Chapter 405 - 361: I Can Take the Martial Arts Exam This Year

Chapter 405: Chapter 361: I Can Take the Martial Arts Exam This Year

The crisis was averted.

Lin Yi returned to the restaurant.

Tang Baichuan, Yanyang, and the others decided not to return to the university for the time being.

After what had just happened, they were all a bit traumatized by the idea of taking a bus.

"We just saw the news. A bus exploded?"

Lin Yi had just gotten back when Wei Nan and Zhou Qi came looking for him.

They were holding a phone, which displayed the recently released news report.

There was no way to cover up something like this.

A bus had exploded in the city center.

It had also caused many casualties among passersby, making it impossible to suppress the story.

However, the news wouldn’t report the finer details of the incident.

Lin Yi nodded. "Yes, a bus headed back to Dragon Tiger Mountain exploded."

"Holy shit! Doesn’t that mean everyone on board...?"

Wei Nan’s expression changed drastically, and he looked at Lin Yi with a furrowed brow.

Zhou Qi, however, added from the side, "It’s not that bad. Didn’t the news report say there were no passengers on board, only the driver?"

"Apparently, the people from Dragon Tiger Mountain didn’t get on that bus. A blessing in disguise, I guess."

Hearing this, Wei Nan looked down and read the report carefully again.

Only after seeing the contents did he finally relax.

"I went to the Town Martial Department to see Elder He today."

"He wants us to join the Town Martial Department. The department is short-staffed right now, and both Wei Shang and Feng Lei are hospitalized."

"So, Elder He’s idea is for us to temporarily take their place for a while."

After Lin Yi finished speaking,

Wei Nan, Zhou Qi, and Sun Tao all exchanged glances.

"Join the Town Martial Department? I heard it’s much harder to get into the Town Martial Department than the Demon Hunting Bureau!"

"Don’t we need an assessment or something?"

Wei Nan asked hurriedly.

Lin Yi shook his head. "Elder He’s meaning is that if we’re willing, we can join directly."

"That’s why I came to ask for your opinions. Do we join the Town Martial Department, or..."

"Join! Of course we should join the Town Martial Department!"

"How can we miss an opportunity like this?"

Wei Nan nodded, his face full of excitement.

However, Zhou Qi and Shen Mengyi remained silent.

Sun Tao, for his part, was watching their expressions.

After a long moment, Zhou Qi finally asked, "What’s your take on it?"

Everyone’s gaze fell upon Lin Yi.

Even Wei Nan, who had been the first to support the idea, looked at Lin Yi.

They were waiting for his opinion on the matter.

Lin Yi smiled. "Joining the Town Martial Department certainly isn’t a bad thing."

"The monthly cultivation resources and salary are both substantial."

"But it is relatively more dangerous. A new organization called the Blood Handprint has appeared in the New District."

"These people are even more insane than the Blood Drop was."

"Just like the human bomb they created today. To put it bluntly, they’re trading lives for lives."

"They’re a bunch of lunatics who have no fear of death."

"My advice is for you to choose carefully. After all, you all have parents, you all have families."

Lin Yi’s words sent them all into deep thought.

This was especially true for Zhou Qi and Sun Tao.

In contrast, Wei Nan remained firm in his decision to follow Lin Yi.

Back in the Old District, Wei Nan had already said it.

Once they got to the New District, he would resolutely follow Lin Yi wherever he went.

And after arriving in the New District, he had always been following in Lin Yi’s footsteps.

Even though the gap in their realms was growing wider and wider.

In order not to drag Lin Yi down, Wei Nan worked day and night to raise his realm.

Now, he had already reached the Three-Star Realm.

In front of Lin Yi, the Three-Star Realm was nothing worth mentioning.

But one had to remember, they hadn’t even become sophomores yet; they were still freshmen.

For Wei Nan to have cultivated to the Three-Star Realm was already an outstanding achievement.

He was always working hard to shorten the distance between himself and Lin Yi.

To follow closely in his footsteps...

As for Shen Mengyi, she had even less to worry about.

She had chosen Xingwu University in the first place to fulfill her brother’s last wish.

To become a Demon Hunter.

In reality, whether it was being a Demon Hunter or joining the Town Martial Department,

The nature of the work was the same. It was all to make the Huawu Alliance a better place.

To allow the people living in the New and Old Districts to live peaceful lives.

Therefore, there wasn’t much difference between going to the Town Martial Department or the Demon Hunting Bureau.

Only Zhou Qi and Sun Tao were lost in thought.

They truly needed to consider this matter carefully.

To put it simply, if they chose not to join, they could stay at the university for another two or three years.

They could use those two or three years to achieve breakthroughs and strengthen their realms.

Perhaps by the time they graduated from university, their realms would be even stronger.

If they chose to start working then, they could at least ensure their own survival.

They all had families, all had parents.

Now that they had all followed them to live in the New District, they had finally lived up to the expectations their parents had for the past eighteen years.

If something were to happen to Zhou Qi and Sun Tao...

Lin Yi could see the hesitation in their eyes.

He hadn’t planned on forcing them to come along in the first place.

The only reason he brought it up was because Old He had mentioned it.

After casually mentioning it to them, Lin Yi stood up from the sofa.

"Book a train ticket later and go back to Songshan."

"Wei Nan, you go back with them too."

"As for joining the Town Martial Department, there’s no rush to give an answer. It’s fine even if you don’t want to come."

At his words, Wei Nan looked at him in surprise.

"Hey, if they want to go, let them go. I’m going with you to the Town Martial Department.

Didn’t we already agree on this?" Wei Nan said anxiously.

Lin Yi smiled. "What about your parents? You’re not going to care for them?"

"Of course I care! I give them all of the monthly subsidy I get from the university, I don’t keep a single cent.

As for the money I earned from selling those demon beast corpses before, I saved half for myself and gave them the other half!"

"With their current savings, they have enough to live on for the rest of their lives!"

"Besides, just last week during the break, my dad even told me!"

"’Since you chose Xingwu University and started down this path, you can’t be afraid of death!’"

"’If you were afraid of dying, you might as well have chosen Dragon Tiger University or Lanshan University!’"

"’You need to have a firm direction in your heart, you need to have your own conviction!’"

"I mulled over those words for days, for fuck’s sake, and in the end, I realized—isn’t my conviction you now?"

"Anyway, it’s like I said before, wherever you go, I’ll follow!"

After Wei Nan finished speaking,

Lin Yi gave him a deep look.

He nodded. "Alright. Then you can stick with me."

"Senior Brother Lin, I also want to..."

Suddenly, Shen Mengyi, who was beside them, quickly spoke up.

But before she could finish, a single look from Lin Yi silenced her.

"You can’t. I promised your brother I would take good care of you."

"Don’t even think about joining the Town Martial Department. Go back to the university with Zhou Qi and Sun Tao."

"Cultivate well and improve yourself."

"But..."

Shen Mengyi was anxious to speak.

Lin Yi shook his head. "No buts. I promised your brother. I can’t let anything happen to you. You have to go back."

After they settled things,

The outcome was that Lin Yi and Wei Nan would stay behind.

They would join the Town Martial Department, while Zhou Qi, Sun Tao, and Shen Mengyi would take a train back to Songshan tomorrow.

This was the best possible outcome at the moment.

...

The Town Martial Department.

Old He’s office.

"The Blood Handprint has reached a point of desperation!"

"They’re already resorting to using ’human bombs’ for sabotage!"

"This shows that they’ve run out of tricks!"

"We must strike while the iron is hot. We need to dig out all their people in the New District and eliminate them completely!"

Old He sat in his chair, his expression becoming incredibly solemn.

Meng Die and Yang Biao both nodded as well.

"Yes, sir!"

With that, the two of them started to leave.

But just as Yang Biao walked out of the office,

Meng Die stopped and closed the office door again.

She turned and returned to the desk. "Elder He, I heard you want to bring Lin Yi into the Town Martial Department?"

Hearing this, Old He glanced up at her.

"That’s right, I did mention it to him. What’s wrong?"

"Nothing, I’m just a little curious. Are you planning to hand over the management of the Town Martial Department to him?"

With a single sentence, Meng Die had exposed Old He’s intentions.

He smiled, put down the pen in his hand, and looked up at her.

"I do have that idea, yes. I’m old. I should have stepped down long ago."

"If I weren’t waiting for the next Martial God, I’d probably have found a place to live out my golden years already."

"Lin Yi’s progress is astonishing. In just one short year, he’s reached the Divine Abyss Realm!"

"This completely exceeded my expectations. And he’s already showing the makings of a Martial God."

"It’s time to cultivate him to take over the Town Martial Department."

"After he arrives, we’ll first make him the General Director, in charge of the Left and Right Guards."

"When the time is right, I will hand over the position of Director to him."

After Old He finished speaking,

Meng Die said nothing.

But a profound look flashed in her eyes.

Seeing this, Old He looked up at her. "What, do you have an objection? If you do, speak up."

"Elder He, I have no objections. I just feel it might be a little too fast."

"He’s still a student. He should be doing the things a student ought to do."

"Making him shoulder such a responsibility this early, I worry..."

Before Meng Die could finish, Old He let out a long sigh.

"Do you think I don’t want him to grow at his own pace?

His maternal grandfather, the Elder Celestial Master, thinks the same way."

"But there’s not enough time. Meng Die, do you have any idea how dire the situation on the Restricted Area Battlefield has become?"

"A great demon of the Heart Communication Realm has already appeared in the Restricted Area!"

"The situation there is more dangerous than we imagined. If those great demons make any move, the Restricted Area’s defenses won’t be able to stop them at all."

"If it weren’t absolutely necessary, who would want to force his growth?"

"But wasn’t the responsibility he must bear destined from the start?"

Meng Die said nothing more.

She just nodded lightly, and Old He gave her a deep look.

After a long moment, he sighed softly and said, "After he joins the Town Martial Department, you and Yang Biao must assist him well."

"Help him get familiar with the work of the Town Martial Department as soon as possible."

"Yes, Elder He!"

Meng Die nodded and walked out of the office.

The moment the door closed,

Old He pinched the bridge of his nose with two fingers.

Then he rose and walked toward the window.

He gazed out at the long street bustling with traffic, car after car whizzing past.

Some pedestrians walked by on the street, talking and laughing.

Seeing a few young people chatting and laughing in particular made Old He fall into thought.

The pressure from the Blood Handprint.

The crisis on the Restricted Area Battlefield.

Both had accelerated the pace of Lin Yi’s growth.

If it weren’t absolutely necessary, who would want to rush his development?

But in the current situation, only Lin Yi could break the stalemate.

After a long while, Old He let out a heavy sigh.

His face was filled with the weariness of his twilight years.

And just then, a call came through to the office.

He glanced back and walked over to his desk.

...

「Old District.」

"Dad, Mom, my application was approved! I can take the martial exam this year!"

Lin Yu said with a huge smile on his face.

At his words, Lin Dazhi and Liu Hongmei couldn’t help but cry tears of joy.

Tears streamed uncontrollably from their eyes.

At this moment, they finally felt a sense of release.

It had been a year.

A year had passed since Lin Yi finished his martial exam.

And this year’s martial exam would be held in half a month.

Lin Yu, who had just started his second year of high school, wasn’t originally old enough to take the martial exam.

But a new policy implemented this year allowed relatives of university students in the New District to apply to take the martial exam early.

If they passed the martial exam, they could enter the New District ahead of schedule.

If they didn’t pass, it didn’t matter.

They could just retake it in their third year of high school.

As soon as this policy was announced,

Lin Yu had eagerly submitted his application to the school...