Deal

Deal

At the border between the Middle District and the Upper District, Han Yuri moved stealthily through the forest, constantly keeping watch on the surroundings.

Prisoners worth anywhere from two to four points could appear here, so he acted with extreme caution, looking rather furtive.

Why had Han Yuri come here? That went back to the beginning of the year.

Half a year ago, Han Yuri had still been an Ordinary Person. At the start of the year, the Yuan Cultivation Society had come knocking under the pretext of recruitment and conducted some basic aptitude tests on him. But contrary to his earlier boasts, the final result was that he had failed.

Normally, prospective candidates who failed the test would have their memories erased. But that day, either due to a staff error or faulty equipment, Han Yuri's memories had not been completely erased, leaving him with memories related to Explorer Academy.

Han Yuri had always been proud and arrogant, believing himself born to stand above others. Failing the assessment had left him deeply frustrated. Now that he knew of a world beyond the mundane, how could he be willing not to pursue it?

But as an Ordinary Person, he had already lost his qualifications. If he wanted to obtain an Admission Ticket, he could only take another path.

Become a Vital Energy Cultivator!

After Han Yuri repeatedly pestered him, his wealthy businessman father made inquiries through many channels and finally used his connections to approach a powerful Vital Energy Cultivator, paying a fortune to have him teach his son Vital Energy cultivation.

However, this Cultivator seemed to have little interest in worldly money. Han Yuri and his father visited him several times, humbling themselves and exhausting every flattering word they knew, before the expert finally relented. He met Han Yuri alone, examined his physique and talent, then made a request.

He could take Han Yuri as his disciple, but Han Yuri had to help him do something during Ningdong University's entrance examination.

If he accomplished it, Han Yuri would be guaranteed a place among the extraordinary in the future, becoming a Cultivator superior to ordinary people. If he refused, the expert would erase the memories Han Yuri and his father had of the extraordinary world, completely cutting off their hopes...

"It should be here..." Han Yuri cautiously looked around. Suddenly, a pebble flew over and struck him right on the buttocks.

Han Yuri jumped in fright. He looked down and picked up the pebble, only to discover a strange symbol carved into it.

He turned his head toward where the pebble had come from—the Upper District. Han Yuri swallowed and gathered his courage before feeling his way over.

As he passed a clump of bushes, he suddenly felt a powerful force pull him inside.

"Waaah..." Han Yuri cried out in terror, only for a large hand to cover his mouth.

"What are you yelling for? Do you have a death wish?!" The sharp rebuke calmed Han Yuri down. He looked up to see that the person pinning him down was a burly, stubbly middle-aged man with a four-point Score Plate pinned to his chest.

Han Yuri took a photograph from his pocket and compared it before he finally Breathed a sigh of relief.

"Martial Uncle Wu?"

Wu Youde Nodded, then looked at Han Yuri with a trace of disdain. "How did my junior brother end up taking a disciple like you? You only know how to scream when something happens. You don't have the slightest bit of composure!"

"Martial Uncle is right to lecture me..." Han Yuri gave a sheepish forced smile and looked around.

"Don't worry. I scouted the area—there are no cameras here. Bewildering Peak is so large that surveillance can't possibly cover everything. There are plenty of blind spots." Wu Youde snorted and pulled a three-point Score Plate from his robes. "My plate would be too conspicuous for you, so I got you a three-pointer. The person's already been killed and is lying in the bushes over there. You can go look at the scene later. If anyone asks you about what happened, at least you'll be able to answer."

"Martial Uncle truly thought of everything." Han Yuri beamed and reached for the Score Plate, but Wu Youde pulled his hand back and pointed at his own neck. "Handle the serious business first!"

"Oh, right, right, right..." Han Yuri nodded repeatedly. He put on a pair of gloves, then pulled a folded golden slip of paper from his shoe. Once unfolded, it was clearly a talisman, its patterns faintly glimmering with light. It was obviously not painted with ordinary pigment.

"A legendary-quality Barrier Breaking Talisman?" Wu Youde's eyes lit up. "No wonder junior brother was so confident!"

After taking the Talisman Paper, Wu Youde pressed it against his collar and slowly infused it with Vital Energy. As a flash of light lit up, the collar opened with a click.

"It worked!" Wu Youde's eyes shone with excitement. He had been imprisoned for years, dreaming of freedom every day. He had not expected his dream to come true today!

"Congratulations, Martial Uncle, on regaining your freedom!" Han Yuri echoed.

"It's not that simple yet." Wu Youde was meticulous. "This Barrier Breaking Talisman is very advanced and has been specially modified. It can temporarily mimic the aura of a living creature, so the system won't realize I've escaped for now. But if I leave it here, they'll quickly realize something's wrong. Once they check the surveillance footage and discover that you came this way, there'll be no explaining it."

"Then what should we do?" Han Yuri began to panic.

"I'll keep wearing this collar and deal with it once I'm far away. You should hurry back to the Lower District and hide as well. We'll act as if we never met."

With that, Wu Youde took the collar and was about to leave.

"Wait, Martial Uncle... I have one small request..." Han Yuri called out to Wu Youde and took out another photograph. It showed the portrait of a boy in a school uniform, only an inch wide, as though it had been cut from a larger photograph.

"This person is also taking the exam. He's my sworn enemy!" Han Yuri gritted his teeth. "Could Martial Uncle help me get rid of him?"

Wu Youde shot Han Yuri a sidelong glance. "You carry around a photo of some boy? What kind of fetish do you have, kid?"

"I'm not carrying this photo because of him..." Han Yuri's face darkened.

"Oh... so there's a girl in the photo too!" Wu Youde wore an expression of understanding as he looked at the portrait in the photograph.

"What's this kid's strength?"

"Just a White Wristband!"

"He's even weaker than you?" Wu Youde looked at Han Yuri with even greater contempt. "You need me to act against such a minor character?"

"I'm a candidate too, after all. It wouldn't be convenient for me to act..." Han Yuri did not mention a single word about how this White Wristband had slapped a faceful of Korean Cold Noodles onto him.

Wu Youde looked Han Yuri over and narrowed his eyes. "You know that although I'm at the fourth level of the Foundation Establishment Realm, there are quite a few Heart Refining Realm experts among the academy teachers. Killing someone for you under these circumstances carries considerable risk."

"I heard Martial Uncle's son attends primary school in Shun City..." Han Yuri looked at Wu Youde and said slowly. "It seems to be... Sixth Road Primary School in Tiedong District?"

Wu Youde's gaze instantly turned sharp. "You dare threaten me?"

Feeling the almost tangible Killing Intent pressing down from above his head, Han Yuri broke out in a cold sweat and began trembling all over. He swallowed and forced out a smile.

"How would I dare threaten Martial Uncle... What I meant was, my little brother will be entering middle school soon, right... I have an apartment in Shun City. It isn't big, but the environment is nice, and it's right next to prestigious schools..."

Looking at Han Yuri's smiling face, Wu Youde withdrew his Killing Intent. After several seconds of silence, he reached out and took the photograph.

"Deal!"

(End of Chapter)