'Shan Xiong must be that tall student's name,' Chen Chuan realized. He wasn't sure why the guy had targeted him, acting as if they had some kind of grudge. Then again, many things in the world didn't need a reason. People caused trouble for others just because they didn't like their face; it happened all the time.
He thanked her sincerely. "Thank you, I'll be careful..."
"Zhenzhen!"
Just as he spoke, a girl in the distance waved at them. Zhen Ping waved back, then said, "Chen, I hope you successfully enroll. Good luck. Goodbye." With that, she gave Chen Chuan a small wave and jogged away with light steps.
Chen Chuan said goodbye as well. He stood there for a moment before turning to leave the old academic building. This time, he didn't go back the way he came. Instead, he followed the signs and took a different path, avoiding the stream of people still arriving for the entrance exam.
When he got to the bike shed to retrieve his bicycle, he found a number of flyers stuck to the rear rack. He pulled them out and saw they were ads for various Boxing Clubs, arenas, and training gyms. After a moment's thought, he decided not to throw them away. He simply folded them, stuffed them into his shoulder bag, and pushed his bike briskly out of the school gates. Once on the main road, he swung a leg over the frame and started pedaling home.
On the way, he thought, 'Wuyi Academy provides free room and board for its official students. That would temporarily solve my food and housing problems after I move out of my aunt's place.'
'And if my results are good enough, part of the tuition can be waived. I might even be able to get a scholarship. I'm not so sure about the scholarship, but I'm confident I can get the waiver. Because...'
He looked toward the street corner ahead. The figure that looked exactly like him was standing there, silently meeting his gaze. After he traveled a few dozen meters further to the next intersection, the figure appeared again in the distance, like a ghost he couldn't shake.
But if he had to describe it himself, aside from lacking self-awareness, the figure was like another version of himself existing in an ethereal plane. That was why he had named it the "Second Self."
The Second Self had appeared at the same time he took over this body. Curiously, his original name had also been Chen Chuan, and aside from their age and experiences, their appearances were nearly identical. Because of this, he speculated that the Second Self's appearance was likely caused by a connection being established between a "parallel self" or an "otherworldly self in the same body."
The Second Self could, according to his needs, actively or passively take on some or all of the pain and injuries he sustained. That was why Shan Xiong's kicks earlier hadn't been useless; they had simply been absorbed by the Second Self.
Normally, the Second Self was separate from him. But if the two of them merged, his strength, reaction speed, stamina, and so on would all increase dramatically, as if, in that moment, another "me" had truly been superimposed onto him.
He figured, however, that if the Second Self was just another part of him, then all of this was perfectly logical. After all, whether it was taking damage or exerting strength, wasn't it all still him in the end?
It was precisely because of the Second Self's existence that even though he'd never had any combat training, he still had some confidence in applying to Wuda.
But the Second Self also had flaws that couldn't be ignored. First, its use was not unlimited.
Currently, the maximum time he could merge with the Second Self each day was no more than thirty seconds. Of course, he could split this time up, but once he exceeded the total limit, the Second Self's power could no longer be borrowed.
Second, although the Second Self could take damage for him, it also had a limit to how much it could absorb. Once it was Breaking the Limit, it would need time to slowly recover. The manifestation of taking damage was usually a partial fading of its form. If the damage reached an unbearable level, it would vanish like dissipating mist and would only reappear two to three days later.
Based on his previous experience, after taking two heavy kicks like that today, it would probably need...
Huh?
He suddenly noticed that the Second Self showed no signs of fading. The damage from this time seemed to have already recovered, and the connection with it felt... a little stronger?
Surprised, he thought back on it, and a guess surfaced in his mind. 'Could it be because I knocked out Shan Xiong just now?'
'No, it's not the act of defeating an opponent itself,' he mused. 'It's the joy and satisfaction I felt after knocking out Shan Xiong. Satisfying me also means satisfying the Second Self. This spiritual resonance deepened our connection, allowing the Second Self to take a step closer to becoming real.'
The more he thought about it, the more certain he was.
'If that's the case, maybe the daily time limit for merging has increased as well. I can test that when I get home.' The thought invigorated him, and he began to pedal faster.
The trip home was smooth, and he arrived in less than half an Hour. No one was home; Yu Wan had probably taken his younger cousins to the daycare at the Patrol Bureau.
He washed his face outside, tidied himself up a bit, and then went back to his room. After hanging up his shoulder bag and taking off his outer clothes, he sat on the edge of his bed. He grabbed an alarm clock, noted the time, then closed his eyes to merge with the Second Self and began to count.
A short while later, he opened his eyes and looked at the alarm clock, his gaze filled with joy and excitement.
Just as he'd guessed, the time he could merge with the Second Self had increased. It was about twelve seconds longer than before—a huge improvement.
'But does defeating any opponent increase the time?' he wondered. 'Thinking it over, it might be because Shan Xiong was much stronger than me. If I'd beaten an opponent on my own level, I probably wouldn't have felt so much satisfaction, and the increase wouldn't have been this big.'
'Of course, I'll have to verify if that's really the case later on.'
He calmed himself, went out to pour a glass of water, and took a few sips before setting it down. Then, he rolled up his shirt sleeves, bent down, and fumbled under his bed, dragging out a brown leather suitcase.
He lifted the suitcase onto the desk, entered the combination, and finally pressed the latch. He opened it slowly. Inside were several notebooks, various documents tucked between their pages, a wrapped stack of photos, and a black Metal Card that looked like an invitation.
He picked up the Metal Card. The contents of the suitcase had been left behind by his predecessor's parents. He hadn't known what this thing in his hand was, but after going to Wuda today, he realized it looked remarkably similar to the "Recommendation" for admission he had seen, just in a different color.
'Should I use it, then?' he thought. 'There's still a second entrance exam to come, and it's just as important as the first one. Besides letting you skip the exam, I wonder if a Recommendation has other benefits?'
But after thinking it over again, he decided to wait.
His aunt and uncle were extremely secretive about the cause of his predecessor's parents' deaths, so while this card could be convenient, it could also bring trouble. Moreover, this Recommendation was black, not silver like the one he had seen. It might have a different purpose. If he was really going to use it, he first needed to figure out the specifics.
He had to be careful. This world wasn't as safe as it appeared on the surface.
He put down the Metal Card and fumbled around at the bottom of the suitcase, pulling out a smooth, polished stone. His eyes grew somber as he stared at it.
His predecessor's parents had owned an old residence on the outskirts of the city. The day he died, his predecessor had gone there to sort through some things. On the way back, he saw a blue luxury sedan pass by, and then he lost consciousness.
He was later able to confirm that his predecessor had been killed instantly when this tiny stone struck him precisely in the heart. When the body woke up again, it was occupied by the current him, and the Second Self had appeared at that same moment.
But who was the killer? And why had they targeted his predecessor?
"RING RING RING..."
Just as he was lost in thought, the phone in the living room suddenly began to ring.
...
...