Even blind box hunters don't choose their partners? I got Su Daji from my blind box!

At the same time.

Kyoto, Nishiyama Villa District, Ye Family Sword Pavilion.

The cool moonlight shone on the bluestone slabs, and the air was filled with the faint scent of sandalwood and sword-washing water.

Ye Guyun stood in the center of the Sword Pavilion with his hands behind his back.

A young figure was kneeling before him.

Ye Chen.

At this moment, Ye Chen no longer possessed the arrogant and sharp demeanor he once had.

He was wearing a plain white training uniform, and his hair was simply tied back.

He was like an ancient sword sheathed; though its sharpness was unseen, it was all the more imposing and dangerous.

"Chen'er".

Ye Guyun looked at his son who had come back from the dead, his eyes filled with relief.

"It seems you've turned this misfortune into a blessing in disguise."

"Yes."

Ye Chen raised his head, his gaze calm as still water.

"Before, I was like a frog in a well, thinking I was the protagonist and could go anywhere in the world. It wasn't until I met Lin Xiao that I realized I was just a frog at the bottom of a well."

When he mentioned the name "Lin Xiao," a fervent light flashed in his eyes.

"That punch not only shattered my physical body, but also my pride, and severed my mental barriers. Having died once, I have come to see the true essence of the sword."

"I'm relieved that you think that way."

Ye Guyun nodded.

"So what are your plans next?"

Ye Chen stood up, straightened his clothes, and spoke with a firm tone.

"My son is preparing to go to Peking University."

"Oh?"

Ye Guyun raised an eyebrow.

"Yanjing Martial Arts University possesses the most complete swordsmanship tradition in China and is also recognized as the top university."

Ye Chen clenched his fists, his eyes burning with fierce flames.

"I think, with the discerning eye of an unparalleled expert like Lin Xiao, he would definitely choose that place. He is a true dragon, and only the sea of ​​Yanjing Martial Arts University can contain him!"

"I want to go there, to be by his side, to constantly spur myself on! To be his whetstone, and to let him be my guiding light! Until one day..."

"I can take his punch!"

Ye Chen spoke with great enthusiasm, as if he could already see himself and Lin Xiao fighting side by side at Yanjing Martial Arts University, dominating the world.

however.

Ye Guyun's expression turned strange.

He opened his mouth, hesitated, and finally sighed, his expression as if he were telling a ghost story.

"Chen'er, you're wrong."

"What?"

Ye Chen was taken aback.

"Wrong guess? Did he go to the military headquarters? Well, it makes sense, General Bai went there personally, it's normal for him to go to the military headquarters..."

"No."

Ye Guyun shook his head and slowly uttered four words.

"He chose... Huayang Martial Arts University."

Quiet.

A deathly silence fell over the Sword Pavilion.

Ye Chen's expression froze, and his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

"where?!"

"Huayang Martial Arts University".

Ye Guyun repeated it, his tone heavy with sorrow.

"That's the one with 300 million yuan in debt, whose head chef fled overnight carrying a train, built next to a mass grave, and which hasn't recruited a single person for three consecutive years... Huayang Martial Arts University."

"Father, are you joking?"

Ye Chen's lips twitched; he felt like his worldview was about to collapse.

"Lin Xiao is a god! Not a lunatic! What would he be doing in that garbage dump? Some kind of targeted poverty alleviation project?"

"I can't understand it either!"

Ye Guyun shrugged, looking helpless.

"But this is a file personally declassified by Minister Qin, it's absolutely true. Even when a few of us old guys tried to help him change his college application, he refused."

He said...it was fate.

"God willing……"

Ye Chen muttered to himself, his brows furrowed, pacing back and forth in place.

Huayang Martial Arts University...a terrible school...fate...

Sudden.

Ye Chen stopped in his tracks.

The confusion in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by an unprecedented understanding, even an almost fanatical worship!

"I understand!"

Ye Chen suddenly slapped his thigh, startling Ye Guyun.

"What do you know?"

"Father, you're too attached to appearances! Your perspective is too narrow!"

Ye Chen took a deep breath, his eyes burning as if he had seen through the truth of the world.

"Mediocre students choose schools based on reputation and resources. They need the prestige of the school to enhance their own image."

"But Lin Xiao is different! He is a true peerless prodigy!"

"He doesn't need the prestige of a top university because..."

Ye Chen suddenly raised his head, his voice strong and resounding.

"Wherever he is, that's where a prestigious university is!"

"Even if it's a mass grave, as long as Lin Xiao sits there, it will be the holy land of martial arts in the Dragon Kingdom! It will be the number one academy in the world!"

boom!

These words struck Ye Guyun like a thunderbolt, leaving him utterly stunned.

He stared blankly at his son, his lips trembling.

"So... what do you want to do?"

Ye Chen turned around, facing north, his gaze unwavering and terrifying, like that of a pilgrim.

"Father, I want to change my college application!"

"I'm not going to Yanjing!"

"I want to go to Huayang Martial Arts University!"

"Since Lin Xiao is there, then my path lies there too!"

Ye Guyun stared at his son, whose eyes were filled with fanaticism, as if he had just returned from some kind of pyramid scheme training.

He opened his mouth, wanting to retort, but found it felt like there was a fishbone stuck in his throat.

Wherever he is, that's where a prestigious school is.

That sounds... somehow incredibly reasonable?

Ye Guyun stood with his hands behind his back, spun around twice, and his brain was working at lightning speed.

If anyone else went to that lousy school, it would be considered self-degradation and a sign of utter stupidity.

But that's Lin Xiao!

That's the kind of ruthless person who dares to go all in on the partner blind box at the start, summons two mythical-level big shots in the back, and treats all the geniuses like韭菜 (leeks, meaning chives, implying easy targets) in the dungeon!

Would such a prodigy, who plans ten steps ahead for every one he takes, engage in unprofitable business?

Absolutely not!

"hiss……"

Ye Guyun paused, then slapped his thigh, his eyes flashing with a sharp light.

"Could it be that beneath Huayang Martial Arts University lies some ancient dragon vein? Or some kind of unparalleled opportunity that only mythical creatures can sense?"

The more I think about it, the more likely it seems!

The so-called "heavy debt" and "imminent closure of the school" are nothing but a self-deceptive illusion!

What's this called?

This is what you call true seclusion in the city! This is the demeanor of a master!

"call……"

Ye Guyun exhaled a long breath, and his gaze toward Ye Chen completely changed.

He went from watching the landlord's foolish son to watching the enlightened sage.

"Chen'er, you see further than your father, your perspective has broadened."

Ye Guyun reached out and patted Ye Chen heavily on the shoulder, his tone filled with emotion.

"Since you have made up your mind, if I were to stop you, it would only make our Ye family seem petty."

"Go! Follow him, become him!"

"Also, notify the finance department." Ye Guyun waved his hand, exuding an air of great ambition.

"Donate a top-of-the-line kendo dojo to Huayang Martial Arts University! The equipment must be state-of-the-art, constructed entirely of deep-sea cold iron, and there's no upper limit to the budget!"

"Since it's a sacred place, it should have the grandeur of a sacred place! Our Ye family members are going there with significant investment; we can't be stingy!"

Ye Chen straightened his back, his eyes shining brightly.

"Father is wise!"

……

At the same time.

Longhu Mountain, Celestial Master's Mansion.

Surrounded by clouds and mist, with cranes calling out, this is the ancestral home of Taoism, a place of tranquility and non-action.

However, at this moment, the atmosphere inside the hall was somewhat strange.

The old Celestial Master Zhang Zhiwei, dressed in a purple robe, sat cross-legged on a futon, with the solemn and dignified memorial tablets of the patriarchs behind him.

Kneeling to his left was a young Taoist priest, dressed in rags and with hair like a bird's nest.

It was Zhang Xuan.

"Tell me about it."

Zhang Zhiwei didn't even lift his eyelids, his voice lazy.

"Besides bringing shame to Longhu Mountain, what else did you learn from this experience of descending the mountain for training?"

Zhang Xuan was unusually not smiling or joking.

He knelt upright, his expression solemn.

The image of that person in the settlement space, facing three colorful supreme rewards, resolutely chose to press the "Resurrection" button, came to mind.

"Master, I used to cultivate the Tao, but I was cultivating techniques and seeking immortality."

Zhang Xuan's voice was low and trembling slightly, a tremor that came from his very soul.

"But this time, my disciple has seen the true 'Tao'."

"Faced with an unparalleled reward that could drive the world mad, he discarded it like trash, just to exchange it for our few worthless lives."

"At that moment, my disciple finally understood what the heart of a sage is."

"What is the meaning of the Great Dao being ruthless, yet also compassionate?"

The hall was deathly silent; you could hear a pin drop.

Zhang Zhiwei looked at his apprentice, who was usually a petty thief but now had slightly red eyes, and his lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

The heart of a sage?

That little monster that killed you and then resurrected you just to make you owe him a huge favor?

Never mind, I'll just keep quiet about it.

It's better that this foolish apprentice has this sense of reverence than that he used to be so arrogant.

"Now that you've figured it out, don't linger on the mountain."

With a wave of his sleeve, Zhang Zhiwei unleashed a gentle yet irresistible gust of wind from the ground.

"Pack your things and get down the mountain."

"what?"

Zhang Xuan, who was still immersed in self-satisfaction, instantly lost his composure, and his previous air of superiority shattered completely.

"Master! You don't want me anymore?!"

Zhang Xuan pounced like a hungry tiger, grabbing Zhang Zhiwei's leg tightly, his snot and tears instantly soaking the old master's trouser leg.

"Master! Although I stole your Enlightenment Tea, used your thousand-year-old lightning-struck wood to roast sweet potatoes, and even drew a turtle on the portrait of our patriarch..."

"But I'm still a child!"

"You can't expel my disciple from the sect! If I leave Longhu Mountain, I'll be beaten to death!"

Zhang Zhiwei's forehead veins bulged, and his temples throbbed.

I know about roasted sweet potatoes.

So, you were the one who drew the turtle?!

"Get lost!"

Zhang Zhiwei resisted the urge to slap this wicked disciple to death, and instead kicked him.

"Who said you were expelled from the school? It means you're going to university!"

Zhang Xuan rolled twice on the ground like a ball, got up covered in dust, and looked completely bewildered.

"Go to university? Where?"

"Huayang Martial Arts University".

Zhang Xuan blinked and picked at his ear.

"Where? Huayang? That lousy university where I heard the head chef carried the train away overnight?"

"Master, this is exile! Am I even your biological child...? Wait!"

Zhang Xuan suddenly realized what was happening, his eyes widened like copper bells, and he rushed close to Zhang Zhiwei, breathing rapidly.

"Lin Xiao... that monster, did he go there too?"

Zhang Zhiwei snorted in annoyance.

"Besides him, who else is worthy of this old Taoist priest sending you, this scourge, over?"

Holy crap!

Zhang Xuan jumped three feet high, the sorrow on his face vanished instantly, replaced by the ecstatic look of a cunning merchant seeing a fat sheep.

"That's a sacred place! That's where my father... no, my benefactor is!"

"Those thighs! They're thighs of pure gold!"

He rubbed his hands together and came back with a fawning expression, a face so obsequious that even the ancestral tablets wanted to fall down and kill him.

"Um... Master, since we're going to follow a sage, what about travel expenses and living costs...? Our Longhu Mountain family is quite wealthy, what do you think...?"

Zhang Xuan held up two fingers, making a blatant vehement suggestion; the meaning couldn't be clearer.

Send me the money!

Zhang Zhiwei took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the anger rising in his heart.

He flicked his wrist.

A badly worn and well-hidden bank card flew out from the sleeve and landed precisely in the crack of the floor tiles in front of Zhang Xuan.

"The password is your birthday, get lost!"

Zhang Xuan pulled out his bank card, blew on it, his eyes gleamed, and he was practically drooling.

"Hey, Master, this card number looks familiar?"

He chuckled and said in a cheeky tone.

"If I remember correctly, this should be your secret stash of money hidden under the ancestral master's incense burner, right? You've been saving it for sixty years, haven't you?"

"How many Ws are inside? Is that enough for my disciple to indulge in debauchery... no, to slay demons and monsters?"

Zhang Zhiwei's face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot, and lightning crackled and popped around him, a sign that heavenly thunder was about to strike.

"If it's not enough, can I call you again when I get to school?"

Zhang Xuan was still recklessly courting death, completely unaware of the seriousness of the problem.

"Boom!"

Above the Celestial Master's Mansion, a bolt of lightning as thick as a wrist suddenly exploded, splitting the clouds in mid-air.

"roll!!!"

This roar shook the mountain gate and startled countless birds into flight.

However, the main hall was already empty.

A second before Zhang Xuan uttered the word "get lost," he had already used his Shrinking Earth technique to slip away more than a hundred meters away.

"Okay, Master! Don't worry about me! Contact me by phone if you need anything, though I might not answer."

Watching the figure sprint down the mountain, Zhang Zhiwei clutched his chest, slowly sat back down on the futon, feeling as if he had lost at least ten years of his lifespan.

He looked up at the ancestral tablet and sighed deeply.

"What a tragedy..."