Chapter 85: Linjiang City

"The top of the list has changed. It’s not Chu Shanhe."

"Oh?" Lin Liren paused, his hand hovering as he held his tea cup. His interest was piqued. "Which family’s kid is it? To have hidden themselves so well?"

In his view, anyone capable of surpassing Chu Shanhe was likely the scion of some Noble Family, someone with a legacy and a few special tricks up their sleeve.

"Neither," Chen Mingyuan said, shaking his head. "His name is Xu Wuyi. He’s from Honghe First Middle School."

"Xu Wuyi?" Lin Liren’s eyebrow twitched. He immediately recalled where he’d heard that name.

It had only been a little over three months since the joint exam. He still had a vivid memory of the special admission slot incident, where his family had pressured him into changing the chosen candidate.

"It’s him?"

He didn’t specify who "he" was, but Chen Mingyuan just smiled and confirmed, "It’s him."

The two of them seemed to be speaking in riddles, but they both understood each other perfectly.

As Xu Wuyi’s exam proctor, Chen Mingyuan had naturally known about this for a while. However, he had followed the rules, waiting until the list was officially published before coming to inform Lin Liren as a friend.

"I understand, Mingyuan. Thank you for the heads-up." Lin Liren’s tone returned to its usual calm. There was no worry in his eyes, only a hint of a smile. "I know how to handle this."

...

Red River City, Xu Residence.

Father Xu and Mrs. Xu had also seen the list. Their eyes grew red with excitement as they checked the terminal again and again, unable to believe what they were seeing.

They knew their son had been working incredibly hard for the past six months and that his results were good, but they had never imagined that Xu Wuyi would suddenly shoot to first place in the entire province.

Forget first in Dongjiang Province—even becoming number one in Red River City was an achievement they had never dreamed of!

「June 29th, early morning.」

The faint morning light painted the old residential building in a soft golden hue.

Xu Wuyi stood at his front door, a worn travel bag resting by his feet.

"When you get to Linjiang, be careful with everything. Eat well, sleep well, and don’t be nervous..." Mrs. Xu straightened her son’s collar over and over as she fussed over him.

"I know, Mom." Xu Wuyi took his mother’s hand. It felt rough yet warm. "Don’t worry."

Father Xu stood to the side. He wasn’t a man of many words, simply giving his son’s shoulder a firm pat. Everything was conveyed in that silent gesture.

The TV was abuzz with discussions about the ranking list. Although they didn’t fully grasp the weight of being "S-class Rank 1," they knew their son was heading to a much bigger stage.

"I’m leaving." Xu Wuyi picked up his luggage, turned, and walked down the stairs, his steps firm and steady.

The glaring morning light pierced through the artificial crystal dome of Red River City’s spaceport, where the departure hall was a cacophony of voices.

Martial Arts Students in various school uniforms crowded the departure area. Xu Wuyi stood in the line for Honghe First Middle School, his backpack containing only a simple change of clothes and a few Energy Bars, as light as if he were heading out for a short training session.

"Ah Yi! Over here!" Zhou Heng pushed through the crowd, followed by a dozen or so students from their school, every one of them beaming with shared pride.

Although Zhou Heng wasn’t qualified to go to Linjiang himself, he knew Xu Wuyi was leaving today and had come specially to see him off.

Looking at their excited faces, Xu Wuyi couldn’t help but smile as he reached out and clapped Zhou Heng on the shoulder.

With Xu Wuyi’s arrival, the somewhat noisy surroundings instantly quieted down. Countless eyes fell upon him, filled with a complex and indescribable mix of curiosity, envy, awe, and scrutiny.

The boarding announcement played over the broadcast system.

Principal Zhang Qiming and the two teachers, Wang Wenhai and Zhou Yun, stood at the front of the line. Principal Zhang’s voice was steady and powerful, cutting through the surrounding clamor. "Students, maintain order and prepare to board. Remember, you represent Red River! Show them your best!"

Xu Wuyi slung his backpack over his shoulder and followed the line through the cabin door.

The engines of the aircraft hummed with a low thrum. Outside the viewport, the familiar sight of Red River City rapidly shrank from view, eventually becoming a blurry smudge on the vast expanse of the Earth below.

...

Xu Wuyi had just gotten his room key card when he heard a familiar voice.

"Xu Wuyi!"

He turned his head and saw that the team from United Middle School had also just arrived.

Yu Peiling stood at the front of their line, waving at him with a bright smile on her round face.

"Well, well, the top ranker from the evaluation battle has finally arrived. Quite the entourage you’ve got!"

Her loud greeting immediately drew a lot of attention.

Not only did people nearby glance over, but the students from United Middle School, including Zhao Ding and Su Yueling, all looked at Yu Peiling in surprise before turning to look at Xu Wuyi.

They had no idea the two were so familiar with each other. Logically, there was no reason for them to have ever crossed paths.

Xu Wuyi nodded to her, feeling a bit helpless, but could only accept the stares from those around him.

Yu Peiling didn’t mind, just smiling and lowering her voice. "So now you’re the one everyone’s gunning for. It’ll probably be the same when you get to university. How does it feel?"

"Doesn’t feel like anything," Xu Wuyi replied, his expression calm. "I’ll just fight them."

Just then, another booming voice exploded onto the scene.

"Xu Wuyi!"

Xu Wuyi looked over and saw Li Mo and his older sister, Li Shuang, standing not too far away.

Li Mo still had the same somewhat simple and honest look, but the way he looked at Xu Wuyi was different from how it had been during the three-school joint exam; it now held a new gravity and respect.

His sister, Li Shuang, studied Xu Wuyi with curiosity, her gaze sharp, as if trying to see what made him so special.

"Li Mo," Xu Wuyi responded.

"Congrats on first place in the rankings," Li Mo said with a laugh, his voice still loud. "I hope I don’t run into you in the combat exam. I’m not looking for a beatdown."

Ever since Xu Wuyi had utterly defeated him in the Rank Battles, Li Mo had no desire to fight him again.

Li Mo had never been the type to enjoy challenging stronger opponents; on the contrary, he was a bit lazy.

Meanwhile, Su Yueling stood a little farther away. Her cool gaze fell on Xu Wuyi, and she gave him a slight nod, a silent greeting.

Xu Wuyi nodded back.

The past incident with the special admission slot from the joint exam made their reunion at least a little awkward—or so Su Yueling felt, which was why she only greeted him from a distance.

Xu Wuyi, however, didn’t give it that much thought.

Principal Zhang had already told him the inside story. His slot had been taken away mainly due to the Lin Family’s influence.

At most, Grandmaster Ren had simply not refused. But the man had no connection to him and was under no obligation to help him in the first place.

As for Su Yueling... she had the least say in the matter. Her opinion likely carried even less weight than Xu Wuyi’s own.

Besides them, many other students from Red River also cast their gazes toward Xu Wuyi.

Those who had fought him before, or simply knew him, were now mostly expressing their well-wishes.

No matter how fierce their internal competition, when facing the entire province, the fact that the strongest competitor came from Red River City was a source of shared pride for them all.

This commotion attracted even more attention.

Examinees from other cities like Silver Port, Ning’an, and Qingyuan also turned their sights on Xu Wuyi.

Muttered discussions began to bubble up:

"So that’s Xu Wuyi? The S-class number one from Red River?"

"He doesn’t look that special... Could he really be better than Chu Shanhe?"

"He seems to command a lot of respect."

"Did Red River really produce a dragon this year?"

"There’s a dark horse every year. We’ll see what he’s really made of in the combat exam."

"..."

At the same moment Xu Wuyi arrived in Linjiang, a number of groups sprang into action. People had already been stationed near the hotel where he would be staying.

Upon seeing him, they scattered with the news, clearly belonging to different factions.

One of these teams, however, quickly made its way into the villa district where the Chu Family resided.