Bidding Farewell to the Old

With a click, the room lights came on. Chen Chuan walked in, eased the door shut, and went to the window. A bright full moon hung high in the night sky.

He reached out and drew the curtains, then returned to the bed. After glancing at the alarm clock on the bedside table, he closed his eyes. The Second Self behind him instantly merged with him.

After a while, he opened his eyes and looked at the clock. To defeat Zhong Wu today, he had used Surprise God Fist force in every move, consuming quite a bit of merge time. Yet the time had increased by more than two hundred and seventy seconds, bringing the merging limit past six minutes.

This was the greatest improvement since the Second Self had been born.

Zhong Wu was likely the most dangerous opponent he had faced so far. And at the time, he had never felt such a powerful desire to defeat someone.

Only when he was most resolute in his conviction, determined to do something, and succeeded in doing it, had he triggered such an unprecedentedly intense resonance from the Second Self.

He reached out and turned the alarm clock face down.

What came next would be a new beginning.

The next day, Chen Chuan woke up on time.

There were still two days until school began, so he had a few things to prepare. Once school started, he certainly would not have much time. There were also some close acquaintances he needed to contact, so he called Ding Jiao first.

The moment the call connected, a voice came from the other end. "Hello, is this Chen Chuan? Brother Chuan, you finally called me! I've been bored stiff these past few days. I told them I had a classmate from Wu University, even my deskmate, but those bastards didn't believe me. They said I was bragging! Bragging about what? Do I look like the kind of guy who brags? Do I?"

Chen Chuan held the receiver a little farther away before saying, "And then?"

"And then what?"

Chen Chuan said with a smile, "The bragging part?"

"Bragging? Let me tell you... Hey! You're pulling my leg again, aren't you? Oh, right! What did you call me for?"

"I passed Wu Yi University's second-round examination," Chen Chuan said. "Just calling to let you know, so you won't keep saying I never tell you when there's news."

"You passed the second round?" Ding Jiao's voice suddenly jumped an octave. "Awesome! Awesome, awesome, awesome... Damn it, I... Holy shit! Brother Chuan, you're my brother!"

That booming voice burst from the receiver again. It could be heard from several meters away, but Chen Chuan had calmly moved the receiver away beforehand.

"Oh, right, Brother Chuan, you've got to treat us! You have to! Did you hear me? How can you not treat us for something like this? Do you want me to jump out my window? Can you bear to see that happen?"

Chen Chuan thought about it and decided it did sound rather serious. Ding Jiao lived on the first floor, but there was a drainage ditch outside his window. "I was planning to. No need for too many people—just invite a few familiar faces and find a time to gather at Forget Home Abode."

"Great! I'll go make calls right now! We'll talk later!"

Ding Jiao excitedly hung up. Chen Chuan considered for a moment, then dialed another number. "Mi Family Firm? I'd like to speak to Gao Ming."

After waiting a while, a voice came through. "Cousin, I've been following Wu Yi's second-round examination these past few days. Calling at a time like this, you must have passed, right?"

"Yes," Chen Chuan said. "I passed last night."

The voice chuckled. "Then congratulations, Cousin. Oh, and I won't be free to return for another two months. The exact time is still uncertain, but I'll contact you then."

Chen Chuan knew Gao Ming had a lot to deal with. After chatting for a couple of sentences, he hung up.

Just then, he heard a bicycle bell outside, followed by someone knocking on the door and calling out, "Does Chen Chuan live here? Chen Chuan from Wu University? You have a package."

The voice was loud enough for every neighbor who was home to hear it.

Chen Chuan walked out and opened the gate to the front courtyard. A young man in a gray uniform stood there with parcels strapped to his back, and behind him was a bicycle loaded with packages on both sides. Seeing him, the young man handed over a slip and a pen. "Chen Chuan, right? A package from the Express Delivery Station has arrived. Sign for it."

Chen Chuan took the slip and signed it. The young man accepted it, returned to his bike, picked up a large parcel, and handed it over. He said enviously, "You got into Wu University, little brother? Impressive. My little brother is taking the exam next year too. No idea if he'll get in. I'm off." He swung onto the bike, rang the bell, stomped down on the pedals a few times, and rode away.

After he left, Chen Chuan went back inside and opened the package. Inside were two sets of retro-style cultivation suits, both with right-over-left lapels and open fronts. One was blue-green, the other white, and each came with a matching forehead band.

Besides the two cultivation suits, there were also two sets of formal student uniforms, including hats, shoes, gloves, and socks. One was for regular wear and one for winter. Their style was similar to the outfit he was currently wearing, but the materials were better, the colors more proper, and Wu Yi's school emblem was embroidered over the chest.

There was also an exquisite envelope bearing Wu Yi's name. It felt rather stiff. After tearing it open, he took out something resembling a name card.

He picked it up and examined it. It was a new student ID. Having passed the second-round examination, he was now an elite student under Wu Yi's key training program, and this card replaced his old student ID.

The envelope also contained a small booklet and a key.

The booklet was fold-out. At the front were congratulatory words, along with some of Wu Yi's school rules and precautions. When unfolded completely, the back showed an ink-wash map of Wu Yi University. Though printed, the image was exquisitely detailed and pleasing to the eye, likely the work of a master.

As for the key, it was for the dormitory assigned to him. He would not be able to use it until school began.

After putting everything away, he went out to the courtyard to practice his fists. Before long, it was noon.

After lunch, he changed clothes and left home, jogging toward Fist Home. However, he decided to stop by Wei Dong's place first and see how the kid was doing—whether he had passed the second round after all.

This time, he did not take the long alley and climb over, since that was not the proper route. He made a detour instead, entered through the main gate of the residential complex, found Wei Dong's building, and followed the stairs upstairs. A poster of a boxer holding up his fist was pasted on the door. Judging by the style, it was from many years ago.

He stepped forward and knocked. "Is Little Brother Wei home?"

Footsteps thudded from inside, then the door was pulled open at once. Wei Dong stood behind it, a medicated patch stuck to his face. He waved at Chen Chuan. "Hey, Little Brother Chen! I didn't see you yesterday. Someone said you were in another examination room, and that guy nearly got into a fight with me. But later he didn't want to, so we didn't fight."

Chen Chuan said with a smile, "That was an examination hall. If he had wanted to fight, would you really have fought him?"

Wei Dong said proudly, "Of course not. I was just scaring him. If I promised Grandpa something, I'd definitely keep my word."

"From the look of you, you passed the second round?" Chen Chuan asked.

Wei Dong scratched his hair. "That guy was pretty good. He knocked me down with three punches and two kicks right away, but I refused to admit defeat. I got up and fought him several more times. There were quite a few rounds—three or four, maybe? Then the teacher said that was enough and told us to stop. He said there was no point continuing, that we shouldn't waste time, and said I had passed and could leave."

Chen Chuan held out his hand. "Then congratulations, Little Brother Wei."

Wei Dong reached out and slapped his hand hard. "Hehe, congratulations to you too, Little Brother Chen. We can keep sparring in the future." He suddenly grew more serious. "I'll find a way to beat you."

Chen Chuan smiled back. "Then you'll have to work hard."

After learning how things had gone, he stayed with Wei Dong for a while before leaving and continuing toward Fist Home. He arrived there at a little after two.

Lu Ke was sweeping the training hall at the time. When he saw Chen Chuan enter, he stopped and said in delighted surprise, "Little Brother Chen..." Then he looked at him expectantly. He knew Chen Chuan had gone to take Wu Yi University's second-round examination yesterday, but he did not know the result.

Chen Chuan smiled at him and raised his clenched fist.

Delight appeared on Lu Ke's face. He gave Chen Chuan a thumbs-up and said sincerely, "Little Brother Chen, amazing!" As if remembering something, he added, "Oh, right, Master is upstairs." Then he added again, "He's been waiting for news from you too."

Chen Chuan nodded. "We'll talk later." He headed up the stairs. On the second floor, he saw Yu Gang standing in the balcony corridor with his arms folded, looking into the distance.

He walked over, bowed to Yu Gang, and said, "Mr. Yu, I passed Wu Yi's second-round examination. I'll be going to the university in a few days. Thank you for your guidance during this time."

Yu Gang turned around to look at him, lowering his arms. "Since you passed the second round, my training of you ends here."

"No matter what, I still have to thank Mr. Yu for his guidance," Chen Chuan said.

"You have talent yourself. You were always going to make something of yourself," Yu Gang said. "That means I've repaid the favor I owed Captain Nian. If you come to ask me about fighting matters again in the future, it won't be at the current price."

Chen Chuan laughed. "That's perfectly fair."

Yu Gang grunted, then said, "There is competition everywhere. Wu University is no exception, and sometimes it goes beyond what you can imagine. Watch yourself."

"Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Yu," Chen Chuan said seriously. "I'll do my best to adapt."

He stayed for a while, then bade Yu Gang farewell and left. Before he went, Lu Ke handed him a plastic bag. "Master asked me to give this to you."

Chen Chuan looked inside and said in surprise, "Black meat?"

Lu Ke nodded. "Yes. Four jin of Black Rat Meat, bought with the extra money you gave. Master said to remember to eat it. It should be just enough to last you until school starts."

Chen Chuan smiled. "Help me thank Mr. Yu." He raised a hand again. "I'm off."

Lu Ke grunted in acknowledgment.

Chen Chuan waved and left. When he reached the mouth of the alley leading out, Lu Ke's voice called from behind him, "Little Brother Chen, come by often when you have time!"

Chen Chuan turned back and said with a smile, "All right." Then he waved to Lu Ke and to Yu Gang, who was watching him from upstairs, before turning around and walking away.

Yu Gang and Lu Ke watched Chen Chuan's figure leave through the narrow alley. Both knew that what awaited him was a far broader world beyond.