Daily life of a teacher in the martial arts department

As the hazy voice faded, the gray world dissipated, and a tremendous suction force came from behind Ji Qiuming's body, as if an invisible giant hand was pulling at him. He did not resist and was pulled back into his original body.

When he opened his eyes again, the world had regained its color, the hazy figure had disappeared, leaving Ji Qiuming alone in the room. Everything that had just happened seemed like a dream, the only change being that Ji Qiuming's injuries had healed.

No, it's not a complete recovery, it's just a return to the state I was in a month ago.

This is a belated time reversal. The Red Emperor directly affects the 'spirit' and 'soul,' so the first element of the reversal is to target this aspect, while the body is a step behind.

With this reversal, Ji Qiuming instantly plummeted from a peerless master to a top-tier amateur... but it doesn't matter. All he has to do now is wait. In a month, he will slowly climb back to the top. Only when he becomes an unparalleled master once more can he do what he wants.

Ji Qiuming remained calm and composed, quickly searching the room. It was an ordinary apartment, and he found a fake ID card and passport... Why was he certain they were fake? Because the name wasn't Ji Qiuming, but the photo on them looked very much like him, and it even included a simple makeup tutorial, teaching Ji Qiuming how to transform into the person in the photo.

In addition, there is a sum of money, not much, about three hundred pounds. It's far from enough to do anything big. But it's more than enough to live on for a month... Not to mention a month, it could last for several years if you're careful, but that's just surviving, not living.

Ji Qiuming put away the banknotes, ID card, and passport. He couldn't find anything in the room that could confirm the location of the place... This was a consequence of his lack of knowledge.

If Mu Nandong or Ji Chaoge were here, they could determine their approximate location at a glance in this room. The floor of the house is made of Portreux mahogany, a type of wood that is very expensive and is almost impossible to find in an ordinary commercial building. The combination of the two is like a student copying a very philosophical passage from a world-famous classic as the first paragraph, and then starting the second paragraph with "One day".

Under what circumstances would such an abnormal situation occur?

It's quite simple. Unless this is the very origin of Portree Redwood... its only origin: the Portree Islands within the Ice Lemon Empire. Portree Redwood is expensive not because it possesses any special properties, but because of the high labor costs in the Portree Islands. Logging the trees is costly, then there are transportation costs, and finally, the result of capital investment. Therefore, it commands a high price elsewhere, but in the Portree Islands, it's just ordinary wood.

Ji Qiuming left the room. It would take him a long time to figure out where he was and plan his route and actions. What else could he do in the last period of his life?

In a corner, a hazy figure silently watched Ji Qiuming walk away.

She was also hesitant...whether doing this was the right thing to do.

This wasn't the first time she'd experienced something like this... She was a reborn person.

However, unlike those rebirths that are due to chance, the rebirth of the hazy figure was something she controlled herself.

In her previous life, she didn't see the end. She fell into the Black Dragon Emperor's trap and was targeted by the man in black robes. Himura Tan's assumption that the man in black robes was targeting her wasn't entirely wrong. However, he was primarily watching the hazy figure. Last time, she joined forces with the military and Ying Qin Guan to make a move, but the Black Dragon Emperor turned the tables on her, nearly killing her. Although she ultimately succeeded in stopping the ritual, Ying Qin Guan fell for Cain's trick and was exiled to the "Gate," never to be heard from again.

When the hazy figure awoke, Cain had already taken away her ability to see the future, and things had deteriorated to an irreversible point. The last group of people did their best to awaken Shen Jiu, who only had time to leave behind a broken prophecy and warning.

She said... all hope lies in Ying Qin Guan's four disciples.

It was not Yu Xietian, the host of Shenxin, nor Feicun Tanying, the host of Shenjiu, nor the immortal worm residing in Feicun Tanying, nor even the God of War, nor even Ying Qin Guan, but rather Ying Qin Guan's four disciples.

The hazy figure had no time to ask Shen Jiu any more questions, because both she and Shen Jiu were on the verge of their limits, and Cain could arrive at any moment. If they didn't leave now, they might never be able to leave again.

Therefore, she returned to July... She didn't know if it was too late. If she could, she wanted to go back to before July 15th. If the Divine Heart hadn't released Cain, perhaps everything could still be salvaged. But this period of history wasn't blank... If it were a blank history, a blank world—like the world Cain had destroyed—everything would cease to exist, making it exceptionally easy to manipulate time.

But now, nothing we say will help; we can only place our hopes on the prophecy of Shenzhou-9.

"Luo Shui, Zhong Hongyu... no, forget about them. Fu Feihan, he's progressed rapidly, probably already close to top-tier. But it's still not enough. No matter how you look at it, all hope rests on Ji Qiuming... could it be him?"

Chapter Fifty-Three: Each Person's Preparations

When Cain returned to the site of the ceremony, the enormous pillar of light dissipated, and Ji Chaoge emerged from it.

His eyes shone with an astonishing light, and his lost eye was now fully restored.

Clearly, Ji Chaoge successfully inherited the destiny of the Earth Mother Goddess, becoming the first post-natal progenitor in history.

"Everything went smoothly..." Ji Chaoge looked thoughtfully at the sky. "If that's the case, it's definitely not the first time. It seems they've learned their lesson this time, but what can they change..."

Ji Chaoge took a few steps, and the pillar of light behind him completely dissipated. He looked at Cain and spoke first, saying, "You failed to kill the Red Emperor."

This should actually be a question, but Ji Chaoge said it in the tone of a declarative sentence. He rarely expressed doubt to others, and even when he did, it was usually a rhetorical question used to strengthen his tone or to answer his own question.

"...Sometimes I really feel that, compared to me, you are the one who can read my mind and memories."

Cain did not answer the question directly, but he implicitly agreed with Ji Chaoge's guess.

"Why him..." Ji Chaoge said casually, smoothing her hair slightly. "Logically speaking, he should have had more to do..."

Ji Chaoge was exceptionally intelligent and quick-witted, but she couldn't immediately guess that it was because Shenzhou-9 had left behind such a prophecy. However, in such matters, knowing or not knowing makes little difference.

Ji Chaoge believes in 'destiny', but at the same time he also believes that 'I am destiny' and 'I am the trend of the times'. If destiny is not on his side, then he does not believe in destiny. He has a flexible and simple mindset of 'I will believe in it if it is beneficial to me, but I will screw fate if it is not beneficial to me'.

"The power of the progenitor..."

Ji Chaoge looked down at his arm, clenching and unclenching his fist repeatedly, still unable to sense the full power within this body... The Earth Mother Goddess possessed the strongest direct combat power among the progenitors, but was also the most foolish. Therefore, in terms of inheriting her destiny, almost all of her abilities were inherited.

If you were given the Joker's destiny, you'd be lucky to inherit even the scraps of his abilities. Inheriting the Joker's destiny is like being treated like a beggar. The Earth Mother is different; she's truly generous... though she herself might not want to be.

"Unfortunately, this power only follows the body, not the soul..."

All the abilities of the original progenitor are directly linked to their soul. But the successor is different; once they die, they are gone, and the progenitor's remnant soul returns directly to the gate.

"It's barely enough, but it'll probably take some time to get under control... but I have a lot of things to deal with these days, so I'm afraid this won't be my priority."

Ji Chaoge seized the ancestral destiny only to prevent being subjected to decapitation tactics, not to personally go to the battlefield. Whether he was proficient in or not proficient in the power of the Earth Mother Goddess, it made little difference to him.

"This matter should be handled properly now, so, what's next..."

-

Nocturne's resignation letter didn't cause much of a stir in the Imperial Household Agency... or more accurately, no one had yet discovered that she had resigned.

Jiu Yi had never been to his office, and no one else could have opened the letters in Jiu Yi's office so easily. The only one who knew about this was Wu Changying. However, his tight-lipped nature was already evident when Nephalem revealed Ying Qin Guan's identity to him.

Although the teachers and students who remained at the Imperial Academy were also wondering why they hadn't seen Nocturne these past few days, Nocturne was usually elusive and would randomly reappear, so her sudden disappearance was perfectly in line with her personality, and no one thought too much about it.

However, a few people keenly sensed that something was amiss; the Nocturne was unusually quiet this summer.

But even if they sensed something, there was nothing they could do. Nocturne came and went silently, and no one could find her.

On the surface, the world seems the same as before, and the events in Ouma are significant. But compared to the Bird City massacre, it's nothing. As a dungeon, the Bird City dungeon might only be around level 40 or 50. But the final boss of the Ouma dungeon is practically level 100, making the latter seem much more serious. However, in reality, the Bird City massacre killed over ten million people, making it one of the most devastating events in centuries. Some things cannot be judged solely by force.

If we're talking about a "turning point," the Bird City massacre might be considered more historically significant, but it wasn't. It was simply a tragic accident, without any mastermind behind it. Had it occurred a thousand years earlier, it might have been a world-destroying catastrophe, but in modern times, it's quite normal for it to be contained.

The Ouma incident was different. A very few intuitive and perceptive people noticed something. After the earth-shattering battle on July 15th, it was as if a clock that had stopped for many years had been wound up, and the hourglass that had been blocked began to flow. The second hand ticked away, and the stopped time began to flow again. The world was inevitably moving towards the future, towards that upcoming, historic, and decisive moment.

The Yingman incident was the fuse that ignited everything. Ye Jiaofang's death did not bring the matter to an end; instead, it caused even more turmoil.

P.S. was the kind of person with extremely keen intuition. Like Ying Qin Guan, he was the type who was born with natural talent. Without almost any systematic training, he possessed all the qualities a conductor, military strategist, and tactician should have. After July 15th, he could always feel a deep-seated unease.

The death of Feng Yunke, the disappearance of Hongyan Wang Qiushui, the fading of Feicun Tan Ying who inherited the Undying Worm from the military's view, the emergence of the mysterious Cain, and the inexplicable appearance of the Clown during the Sakura Incident... all of this is like a huge vortex, and behind that vortex, it seems that someone is controlling everything.

"We have to wake her up..."

"She" naturally refers to Shenzhou-9. The military's current attitude is to hold off for a while and observe the situation in the Black Dragon Ruins. After all, those who died were all military elites. However, P.S. holds a different opinion. He believes that Shenzhou-9 must be awakened immediately, and not a moment can be wasted. The tide of the times is about to roll in, and without Shenzhou-9, the military and the world will be on the passive side in this tide.

"To enter the depths of the Black Dragon Ruins, one needs martial prowess capable of probing everything, and..."

After much deliberation, Piece finally made his decision.

He said to his adjutant, "Pass on my order to bring Kui here and tell him that I have a task for him."

Chapter Fifty-Four: Freedom

(PS 2-in-1, 59 missing)

【"free."】

These two words are practically a philosophical concept. What is freedom? What kind of freedom is true freedom? Will one's own freedom affect the freedom of others? Will the freedom of others affect one's own freedom? The boundaries between freedom and morality and law are so blurred that they are difficult to determine.

The capital of the Morgan Kingdom, Tasia, is a city of extravagance and decadence, known as Little Septim. Because it is located in the Antarctic region, the nights are extremely long, hence it is also called the City of Eternal Night. Furthermore, because it was once home to a race called vampires, and because it is a paradise of capitalism and a hell for the working class, it also jokingly calls itself the Vampire Capital.

"Eternal City"... While the name sounds fantastical, it's actually the name of a seven-star hotel located in District 6 of the Tasia capital. It's a comprehensive hotel integrating dining, entertainment, and accommodation, and the entertainment aspect could be elaborated on. However, elaborating on it might not pass censorship, so I won't go into details.

The well-dressed waiter took a deep breath and knocked on the door of the presidential suite, number 1101.

He had undergone considerable professional training and was now doing perfectly normal work; he shouldn't, and couldn't possibly, be feeling tense. But he was still afraid... that upon seeing that figure, his legs would go weak and he would kneel on the ground.

Seeing tigers or other ferocious beasts on TV or in posters might not seem like much. But encountering a real tiger, seeing its massive body and its tail as thick and powerful as steel, would naturally instill fear. Besides... the people in this presidential suite are a million times more terrifying than tigers.

Ding--

A slight sound rang out, the door opened, and a burly figure appeared in the doorway. The room was bathed in a mesmerizing light, and a huge shadow loomed over the waiter. An immense pressure silently pressed down on him, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

"...Please enjoy your dinner."

Perhaps it was the preparations that worked, as the waiter remained remarkably calm and did not lose his composure too much... but if he had God's perspective, he would have seen that his own legs were trembling.

Are you afraid? Perhaps deep down you're not afraid, because you know this is a gentle person who won't do anything, but biological instincts are insurmountable, and your body will groan and lament its own weakness.

Thank you.

A deep, resonant sound rang out, and the man inside reached out a hand, pulling the enormous food cart into the room before closing the door.

Kui calmly pushed the food cart into the room. Above his head, a flash of red light disappeared... that was the surveillance camera.

This surveillance is certainly not something that has been installed in the ancient city. For a hotel of this level to have surveillance cameras spying on guests' privacy, that's a problem that's not as simple as whether the business can continue.

This surveillance system didn't intend to hide itself, and there's no surveillance system in the world that can escape Kui's eyes... Some even suspect that Kui can directly observe the microscopic world, but of course, that's just suspicion in the end.

Kui pushed the food cart into the room. He had an enormous appetite, consuming more than 200000 kcal per day on average, almost a hundred times that of a normal adult woman. If he were to eat ordinary food, he would have to eat all day long, so he ate nothing but monster meat.

Monster meat is incredibly high in calories, and its quality is generally terrible. It's also extremely difficult to hunt and raise (monsters raised in captivity will eventually degenerate into ordinary animals), hence its exorbitant price. To the untrained eye, it seems unreasonable: "Damn it, why is this awful stuff so expensive?" Actually, it's quite reasonable. Monster meat is only supplied to those who need it.

For example, Kui... sometimes he can even consume the calories needed for ten days or half a month in a row, and then not eat for half a month. This unique digestive and storage ability comes from the racial characteristics of the owl, which humans really cannot learn.

Owls are a natural fighting race, and this fighting race is definitely not just a simple buff like "great strength and speed".

Kui pushed the food cart to the table and casually tore off a page from the calendar... This was his habit; he tore off the calendar every evening before dinner, instead of waiting until he woke up the next morning.

The calendar shows July 14th... which means "today" is July 13th.

Kui placed the food on the table, clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and offered a prayer... The object of his prayer was the goddess, the most common belief on the continent.

Then, when Kui opened his eyes again, there were two more people in front of him.

One of them, dressed in an ill-fitting suit with sallow green hair, looked like a victim of a car accident. He was comically using a knife and fork to put a piece of monster meat into his mouth and bite hard, but he couldn't bite through the tough monster meat at all.

Without a doubt, this was the Joker. Although Kui had never seen the Joker before and this was his first time seeing him, he could identify him at just one glance. This was the Joker; his features were simply too distinctive.

The other person... was wearing a purple yukata, seemed to have lost an eye, wore a black eye patch, and had a black dragon tattooed on the yukata. His remaining eye was filled with evil energy.

The sudden appearance of two people opposite you in the blink of an eye would usually startle you. However, Kui showed no reaction. His gaze was calm as he glanced at the security camera... Clearly, someone was monitoring this place—a group that never rested. But why hadn't they issued a warning about the current situation?

"Because they saw something false, and what they heard was also false."

Compared to the clown frantically tearing at flesh, the man with the missing eye appeared much more elegant. He was stirring a cup of "Goddess's Kiss," which had appeared out of nowhere, with a gray coffee spoon—the same one he had just mentioned.

"You don't need to worry about who hears our conversation. You are completely free here... Say whatever you want, Kui. I took precious time out of the way before the great battle to come here and chat with you."

".."

If one had to describe Kui's current mood, it would undoubtedly be "utterly baffling...someone who appeared out of nowhere, saying inexplicable things."

He felt nothing and was about to speak when he suddenly saw the other person's eyes.