Strange Cell No. 1

The first hurdle of entering prison was the great cleansing.

Ye Wudao was stripped of everything, and every inch of his body was thoroughly inspected.

He changed into a new prison uniform, collected his toiletries, and waited to be assigned a cell.

Throughout the entire process, he followed at the back of the line like a walking corpse.

From the moment he was taken away by the police to the court's verdict, and now to the prison, three full months had passed.

During these three months, he had wanted to appeal countless times, but thinking of the perfect "fake evidence" Ye Zhenshan had fabricated, he could not see any chance of winning the case.

Therefore, he stopped thinking about it and focused on studying the system in his mind.

Regarding this system that had suddenly appeared, he saw a glimmer of light—a glimmer of hope.

Perhaps...

Fifteen years later, he could rely on this system to take his revenge.

The system's function was very simple: the Martial Dao Self-Improvement System. It did not mean he had to improve himself, but rather that his martial path would automatically grow stronger.

As for how exactly this self-improvement worked, he would need to practice a cultivation technique to find out.

However, when he looked at this heavily guarded prison, the hope that had just ignited in his heart instantly shattered, and his emotions plummeted to the bottom once again.

In this godforsaken place, where would he find a cultivation technique to practice?

Let alone practicing, even finding a single technique was impossible.

Over a hundred years ago, humanity suddenly discovered that Blue Star contained special energy, and those who practiced ancient martial arts instantly became incredibly powerful.

Since then, Blue Star officially entered the era of Martial Dao.

However, even after more than a hundred years of development, the Martial Dao remained the domain of only a small minority.

As the saying goes, "the poor study literature, the rich study martial arts." To practice the Martial Dao, the most important factor was not talent, but resources.

In the hundred-plus years of Blue Star's Martial Dao history, the number of martial artists who could climb up from the bottom could be counted on one hand.

Instead, those families and clans that already possessed vast resources saw their descendants lead others through resource advantages, even if their aptitude was poor.

This led to the martial power of these great families growing stronger and their resources increasing, forming a positive feedback loop.

The only chance for an ordinary person to come into contact with the Martial Dao was to be admitted to a Martial Arts Academy.

In this prison, it was impossible for inmates to be allowed to practice the Martial Dao.

"At worst, I'll just wait until I get out in fifteen years to practice!"

Ye Wudao clenched his fists, gritting his teeth as he whispered to himself.

The only thing he could think of was to practice after his release.

That way, at least there was a sliver of hope to keep the fire of revenge in his heart from extinguishing.

Otherwise, fifteen years later, with everything changed, whether he could hold on until then was an unknown.

"Number 4567, Ye Wudao!"

Just then, a resonant, forceful voice interrupted Ye Wudao's thoughts.

He looked in the direction of the voice and then glanced ahead.

The people in front had already followed the guards into the prison, and he was the last one left in the entire line.

"Present!"

Coming back to his senses, he shouted in response.

"Your bunk is..."

The guard in charge of cell assignments looked at the form in his hand, drawing out his words.

Suddenly, he turned to a guard holding a baton nearby and whispered, "Warden, it seems there are no bunks left."

The warden holding the baton paused and asked, "How can there be no bunks?"

The guard in charge of assignments replied in a low voice, "The sewers at the Second Prison were blocked yesterday, so a batch of inmates was transferred here."

"You weren't here yesterday; the deputy warden handled the intake."

The warden glanced at Ye Wudao, pursed his lips, and said softly, "Then send him to Cell No. 1 for the time being!"

The guard in charge of assignments twitched the corner of his mouth and whispered, "No one has lived in Cell No. 1 for a long time. This kid is just an ordinary person; won't he be played to death if he goes in there?"

The warden raised an eyebrow and snorted, "Then should I let him stay in your room?"

"Or would you like to go talk to the higher-ups and have our Haicheng First Prison expanded?"

The guard in charge of assignments smiled awkwardly, turned to Ye Wudao, and shouted, "Ye Wudao, your bunk is Bed No. 8 in Cell No. 1."

Ye Wudao gave a bitter smile and shouted back, "Yes!"

He had spent three months in the detention center, and Bed No. 8 there was right next to the toilet—the one responsible for cleaning it.

He wondered if the bunk layout in this prison was the same as in the detention center.

Soon, a prison guard led him into the cell block.

The layout of Haicheng First Prison was quite peculiar; the first cell was not No. 1, but No. 2.

Cell No. 1 was located at the very end of the block, the final room.

"Inmate 4567, take your toiletries and get inside."

"Memorize the prison regulations within three days; there will be a spot check then."

The guard opened the door to Cell No. 1, spoke to him, and then unlocked his handcuffs.

After Ye Wudao stepped into Cell No. 1, the door was slammed shut.

He stood at the entrance and surveyed the environment of the cell.

It was similar to the layout of the detention center: four bunk beds, totaling eight spots.

Beds No. 7 and No. 8 were both located near the toilet door.

However, it was strange that there were only three people in this Cell No. 1.

He couldn't understand why he had been assigned to Bed No. 8.

Ye Wudao glanced at the three people in the cell, bowed slightly, and said, "Hello, everyone!"

However, his greeting received no response.

The occupant of Bed No. 1 was an elderly man with gray hair, lying on his bed without acknowledging him.

Bed No. 2 was occupied by a middle-aged man wearing a black eyepatch over his right eye; he sat on his bed, also ignoring him.

Bed No. 3 was also an elderly man, his face marked by a long scar extending from the corner of his eye to the corner of his mouth.

The old man in Bed No. 3 did glance at him, but it was only a single look before he turned away.

Ye Wudao did not seek further rejection by greeting them again; he walked straight to his assigned Bed No. 8 and arranged his belongings neatly.

Feeling bored, he picked up the "Prison Regulations" and began to read.

Suddenly, the light in front of him dimmed as a figure appeared before him.

"Kid, you're an ordinary person—how did you end up in this cell?"

"What did you do?"

A raspy voice came from above his head.

Ye Wudao looked up and saw the scarred old man from Bed No. 3.

"I didn't do anything; I was framed."

He looked at the old man and replied softly.

The old man smiled slightly, the scar on his face twitching like a centipede crawling across his skin.

"Then the person who framed you must have quite the capability!"

"The laws of the Blue Star Federation are very strict now; without significant influence, one couldn't manipulate so many channels."

Ye Wudao pursed his lips, lowered his head, and muttered, "They are very powerful indeed!"

"The Ye Family, one of the top ten families in Haicheng City."

It was only during his three months in the detention center that he learned how formidable the Ye Family behind Ye Zhenshan truly was.

It was precisely because he knew the power of the Ye Family that he chose to give up his appeal.

Because he knew there was simply no possibility of winning.

"The Ye Family?"

"Did that old ghost Ye Haipeng frame you?"

"That's impossible! He's a Houtian Realm peak martial artist; why would he bother framing an ordinary person like you?"

The old man sat down on the empty Bed No. 7 opposite Ye Wudao, crossed his legs, and asked.

Ye Wudao was stunned; he truly didn't know anyone named Ye Haipeng in the Ye Family.

He shook his head and replied, "I don't know the Ye Haipeng you're talking about; it was Ye Zhenshan who sent me in here."

The old man raised an eyebrow and said, "I thought so! So it was that useless son of Ye Haipeng!"

He paused, looked at Ye Wudao with a smile, and said, "Do you want revenge?"

Hearing this, Ye Wudao suddenly raised his head and whispered, "Of course I do!"

But then, he lowered his head again and said, "However, I am no match for the Ye Family."

The old man laughed heartily: "Haha! What is the Ye Family?"

"Ye Haipeng is merely at the peak of the Houtian Realm!"

"As long as you advance to the Xiantian Realm, dealing with the Ye Family will be as easy as flipping your hand."

Ye Wudao was startled upon hearing this and asked, "Houtian? Xiantian? Are you talking about martial arts?"

The old man smiled slightly: "Kid, take me as your master, and I will help you advance to the Xiantian Realm, then you can go out and wipe out the Ye Family!"

"How is it?"

Ye Wudao's eyes lit up, and he was just about to speak.

The middle-aged man to the side suddenly sneered, "Old Ghost Hu, you yourself are only at the Houtian Realm Great Completion, so how do you have the face to talk about helping him advance to Xiantian?"

Upon hearing this, the old man's expression darkened instantly. He glared at the middle-aged man and hissed, "One-Eyed Dragon, are you looking to die?"

The middle-aged man stood up, cracked his neck, looked at the old man, and scoffed, "Just you?"