Shackles of Humanity

Yunluo Manor was located in a suburban area called Jinyuan Slope, surrounded by green farmland. It was autumn, and the fields were bustling with activity.

Luo Kai had assumed the manor would be something like Su Chengbo’s home, but it was just a small farm. After taking a look around, he approached a busy farmer in the fields. ”Excuse me, sir,” he asked, ”is there someone here named Yun Ye?”

The farmer glanced at him and called out to a figure in the field, ”Miss, you have a visitor!”

The figure in the field turned around. It was a middle-aged woman with delicate eyebrows. She gave Luo Kai a surprised look and asked, ”Are you looking for me?”

The woman looked plain, but her voice was exceptionally beautiful—soft and gentle, putting one at ease as if in a spring breeze.

Luo Kai walked over and asked respectfully, ”Are you Yun Ye? From Yunluo Manor?”

The middle-aged woman sized him up. ”Yes,” she replied.

Luo Kai let out a sigh of relief. He slipped the iron wire ring off his finger. ”Someone asked me to give this to you.”

Upon seeing the ring, the woman’s placid expression flickered. She didn’t take it, sighing softly instead. ”Is he doing well?”

”He’s doing very well,” Luo Kai replied after a moment’s hesitation. ’This woman clearly has a deep connection to Shui Su. Judging by the situation, they were probably lovers.’

The woman’s expression was conflicted. After a long moment, she reached out and took the ring. ”Thank you.”

”You’re welcome. He showed me great kindness. Goodbye.” Having fulfilled Shui Su’s request, Luo Kai breathed a sigh of relief and turned to leave.

The woman said no more, her gaze falling to the iron wire ring in her hand as she became lost in thought.

With Tuoba Ye away for the next few days, Luo Kai was left to wander the bustling city alone. He felt an urge to see the Pyramid at the city’s heart, but the area within a four-to-five-kilometer radius was a restricted zone, heavily guarded by soldiers.

A week later, Su Chengbo arrived at the hotel, carrying a long box. He looked markedly older, with streaks of white at his temples and bloodshot eyes, appearing utterly exhausted.

”Xiaokai, come and see if this sword is a good fit,” Su Chengbo said, forcing a smile as he handed the long box over.

Inside the box lay a longsword the color of black jade. Its blade was broad and thick, with faint wisps of black light flickering across its surface. It had an ancient, heavy feel, looking less like a forged weapon and more like it had been carved directly from the trunk of a Yao Yue Liu.

Sensing the unique frequency of Water and Dark Energy emanating from within, Luo Kai felt a surge of delight. He took the sword and gave it a few swings. Immediately, the Water Element in the air converged and clung to the blade, making the entire longsword shimmer with a pale cyan light. ’It really is an Energy Weapon.’ Even without him actively channeling his Water Energy, it naturally attracted ambient energy. Each type of energy had a different effect, and Water Energy was undoubtedly adept at guiding Driving Force.

”Why isn’t it sharpened?”

Su Chengbo gave a wry smile. ”The body of a Complete Form Fierce Beast isn’t so easy to work with. You need a concentrated laser from an Energy Storage Tower just to break it down. This Yao Yue Liu was buried in the Underground Yin Veins for a thousand years, deeply nourished by Dark Energy. While its combat strength was only equivalent to a Mature Form Fierce Beast, its body is even tougher than a typical Complete Form’s. Moreover, the Dark Energy it contains is extremely repellent to Light Energy. The Energy Storage Tower could only manage some basic shaping; it couldn’t be used for any in-depth forging.”

”Oh.” Luo Kai wasn’t concerned. He slid the longsword back into its scabbard. ’I have the Severing Blade, so I probably won’t use this one much anyway.’

”Name it,” Su Chengbo urged eagerly.

Luo Kai mulled it over for a moment. ”Since it was made from the body of a Yao Yue Liu, let’s call it Yao Yue.”

”Hmm... not a bad name. Oh, right. These are the clothes Old Xi made for you. He’s already gone back to the East Sea. He said that if you ever have the time, you should go look him up. He’ll show you around the East Sea.”

Su Chengbo produced another parcel. Inside was a silver-gray long robe. It looked unremarkable at first glance, but on closer inspection, one could see faint wisps of cyan light shimmering across its surface. This was clearly no ordinary garment.

’Luo Kai was touched. ’Even though I gave up the High-Level Gene Potion, I’ve gained two extraordinary pieces of equipment in return.’

Finally, Su Chengbo took out a stack of documents. ”This is your proof of admission to Shangjing University. You can go straight there with this.”

”Thank you,” Luo Kai said with heartfelt gratitude.

”I’m leaving Shangjing tomorrow. From now on, if you need anything, just go find Tuoba Ye. I’ve left your materials at his place. That guy might not seem too dependable, but he’s actually very sharp and detail-oriented.”

Su Chengbo finished his hasty instructions and was about to leave when he suddenly turned back. ”Xiaokai, Wenlin isn’t a bad person. He just grew up without facing any real hardship, so he’s a bit proud and arrogant. Please... try to bear with him.”

After a slight hesitation, Luo Kai replied, ”It’s alright. I don’t hold it against him.”

Su Chengbo sighed. ”I’d be content if Wenlin were half as magnanimous as you.”

After Su Chengbo departed, Luo Kai did some simple packing and left the hotel. Shangjing University wasn’t just the birthplace of Body Techniques; it was also a vital industrial research and development base. ’I’ll go see if it’s possible to build a rocket there.’

Contrary to what he had imagined, Shangjing University was not located within Shangjing City, but nestled in the mountains several tens of kilometers away. There was a dedicated rail line from Shangjing leading there.

The rail cars in the Dongyuan Upper Country were all fuel-powered. They were not only powerful but also far more comfortable than their steam-powered counterparts.

The car was packed, filled mostly with young people in their early twenties. Two handsome young men sat across from him. One of them smiled and asked, ”Hey man, you heading to Shangjing University to study too?”

”Yeah,” Luo Kai replied with a slight nod.

The young man introduced himself. ”I’m Han Qing, and this is my younger brother, Cai Jie. We’re also on our way to Shangjing University to study. We should stick together when we get there.”

Luo Kai was a little confused. ”I thought the admissions period for Shangjing University was already over?” he asked.

Han Qing looked taken aback for a second. ”Oh, the admissions period for Shangjing University ended a long time ago!”

Now Luo Kai was even more puzzled. ”Then what do you mean when you say you’re going to study at Shangjing University?”

”We’re going to the Body Dao Academy on Yuanqing Mountain, of course. It’s nothing compared to Shangjing University, but sometimes Body Technique Masters from the university come out to give lectures. For people like us, just getting a bit of guidance from a Grandmaster is an incredible blessing.”

”Oh.” Luo Kai nodded. ’So they aren’t actually students at Shangjing University. They’re hoping to get into a kind of prep school nearby.’

The two exchanged a look, and the other one, Cai Jie, sighed. ”Shangjing University only accepts five hundred students a year. Apart from the scions of aristocratic families, the rest are all heaven-blessed prodigies. People like us don’t even stand a chance.”

A little over an hour later, the train pulled into a small town at the foot of a mountain. The passengers crowded off and began heading toward the mountain.

”We’ve arrived at Yuanqing Mountain! Shangjing University is up there in the mountains. Brother Luo Kai, I know a shortcut. Let’s try to get there before noon,” Han Qing called out enthusiastically.

The three of them disembarked, passed through the small town, and began the climb up the mountain. A winding road snaked up the mountainside, making the trek easy. The road was crowded and boisterous with the sounds of many people. They were all young, traveling in groups of three to five, each carrying a weapon and possessing an impressive, martial air.

After walking for a short while, Han Qing led Luo Kai onto a narrow trail. Just as they reached a small ridge, Cai Jie, who was behind them, suddenly flung his arm forward. Streaks of black light shot toward Luo Kai like lightning. The range was extremely close and the attack so sudden that even a High-level Martial Artist might not have been able to dodge. Luo Kai seemed to be caught off guard, his body stuttering as the black light struck him.

Han Qing turned back with a savage grin. ”Kid, you should’ve stayed home and enjoyed the good life. Since you decided to venture out, we’ll teach you a lesson. Maybe you’ll be smarter in your next life.”

Cai Jie lowered his small crossbow, his face a mask of greed as he stared at the black-jade longsword at Luo Kai’s waist. ”We’ve hit the jackpot! This kid’s weapon must be worth a fortune.”

Just then, a soft sigh echoed. It was followed by a flash of silver light, as swift as a thunderbolt. The two were clearly experienced, hastily raising their own blades to block. CLANG! CLANG! Two sharp rings, and they were sliced in two, men and blades together. As the top halves of their bodies slid to the ground, their faces remained frozen in disbelief.

Luo Kai shook his robe, and several small black darts fell to the ground. He glanced at the wide, unseeing eyes of the two dead men, then turned and walked away.