The Gold-Digger

Before long, Lin Yun arrived at the elevated platform.

A waist-high transparent energy barrier surrounded the platform's edge. Beneath his feet lay a walkway paved with special stone, while dozens of thick pillars supported the entire platform, plunging straight into the ground.

A silver-gray levitating train stood silently beside the platform. Its body had sleek, streamlined contours and was covered in matte alloy armor. A bright red Dragon Nation Railways emblem was printed on its nose, with a row of square viewing windows along each side. There were no wheels beneath the train; it hovered three inches above the tracks on an anti-gravity array, shrouded in a faint pale-blue energy glow. It looked thoroughly futuristic.

Dragon Nation's territory was vast, with a total area of nearly twenty million square kilometers. Ordinary ground transportation could not meet the demands of cross-regional travel, so the authorities had spent heavily to build a levitating train network.

These trains could reach a top speed of 1,200 kilometers per hour. Azure City was 9,000 kilometers from the Imperial Capital, yet the journey could be completed within the same day.

The doors slowly slid open to either side. Lin Yun followed the crowd into the carriage, found his window seat, and sat down.

The seats were broad and soft, with small tables in front of them. The facilities were complete.

The train smoothly departed the platform and gradually accelerated.

The scenery outside sped backward. Vast wildernesses and abandoned towns swept past his view, and from time to time, he could see massive high-level exotic beasts wandering the ground below. Yet they could not even touch the levitating train floating five hundred meters in the air.

The safety measures along this route were extremely thorough. An automated cannon turret was positioned every thousand meters along the tracks, forming an all-around network of firepower.

Every fifty kilometers, there was a security station staffed by specialized guard teams from the railway department.

As long as no exotic beast above the fourth tier attacked, the levitating train's safety was fully guaranteed.

As Lin Yun watched the scenery race past outside the window, the exhaustion accumulated over the past several days gradually washed over him.

He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes to rest. Before long, he fell into a deep sleep.

When the announcement woke him again, the sky outside had already been stained with an orange-red sunset.

Imperial Capital South Station had arrived.

Lin Yun got off the train with his backpack and looked out from the observation platform, a trace of amazement flashing through his eyes.

The entire Imperial Capital stretched beneath the setting sun. Skyscrapers stood in dense rows, piercing the clouds, while small levitating cars moved through the air in orderly streams. The city was neatly planned, and lights flickered on one after another, extending endlessly to the horizon.

Whether in scale, building height, or the density of martial artists' auras, it was far beyond Azure City, a small third-tier city. It truly deserved to be called the heart of Dragon Nation.

Lin Yun withdrew his gaze and followed the crowd toward the exit.

The moment he passed through the gates, he spotted a striking figure standing among the crowd.

Su Nianhe wore an off-white dress beneath a light-brown cropped leather jacket. Her long hair was tied in a high ponytail, making her look youthful and radiant, exceptionally eye-catching amid the crowd.

The moment she saw Lin Yun, she smiled and waved, then hurried over.

"Finally, you're here." She familiarly patted Lin Yun on the shoulder, looked him up and down, and said, "You've gotten a lot thinner. You must've suffered quite a bit in the fallen zone, right?"

Lin Yun smiled. "I'm fine. You haven't changed much, though."

Su Nianhe reached out and tapped his chest, raising her brows in feigned displeasure. "What do you mean, I haven't changed? When you reunite with a girl, you're supposed to say she's gotten prettier. Got it? Dummy."

"Fine, fine. You've gotten prettier."

Lin Yun helplessly went along with her.

The two walked out side by side. A black luxury sedan was parked by the roadside in the parking lot, and Uncle Fu was waiting beside it. Seeing them approach, he smiled and opened the door.

"Uncle Fu."

Lin Yun greeted him politely.

Uncle Fu nodded in response. His gaze settled on Lin Yun, and he frowned slightly, his tone carrying a hint of inquiry. "Young friend Lin, did you disperse your cultivation and start over?"

Su Nianhe froze at his words, only then carefully sensing Lin Yun's aura.

She had been too focused on looking at him earlier to pay any attention to his cultivation level.

After a moment, she muttered, "Your aura isn't unstable at all. It doesn't look like your realm dropped because of an injury. You really did disperse your cultivation and start over."

Lin Yun nodded, speaking frankly. "Uncle Fu saw through it. I did disperse my cultivation and start over, all to attempt the limit Foundation Establishment."

"Limit Foundation Establishment?" Su Nianhe's eyes widened slightly, then her brows curved with a smile as she said with certainty, "You'll definitely succeed."

Uncle Fu nodded approvingly as well, stroking his beard. "Such courage and ambition at such a young age are rare indeed."

The car drove steadily into the city and eventually stopped before an elegantly decorated restaurant.

The establishment stood in a bustling district and rose ten stories high, featuring an antique, classical style.

Su Nianhe had reserved a window seat in the hall on the eighth floor. From there, they could see Imperial Capital First Martial Academy across the street.

Separated by a broad main road, the academy's gates were grand and ancient. Its blue-gray stone walls stretched into the distance, enclosing scattered buildings, martial arts grounds, a scripture pavilion, trial towers, and various other structures. The campus covered an enormous area, nearly the size of half of Azure City's urban district.

"This is the main campus of Imperial Capital First Martial Academy. It has several different departments." Su Nianhe casually pointed outside as she introduced it. "You'll understand once you register tomorrow. It's even bigger inside than it looks. New students often get lost when they first arrive."

The two were chatting while holding their menus when someone approached with several others and stopped beside their table.

"Nianhe? It really is you!"

The young man wore a custom-made casual suit. He was handsome, and his tone was filled with surprise.

When he saw Lin Yun sitting opposite Su Nianhe, his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Su Nianhe looked up. Her expression was calm but polite. "Jiang Yu, long time no see."

"I was just wondering who it was. I didn't expect it to really be you."

Jiang Yu smiled and pulled over an empty chair. His eyes swept over the gates of Imperial Capital First Martial Academy outside, and realization dawned on him.

"Of course. With your talent, you'd definitely get into Imperial Capital First Martial Academy. That's great. We'll be classmates from now on."

As he spoke, he was about to sit down, but Su Nianhe turned slightly to the side, her tone courteous yet distant.

"Jiang Yu, I'm hosting an important friend today. Can we catch up another day?"

The smile on Jiang Yu's face stiffened. At last, he gave Lin Yun a proper look, scanning him from head to toe as his frown deepened.

"Nianhe, you insisted on leaving the Imperial Capital back then for some poor kid from Azure City. You fought with your father so badly that the whole Imperial Capital social circle heard about it. I thought he was some unparalleled young talent, someone worth paying such a huge price for."

He paused, the mockery in his voice utterly undisguised.

"But now that I see him, this is it?"

He deliberately did not lower his voice. Diners and students at several nearby tables turned to look over, whispering among themselves.

In Jiang Yu's eyes, Lin Yun was plainly dressed and had a weak aura. He was clearly only a first-level martial apprentice. If he had made it into Imperial Capital First Martial Academy, Su Nianhe must have used her family connections to force him in.

He had seen plenty of men who climbed upward by relying on women. Such a person was utterly unworthy of standing beside Su Nianhe.

"Nianhe, your father was so furious back then that he nearly cut ties with you. You may not care, but the Su family's reputation still matters, doesn't it?" Jiang Yu spoke in a lecturing tone. "Besides, what use is it to spend family resources getting a first-level martial apprentice trash like him into Imperial Capital First Martial Academy? In the end, he's nothing more than a gold-digging husband after your money!"

Su Nianhe's expression turned completely cold.