Chapter Twenty-One Scoring!

"Already terminally ill..."

"Such is the era, such are people's hearts..."

The first page of the manga: a handsome man sits on a rock in a deep forest at night, gazing up at the bright moon, paired with these two lines of dialogue.

No redundant frames or conversations—just the first page, and it pulls you straight into the story.

"Not bad..."

"The art style works too..."

"Seems a bit like a battle manga."

"With this clothing and setting, is the story taking place on RB Island? That's rare."

Five minutes to read three chapters of manga—there's no way to look too closely.

Everyone flipped through quickly, roughly five or six seconds per page. Many editors wore bored expressions as they skimmed this manga called Rurouni Kenshin: Reminiscence Arc.

But half a minute in.

Everyone present, including Editor-in-Chief Pang Feng and Deputy Editor-in-Chief Song Jiayu, no longer looked bored. Some editors who had been speed-reading suddenly flipped the whole stack back and started over from Chapter One.

These were all people who'd worked in the industry for years. If a work was bad, a quick flip through was enough to gauge it roughly.

But likewise, if a work was good... just a few pages could tell you.

Young Kenshin, hunted by human traffickers, is saved by Master Swordsman Hiko Seijuro.

Kenshin studies swordsmanship under Master Hiko. Up to this point, while the artwork was exquisite, the story was still fairly standard.

But when the scene shifted to that man named Kiyosato, killed by Kenshin yet still worrying about his fiancée, recalling her face, murmuring her name—Chu Yu poured all his effort into expressing the cruelty of this moment through the visuals.

By this point, the editors reading had basically immersed themselves in the manga.

Wanting to use his swordsmanship to save more people, Kenshin tries to leave, sparking an argument with his master.

Compared to Kenshin's burning sincerity, Master Hiko clearly sees much further.

One person's strength has its limits. A single man can't save an era—on the contrary, some organizations will borrow the name of justice and exploit Kenshin's power for their own ends.

"The sword is a weapon. Swordsmanship is a killing art!"

"No matter how beautifully you dress it up, that's always the truth."

In contrast to Kenshin's ideal of using his skills to save people, his master has a clear understanding of the true nature of the power he wields.

"To protect others, you must kill. To survive, you must kill..."

"That is the truth of swordsmanship."

Reading this, Editor-in-Chief Pang Feng's finger trembled.

When he saw the protagonist Kenshin say, "Even so, I still want to use this power to save those who suffer,"

a protagonist full of passion and a sense of greater good had already taken shape—not hypocritical, only evoking a sigh at the cruelty of the era he lived in.

After leaving his master, Kenshin became an assassin, swinging his sword and killing people, steadfast in his ideals.

Three full chapters, tight pacing, over a dozen characters introduced, yet not a hint of chaos.

Among them, Kenshin's master delivered one memorable line after another.

Drinking alone in a tavern and finding it tasteless, Kenshin recalled his master's words.

"Spring night cherry blossoms, summer stargazing, autumn full moon, winter first snow..."

"With scenes like these, how could the wine not be delicious?"

"If it still tastes bland, that's the best proof something's wrong with you."

Many editors reading this instantly fell in love with the character of Master Hiko.

And they also marveled at the author's skill. Was Shui Xin really a newcomer? Could a newcomer draw a manga like this?

Parting from his companion, Kenshin encounters an assassin in a rainy alley.

After killing the assassin, the splattered blood stains the umbrella of a woman standing ahead.

On the last page of the manga, she looks at Kenshin calmly and says, "You really do... bring about... blood and storms!"

The sword wound on Kenshin's face starts bleeding again...

The three chapters end there.

That's it?

Over?

Editors who wanted to flip to the next chapter sighed involuntarily when they realized there was nothing more.

Cursing in their hearts.

That cliffhanger dog doesn't deserve a good poem!

Five minutes passed quickly, and the editors snapped out of the manga's story, though they remained silent.

They simply scribbled their scores for the work on the slips of paper in their hands.

When the next few works were brought up, they seemed to lack a bit of that spark.

After all, when the main course had already been served, two appetizers couldn't stir much appetite.

Soon, all eighteen works had their turn, but in truth, the editors had a clear idea of which ones would rank in the top five for scoring.

Song Jiayu might not have the best character, but as a manga editor, he had the basic qualifications.

Ever since Rurouni Kenshin: Reminiscence Arc was presented, his expression had been sour.

He had thought that pulling Dong Yun from Feng Yu Comics would make this serialization meeting a sure win, but now his confidence was truly shaken.

Ridiculous as it was, he had to admit it.

In terms of pacing, story, depth, and visual impact, Dong Yun's Secret Girl couldn't hold a candle to Rurouni Kenshin: Reminiscence Arc.

Compared to a tale of a swordsman fighting for his ideals in a chaotic era, a school-based supernatural romance manga like Secret Girl dropped several tiers in prestige.

Song Jiayu glanced at Su Ruo, sitting alone in silence, and an inexplicable irritation welled up inside him.

Regardless, everyone in the comics club knew how he had been suppressing Su Ruo this whole time. If he lost to her in this serialization meeting, wouldn't he become a laughingstock in Mo Yu's eyes?

And he had gone to great lengths to poach Dong Yun, hoping her presence would boost his performance so his father could transfer him back to Modu sooner.

As for sabotaging Su Ruo at the serialization meeting, that was a minor matter, just something he did on the side.

But now Song Jiayu realized he might very well be the one getting sabotaged by this work.

If Secret Girl lost to Rurouni Kenshin, wouldn't he become a joke?

Deputy Editor-in-Chief Song Jiayu plus popular manga artist Dong Yun, losing to unknown editor Su Ruo and the newcomer she discovered.

If news like that reached his father's ears, he might extend his one-year term here to train his abilities.

No, that couldn't happen.

Song Jiayu took a deep breath.

Soon, the vote tallying was complete.

After removing the highest and lowest scores, the list of the five works with the highest average scores was ready.

Editor-in-Chief Pang Feng glanced at the list, his gaze sharpening.

"Next, I'll announce the five works advancing to the final voting stage."