Cyber City

Back in Prison No. 18, Lu Guangyi sidled up and asked, "Boss, did Qing Yan say anything?"

"No," Qing Chen shook his head. "Continue with my plan."

The so-called ostracism by other forces within the Qing Clan, or the struggle for dominance within the Shadow, was not important to Qing Chen at the moment.

He hadn't refuted any of Qing Yan's aggressive remarks today either, because only when you are powerful does your response hold value.

The Breathing Technique had brought him a surprise, not just by opening the door to becoming a Transcendental.

Last night, he had been so exhausted he could barely walk, yet this morning he woke up feeling refreshed and his body was as agile as ever, with no trace of fatigue.

This feeling was magical, something he had never experienced, seen, or heard of in the Outer World.

Lu Guangyi asked in a low voice, "Did you really fall out with Li Shutong?"

Qing Chen glanced at him. "Yes, we did. But we weren't planning to rely on outside help for our mission anyway, were we?"

"That's right," Lu Guangyi said. "Boss, you still have me."

Night, countdown 5:59:59.

District 7, City No. 18.

Jiang Xue walked slowly through the city as the lights began to come on. To someone from the Outer World like her, this place was like a giant maze.

When she looked up at the sky, she didn't see smog, blue skies, or white clouds, but towering, densely packed steel forests, and dazzling, colorful holographic neon lights.

The holographic sign of a barbecue restaurant rotated in the air, and pedestrians could see huge skewers of synthetic meat from afar, as well as smell the cumin wafting from the shop.

A mechanical dolphin suddenly appeared in the sky, as if breaking through the surface of the sea from the depths.

As it swam slowly past the buildings, its tail flicked, splashing holographic blue waves.

The waves fell towards the ground, and anyone seeing it for the first time would instinctively cover their heads to prevent the spray from landing on them.

However, after falling more than ten meters, the waves dissipated into brilliant fireworks.

Only then did the sky reveal the illusory and dazzling GG font: "Yuzu Phone, giving you the best holographic communication experience."

Countless skybridges connected the buildings.

From the ground, these skybridges looked like ropes, binding all the buildings together.

As Jiang Xue walked, she brushed past countless people from the Inner World. Everyone who saw the auspicious cloud emblem on her chest instinctively made way for her.

That was the Li Clan's emblem.

She entered an elevator in a building and pressed the button for the 32nd floor.

The transparent elevator ascended rapidly. She turned and looked down at the outside, buildings appearing and disappearing one after another. Occasionally, hovercars whizzed past outside the elevator, flying to unknown destinations.

The silver hovercars had sleek lines, and where the four wheels should have been, there were jet turbines spewing blue flames.

With a ding, the 32nd floor arrived. Jiang Xue got out of the elevator and walked across a wide sky plaza towards the first floor of the Cloud Mist Building, where her clinic was located.

Before she could even enter the building, someone stopped her at the entrance. "Hello, Miss Jiang Xue."

The person was dressed in a neat and sharp suit, with an exquisite golden tie clip on his tie, which also bore the auspicious cloud emblem.

What's more, behind him, two people were carrying two black sealed boxes.

Jiang Xue was taken aback. This was Zhang Tianzhen, an outer member of the Li Corporation who had previously invested in her clinic.

"Hello, is there something?" Jiang Xue asked timidly.

"Hello, it's like this," Zhang Tianzhen said politely. "The company is pleased with the successful investment. As a token of our appreciation, we have specially sent you the latest model of mechanical arm from the Li Corporation. Not only that, but we have also arranged for an expert in mechanical limb installation to provide you with special training..."

The more Jiang Xue listened, the more something felt wrong.

Time Walkers in the Outer World often spoke of how terrifying the corporations were, but why did she feel like this company was so kind? Not only did they invest money, but they were also giving away mechanical limbs for free and even finding the best experts for her training, as if they knew she wouldn't be able to install mechanical limbs.

She began to feel suspicious.

Then Zhang Tianzhen suddenly said, "I can see you have some doubts, so I'll explain. Two years ago, you unintentionally helped a middle-aged lady. She is a member of our Li Corporation. She has been looking for you for two years and only recently found out your whereabouts, so this is all her gift."

Jiang Xue nodded hazily, "Oh, oh, is that so..."

As for whether she had helped someone two years ago, how would she know?

This was precisely what Li Tongyun was exploiting – the memory blind spot of Time Walkers. She knew that Jiang Xue knew nothing about her past.

Moreover, she also knew very well that her mother, even if confused, would not dare to ask too many questions, thus distancing herself.

At this point, Jiang Xue no longer suspected anything and happily accepted the Li Clan's gift. "These two mechanical arms..."

Zhang Tianzhen explained, "These are the most advanced products on the market. They not only have built-in high-energy weapons but also have super long battery life, and the neural connection synchronization rate can reach 97%."

"Thank you, thank you so much!" Jiang Xue was even more delighted.

Countdown 00:30:00.

Only half an hour left.

In the gym area, Ye Wan was leading Qing Chen through sit-ups, incorporating six training movements to improve his explosive core strength.

After finishing his core strength training, Qing Chen moved on to targeted cardiovascular exercises.

The night was long, and the training was grueling.

Based on Ye Wan's estimations, Qing Chen would only need another half a month of training before he could start resistance training, which was the real test.

However, time felt like it was about to split apart for Qing Chen. He was still undergoing Ye Wan's training and would return to the Outer World in half an hour.

Then, after an unknown number of days, he would return in the middle of the night to continue his training…

Just then, Li Shutong suddenly appeared in the training area. He looked at Qing Chen and asked, "You're returning to the Outer World soon, aren't you?"

"Yes," Qing Chen nodded. "What is it, Teacher? Is something wrong?"

Li Shutong said, "I want to witness the miraculous event of crossing worlds with my own eyes. Perhaps I can discover some secrets."

"Alright," Qing Chen said, his body soaked in sweat. Ye Wan handed him a replenishment supplement and some beef for him to refuel during his training.

It had to be said, while the Breathing Technique combined with training was effective, it consumed an enormous amount of energy.

If he didn't eat for a while, Qing Chen would feel ravenously hungry.

He was like a Taotie, eating and training ferociously.

At this moment, Qing Chen noticed a hint of hesitation in Li Shutong's expression.

He curiously asked, "What is it, Teacher? Is there something else?"

"Well… it's like this," Li Shutong pondered. "Could you bring me a few more chess endgame studies?"

Qing Chen was taken aback for two seconds, then chuckled, "No problem."

At this moment, he felt that Li Shutong's usual aura of authority had faded slightly, revealing a more human side.

Under the watchful eyes of Ye Wan and Li Shutong, Qing Chen placed the USB drive into his mouth.

Then, with a thought, he took out a crumpled gold strip from his pocket.

Ye Wan exclaimed in surprise, "So that's where Lu Guangyi's gold strip went!"

Li Shutong: "..."

In an instant, the flame patterns on Qing Chen's cheeks spread towards his ears. The aura that had once coursed through his body, under his will, enveloped the gold strip in his hand.

A look of astonishment appeared on Li Shutong's face.

The countdown began. 10.

9.

8.

7.

6.

5.

4.

3.

2.

1.

The world plunged into darkness.