Qing

When Xu Wuyi exited the virtual combat network, it was 9:40 in the morning at Zero Seven No. 3 Residence.

He stood beneath the old oak tree, its canopy swaying gently overhead in the wind. Most of the thin mist over the river had dispersed, and sunlight filtered through gaps in the leaves, falling across the light gray casual clothes he had changed into.

He lowered his head and looked at his right hand. His knuckles were clean, no different from before he had entered the virtual network.

The system had reclaimed the residual combat data from him and Xiao Zhonglin—the shattered stone slabs, the broken energy barriers,

the blood mist that had seeped from between his finger bones—all of it had been reset to its initial state.

Yet every detail of that battle remained in his mind.

When Xiao Zhonglin's cutting law had struck his fist, the sensation of countless fine blades scraping across his skin had been etched clearly into his perception. His body had not been injured, but he remembered that feeling.

He was in no hurry to analyze it. His inner world circulated quietly within him, golden light flowing from the fruit and slowly spreading along the meridian network of his spine to the ends of his limbs.

He sat beneath the oak tree for over an hour, simply sitting there and doing nothing, allowing his body to digest the subtle feedback brought by that battle.

Zero Seven stood about ten paces behind him, waiting quietly without disturbing him.

It was not until noon that Zero Seven spoke. Its voice was low, just loud enough for him to hear clearly.

"Mr. Xu Wuyi, you have a new notification. Headquarters' internal network has just released the record of your virtual battle with Mr. Xiao Zhonglin, registered as