Chapter Ninety-Nine: Farewell, Zhang Lei

The early morning sun had just begun to peek over the horizon, the air carrying faint traces of dew, and a rare breeze swept through, bringing a slight chill. The academy was as usual; on the wide path that could accommodate ten people side by side, now and then a lone student hurried past, their footsteps brisk, disappearing at the road’s end.

The academy library always welcomed a batch of students every morning. A young woman, dressed in a yellow and white polka-dot dress, was walking toward the library when suddenly the sunlight reflected into her eyes. She raised her fair hand to shield her eyes from the glare and quickly stepped inside, leaving behind a faint, lingering fragrance in the air.

Shortly after she entered, a boy with somewhat messy hair but a clear complexion also made his way into the library. Upon entering, he immediately knew the kind of materials he wanted and went straight to the nearby bookshelf to pick out the book he sought.

Looking around, he noticed that all the desks were occupied except for the one at the far edge, where the young woman in the yellow and white polka-dot dress sat alone. He took his books and sat down beside her. At that moment, the woman noticed someone sitting opposite her, glanced up briefly, paused in surprise, then smiled at the boy before lowering her gaze back to her book.

The boy was Ye Bai, and the woman opposite him caused a flicker of astonishment in his eyes. He glanced again, as if unwilling to believe it, then once more, silently thinking, “These are clearly two different people.”

Suddenly, a voice, soft and alluring yet delicate, reached Ye Bai’s ears. “How long do you intend to keep staring?”

The woman apparently recognized Ye Bai. After smiling at him, she lowered her head to read again, though Ye Bai’s gaze lingered on her, causing a faint blush to rise on her neck. Unable to resist, she looked up and asked him.

Caught off guard, Ye Bai answered sheepishly, “Sorry, you look a bit like someone I saw yesterday.”

“Oh? Really? Was it the girl beside the man in white outside the auditorium after the opening ceremony?” she said, brushing aside the strands of dark hair that had fallen over her forehead from looking down too long.

This time, Ye Bai was the one shocked. His dark eyes filled with surprise as he slowly uttered, “Could it be you?”

She smiled softly, her lips curved like a willow leaf, her eyes sparkling with charm yet clear and pure, naturally brimming with irresistible allure.

“What do you think?” she countered.

Ye Bai said nothing further.

The contrast was striking. Yesterday, she wore short shorts and a fitted short-sleeve shirt, her graceful figure on full display, every smile and frown imbued with seductive charm. Today, clad in a yellow-and-white polka-dot long dress with a gently cinched waist, quietly reading in a corner, it was impossible to believe it was the same person.

“I’m Mo Li,” she said, gently turning a page, lifting her head with a soft smile, her eyes crystal clear before she bent down to read again. Her waterfall of dark hair cascaded down one side once more.

Ye Bai didn’t explain further. He lowered his head to focus on his own book.

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Fate brings people together, but not all bonds are meant to last forever. Most people pass through like fleeting travelers, crossing paths only briefly in the journey of life before fading into the dust of the world. Perhaps when you grow old, sitting alone beneath the setting sun, you will recall her and smile softly.

*The Chronicle of the Armory*—this was the book Ye Bai had long wanted to read since his time in the radiation zone. Ever since awakening the Jinghong Blade, his interest in the armory, known only for selling “scrap” weapons, had deepened immensely. The book recorded the history of the armory from its founding to the present day.

Unable to enter the armory without Cao Xiaoseng and Yao Ling, Ye Bai now held the physical copy of *The Chronicle of the Armory*, untouched by others for a long time. Opening the first page, the unique scent of ink wafted to his nose.

The armory was established in Year 23 of the Dark Age, shortly after the Green Forest capital was completed. Initially, it provided ordinary weapons free of charge to the city’s warriors, helping them slay the mutated beasts outside the city.

Legend has it that five years later, King Tianmu personally placed a divine weapon in the armory. Its name was unknown, and no one had seen it, but from then on, the armory began to acquire divine weapons, priced reasonably yet choosing their rightful owners.

In Year 60 of the Dark Age, the first divine weapon recorded to have awakened was the Azure Edge, wielded by the current principal of Zixing Academy. Thereafter, divine weapons would awaken every few years.

Divine weapons choose their owners, but awakening depends on the compatibility between the weapon and its master. Without a high degree of compatibility, a divine weapon could never awaken in a lifetime.

Turning to the second page, Ye Bai read on: upon awakening, each divine weapon would be re-sealed, forgetting all previous memories like a human reincarnating and reborn anew. The weapon would be renamed, and as compatibility increased, battle marks would appear. The weapon with the most battle marks in the armory’s history was the Azure Edge, bearing eight.

Ye Bai thought of his Jinghong Blade, which had yet to show any battle marks. But that made sense—he had only just acquired Jinghong, and its awakening was already an unexpected blessing. As for battle marks, he believed it wouldn’t take long.

Suddenly, curiosity piqued: how many battle marks might his Jinghong have?

The following pages introduced various divine weapons: the first, the World-Opening Blade, possessing the power to open new worlds; then the Azure Edge, the principal’s sword, embodying the essence of wood, striking with keen precision, a bane to enemies, a sorrow of hell...

What followed were descriptions of swords, spears, halberds, and the eighteen types of divine weapons.

Ye Bai rubbed his aching neck and looked up, noticing that Mo Li had quietly left. Checking the time, it was nearly noon. He stood, returned the book to the shelf, and prepared to head back to the dormitory.

Along the route Ye Bai took back to his room, a young man, not much older than Ye Bai, paced beneath the shade of a tree, occasionally glancing into the distance as though waiting for someone.

“Where on earth has that guy gone? Why hasn’t he come back?” the young man muttered to himself.

Wearing loose clothes that hung somewhat snugly over his muscular frame, bare-handed without any weapons, his physique constantly betrayed his strength.

Zhang Lei had arrived at Ye Bai’s dormitory as early as possible that morning but found no one. After returning and returning again, Ye Bai still hadn’t come back, and Zhang Lei grew anxious.

He had just returned from a mission and had missed the opening ceremony. Originally planning to attend, unexpected developments at the mission’s end forced a hasty retreat from a high-level foundational mutant beast. Had they been slower, they might never have returned.

Thus, the mission had failed, and the ceremony was missed. No rest followed upon return before a summons came: those listed on the talent survey in Muyang City would be seen tomorrow.

In fact, there were very few such people in all of Muyang City. Initially, only four were confirmed, but Li Fei had been eliminated, and since his last appearance in the Ghostwood Mountains, Xiao Mo had vanished without a trace, missing even the entrance exam.

Only Ye Bai and another young man had successfully entered Zixing Academy. After failing to find Ye Bai, Zhang Lei had notified the other student. Fortunately, that student was present. Having done so, Zhang Lei returned here to wait for Ye Bai.

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Waiting from dawn till the sun burned hot, from the chirping of morning birds to the present silence, Zhang Lei grew drowsy. Since the mission, he had yet to properly rest.

The scorching heat blurred the air as Zhang Lei squatted beneath the tree, eyes fixed on the distance. At last, around half past twelve, a vague figure appeared at the road’s end.

Ye Bai, shielding his eyes from the glaring sun, walked briskly forward. Though the summer heat posed no harm to evolved beings, the oppressive warmth was palpable.

Suddenly, Ye Bai saw someone waving from the shade, beckoning him to come quickly.

He was puzzled—who could be waiting for him at Zixing Academy? Yao Ling? But the figure was clearly male. Cao Xiaoseng? Impossible—he was likely still asleep.

As Ye Bai approached and the person’s face came into view, anger began to flare across his expression.

“What do you want?”

“Looking for another fight? Want to prove you can still thrash me?” Ye Bai’s tone was cold as he advanced toward Zhang Lei.

Zhang Lei smiled kindly upon seeing Ye Bai, but hearing his words, his expression also hardened.

“I’m here to tell you someone wants to see you tomorrow, in the auditorium. As for fighting? Not today, but anytime after, I’m game. And let me make it clear again—I didn’t kidnap your sister. Details will be explained tomorrow. You can choose not to go, but that choice might make you regret the next four years.”

Ye Bai gave Zhang Lei a cold look; Zhang Lei returned no smile and left without waiting for a response.

Ye Bai was momentarily stunned. He bore no hatred toward Zhang Lei, only resentment that his sister had been taken without explanation and that he had been beaten so openly.

He glanced next door—Cao Xiaoseng’s dorm door was still closed; he was probably still asleep. Ye Bai opened his own dorm and lay on the bed.

Someone wants to see me? Who could it be? In over a month at Zixing Academy, besides Zhang Jian, Dao, and the group, there was only the newly acquainted Mo Li. Who would want to meet me?

Moreover, Zhang Lei was a sophomore, so whoever wanted to see him was likely also a sophomore or possibly a junior. Yet Zhang Lei hadn’t been seen at the opening ceremony in the auditorium yesterday, nor had Xiao Ou’s group.

Ye Bai lay on his bed, pondering deeply but unable to deduce who might want to meet him. It probably wasn’t anything bad. Although he had only interacted with Zhang Lei twice, Ye Bai had some understanding of him—he didn’t seem the type to do wicked things.

Unable to think of anyone else, Ye Bai decided not to dwell on it. Whatever will be, will be. Tomorrow’s matter could wait. For now, he needed to fill his stomach.

Having spent the whole morning in the library without eating, his stomach growled loudly the moment he returned to the dormitory.