As the Gard Car pulled into the plaza in front of Wuyi Academy, Chen Chuan glanced over. A great many students were coming and going.

It was late July. By his calculations, registration for the academy’s A-class student follow-up exams was tomorrow.

Watching those students, full of hope, he couldn’t help but remember himself from two years ago. ’I hope they all do well on their exams,’ he thought. He gradually slowed the car to a stop at the gate and presented his ID card.

The security guard at the gate seemed to recognize him. Having once served in the military, the guard instinctively gave him a salute before gesturing for him to proceed.

Chen Chuan nodded at him and drove onto the campus.

To be honest, during his time studying at Wuyi Academy, he had always used the side gates, with the sole exception of the last time he left campus. This time, however, he was driving right through the main gate, which gave him a completely different feeling—at once familiar and strange.

He turned past the auditorium up ahead and drove toward the administration building. As he passed Spring and Autumn Lake, he couldn’t help but glance a few times at the dormitory on the opposite shore.

’Senior Brother Wu should have graduated by now, while Feng Xiaochi, Luo Kaiyuan, and Weidong have one last year left at Wuyi. I wonder if they’re on campus right now. I can check the dorm later.’

’Hmm, I should also pay the dorm supervisor a visit. Can’t give him that pension raise just yet, though.’

He arrived at the administration building and parked in the lot out front. Getting out of the car, he looked up at the steps, adjusted the brim of his cap, and started walking up.

Because of the next day’s exam registration, the lobby of the administration building was filled with prospective students asking for information, as well as a few teachers in charge. When they saw Chen Chuan walk in, they all froze for a moment.

The students couldn’t tell what was special about him, but they felt an aura that made them fall silent. The teachers, however, recognized his uniform as belonging to the Processing Bureau.

Just last year, several teachers connected to the former headmaster had been transferred or taken away outright by the Processing Bureau. Their first thought was, ’Is the Bureau here to arrest someone else?’

But on closer inspection, they noticed some differences. Besides the uniform being slightly different, Chen Chuan’s epaulet had a silver sword on it—the emblem of the Central City Processing Bureau.

’The Central City Processing Bureau?’

The teachers were all startled.

’Central City rarely sends people to the regional Wuyi academies. Has something else happened?’

’Wait, this person looks a little familiar...’

Most of the teachers had seen Chen Chuan before. However, he was a little taller than last year, and as he walked over, the intangible aura he exuded made even them, as Fighters, feel a tremor of apprehension. That, combined with a fear of getting involved, kept them rooted to the spot. Not a single one stepped forward to ask questions.

Chen Chuan didn’t recognize these teachers, but he had seen one or two of them in passing before. As he crossed the lobby, he nodded to them all before heading up the stairs.

Only after he had passed did the atmosphere in the room relax. Some of the teachers exchanged glances, questioning each other, but no one had any idea what was going on.

Chen Chuan went straight to the sixth floor and headed for what was once the logistics department. Walking down the hallway to the door, he saw Cheng Zitong inside on the phone. He was clearly busy; as he was taking a call on one phone, another on his desk started ringing. It was all related to tomorrow’s registration and the upcoming follow-up exams.

He waited for a moment. When he heard the sound of someone drinking water, he approached, knocked on the door, and said, "Teacher."

Cheng Zitong looked up, his face instantly lighting up with joy. He stood up from behind his desk. "Xiaochuan, you’re here! I figured you’d arrive around now. Come, come in, have a seat. Hey, that uniform looks sharp. Really sharp!"

Chen Chuan had kept in touch with Cheng Zitong by phone, but they hadn’t seen each other in over half a year. He noticed his teacher’s face was rounder and glowing with a healthy color. ’He must have been eating well these days,’ he thought.

As Cheng Zitong welcomed Chen Chuan, his first instinct was to close the door. But on second thought, he let his hand drop, leaving it open. He then carried a water kettle over to the sofa and said emotionally,

"Man, I haven’t seen you in over half a year, and you’ve really changed. Xiaochuan, your whole aura is different. And this uniform..." He drew in a sharp breath. "Don’t tell me you’re..."

He was worldly-wise, after all. Once the initial joy of seeing his star student passed, he started to notice the clues, though he still wasn’t entirely sure.

Chen Chuan took off his service cap, placed it on his lap, and looked at Cheng Zitong. "Teacher, I haven’t had the chance to tell you. Two days ago, I broke through to the Third Limit and became a Third Limit Fighter."

Cheng Zitong was stunned for a moment, then grew excited, his face flushing red. He slammed his hand down on the nearby table with a CRACK, denting a corner. "Xiaochuan, you’ve reached the Third Limit?!"

Chen Chuan nodded.

"Good, good! Excellent!!"

Cheng Zitong stared at him for a long moment, suppressing the turbulent emotions in his heart before finally sitting back down.

"You’ve only been in Central City for what, half a year? But it makes sense. Xiaochuan, you’re incredibly talented. I’ve never met a student with more potential. You’ve always progressed faster than everyone else. After being at the Second Limit for so long, it was time you advanced to the Third. For anyone else, this would be considered fast, but for you, it’s a natural breakthrough after laying a solid foundation."

He gave another emotional laugh. "I, Cheng Zitong, am so lucky. To have taught an outstanding student like you... I have no regrets in this life."

Ever since Chen Chuan had that match against those juniors, Cheng Zitong had been receiving a steady stream of calls from Central City. People were hinting, both overtly and subtly, about sending their own juniors to him for training. It had brought him a great deal of prestige, and his appetite had grown significantly since that day.

Chen Chuan stood up, picked up Cheng Zitong’s cup, which had sloshed a little, and refilled it for him. Handing it back, he said, "It was my good fortune to receive your guidance, Teacher."

Cheng Zitong laughed and took the cup. "You’re still the same as ever, Xiaochuan." His smile faded a little. "It must not have been easy for you in Central City."

Chen Chuan said, "It’s been alright. I’ve managed."

"Mm, you’ve made it through the toughest part. A Third Limit Fighter can go anywhere. So many people stop at this stage. But with your talent, Xiaochuan, you should be able to go even higher."

Cheng Zitong seemed to think of something and sighed. "The higher you go, the harder it gets. There are plenty of people who don’t make any progress for decades. It’s not that they don’t want to; it’s that they can’t."

Chen Chuan thought for a moment and said, "Teacher, does the Third Limit involve some kind of secret?"

Cheng Zitong said, "I’ve heard a few things, but nothing concrete. You don’t need to be anxious about it. When the time comes, someone will tell you. Even if you don’t want to listen, they’ll make sure you know. Just wait. But when it’s time to make a choice, look carefully before you leap. Don’t step into a trap."

He thought for a moment. "My second uncle... if there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask him. This second uncle of mine, he knows a lot and is willing to guide capable juniors. I’ll give him a heads-up later."

Chen Chuan nodded and said, "Thank you, Teacher."

"There’s no need to be so formal with your teacher."

Chen Chuan hummed in acknowledgment. He picked up the bag he was carrying and took out a few things. "I brought you a few things from Central City..."

"You shouldn’t have. Just visiting is enough. You didn’t need to bring anything..."

Chen Chuan took out a notebook and handed it over. "These are some of the weird tales I encountered and handled in Central City. I wrote them all down in this notebook, along with some information I gathered and organized."

Cheng Zitong’s eyes lit up—this was his favorite hobby. He accepted it eagerly. "Well, since it’s a thoughtful gift from my student, I can’t very well refuse it. Wonderful, this is wonderful."

Just as he was speaking, the phones on his desk started ringing again—two of them at once. Cheng Zitong went to answer them, only putting them down after a while.

Chen Chuan said, "Teacher, you seem busy."

Cheng Zitong said, "Aren’t I just? Registration for the follow-up exams is tomorrow, and the exams themselves are in less than a month. All sorts of preparations have to start now.

"This year is different from the past. The Recommended Students program has been cancelled, so there are even more applicants than usual. The higher-ups are taking it very seriously, and the whole academy has been mobilized. My department is an absolute mess of things to do."

Chen Chuan said, "Then I won’t disturb you any longer, Teacher. I’ll be in Yangzhi for a month, so I’ll come visit again when you’re free."

Cheng Zitong said, "Alright, I won’t stand on ceremony with you then. You just got back to Yangzhi, so go get some rest. When I have some free time, we—teacher and student—can have a proper chat."

Chen Chuan agreed, putting his cap back on. "Teacher, I’ll take my leave then."

"Go on," Cheng Zitong said, standing up and patting him on the shoulder. "Don’t waste your time here with me. There’s a wide world out there for you."

Chen Chuan bid farewell to Cheng Zitong and left.

In high spirits, Cheng Zitong returned to his desk. He worked for a while longer before finally getting a moment to rest. As he was drinking some water, he suddenly thought of something, chuckled mischievously, and picked up the phone to dial a number. The call connected shortly.

"Hey, Senior Brother, it’s me. I’m coming over for dinner tonight, so make sure you cook a lot... Well, my appetite’s been great lately, hasn’t it? Your rice is just so fragrant! So it’s a date. ’Bye now."

After leaving the department office, Chen Chuan had originally planned to look for Teachers Bian Feng and Yue Hong to say hello.

However, when he passed the Recruitment and Preparation Department, he saw it was empty. Figuring they were all busy outside, he gave up on the idea. Outside, he walked slowly along the tree-lined path circling the lake, feeling the gentle breeze blow in from the water as he headed toward the dorms.

When he entered, he found a group of students gathered there. They were new students here for the follow-up exams, asking for information. These students didn’t even recognize the academy’s teachers, let alone him. They only saw his uniform and instinctively lowered their voices.

However, an upperclassman was helping the dorm supervisor answer questions and hand out materials. Noticing the change in atmosphere, he looked up. He froze for a second, then turned excitedly to the dorm supervisor. "Senior Brother Chen! Teacher, it’s Senior Brother Chen!"

The dorm supervisor saw Chen Chuan too, and his gaze fell on the epaulets on his shoulders. He suddenly broke into a laugh. "Chen, you’ve been promoted fast enough. Looks like there’s hope for my pension raise after all."

...

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