!

New Star had chosen the supernatural, officially abandoning Old Arts!

Qin Cheng and Wang Xuan talked for a long time, speaking of several friends who had left the class early. Both of them felt a wave of melancholy.

Wang Xuan was all right. Remaining on Old Earth, he would still be able to reunite with those people.

Qin Cheng asked him, "Aren't you going to see your girlfriend? She's about to return to New Star. If you don't go now, there really won't be another chance. You'll probably find it hard to see each other again in the future."

Wang Xuan shook his head. "We've already been apart for over a year. I won't go see her off. Otherwise, if her family finds out, they'll Think Too Much again and cause her trouble. Let each of us be well."

Qin Cheng sighed. Having an ex-girlfriend from New Star had brought Wang Xuan all kinds of pressure back then. That girl's family had been quite forceful, directly coming to Old Earth to warn him Several Times.

"Could it be that her family pulled some strings to keep you down and stop you from going to New Star when you weren't selected this time?" Qin Cheng suddenly thought of that possibility.

After all, Wang Xuan's ex-girlfriend came from no ordinary family.

Even though Old Arts had now been abandoned.

Looking back now, some people had sent their Children from New Star to study Old Arts in the early days. They had clearly been preparing for contact with supernatural power, so they definitely had some background.

"No!" Though they had not interacted many times, Wang Xuan understood her family's character. They would not go that far. Besides, they had been apart for over a year and no longer had any connection.

Moreover, some financial magnates stood behind the Old Arts research project. No one would dare tamper with it so casually.

Night fell, and stars dotted the sky. The two talked about everything under the heavens.

"In a few days, I'll be going to New Moon. Wang Xuan, I feel conflicted. I truly hope you get a chance to go to New Star, touch supernatural power, and set foot on that new road. But I also feel that it's too much how they tossed Old Arts aside so casually, cast it away like worn-out shoes. We've all been abandoned!"

At this point, Qin Cheng calmed down his emotions before speaking again. "So I also hope you can achieve something great on the road of Old Arts. How wonderful it would be if those myths and legends were true. One day, you could rely on Old Arts to fight supernatural power, suppress the living beings of New Star's Supernatural Domain, and make them understand just how wrong it was to abandon Old Arts!"

He had always been skeptical of Old Arts in the past, but now he hoped that the myths of every age had traces to follow and could reappear.

But after calming down slightly, he let out another gloomy breath. None of that was realistic. Those so-called legends had no basis at all.

Wang Xuan looked up at the starry sky. Had the Immortals, myths, and such truly appeared in ancient times?

He shook his head. Even if there were conclusive proof that the Immortals had once existed in the world, it would only give later generations confidence. It held no meaning for him.

Because he did not believe in Immortals and Buddhas. He had never studied Old Arts because of those myths. He simply liked exploring and wanted to Take a Look at just how far the road of Old Arts could go.

Whether the Immortals had ever existed did not matter to him. His conviction was firm, and he was using himself to verify this path.

I heard that voting with monthly tickets tonight counts fourfold. That's utterly brutal—even double doesn't seem like enough. If you have monthly tickets, please cast them for "Beyond the Deep Space."