What it means to be human

By then, the young man's face had gone somewhat pale, and fine beads of sweat had appeared on his forehead. Still, he held on, slowly raising his head with a smile on his face.

"Thank you for your guidance, senior. I'll pass it on."

With that, the young man turned and left with the others.

The old man's expression remained as cold as before. He closed his eyes again, and the scepter gradually dimmed before sinking into his body.

Before he knew it, a week had passed.

Looking at the crystal, now completely drained of energy, Yu Sheng got up and cleaned the room, which was covered in dust. He removed the traps at the door and windows, then opened the windows to clear the somewhat stale air inside.

His phone rang almost at the same moment.

"Hello, is this Yu Sheng?"

Liu Qingfeng's voice came through the phone.

Yu Sheng sat on the sofa, holding the phone, and gave a hum of acknowledgment.

Seemingly accustomed to the way Yu Sheng spoke, Liu Qingfeng continued, "Come back to school tomorrow morning."

"Because of what happened in Xinhai City, the Ink Pavilion is taking this very seriously. It apparently also involves some plan from higher up, but I'm not authorized to know the specifics."

"But tomorrow, people from the Demon-Slaughtering Pavilion will come to assess everyone at the apprentice level."

"And allocate resources to the outstanding candidates."

"This assessment is very important. Each school will probably only get a few places."

"Whether you make it or not, give it your best shot."

Liu Qingfeng went into great detail, covering the assessment's procedures, its schedule, and even some potential issues, leaving nothing out.

Yu Sheng simply listened quietly.

"Mm."

He responded once more.

"All right, prepare yourself."

"One more question. Why can't I reach your father on the phone?"

Liu Qingfeng asked, somewhat puzzled.

Yu Sheng thought it over seriously. "Maybe they don't allow cell phones in prison."

The other end of the line went quiet.

A few seconds later, the call ended.

There was no denying that even the most rational person would feel some discomfort in their heart after talking to Yu Sheng for long enough.

And as the person who communicated with Yu Sheng the most, he understood this all too well.

Yu Sheng put down the phone.

He stood by the window, gazing absently at the distant sky, his thoughts unknown.

Only after a while did he come back to himself. Flipping through the calendar on the wall, he murmured, "Another... 312 days."

As for what exactly that date represented, there was no way to know.

The next day.

He returned to school, found his seat, and sat down.

Most of his classmates were still very excited. Although learning that they were nowhere near as gifted as they had imagined and would not become world-saving heroes had left them somewhat dejected, once that dejection passed, the novelty stirred their emotions again.

After all, talent was only the starting point, not the outcome.

Of the Ink Pavilion's Ten Elders, the only one whose identity was public had reportedly possessed only five markings when he first awakened.

With that precedent, they could freely dream of the future again.

Becoming a pillar of the human race, driving back ten thousand demons single-handedly.

The thought really did set their blood boiling.

Yu Sheng seemed to belong to an entirely different world from everyone else, sitting in the corner, out of place.

Soon, Liu Qingfeng walked in with a serious expression and looked at everyone. "The situation has changed. We just received notice that the people coming from the province this time won't just be from the Demon-Slaughtering Pavilion. The Guard Bureau and the reserves are coming too."

"They've also changed the assessment format."

"Each school will nominate five students for an elimination-style assessment."

As soon as Liu Qingfeng finished, the classroom erupted.

Everyone seemed to be dreaming of becoming one of their school's five representatives.

There were only three junior schools in all of Mobei City, which meant that only fifteen people would take part in this assessment.

Even if they were eliminated in the first round, they would still catch the attention of the senior leaders.

And that was a path to the top.

They might have been young, but they were not fools. Naturally, they understood just how much they stood to gain. For a moment, every gaze settled on Liu Qingfeng.

"From our class..."

"The principal personally selected Yu Sheng."

Liu Qingfeng paused briefly before speaking, his gaze falling on Yu Sheng with some puzzlement.

Although Yu Sheng was withdrawn, his results across the board were fairly good.

As his homeroom teacher, Liu Qingfeng knew that much very well.

What he could not understand was that those results should only have counted as excellent within the school. Securing one of those five places seemed somewhat unlikely, let alone attracting the principal's attention.

Could his family... have connections?

For a moment, Liu Qingfeng's thoughts kept branching out.

During their call yesterday, Yu Sheng had said his father was in prison. Had he misunderstood? Did his father work at the prison?

And as one of its leaders?

But Mobei City was such a small place, and everyone knew one another's backgrounds. None of the prison's leaders had the surname Yu.

"Why him?!"

"Exactly! Which of us isn't better than him?!"

"It's rigged!"

The students immediately grew agitated, shouting one after another.

During the apprentice stage, physical strength was the standard that determined how powerful someone was. With Yu Sheng's thin frame, he looked like a mere bystander no matter how they viewed him.

Why should he be selected?

For a moment, the crowd seethed.

Liu Qingfeng watched calmly. Only after their emotions gradually settled did he say evenly, "Not convinced?"

"Indeed, even I don't know why Yu Sheng was selected."

"But that isn't a reason for you to shout."

"If Yu Sheng has the ability to back it up, that only proves he's modest and restrained, and you fall short of him."

"Even if it's rigged, as you say, so what?"

"Remember, in this world, every privilege was bought with the blood and lives of those who came before us!"

"If demonic beasts attack the city one day, are you going to shout at them that it's unfair too?"

"If you feel you've been treated unfairly, endure it and improve your strength until one day you can break the rules you see before you."

"Instead of standing here shouting helplessly."

Liu Qingfeng's expression was stern as he spoke.

The students below gradually fell silent.

"Yu Sheng, go to the principal's office."

"He wants to see you."

Liu Qingfeng's voice regained its calm as he looked at Yu Sheng and spoke.

"All right."

Yu Sheng nodded, then stood, opened the door, and left under every student's gaze.

"Remember, you don't have time to dream about the future!"

"Rather than indulging in unrealistic dreams, work hard at your cultivation. Even the slightest increase in strength could save your life when danger truly comes!"

"When you see the human race's leaders on television, do you think they look glamorous?"

"Do you envy them?"

"But do you know that beneath those glamorous exteriors, their bodies are covered in scars?!"

"Those wounds stand for protection!"

"If all you see is their power and their appearance, you'll never understand what it means to be human!"