Su Yunwan!

Her slender, graceful fingers swiftly slid across the light screen, pulling up the brief information for Number 731. There was not much visible within her authorization scope, only the basic records.

"Lin Ming... eighteen years old? Just finished the martial examination?" Seeing his age, Su Yunwan was even more surprised. "Convicted of stealing genetic medicine, assigned to Blade Camp..."

Eighteen years old, yet he had survived three days in Blade Camp, where the mortality rate exceeded ninety percent, and even accumulated ten thousand merit points?

That alone was unusual. Either his strength and luck were both exceptional, or... he was a truly ruthless character.

And he had specifically chosen this neglected incomplete volume.

Su Yunwan leaned back in her chair, her fingers unconsciously tapping lightly against the polished desk. Thoughtful light flickered in her clear yet sharp eyes.

Was he young and ignorant, intimidated by its B-grade rating and the domineering name "Heaven-Splitting"?

No matter what, this matter had stirred her intense curiosity.

By procedure, delivering a B-grade martial skill only required an ordinary officer to send it over and verify the recipient's identity. Yet at this moment, Su Yunwan made a decision.

She pressed the internal communications button.

"Xiao Chen, retrieve the physical secret manual for the incomplete volume of Heaven-Splitting Three Forms and bring it to my office."

"Also, notify the transportation department. Prepare a light armored vehicle for the Seventh Entrance. I'll deliver it myself."

Her subordinate's surprised voice came through the communicator. "Major Su, you're going in person? A place like that..."

"Execute the order." Su Yunwan's tone was calm, yet carried an unquestionable authority.

"Yes!"

After ending the call, Su Yunwan rose and walked to the window. Beyond it lay the orderly streets and relative peace of the inner city, forming a stark contrast with the towering steel bulwark in the distance, scarred by war.

Her gaze seemed to pierce through layer upon layer of buildings and fall upon the underground space of the Seventh Entrance, a place steeped in blood and death.

"Lin Ming... Number 731..."

She softly repeated the name and number, the corner of her lips curving into the faintest arc of inquiry.

"Let me see whether you're fearless through ignorance, or whether you're... actually interesting."

The light armored vehicle sped smoothly through the dedicated passage leading to the Seventh Entrance.

Outside the windows, dim tunnel walls wrapped in high-strength alloy flashed past, along with cold warning lights that lit up at regular intervals.

Su Yunwan sat in the back seat with her eyes closed, resting. On her knees lay a silver-gray metal sealed case, its surface stamped with the sword insignia of the Guard Army and the words "Top Secret." Inside was the physical secret manual of Heaven-Splitting Three Forms.

The simple records of Number 731 once again surfaced in her mind.

Eighteen years old, theft conviction, Blade Camp, ten thousand merit points in three days, exchanging them for an ignored incomplete volume... One label after another came together, creating an oddly contradictory impression.

The armored vehicle passed through the final heavy security gate. A faint sensation of weightlessness followed, signaling that they had entered the vertical passage beneath the bulwark and were descending rapidly.

When the car door slid open and a foul wave of air mixed with blood, gunpowder smoke, sweat, and rust rushed toward her, Su Yunwan's brows knit slightly, but her expression did not change. She picked up the sealed case and stepped out.

Before her lay the vast, oppressive interior of the Seventh Entrance.

Several Guard Army officers responsible for the handover had been waiting. Upon seeing the silver star of a major on Su Yunwan's shoulder, they immediately stood solemnly and saluted.

"Major Su!"

Su Yunwan returned a standard military salute, her voice cool and clear. "Number 731, Lin Ming. Where is he? I'm here to deliver the martial skill secret manual he exchanged for."

The leading officer froze for a moment, clearly not expecting a major to personally come to such a place to deliver something. Still, he quickly pointed toward a corner deep inside the passage.

"Reporting to Major, 731 is in the rest area over there."

Su Yunwan nodded, carried the case, and walked toward that corner across the ground stained with dark red blotches.

Her footsteps rang clearly through the silent passage. Her dark green fitted uniform, neat and spirited high ponytail, and exquisite yet frosty features stood completely at odds with the filthy, chaotic, decaying surroundings, drawing countless gazes—some startled, some numb, some concealing desire.

But she paid them no heed. Her sharp eyes swept over the people curled up in the shadows before finally settling on a young man seated against the wall.

He wore a torn, bloodstained training uniform, with several bleeding bandages wrapped around his body. His head hung low, and his short black hair was somewhat disheveled. He looked no different from the exhausted members of the Death Squad around him.

Yet Su Yunwan's steps paused slightly.

Not because of his bedraggled state, but because of... his bearing.

It was a tranquility so still it was nearly frozen. The despair, fear, and numbness permeating the area seemed unable to invade the space around him.

He sat there like a block of ice steeped in blood and filth, and like a sharp blade sheathed in a tattered leather scabbard—every edge concealed, yet somehow even more dangerous.

As though sensing her gaze, the young man raised his head.

Their eyes met in midair.

Su Yunwan saw a pair of pitch-black, profound eyes, calm and without ripples.

There was none of the restlessness, fear, or confusion common in young people, nor any of the ferocity, madness, or despair of a desperado.

There was only a pure, icy stillness, like an ancient cold pool that reflected not the slightest wave.

Lin Ming also saw this young female officer who had suddenly appeared, utterly out of place in her surroundings.

She was beautiful, even stunning, but what drew more attention was the valiant air about her, sharp as a spear, and the silver star on her epaulet signifying a major. A major at such a young age—her background was probably far from ordinary.

"Number 731, Lin Ming?" Su Yunwan stepped forward and asked, her voice like her person—clear and cool, yet carrying unquestionable force.

"That's me." Lin Ming rose to his feet. The motion tugged at his wounds, making his brows crease almost imperceptibly, but his posture remained straight.

"I am Major Su Yunwan of the Martial Skills Administration Division, Logistics Department."

Su Yunwan held the silver-gray sealed case before her, her tone strictly businesslike. "This is the incomplete secret manual of Heaven-Splitting Three Forms that you exchanged for. According to procedure, I need to confirm the delivery with you and inform you of the relevant matters."

She paused, looking into Lin Ming's eyes. Her tone softened slightly, taking on a hint of admonition.

"Lin Ming, I've read your records. Ten thousand merit points were not easy to earn in Blade Camp. This Heaven-Splitting Three Forms is only an incomplete volume. It contains only the first form, and its cultivation requirements are extremely harsh. The burden it places on the body and blood vitality is immense. Exchanging for it offers extremely poor value."

To make her words more convincing, she even added another sentence.

"To be honest, I myself once tried to comprehend this incomplete volume, but gained very little. It is more like a broken puzzle that cannot be pieced together. I don't want the merit points you earned with your life to be wasted on something with no result."

She looked directly at Lin Ming. "You still have one chance. I can make the decision to exchange it for another complete B-grade martial skill of equal value, even with some cultivation resources included. Think it over."

Her words could be called benevolent to the utmost. As a major, she had personally come to such a place and persuaded a Death Squad member like this. Anyone else would likely have been moved to tears with gratitude and reconsidered.

Yet Lin Ming's expression did not change in the slightest. He did not even spare the sealed case another glance, his eyes remaining calmly fixed on Su Yunwan.

"No need to think it over." His voice was flat, but carried an unyielding finality. "This is what I want. Hand it over."

Su Yunwan froze.

She had expected that he might hesitate, struggle, ask about the details, or perhaps even thank her for the reminder... But she had never imagined he would react like this.

Calm, indifferent, and even... carrying a trace of barely perceptible impatience?

As though everything she had just said had been nothing but needless noise.

An inexplicable irritation quietly rose in Su Yunwan's heart. She came from a noble background, possessed outstanding talent, and had attained an important position at a young age. Wherever she went, wasn't she surrounded like the moon by a host of stars?

When had anyone ever... ignored her like this? No, this was not merely ignoring her. It was a calm, matter-of-fact rejection, devoid of even the slightest emotional fluctuation.

He didn't know a good heart when he saw one!

If you can't find it by searching the book title, try searching for the author instead. It may simply have been renamed!