Chapter Fifteen: The Eve of the Competition

“I remember now. Shuiyin Ad Test Shuiyin Ad Test,” Zhu En said with a bitter smile. “His name is Qiu Fangning. He graduated a while ago, he was a member.”

Xia Yan sighed inwardly—so, it wasn’t Laiwen.

“Has this kind of situation happened to anyone else besides you?” Xia Yan asked again.

“No, at least during my years, nothing like that happened,” Zhu En replied quietly. “But this year, there’s a freshman called Gu Yue’er. Her situation is quite similar to mine. I guess both of us are just rather unfortunate.”

“You think this is just a coincidence?” Xia Yan frowned.

“Yes. These were accidents, the enemy was too powerful, sometimes there were mistakes in the mission intel—it’s not uncommon,” Zhu En said slowly. “We all know, as members of the institute, that death is always a possibility.”

“I’m sorry for asking you about such heavy matters.” Xia Yan had gathered most of his thoughts and asked one final question. “I want to know, this Qiu Fangning—was he human?”

“No, he wasn’t human.” Zhu En shook his head. “Senior Qiu Fangning awakened his bloodline shortly after developing his abilities. He was a demon.”

Most members deliberately conceal their bloodlines, but that doesn’t mean their nature won’t be exposed. For example, in moments of grave danger, when they have no choice but to use their bloodline powers.

There have been quite a few cases like that. Qiu Fangning was revealed this way, forced to show his true identity.

With that, Xia Yan finished his conversation with Zhu En. He hadn’t gathered much intel, but one thing was certain—this was no coincidence.

There simply aren’t that many coincidences in this world.

No matter what, his first priority was to achieve a high enough ranking in the competition, to rise into the top thirty, and then he could name his terms with Laiwen.

“Laiwen, if you are a demon, I will kill you. No matter what, I’ll kill you!” Xia Yan’s eyes grew cold, a murderous intent emanating from him.

...

Third floor of the central complex, Laiwen’s office.

“I’m sorry, Miss Gu Yue’er.” Laiwen handed a file to Gu Yue’er. “Your request has been denied.”

“Denied? Why?” Gu Yue’er was baffled. “Normally, as long as I apply for the transfer and another member of the ‘institute management’ agrees, it shouldn’t be rejected.”

“You misunderstand.” Laiwen’s smile was sly. “I don’t have the authority to refuse you, Miss Gu Yue’er. But there is someone who does.”

“Who?” Gu Yue’er’s expression soured.

“Our highest director in the Ability Development Institute, the one with the title ‘Chief.’” Laiwen spread his hands in resignation. “Her orders are to deny your transfer. You are to continue your assignments here, with me. I’ll consider assigning you a new partner.”

“I’ve decided to join Xia Yan’s team.” Gu Yue’er bit her lip. “I don’t need you to find me a partner.”

“A two-person team is the most optimal. With a third, your contribution points drop significantly.” Laiwen refused her request outright. “If Xia Yan were still under my command, I might consider it. But he’s now under Gong Kui, so I have to refuse.”

“I…” Gu Yue’er tried to protest.

“Out.” Laiwen’s expression turned cold. “That’s the Chief’s order. It’s not up to me.”

The silver-haired, striking man fixed a frosty gaze on her. “Gu Yue’er, have you not reflected on your last mistake? With such a serious infraction, your dismissal would be justified.”

Gu Yue’er pouted, eyes glimmering with unshed tears, but she turned and left.

“Xia Yan, you want to challenge me? You?” Laiwen sneered, glancing out the window. “Even if you manage to rank high enough, you still have to survive the competition—and I won’t give you that chance, you piece of trash.”

At that moment, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Laiwen said.

A boy entered. He was young, probably only fourteen or fifteen. His left eye was covered by his hair, making him particularly noticeable.

“It’s you!”

Laiwen didn’t know the boy well, but he recognized him. There were only two things he knew for sure: first, the boy’s name was Daren, and he had demon blood. Second, Daren was very strong.

“The Chief sent me to take part in this year’s ranking tournament,” Daren said coolly, showing Laiwen no respect. “The goal—win first place. And also, to kill Xia Yan.”

“So the Chief sent you out, after all,” Laiwen chuckled. “If you’re taking the field, this will be a breeze.”

“With trash like Xia Yan, I could kill him with my eyes closed,” Daren said, dismissive. “I got the roster from the Chief. According to the groupings, I won’t meet him until the finals.”

Daren sounded frustrated. “I’m a bit worried though. Can that trash even make it to the finals? If he doesn’t, I won’t be able to complete my task.”

“Will Xia Yan make it to the finals?” Laiwen was anxious too. “Why didn’t they put you both in the same group? Damn it, there’s no way someone like Xia Yan can make it to the finals. He can’t beat any of the top three contenders.”

“Once the groups were set, there was no changing them,” Daren gritted out. “Still, if Xia Yan loses early, I’ll find another chance to kill him. I don’t operate inside the institute, so I don’t have to worry about those rules.”

“Good. With your strength, killing Xia Yan is as easy as slaughtering a chicken,” Laiwen smiled.

Although Daren was a member of the institute, he didn’t operate within its walls. He wasn’t technically management, but his abilities were considered close to—or even equal to—the management level.

...

A dozen days later.

The institute’s ranking tournament drew near.

The Ability Training Institute, Central Plaza—an endless expanse of earth, where even the distant cross-staircases folded away, the central fountain dancing like a sprite, bringing life to the entire land.

Xia Yan glanced at his own contribution points—eighty-three in total. Thirty-three from missions, the other fifty as a reward for developing his ability.

He hadn’t used these points to upgrade his equipment. To him, nothing mattered more than rescuing Ding Li.

It had been over half a year since they parted. He wondered how Ding Li was faring in the prison for criminals. That guy had lost an arm; life must be rough for him.

If only he could get out, live a peaceful life like an ordinary person. After all, Xia Yan bore some responsibility for the loss of his arm.

Ding Li, wait for me. I’ll save up those two million credits soon. I’ll get you out of there.

Tao Lu crossed the square, spotted Xia Yan, and hurried over.

“What are you thinking?” she asked, noticing his absent look.

“Nothing…” Xia Yan shook his head.

“I asked Gong Kui—she said we’re in different groups. Unless we both make the finals, we won’t meet in the tournament,” Tao Lu said with a smile. “So, if we do fight, it’ll be in the finals.”

“Mm.” Xia Yan nodded.

“This is for you.”

Tao Lu handed him two weapons she’d prepared: a D203 Frenzy Handgun and a D-class short sword called Allure.

Xia Yan had used this short sword before, but after awakening his ability, he’d returned it to Tao Lu.

“I have backup weapons,” Tao Lu said. “And I used all my contribution points to get a C-class gun—top-tier, even the black market in Fuxiang City rarely sees something like this.”

“Thank you,” Xia Yan said, grateful.

“You’re in a tough spot,” Tao Lu said with a small smile. “You have points, but can’t use them. I feel for you. Just think of these as a loan—give them back when you get something better.”

“All right.” Xia Yan nodded, a trace of a smile on his lips.

“As for the matter with Gu Yue’er—if you want to see the Chief, you won’t be able to find her,” Tao Lu added. “Don’t worry, take down Laiwen first, then handle the rest at your own pace. That day, I thought you’d snap and cut someone down on the spot, but you managed to hold back.”

“At the very least, I won’t let Yue’er do any more assignments under Laiwen. That’s my bottom line. If Laiwen tries to push further, I don’t think I could have endured these past days,” Yi Ling said quietly. “Once I win first place in the tournament, I’ll challenge Laiwen.”

“If you win, will you become one of the institute’s management?” Tao Lu asked, curious.

“No,” Xia Yan replied.

“That’s good,” Tao Lu said with a smile.

For Xia Yan, this tournament was about more than just ranking. He had to win first place, to challenge Laiwen as the strongest non-management member.

Laiwen was no ordinary member of management—he was their leader. His strength was among the very best, likely in the top five. Xia Yan knew that if he couldn’t even win the tournament, he’d have no hope of defeating Laiwen.