Two-Pronged

Mu Qing stared at the hundred-meter-long flying warship in the sky, stunned and speechless.

The flying warship before him was pitch-black from bow to stern. Sunlight glinted off it in cold metallic flashes, and it bristled with cannon barrels and machine guns, giving it an imposing air.

At the very top of the flying warship was a gilded character, "Dragon," which seemed to shimmer faintly.

Although this flying warship was smaller than the Transport Ship at the school, it was equipped with many weapons. Mu Qing even spotted some fearsome weapons that the school's teachers had once told them about.

Ke Fei burst out laughing. Seeing Mu Qing's shocked expression, he looked immensely pleased.

He had gone to great lengths to get this flying warship. After killing countless Fierce Beasts and harvesting materials from their bodies, he had finally traded them to an organization in exchange for it.

He told Mu Qing that the flying warship was called Long Clan No. 1. It was the organization's earliest model and the weakest of the flying warships they had developed, but it was still formidable, equipped with the most advanced weapons.

"Once Long Clan No. 1 unleashes its full power, my strength will double!" Ke Fei said with a smile, stroking the flying warship before him, his eyes filled with satisfaction.

A dragon-shaped pattern ran across Long Clan No. 1, as if carved into it with a sharp object. Now and then, it gave off an enigmatic aura, making it clear that the pattern was no ordinary design.

The flying warship must have been Ke Fei's companion for many years. They had fought side by side, and after more than a decade apart, Ke Fei was deeply moved.

But at that moment, Mu Qing's attention was fixed on the golden communication device on Ke Fei's wrist.

What had happened earlier had truly shocked him. How could a communication device about the size of a bracelet contain a flying warship?

The flying warship was enormous and incredibly heavy. He had seen cracks appear in the ground beneath it.

As Mu Qing stared at the golden communication device in Ke Fei's hand, a theory came to mind. It was something he had heard about in class at school.

A Space Folding Device!

Many years ago, to fight the Cosmic Fierce Beast race, humanity had not only learned how to cultivate their bloodlines and strengthen themselves, but had also pursued technological research on a parallel track.

Since they needed to fight the Fierce Beast race, countless scientists had joined forces and developed many items designed for battle.

One scientist had even developed space-folding technology, creating countless terrifying weapons that harnessed the mysterious power of space.

He had not been an unparalleled powerhouse—not even an eighth-tier bloodline cultivator—but the number of ninth-tier Fierce Beasts that had died at his hands was beyond counting!

Ke Fei saw through Mu Qing's thoughts and laughed as he explained, "The thing in my hand is the legendary Space Folding Device. This golden communication device is called a Space Ring!"

Mu Qing finally understood.

A Space Ring was an ordinary communication device enhanced with space-folding technology, allowing it to store items.

According to Ke Fei, his golden Space Ring had an extraordinary origin. It contained a vast space and was also a symbol of authority of some kind.

Ke Fei let Mu Qing take a look at the Space Ring. On its inner surface was a tiny dragon-shaped pattern, exactly like the one on the flying warship.

"I got both this Space Ring and Long Clan No. 1 from the same organization," Ke Fei told Mu Qing, explaining where the two items had come from.

Mu Qing wanted to ask more, but Ke Fei cut him off.

"Do you still want to take the College Entrance Exam or not?" Ke Fei glared at him.

He had only wanted to show off a little. He hadn't expected Mu Qing to get so carried away, asking nonstop about the golden Space Ring's origins.

Mu Qing gave an awkward grin, realizing he'd gotten a little too excited.

"Time is tight. Get aboard Long Clan No. 1 and head to the school. I'm going to the center of Lake Heart Island to retrieve the most precious treasure!" As he spoke, Ke Fei grabbed Mu Qing and pulled him into the flying warship.

In a flash, he reached the cockpit. His hands flew over the various instruments, and a screen appeared, displaying a route straight to East Campus!

Ke Fei stroked the white beard on his chin and smiled. "All these years later, I can't believe I still remember some of the routes around West Lake High School."

Mu Qing watched blankly. The instruments in the cockpit made his head spin. He couldn't understand any of them.

"There's a living quarters compartment aboard Long Clan No. 1. You can go rest there. Once we reach our destination, it'll toss you out!" Ke Fei let out a mischievous laugh, tossed off the remark, and turned to leave.

He had to keep his promise and retrieve Lake Heart Island's most precious treasure for Mu Qing. That was how he would repay him.

Worried about Mu Qing's College Entrance Exam, he had decided they should split up. He would retrieve the treasure while Mu Qing took his flying warship to East Campus.

Lake Heart Island was in the middle of West Lake. It wasn't all that far from West Lake High School, but without a boat, Mu Qing had no way to cross the distance. His only option was Ke Fei's flying warship.

Before leaving the flying warship, Ke Fei took a clean set of clothes and let out a few more mischievous chuckles.

Mu Qing's mouth twitched. He had clearly heard Ke Fei say he would "toss" him out. His heart pounded. Who knew what kind of "tossing" he had in mind?

Rumble!

A roar filled the air, and Long Clan No. 1 began to tremble. A blast of wind pressure swept out in every direction as the hundred-meter-long flying warship rose into the air, blue-white flames shooting from its engines. Within seconds, it had climbed high above the ground.

"Route acquired. Autopilot engaged..."

An electronic voice sounded as flames burst from the rear of Long Clan No. 1. It streaked across the sky in a black arc, speeding toward East Campus.

Mu Qing barely felt the flying warship move, and there was no sensation of weightlessness. He went to the living quarters Ke Fei had mentioned. It was fully stocked, with all kinds of food and clothes.

His eyes lit up. He grabbed some food and wolfed it down.

Life on Lake Heart Island had been miserable. Every day, all he had to eat was Crow Blood, weeds, and dead branches. Everything tasted awful and bitter.

Now he took a huge bite out of a hamburger, his eyes almost welling with tears of joy. Now this was what food was supposed to taste like!

There was plenty of food in the living quarters. After filling his stomach, Mu Qing took a shower and changed into a white shirt and black pants.

His school uniform had been completely torn to shreds while he was on Lake Heart Island, and he had been filthy before that.

He had called Ke Fei a scruffy old man, but back then he himself had been a scruffy kid, dressed in ragged clothes like a beggar.

After washing up, Mu Qing felt refreshed. He sat cross-legged, circulated the Giant Elephant Transport Technique, and began to restore the Origin Force of the little Black Fish in his dantian.

At the same time, he pondered the mysterious golden communication device his father had sent him by courier.

Comparing it to the golden Space Ring Ke Fei had, he saw that their appearances were almost identical. He guessed that the golden device might well be a Space Ring!

Mu Qing had originally thought that his father had sent the golden communication device just so he could contact him, so he had never examined it closely.

"Ding! The route is nearly complete. Estimated arrival at West Lake High School, East Campus, in three minutes."

The electronic voice rang in Mu Qing's ears. His face lit up. He hadn't expected the flying warship to be so fast.

Meanwhile, at the East Campus training grounds, all the students had been assigned to their respective class areas.

Among them was Class 3-B, where Mu Qing's familiar classmates Ling Fei, Yang Shanshan, Ji Jia, and Jiang Yuanjie were gathered.

Jiang Yuanjie wasn't actually in Class B, but after the battle on Lake Heart Island, he had formed a deep friendship with Ling Fei and the others, so he had snuck over.

"What do we do? The Class A test is almost over, and Mu Qing still hasn't shown up!" Anxiety spread across Ji Jia's delicate face.

The first stage of the College Entrance Exam was the simplest. It only tested things like cultivation level and martial skill strength, after which Federation personnel would assign and record the scores.

It was simple, but every student had to take part. Anyone who missed it would be barred from the next two stages and counted as absent.

Yang Shanshan, standing nearby, furrowed her delicate brows. She wore a blue dress and was beautiful and charming, like a little princess.

Jiang Yuanjie stood beside her, busy making calls on his communication device.

His body was so stout and bulky that he took up the space of two people. Under the blazing sun, sweat poured from him.

"How about it? Did you find anything? Any sign of Mu Qing?" Jiang Pangzi asked briskly, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

He had just contacted more than ten people and asked them all the same thing.

Ling Fei also looked uneasy, keeping a close eye on Jiang Yuanjie.

Jiang Pangzi was the head of the school's News Department and had connections everywhere. He also had plenty of lackeys. They had originally specialized in capturing embarrassing moments of the school's famous figures, but after the mock exam, he had sent them all out to search for clues about Mu Qing.

"What? You still haven't found him? What the hell are you good for!" After making a few more calls, he flew into a rage and tore into them.

"Hmph! Stop wasting your time. Mu Qing is a murderer. The Wang Family has already joined forces with the higher-ups at West Lake High School to put him on the wanted list!" A figure appeared before them. He had handsome features and a beautiful woman at his side.

The newcomers were Wang Haixuan and Song Yalan.

Wang Haixuan wrapped an arm around Song Yalan's slender waist and breathed in her delicate, clean scent, a look of disdain at the corners of his mouth.

His gaze was sharp as a thorn as he swept it over the group.

"Wang Haixuan! Don't think you're invincible just because you used your family's resources to break through to the Blood Qi Ninth Stage!" Ling Fei sprang to his feet. He was even taller than Wang Haixuan and looked down at him.

A terrifying aura surged from Ling Fei. He had actually reached the Blood Qi Ninth Stage!

Jiang Pangzi was already furious, and the moment he saw Wang Haixuan, he shot to his feet.