The sky was dark, illuminated by streetlights. Cars glided past on the street.
Two figures were strolling along.
One male, Lam Minh, and one female, To Quyen.
After watching the match and seeing that it had gotten dark, Lam Minh had offered to walk her home.
Normally, she would have a car to pick her up, but for some reason, when Lam Minh made the offer, she had secretly told her driver, "Go on ahead."
What a fool I'd be not to seize the opportunity to protect a beautiful lady.
"So, your house is in the center of District 1?" Lam Minh asked, his eyes following the streetlights ahead.
To Quyen had been mortified since they left the school. So many eyes were on them.
What she feared most was a rumor starting: "War God Lam Minh is dating the belle To Quyen."
Oh heavens, just the thought of it made her blush crimson.
As for Lam Minh, he wasn't afraid.
Having lived two lives, what hadn't he seen?
"Just drop me off 100 meters from my house, and then you can go. It wouldn't be good if my family saw," To Quyen replied.
"What's there to be afraid of? You're a grown-up now; you should have someone to date. Don't let yourself get rumored to be an old maid," Lam Minh said with a smirk, teasing To Quyen.
To Quyen put her hands on her hips and retorted, "I'm 17, okay? My birthday is March 20th. I'm already 17!"
After speaking, her eyes turned pensive as she looked at Lam Minh. "So, that means you're a year younger than me?"
Lam Minh was startled.
Don't tell me this young lady is going to use this to make me call her 'big sister'.
How terrifying.
"Does it matter? You're 17, but you look like a kid," Lam Minh replied.
The two of them bantered and laughed, strolling into the distance.
After a while, they said their goodbyes. Of course, Lam Minh didn't keep his promise.
He walked her right to her gate.
In that 100 meters, what if a criminal appeared? Who would be responsible?
…
In a luxurious, magnificent house, a man in his fifties was sitting on the sofa.
He held a newspaper in his hand, reading intently.
He was To Chien, To Quyen's father, a high-ranking official in the ASEAN Alliance.
Power, status, and money—he lacked for nothing. And importantly, his standards were also very high.
Beside him sat a young woman, about 23, peeling an apple.
Hearing footsteps enter the house, he put down the newspaper and looked at To Quyen.
"Who was that who brought you home just now?" To Chien stared at his daughter.
A scrutinizing gaze.
To Quyen was startled by her father's question. She replied in a small voice, "Just a classmate of mine."
He lit an expensive cigar and gently exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, ignoring the uncomfortable expression of the woman beside him. "A friend? A male student? And you even sent the driver home early to walk with him?"
He asked with a look of ridicule at his naive daughter.
"Whether you believe it or not, we're just friends," To Qwen replied, turning to walk up the stairs to her room.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. With my status, I will not allow you to associate with some nobody. He's handsome, yes, but you must know that a man's looks cannot be exchanged for money and power. Don't let your heart be swayed by appearances, only to hate me when I don't approve." He took a bite of a red apple, carefully savoring the taste of the cigar he had just smoked. "And, it only takes one phone call for me to find out everything about that guy. So the sooner you end it, the better for you. I will arrange your future marriage, only for your own good. Listen to me!"
Hearing her father's words, To Quyen's heart skipped a beat.
An uncomfortable feeling welled up inside her, and her hands trembled.
Since she was a child, she had never been free to choose the things she liked.
Her father had trained her since she was young: zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
There was nothing he wanted that she didn't do. His purpose was mainly for marriage alliances and benefits.
The discomfort made her tremble, her hands clenched tightly.
But then, To Quyen relaxed and replied, "Yes, Father."
With that, she walked to her room.
Each step was heavy.
"It's always like this. If I had been born into an ordinary family like Lam Minh's, would I have been able to live a life of free choice?" To Quyen cried.
…
Lam Minh returned home to a table full of delicious, rich, and special dishes.
No longer the simple, frugal meals of before.
Last week, when Lam Minh gave Mrs. Mai thirty million VND and said, "Mom, you can spend more on the family now. You don't need to be so frugal. I'm very capable now," she had cried.
She knew her son had grown up and had a stable income.
This made Mr. Dao unable to contain his joy. For the first time, he felt that perhaps his life was about to turn a new page.
"Eat up, son, so you have the strength to study. Is the work at the dojo difficult?" Mr. Dao asked, placing a boiled shrimp in Lam Minh's bowl.
"It's fine, Father, not too strenuous," Lam Minh replied.
He couldn't tell his family about his identity; it was top secret.
Mrs. Mai brought a bowl of braised pork to the table, sat down, and said, "Mr. Quoc told us not to tell anyone about your work or income. If we have to say something, we can only say you're a logistics staff at the dojo. Are you in any danger?"
Although there was no clear explanation, Lam Minh's family still had a faint feeling that what he was doing was not simple.
Lam Minh chewed on a large piece of meat and replied, "It's not exactly dangerous. As long as I'm careful every step of the way, I'll be absolutely safe. Everyone, don't worry."
Lam Minh's words made his family breathe a sigh of relief.
They had no choice but to believe him. Right now, Lam Minh was the most trustworthy person in the house.
"Lam An, the final exams are coming up. You should focus on your studies. If you need anything, just tell your big brother," Lam Minh said, turning to look at Lam An, who was buried in a textbook, eating and reading at the same time.
Lam An looked up at Lam Minh. "Big brother, I want a phone. All my friends have one. I'm so jealous."
"Alright, be good and you'll get a reward." Lam Minh's promise made her jump for joy.
That night, Lam Minh fell asleep.
Another good night's sleep, with hopes for a wide-open future.
…
The next afternoon, Lam Minh was "soaking" in the classroom.
His sea of consciousness silently scanned the training ground, where a bunch of fanatics were practicing in front of him.
[Ding! The host has picked up 193 accumulated attribute points.]
[Ding! The host has picked up 144 accumulated attribute points.]
…
The corners of Lam Minh's mouth turned up. His life was quite stable at the moment.
His daily point collection reached twenty thousand points.
But he also wanted to increase the speed of his harvest. He was thinking about how to increase it.
As he was lost in thought, a figure appeared in front of him, startling him.
It was An The Anh, the winner from last night.
An The Anh looked at Lam Minh, who was lying listlessly on his desk. His eyes looked down with contempt. "You're Lam Minh, the top student of the 11th grade, right?"
His voice was deep, devoid of much emotion. His handsome face was as cold as ice, his eyes deep.
Who said this guy was an introvert? It's his first day, and he's already starting a conversation with me.
Lam Minh raised his head and looked at An The Anh. "Yes, so what? What's the matter?"
An The Anh's lips curled. He placed his hands on the desk and looked straight at Lam Minh. "I thought a top student would be practicing diligently, but I didn't expect to find you sleeping in one spot. I don't believe you're the number one genius of the 11th grade."
Lam Minh let out a sarcastic laugh. He leaned back in his chair and looked straight at An The Anh. "So what? Believe it or not, it's up to you. Do you want me to prove it to you?"
"That's right," An The Anh nodded, his voice becoming provocative, his eyes unfriendly. He said with deep meaning, "I want the number one position in the grade. Everything that belongs to a genius like you, I want it all."
This challenge from An The Anh, if it were the old Lam Minh, he would surely have boiled with anger and fought to the bitter end with this guy. But the current Lam Minh was different. He couldn't be bothered to compete over who was number 1 or number 2. His goal was different from everyone else's.
Lam Minh yawned, his face showing a lack of interest. "Mmm, good luck. I'll yield."
He didn't want to waste time. And he had no obligation to prove that he was a genius.
An The Anh was surprised by Lam Minh's reaction. His eyes stared at Lam Minh as if trying to see through his thoughts.
Finally, his lips curled into a mysterious smile.
"Then there will come a time when you will regret yielding to me."
With that, An The Anh turned and walked away, leaving Lam Minh with a slightly uncomfortable feeling.
This guy's gaze and smile were not just about provocation and competition. He was more like a cunning and treacherous beast than a student.
…
Night fell. Lam Minh did not return home tonight.
He was sitting in the Bach Hoang Dojo, surrounded by inky darkness.
He could feel the drop of Hong Hoang Dragon Seed Blood circulating throughout his body, tempering his organs and limbs.
A feeling of growing stronger was slowly increasing, which made Lam Minh extremely happy.
He looked at the system panel.
[Name]: Lam Minh
[Age]: 16
[Cultivation]: Body Tempering Layer One (397/10,000 points)
…
[Accumulated Attribute Points]: 43,750
Two days, more than forty thousand points.
Lam Minh thought, should he save up a million points and then break through to the Qi Refining realm in one go?
"Perhaps I should." Lam Minh secretly resolved to collect a million accumulated points before using them again.
And more importantly, when he reached the 9th layer of Body Tempering, he would be able to use the Lucky Spin again.
It was truly something to look forward to.
He had thought he could just quietly "soak" and earn points.
A signal shot straight into his brain.
Lam Minh hurriedly picked up his special agent chip card.
On the face of the card, lines of golden text slowly appeared.
Mission: Level D
Objective: A dark shadow entity is moving at high speed in the city, 3km from the Bach Hoang Dojo (Suspected to be a Demon Shadow from the Cultivation World). Energy fluctuations measured at the peak of Qi Refining.
Requirement: Codename 'Z' is to depart immediately, tail the enemy, and investigate its identity. A powerhouse will arrive to provide support. Do not engage without orders.
Seeing the bright golden text on the black card, Lam Minh's heart pounded.
It could be said that in his two lifetimes, this was the first time Lam Minh had been so nervous.
A Demon Shadow, at the peak of Qi Refining.
Immediately, Lam Minh put on his inky black uniform, which also included bulletproof armor. On his left shoulder was a red 'Z', and on his right was the national flag.
He put on the biometric mask. A black mist enveloped his entire face, leaving only his two eyes, which turned a stark white.
Lam Minh looked at himself in the mirror.
He felt as if he had become an assassin in the dark.
Then, without a moment's hesitation, his eyes sharpened. Lam Minh disappeared. Now, there was only 'Z' – a member of the Bach Hoang Special Reconnaissance Unit.
Without a sound, Lam Minh's figure left the dojo, quickly dissolving into the city's night.
Lam Minh's figure leaped across the rooftops.
The black card had switched to positioning mode.
A golden arrow was spinning on it, like a compass, pointing the exact direction to approach the target.