Going to Kyoto University to Report for Enrollment

She remembered yesterday afternoon.

In that antique, old-world private dining room.

She had acted like a clown, brazenly telling Su Yu, "When it comes to actual combat, you definitely can't beat me."

She had even earnestly, step by step, taught him how to dodge Zhao Ze’s "Shattering Boulder Palm."

And on top of that, she had put on airs like a big sister and given him a bottle of third-tier Blood-Infusing Pills to stabilize his "shaky" blood energy!

Oh my god!

Lin Xiaoxiao wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into!

She had actually dared to lecture a Martial Artist with a thousand blood energy points on how to fight?!

It was like a first-grader who just learned basic arithmetic going up to a university math professor and seriously trying to teach them how to add one plus one!

How embarrassing!

So utterly humiliating she wanted to crawl away to her grandmother’s house!

"You…"

Lin Xiaoxiao bit her rosy lips, glaring fixedly at Su Yu’s calm face.

Her entire body trembled faintly.

"You’re a total liar!!!"

Boom!

Lin Xiaoxiao couldn’t hold it in any longer.

She raised her delicate, graceful fist and smashed it down on Su Yu’s shoulder.

No blood energy behind it.

It was entirely the strength of a little girl throwing a tantrum or venting.

This perfectly natural, even slightly intimate physical contact made countless male students around the ring stare captivated.

That was Lin Xiaoxiao!

The most untouchable ice-cold campus beauty in Jiang City, the top-tier rich heiress!

When had she ever made such a flirtatious, half-playful move toward a guy?!

The corner of Su Yu’s mouth curled upward.

He didn’t dodge.

He let Lin Xiaoxiao, carrying the faint fragrance of her perfume, step closer.

"I didn’t lie to you,"

Su Yu explained.

"I just didn’t say it."

"You dare talk back?!"

Lin Xiaoxiao angrily hit him again, her eyes reddened like an enraged little rabbit.

"Were you secretly laughing at me the whole time yesterday?"

"Watching me bounce around in front of you like an idiot—did you find it hilarious?"

"Great. Now how can I still be the one in charge as 'big sister'?"

Lin Xiaoxiao grew more aggrieved as she spoke.

She was a prodigy with four hundred and six blood energy points!

Since she was little, everywhere she went, hadn’t she been the center of everyone’s attention?

She had thought for sure she’d top the college entrance exams and even get to protect this stubborn young man along the way.

But instead,

He had just coolly shown off a thousand blood energy points!

Crushing her pitiful pride into dust and grinding it until there was nothing left!

Su Yu watched the angry young woman before him.

A faint, extremely restrained warmth flickered in his deep eyes.

He knew—Lin Xiaoxiao truly cared about him.

And he would remember this kindness.

"I wasn’t laughing,"

Su Yu said, his tone softening slightly.

"The footwork you taught me? Not bad."

"Hah!"

Lin Xiaoxiao spat in mock disgust, flushing even more.

Not bad?

In the eyes of a Martial Artist, her little moves were probably slower than a turtle’s crawl!

Still,

Hearing those words from Su Yu, most of the grievance in Lin Xiaoxiao’s heart miraculously faded away.

She took a deep breath, letting go of his arm.

Stepped back half a stride.

Straightened her back again, reclaiming that prideful stubbornness befitting a rich young lady.

"Don’t get too cocky!"

Lin Xiaoxiao lifted her chin slightly, her pure eyes sparkling with fierce, bright determination.

Staring him down.

"So what if you have a thousand blood energy points?"

"I’ve got my family's resources backing me!"

"Just you wait!"

She clenched her delicate fists, declaring war word by word.

"When I get to Capital University of Martial Arts, I’ll train twice as hard!"

"One day, I’m going to surpass you!"

"And when that happens, you better still call me big sister!"

Looking at the girl’s stubborn determination, the faintest, rarest trace of a smile tugged at the corner of Su Yu’s mouth.

"Alright."

"Then I’ll be waiting."

……

This shockwave that had sent tremors through the whole city finally came to an end with the Zhao family’s withdrawal.

But the practical exam still had to go on.

Only,

From then on, every match had lost all suspense.

Among the top ten—aside from Su Yu and Lin Xiaoxiao—the next highest blood energy score barely scraped eleven.

Facing a Martial Artist with a thousand blood energy points.

Facing an intermediate Martial Arts Practitioner with four hundred and six.

This wasn’t a competition; it was a suicide mission!

"Third match: Su Yu against Wang Qiang!"

No sooner had the umpire’s voice fallen than

A contestant named Wang Qiang, just stepping onto the ring’s edge,

Caught a glimpse of Su Yu standing at the center, hands still in his pockets.

Wang Qiang’s legs gave way.

"Thump."

He dropped directly onto the alloy steps.

"I forfeit! I surrender! Bro, don’t kill me!"

Wang Qiang howled in terror, scrambling back to the waiting area.

The whole audience burst into laughter.

But no one mocked him.

Put yourself in his shoes—who would have the courage to fight a Martial Artist who had just crushed someone’s throat with his bare hands?

The next few matches played out the same way.

Every contestant matched against Su Yu refused to even go up, raising their hands and forfeiting from below.

Right up until the final round.

The umpire cried out, "Su Yu versus Lin Xiaoxiao!"

A storm of attention focused on them.

But the campus beauty, with her four hundred and six blood energy points, remembered how just that afternoon she had bragged inside the car, "You definitely can’t beat me."

Her snowy, fair cheeks burned faintly.

And then she quickly raised her right hand and shot Su Yu an exasperated look.

"I can’t beat him. I forfeit."

Even without having a nearly twofold difference in blood energy points, she knew a fight wasn’t necessary.

In less than half an hour,

The practical exam—originally expected to drag on till evening—had ended early, thanks to Lin Xiaoxiao’s straightforward forfeit.

First place: Su Yu.

Second place: Lin Xiaoxiao.

The setting sun spilled through the wrecked dome of the combat arena, dappling the battered alloy ring with golden light.

Among the one hundred thousand spectators, not a single person had left early.

Everyone waited for that final moment.

Up on the high platform,

The Grandmaster, Lei Potian, rose slowly to his feet.

Hands clasped behind him, his gaze swept over Su Yu and Lin Xiaoxiao standing below the ring.

With a flick of his wrist,

Two dazzling purple-golden metal badges appeared in his palm.

On the front, an engraved five-clawed golden dragon roared up to the heavens.

On the back: four ancient, solemn characters:

【Capital University of Martial Arts】

This was the symbol of the elite invitation letter from the empire’s highest martial academy!

It was the supreme honor that countless prodigies dreamed of obtaining!

"Su Yu. Lin Xiaoxiao."

Lei Potian’s voice was solemn and dignified.

"Step onto the stage."

Su Yu and Lin Xiaoxiao exchanged a glance.

In unison,

They stepped onto the ring and stood before Lei Potian.

Lei Potian looked at the two extraordinarily gifted youths before him—

One as steady and deep as an abyss, the other sharp and dazzling as a blade’s tip.

The future of the great Xia nation rested on the shoulders of young people like them.

"The Martial Arts Association of Jiang City, today bears witness."

Lei Potian raised the two purple-gold badges in both hands.

"Su Yu. Lin Xiaoxiao."

"With your first and second places in the practical exam, you hereby formally receive the elite invitation qualifications to join the Capital First University of Martial Arts of the great Xia empire!"

Lei Potian handed the badges to the two of them.

The metal was cold to the touch.

Yet it carried a heavy sense of mission.

Su Yu held the purple-gold badge.

A sharp glint finally flickered in his deep, profound eyes.

Three years.

From a bottom-level orphan who couldn’t even afford synthetic meat, to standing at the peak of this city today.

He had finally obtained this ticket to a higher world.

“Remember,” Lei Potian said, his tone growing extremely solemn as he looked at them.

“River City is too small.”

“Emperor Capital Martial Arts University is the true proving ground where prodigies clash and geniuses vie for supremacy.”

“That place gathers the most formidable monsters from the twelve provinces of Great Xia.”

“Don’t think that just because you took first place in River City, you can rest easy.”

Lei Potian gave Su Yu a penetrating look.

“The path of martial arts is a constant struggle.”

“Within one month.”

“Take this badge and report to Emperor Capital Martial Arts University.”

“This old man hopes that one day, on the front lines resisting the aberrant beasts, I will hear your names!”

Lei Potian thrust his hand outward forcefully.

The blood energy of the Grandmaster surged into the sky.

“River City’s Martial Arts College Entrance Exam is hereby concluded!”

Boom!

The hundred thousand spectators in the venue rose to their feet simultaneously.

Thunderous applause shattered the drifting clouds in the sky.

Su Yu tucked the purple-gold badge into his pocket.

He turned his head and gazed toward the distant north.

That was the direction of the capital.

A new journey.

Had begun.