Daily life of a teacher in the martial arts department

He adjusted his black-rimmed glasses and hesitated, "This increase... it's perfectly normal, but it's not right that it hasn't fallen back down... Have you investigated the reasons? Why did they come here?"

The curly-haired youth nodded and said, "I've also investigated, for example, whether there are any rumors or if any masters have created any good weapons. But no... the City of Truth hasn't had such a problem. If I had to say, it's just that the Four Kingdoms Imperial Courts are about to hold an exchange competition. But in previous years' exchange competitions, there weren't this many people. It's a bit inexplicable."

The bespectacled man frowned and glanced around again... There were indeed more people coming in. But the number of people leaving didn't seem to be increasing, which was strange and inexplicable.

"I understand... This matter needs to be reported."

The curly-haired young man nodded. He looked tired, with bloodshot eyes and heavy dark circles. Clearly, compiling this data and conducting on-site surveys had taken a lot of his time. Now that he had received confirmation from his superior, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and left the office, feeling that he could finally get a good night's sleep.

After he left, the bespectacled man took the few sheets of paper and the report that the curly-haired youth had painstakingly written, went to the bathroom, tore the papers into pieces, chanted a simple mantra, burned them to ashes, and then flushed them down the drain.

-

The City of Truth, Customs House.

A tiny cargo ship is being inspected. It comes from the Holy Union and is heading to the City of Truth, exporting a high-end pet treat.

Cargo ships from the Holy Union are always subject to rigorous inspections—and if they come from the Chaotic Province, it's even worse; they're checked from start to finish, regardless of whether the cargo is problematic. In any case, something extraordinary is always found under the crew's bunks.

However, unless it comes from a chaotic province, a thorough inspection is generally not conducted, as that would be too time-consuming and laborious.

Customs officers boarded the cargo ship in pairs, and the ship contained many containers.

Customs officers boarded the ship, and a middle-aged man walked straight over and signed the inspection record. After sitting there for a while, they disembarked.

A cargo ship carrying containers silently sailed in, and a surging undercurrent was about to overturn the world.

-

The Imperial Academy was deserted. Due to the antics of the alchemy students, the entire academy was given a holiday. Apart from the martial artists with strong immune systems, even the teachers and students who usually lived on campus were forced to leave the academy.

Nefertari came here intending to have a drink with Ying Qin Guan. He had nothing to do these days and assumed that Ying Qin Guan was the same.

Arriving at the teachers' dormitory building, Nephalem went upstairs. Just as he was about to reach the floor where Ying Qin Guan was, his vision blurred, and he saw a hazy figure emerge from Ying Qin Guan's room and disappear in a flash.

"Who goes there?!"

The Nephalem's habits remained; he subconsciously tensed his muscles, and his inner energy began to flow... However, it seemed to be his hallucination. When he looked more closely, he saw nothing.

"What are you yelling about?"

The door opened, and Ying Qin Guan walked out calmly.

Nephalem's sharp eyes scanned the surroundings. "Something just came out of your room!"

"What nonsense are you talking about? Where is he?"

"Disappeared, no one knows where they went."

"You must be mistaken. There's no one else in my room... Did you really see something?"

Ying Qin Guan's repeated questioning made Nefertari hesitate. He seemed to have seen something, but also seemed to have seen nothing at all... Was it just his imagination?

"I really don't know what you're talking about." Ying Qin Guan said calmly, "You said you came out of my room. If it were in my room, wouldn't I have sensed it?"

"...That makes some sense." The reason was indeed quite compelling, and Nephalem was somewhat convinced, wondering if he had really misjudged the situation. Was it because he was too exhausted? Sure enough, three hours of work per week was still too much...

"Right?" Ying Qin Guan shrugged and asked, "So, what are you doing here?"

"I'm getting restless, I was thinking of asking you to have a drink..." Nefertari said, only to realize afterward that Ying Qin Guan was carrying the Ten Deadly Weapons on his back. "And you? What are you up to?"

"I was planning to go on a long trip, and I was originally going to leave directly. It's perfect that you're here... Let's have a drink and give me a ride."

Chapter Sixteen: Let's do it today.

At a somewhat greasy barbecue stall, Ying Qin Guan and Nefertari handed the food they had taken from the refrigerator to the owner, and then found a table to sit down.

With a flick of his finger, Ying Qin Guan knocked the beer cap off, tilted his head back, and took a swig. He then asked:

Do you come here often?

"I used to come often when I was in school, but I came less often after that. I've only come twice since I graduated from university."

"It's so nostalgic."

"Yes...it was more than two years ago."

Ying Qin Guan and Nephalem had eaten together many times, but this was only the second time they had come to this greasy little barbecue stall. The last time was more than two years ago, not long after Ying Qin Guan arrived in Qi Yao.

The Nephalem also flicked his fingers, sending the beer cap flying.

Why are you suddenly thinking of going on a long trip again?

"The Imperial Academy is on holiday, so I was thinking of going back to visit them."

Nephalem paused slightly.

"go back?"

"Yes," Ying Qin Guan said, "I'll go back to my hometown for a visit."

This was an answer that caught the Nephalem somewhat off guard, and he asked:

Why did you suddenly have this idea?

Even if you ask me that... I'm not entirely sure myself. This idea just popped into my head, and then school suddenly let out for break. There's nothing to do here, so I thought I'd go back and check on things...

Ying Qin Guan said softly, "Besides... from the day I left there, I knew that sooner or later I would have to go back and see it."

Upon hearing this, Nephalem felt somewhat relieved and said, "Do you think it's time yet?"

“Perhaps it’s not there yet, but if it never comes, does that mean I should never go?” Ying Qin Guan shook his head. “Perhaps some answers will only be found when I return there once more.”

"Going back to that place is easy, but finding the answer is not."

"Yes."

"At times like this, do you ever feel a little envious of that child named Zhong Hongyu?"

"Who knows?"

"If you were her, you would be able to give a confident answer right now."

"No, if it were her, there would be no need to go back at all, so the premise doesn't hold true."

"That's true..."

Nephalem sighed softly, tilted his head back and took a swig, a faint melancholy welling up in his heart.

He's not Zhong Hongyu, but Nephalem, the legendary agent of the Seven Luminaries. He's not so easily fooled, and he's very clever... That's why he brought Ying Qin Guan here.

If it begins here, it should also end here... Nephalem is a rather ritualistic person, and he has a premonition that Ying Qin Guan might not return after this departure.

Those who are about to leave don't make a big fuss; they simply choose a suitable time and depart quietly... That's how Nocturne is. But Ying Qin Guan is slightly different. He might leave, or he might return; the scales in his heart haven't completely tipped to one side yet.

"So it really was that time in mid-July..."

Nephalem didn't say much. Because he had been drinking, he hired a driver to take Ying Qin Guan to the airport.

He knew that Ying Qin Guan would have to return to his hometown no matter what. There were just too many reasons to go back, whether it was to overcome the past, to overcome himself, or to be defeated by the past. In any case, he had to go back to put an end to it.

Nephalem hadn't expected this day to come so soon; he thought it should have been at least a few more years before Ying Qin Guan had the courage.

He felt he had misjudged the situation and didn't think too deeply about it... But actually, he wasn't wrong. It's just that, firstly, those years had already passed in Ying Qin Pass. Even though it was a long dream from which he remembered nothing after waking up, secondly... he was also afraid that those years wouldn't come again.

-

The City of Truth, an incredible city.

If someone were to ask which city in the world is the most developed, the answer would undoubtedly be the Seven Luminaries City, the world's largest metropolis, a global financial center, located right next to the Tian San River, with exceptionally convenient shipping, the world's second-largest commercial port, and a high population density, destined to become a dazzling and extravagant metropolis.

But if you ask, if the world is going to be destroyed and only one city can be preserved, then which city would it be?

The answer is always the City of Truth. This city is full of talented people. If you drive in the Seven Stars and close your eyes and step on the gas, you can easily crash into three millionaires. But in the City of Truth, if you do the same thing with your eyes closed, you will crash into three doctors.

The world's finest alchemists are all here; they are the most tangible wealth of human civilization. In the City of Truth, 87 percent of the population has attended university, a figure twice that of the Seven Luminaries, with an extra fraction—not referring to the entire Seven Luminaries, but specifically to the capital city of the Seven Luminaries.

This is such an astonishing number, meaning that out of a hundred people, only thirteen will be unable to attend university for various reasons. This simple statistic alone is enough to prove the extraordinary nature of this city.

Furthermore, the ultimate crystallization of alchemy, "Doomsday," is also located within this city.

Back then, the Black Dragon Emperor remotely controlled the Half-Owl, waging guerrilla warfare in the Black Dragon Mountains, causing immense suffering to the entire World Alliance. Even a ruthless commander like P.E. was driven to a heart attack. The Black Dragon Emperor's military prowess was simply on another level... Of course, this was also largely due to his ability to remotely control the Half-Owl and perfectly execute all tactics.

If things had dragged on, the consequences would have been unimaginable. The Black Dragon Capital was a ruthless machine for building up an army. In the end, it was only thanks to the apocalypse that everything within a 100,000 square kilometer area was wiped out. Not only the Black Dragon Capital, but even a large part of the Black Dragon Mountains was destroyed.

The straight-line distance between the City of Truth and the Black Dragon Capital is 12,000 kilometers. What does it mean to destroy 100,000 square kilometers across that distance?

Calling it "divine punishment" wouldn't be an exaggeration!

Could a goddess really do something like that?!

Therefore, as Ji Chaoge looked down upon the city from his high vantage point, he was filled with mixed emotions. Back then, he had been defeated by Ying Qin Pass and the End of Days... what a devastating defeat it was, one that would never be forgotten. If anyone else had suffered such a defeat, it would likely have taken decades to recover.

Unfortunately, he was Ji Chaoge, a ruthless character who could fall asleep within twenty seconds even after losing both his parents. His willpower was so strong that the humans who gouged out his eyes trembled in fear.

On the rooftop of a tall building, Ji Chaoge, dressed in a purple bathrobe and holding a pipe, stood in a place where she could fall to her death at any moment, gazing into the distance.

Suddenly, he called out:

"Cain."

"I'm here." The response came in an instant. Cain, with his silver hair, stepped out from the side. He was incredibly handsome and had a face that no one would dare to photoshop.

"Here's a gift for you." Ji Chaoge reached out and handed over a piece of paper.

Cain took it; it contained many names. He asked curiously, "What is this?"

"The truly irreplaceable core figures of each country, if killed, would plunge the regime into chaos... In addition, a beautiful woman will be waiting for you by the side of one of these important figures. She is my gift to you. Go find her yourself, and kill someone for me along the way."

Cain was invigorated. Ji Chaoge made many promises to him, the key of which was the fate of the beautiful woman. Unexpectedly, after so much time, Ji Chaoge actually found her.

"Amazing... How did you do that?"

“You’ll find out when you kill her.” Ji Chaoge raised his pipe, took a light puff, and chuckled, “Have a safe journey.”

Despite being kept in suspense by Ji Chaoge, Cain didn't mind. His heart was filled with immense joy, and he shouted, "Alright... I'm off!"

As the sound faded, the surrounding space distorted, and Cain vanished.

Ji Chaoge stood on the rooftop, the wind howling and making his wide sleeves flutter.

"It's a beautiful day."

Ji Chaoge thought to herself.

"Then let's do it today, let the whole world take my surname."