The Hypocritical Mr. Cheng

Zhenghao Wujun and the Black Scale Devil Venerable were actually both me.

The moment those words left his mouth, they landed like a thunderclap. Everyone present, including Zhu Ping'an, stared in shock.

Who was Zhenghao Wujun? He was a model of righteous warriors, recorded in warrior textbooks: a man of unshakable integrity who couldn't abide the slightest speck of wrongdoing, who acted with honor and treated others with kindness. Everyone adored him.

And who was the Black Scale Devil Venerable? A fiend who had committed every evil under the sun. He had once slaughtered an entire city, and his actions had brought down the Starry Sky Ancient Saint alongside him. He was a notorious villain, reviled for all eternity.

Those two were actually the same person?

That was as impossible to accept as being told that Zhang Fei and Diaochan were actually one and the same.

Mr. Cheng was so stunned that he froze in place, then couldn't help swallowing.

"Senior Wujun... You're joking with me, right?"

"I'm not joking."

A trace of weariness crossed Zhenghao Wujun's face.

"Back then, my strength had reached the pinnacle of the Human Race. I began seeking a realm beyond that peak, but after searching for a long time, I found nothing. Meanwhile, my life was nearing its end. Even the strongest among the Human Race lived only five hundred short years, while Mutant Beasts and demons could easily live for over a thousand."

"When I faced death, I admit it: I became a coward. I didn't want to die. I wanted to live longer, so..."

Zhenghao Wujun didn't continue. Everyone could more or less guess what had happened next.

To keep living, he had devoured and fused with the bloodlines of Mutant Beasts and demons. Though he gained a longer lifespan, he lost himself, forgot who he was, and became the Black Scale Devil Venerable.

Zhu Ping'an also understood why the Starry Sky Ancient Saint had said that the Humanoid Creature was a human who had gone astray.

Presumably, after Zhenghao Wujun devoured the bloodlines of Mutant Beasts and demons, he became even more powerful. The Starry Sky Ancient Saint couldn't defeat him, and could only create the Secret Realm of Star Gazing to seal him inside. The Saint had perished in the process.

"Ten thousand years... It was all just a dream..."

Zhenghao Wujun sighed, and his entire figure began to slowly fade away.

Watching such a legendary figure vanish into the river of time, everyone couldn't help feeling a little melancholy.

Mr. Cheng solemnly bowed toward the spot where Zhenghao Wujun had disappeared, then turned to face the many examinees.

"Now, who's going to tell me what happened in the Secret Realm of Star Gazing?"

At that, all the examinees instinctively turned their eyes toward Zhu Ping'an.

During the battle with that Humanoid Creature, they had been nothing but spectators. They couldn't help at all, and the Humanoid Creature hadn't even paid them any mind.

Mr. Cheng also looked toward Zhu Ping'an.

Mr. Cheng looked like a child of seven or eight, yet Zhu Ping'an felt that before his eyes, every secret he held was laid bare.

"It seems this student knows what happened. Could I trouble you to tell me?"

"Zhu Ping'an, just tell Mr. Cheng everything you know. He won't give you a hard time," Lin Zhao said in support from the side.

Zhu Ping'an took a deep breath to calm himself, then began to recount what had happened.

"It was like this. After I entered the Secret Realm of Star Gazing, I was just peacefully gathering Star Light, hoping to get a good score on the College Entrance Examination..."

Zhu Ping'an told them everything he knew, except that he had gathered Star Light and received the Starry Sky Ancient Saint's inheritance. He wasn't foolish enough to announce to everyone that he had obtained the Nine Revolutions Starry Sky Technique.

Zhu Ping'an had thought that his story and expression were both flawless, but he didn't know that the top ten examinees were projected for everyone to see...

"Ahem, Zhu Ping'an, we all saw you swallowing Star Light," Lin Zhao said awkwardly from beside him.

Zhu Ping'an: "..."

"It's fine." Mr. Cheng's expression gave nothing away. "Mayor Lin Zhao, please escort the examinees back. Their families must be worried by now. Student Ping'an and I have a few things to discuss in private."

"Of course, Mr. Cheng. Zhu Ping'an is an outstanding student. I hope you won't give him a hard time," Lin Zhao said from the side.

"Do you think I'd give a child a hard time?" Mr. Cheng's expression turned displeased.

"I wouldn't dare. I'll get back to work, Mr. Cheng." Lin Zhao turned and left, leading Green City's guard army as they escorted the examinees out of the Secret Realm of Star Gazing.

After a while, the Secret Realm of Star Gazing was nearly empty. Only a handful of people remained.

Mr. Cheng looked at Zhu Ping'an and spoke in a low voice.

"Student Ping'an, if I'm not mistaken, the Starry Sky Ancient Saint's inheritance is with you, isn't it?"

Zhu Ping'an's heart tightened. He knew that in the end, he couldn't avoid this. This Mr. Cheng coveted his inheritance.

"I did meet the senior Starry Sky Ancient Saint. He taught me some ways to absorb Star Force, but he didn't give me his inheritance."

The moment he finished speaking, a tremendous force slammed into Zhu Ping'an and sent him flying backward. He spat out a mouthful of blood.

He hadn't even seen how Mr. Cheng had attacked. This man, who looked like a child, was terrifying.

"Student Ping'an, lying isn't a good habit."

Mr. Cheng smiled faintly and raised his eyes to look around.

"All the strange phenomena in the Secret Realm of Star Gazing have disappeared. The Star Curtain has gone completely dark, and the secret realm has clearly become an ordinary one. The Starry Sky Ancient Saint created it on the verge of death. There's only one reason the Secret Realm of Star Gazing could have become like this: someone has taken the Saint's inheritance."

"Am I right, Student Ping'an?"

A faint smile rested on Mr. Cheng's face.

Zhu Ping'an felt as if he were suffocating. Never before had he yearned so desperately for power.

"If you don't say anything, I'll take that as confirmation," Mr. Cheng continued, speaking as if to himself. "The Starry Sky Ancient Saint was one of the strongest experts ten thousand years ago. His inheritance is of great importance. It's not something a First-Rank Warrior like you can possess."

"The Starry Sky Ancient Saint's inheritance must be handed over to us, to be handled by professionals. Only then can it be put to the greatest use and benefit countless people. You must sacrifice the small self to achieve the greater self. Do you understand, Student Ping'an?"

Zhu Ping'an's breathing grew ragged, his chest heaving.

Mr. Cheng embodied sanctimonious hypocrisy to perfection. Zhu Ping'an had never met anyone so fake.

"Of course, don't worry. I won't take the inheritance from a First-Rank Warrior like you for nothing. In exchange, I can take you as my disciple."

Mr. Cheng lifted his chin arrogantly, clearly waiting for Zhu Ping'an to kneel, kowtow, and acknowledge him as his master.