Myriad Realms Gatekeeper

The three of them walked forward along the red carpet.

The crowd was lively and noisy.

Shen Ye's gaze shifted, showing a hint of reminiscence.

It all started with a fight—

His memory could never escape that hotel.

Countless bodies.

The expression on each innocent victim's face was something he could never forget.

"Anyone looking for trouble, bring it on."

Shen Ye closed his eyes briefly and then reopened them, following Qian Rushan toward the palace.

Xiao Mengyu stayed close by his side.

At the palace entrance.

A throng of people were bustling and jostling each other, taking photos to preserve the moment.

Qian Rushan took the lead and stepped forward a few paces, exchanging pleasantries with some people.

He kept Shen Ye hidden behind him, chatting with others while pulling Shen Ye inside.

Crossing the threshold, they entered the banquet hall of the day.

Distinguished men, elegant and charming ladies, and those young people brimming with dreams and ambitions.

It was indeed a grand gathering.

But what captured the most attention was the large screen in the center of the hall.

The 54 official members of the new deck were arranged on it one by one.

The entire leaderboard was structured like a pyramid—

Nangong Sirui, with the strength of Six Stars, ranked at the top, looking down on all the candidates.

In the second row, there were four people, each with Five-Star strength.

"You're in the second row, tsk, that's impressive," Shen Ye said softly.

"Hmph, only Nangong Sirui is a match for me, the others are not up to par," Xiao Mengyu said, curling her lips.

"Then why are you in the same row?" asked Shen Ye.

"Because they bullied others just to pad their scores," Xiao Mengyu replied.

Shen Ye continued to look down the list.

The third row had thirteen candidates, all with Four-Star strength.

In the fourth row—

Before Shen Ye could take a closer look, a voice rang in his ears:

"I am Wang Jiuyan of the Wang Family, a Four-Stars newcomer, and I wish to challenge Xiao—"

The person didn't finish speaking when the sword in Xiao Mengyu's hand flew out with a "clang" and then returned to her hand.

"Did you see that sword strike clearly? If you did, you can fight me; otherwise, don't bother giving me points," Xiao Mengyu said coolly.

The man was taken aback, his face turning red with embarrassment, but in the end, he valued his Four-Stars status and silently retreated.

After a brief pause.

He picked out a Two-Star newcomer and pressured the person to accept the challenge.

—How could an ordinary candidate stand a chance against him?

The Two-Star candidate was beaten until blood splattered, lying incapacitated on the ground, and was then taken away by the medical emergency team.

Looking again at the leaderboard—

The Two-Star candidate fell to One Star.

But the Four-Stars candidate still didn't have enough to level up and started searching for another target in the crowd.

"You should have struck him with your sword just now," Shen Ye said.

But Xiao Mengyu reached out and tugged at him:

"Look, there are candidates from the Archaeological Association over there, but Zhao Yibing is missing."

Shen Ye looked in the direction she hinted at.

In a corner of the banquet hall stood several candidates who looked quite ordinary.

No Zhao Yibing.

That wasn't right.

Zhao Yibing must have come.

Where was she?

Shen Ye suddenly remembered something.

The Skinner was skilled in the art of human skin.

—Since Kunlun already knew about Zhao Yibing's situation, they definitely wouldn't let her come, so did she transform into one of the candidates?

But which one was she?

"Don't worry about them; focus on your own matters first," Xiao Mengyu said.

"Right, we need to head straight to the private room," Qian Rushan said.

He pulled Shen Ye away quickly, moving so fast that even those wanting to greet them couldn't catch up.

Shen Ye found it somewhat amusing.

But he admired Qian Rushan's movement technique.

The two of them walked from the palace entrance into the hall, decked out in all its splendor, weaving through the crowd mingling with glasses in hand, and made their way into a private room somewhere deep in the palace—

Throughout the entire process, Qian Rushan hovered around Shen Ye, blocking those who wanted to come up and talk.

Shen Ye was always kept behind him.

Seven or eight youths tried to reach Shen Ye but were separated by a group of wealthy matrons attending the banquet;

Five or six professionals from other organizations stared at Shen Ye with ill intent, but Qian Rushan delayed them with incidents like waiters spilling drinks, consequently preventing them from uttering any provocative words.

A middle-aged man from a prominent family came head-on, and there was almost no way to avoid him—

Xiao Mengyu grabbed a glass of wine from somewhere and splashed it onto the man.

"Sorry, that was not intentional," she said with an indifferent expression.

Shen Ye was pulled away by Qian Rushan.

In the end.

A young man armed with two short staves, blocking the end of the corridor, was suddenly hugged by a beautiful woman demanding his business card.

Shen Ye glanced over.

The beautiful woman was indeed Wenna, one of Qian Rushan's subordinates.

Taking advantage of this distraction, Qian Rushan had already escorted Shen Ye through the corridor, into a private room.

Xiao Mengyu followed close behind.

Thud.

The door closed.

Qian Rushan wiped sweat from his forehead and sighed with relief:

"We're safe here."

"—This is our Martial Arts Group's private room, where others who haven't been invited cannot enter."

Shen Ye chuckled and said:

"Shouldn't I be fighting and making a name for myself on such an occasion?"

Just now, in the crowd, he had seen the bruised and battered Zhang Xiaoyi.

He also saw Guo Yunye who was covered in scars.

Both wanted to come over and speak—

Too bad Shen Ye was taken away by Qian Rushan, and he had no time to greet them.

These commoners were beaten black and blue at the starting line.

But there was no choice.

The path to Connecting Heaven was the only one, one could only silently endure until the day when learning from the special heritages of the Three Great High Schools—

only then would there be a slim chance of surpassing others.

"Initially I wanted to let you fight as well, but tonight a special person will be attending, and countless young and handsome men will want to please her. I'm afraid things could get out of control." Qian Rushan said.

Xiao Mengyu joined in the conversation, "That's right, even though high-level medical equipment and personnel are on standby at all times, with exams coming up, injuries could still affect your condition."

—She looked exceptionally calm, as if she knew everything.

"A special person is attending? Who is it?" Shen Ye asked.

"It seems you really do not know." Qian Rushan said quietly.

Seeing that (he) Qian Rushan would not say, Shen Ye could not be bothered to make further conversation, turning his gaze towards the private room filled with all sorts of food and drinks.

The culinary development in this world was quite good, and people favored eating fresh things, so most foods were brought in as soon as they were prepared.

Shen Ye picked up a piece of strawberry chocolate cake, first asking Xiao Mengyu:

"Do you want some?"

"I've been slimming down recently." Xiao Mengyu said.

Her figure was already good enough, it was unclear where she thought she needed to slim down.

Shen Ye shook his head, opening his mouth to bite into the cake.

Qian Rushan suddenly snatched away the cake.

"Don't eat—wait until you're back at the group and have supper. After all, the exams are tomorrow, better to be careful and avoid mistakes."

Shen Ye spread his hands and replied, "Isn't that a bit much?"

"Once you enter one of the Three Great High Schools, I won't manage you anymore, but before the exam, I don't want any mishaps." Qian Rushan said.

"It's just eating a bit of food." Shen Ye said.

"You'll understand later that some people, there's no depth they won't sink to when they're doing things." Qian Rushan said with a hint of emotion, as though recalling something.

This convinced Shen Ye.

Indeed, being cautious was not wrong.

Knock knock knock!

Someone was at the door.

"President Qian, it's a reporter." Wenna's voice came from outside.

Qian Rushan glanced at Shen Ye.

Shen Ye looked towards Xiao Mengyu.

"I don't mind." Xiao Mengyu shrugged.

"Every newcomer has to accept an interview. It's better to get it over with sooner rather than later." Qian Rushan said.

The door opened.

A man and a woman walked in.

The woman held a microphone, the man carried the interview equipment.

"Hello, Manager Qian, and this must be Shen Ye, hmm, and Xiao Mengyu too?"

The two reporters greeted and chatted amiably as they sat down.

"You haven't brought in a newcomer in five years, how does it feel to have discovered a new talent this time?" The female reporter asked Qian Rushan directly.

"All his attributes score above the group's perfect line; I think it's not bad." Qian Rushan replied.

"Does that mean his spiritual power has also reached over one?" The female reporter asked, surprised.

"It has." Qian Rushan nodded.

"That's truly impressive. Which school do you expect him to be admitted to? Have you discussed this with him beforehand?" The female reporter asked.

"We are currently focusing on the examination; as for which high school he'll attend, that depends on his performance on the spot." Qian Rushan replied without giving away anything.

The female reporter timely turned to Shen Ye, "Are you Shen Ye? Are you nervous about today?"

"Nervous." Shen Ye replied.

"Why nervous? Are you worried about the competition, or scared the exam tomorrow will be too difficult?"

"This is my first time being interviewed, so I'm a bit nervous." Shen Ye replied truthfully.

...He wasn't nervous about the exam, but the interview made him nervous.

Truly—

Xiao Mengyu's lips curled slightly.

The female reporter paused, then continued with a smile, "What about the exam? Aren't you concerned about your performance?"

Shen Ye thought about it seriously.

Two days ago, his attributes had already been approved by Qian Rushan.

And now all his attributes had exceeded 4.

He even had 10 free attribute points.

He had activated the "Moonlight Divine Illumination" eyes.

He had mastered the "Frosty Moon Shocking Sky," a technique of Purple Grade.

He also knew a set of Northeast Fist.

In terms of the exam—

"I will adjust my mindset, put in effort, and aim for a good result." Shen Ye said, mimicking Qian Rushan's tone and giving nothing away.

"That's too mundane, there's no highlight. Classmate Shen, can you tell us more?" The female reporter sighed, "It's not easy for us to do interviews either."

"Will you interview every candidate outside?" Shen Ye asked.

"Yes, there will be a special exam publication coming out tomorrow—so tonight we have to work overnight to rush it out." The female reporter said.

Shen Ye showed a look of sympathy.

Whoever has to work overtime knows the pain.

—He had also been a part of the working class before, so he might as well give them a hand.

After a moment of reflection, he began to speak:

"Well then, I can share some exam tips with you."

"You have tips? Do tell." The female reporter was overjoyed.

Qian Rushan and Xiao Mengyu both looked at him as well.

Shen Ye cleared his throat and said seriously:

"Take the exam seriously, adhere strictly to discipline; read the questions carefully, answer earnestly; remain calm and composed, write meticulously; concentrate on the questions, without distractions; face the exam calmly, give it your all; keep to the rhythm, maintain proper format; be respectful, confident, and composed."

"Also, I believe, that exams are not the only standard for evaluation, but hard work is the essential path to success."

"Every effort made is for a better tomorrow."

"Sweat builds a brilliant future."

"The exam is not the end, but the beginning of a new journey."

"Knowledge changes fate, effort creates the future."

"Details determine success or failure, attitude determines everything."

"Sweat more before the exam, have no regrets after."

"Give it your all, strive for excellence."

"Be aggressive and enterprising, with aspirations reaching afar."

"Believe in yourself, surpass yourself."

"—That should be enough for you to write about." Shen Ye said, wearing an expression that seemed considerate of their plight.

Qian Rushan: "..."

The female reporter: "..."

Xiao Mengyu turned her face away, her body trembling slightly with laughter.

"That would be the end of our interview with the Human Martial Arts Group. Next, we'll interview Xiao Mengyu." The female reporter said, looking down.

"Please proceed." Qian Rushan replied, also looking down.

While they were not paying attention, Shen Ye sneakily pinched a piece of candy from the table.