Martial Arts class ended.
Lin Yi and his classmates went to the locker room and changed.
He left the Martial Arts classroom and headed for the school gate.
He got on the bus.
Lin Yi took out the address for the Martial Arts Hall his homeroom teacher had given him today.
New Star Martial Arts Hall.
It was one of the top Martial Arts Halls in Xinghai City.
'I heard most of the instructors here are three-star or higher, and they even have two five-star ace instructors!'
Lin Yi muttered to himself, his head lowered.
He had also heard that the students who came out of this Martial Arts Hall...
...although not all of them became genius students...
...their increases in Qi and Blood, as well as improvements in attributes like strength and explosive power, were much greater than those of students who just trained arduously at school.
'What's even crazier is that they have outdoor training sessions. Instructors lead a few students out late at night to hunt demons, strengthening their mental fortitude and practical combat experience…'
Although this training method seemed a bit risky...
...for the students, it was indeed a very aggressive way to improve.
And the benefits and experience gained from it were far greater than what students who only trained at school could get.
Besides, any worry was completely unnecessary.
Such outdoor training sessions were always accompanied by at least two three-star instructors and one five-star instructor.
Even if they encountered real danger, the instructors could resolve it.
After returning from an outdoor training session, the students' improvement was visible to the naked eye.
However, for the current Lin Yi, this no longer held much appeal.
'Aren't I basically having an outdoor training session every night?'
The bus moved through the city.
The sky had already grown dim, and pedestrians on the streets hurried along.
As the bus left the bustling downtown area, the number of pedestrians on the road gradually decreased.
The traffic was also less than half of what it was in the city center.
Lin Yi stared out the window when he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
He subconsciously turned his head slightly to look.
He didn't know when, but someone had appeared behind him.
He remembered that when he got on the bus, this row behind him had been empty.
'When did this person show up?'
Although Lin Yi found it strange, he didn't think too much of it.
He turned back and counted the stops. He had to get off in three more stops.
Once he got home, he planned to open the new mission he had received yesterday.
'I'll check the mission's objective and details…'
SWOOSH—
Another wave of cold crept up the back of Lin Yi's neck to his scalp.
In an instant, it felt like his scalp was about to explode.
Lin Yi quickly turned his head to look again.
A young man whose features were unclear was sitting right behind him.
No, to be precise, it was a student.
He was wearing a blue and white school uniform, but Lin Yi didn't know which school it was from.
He had his head slightly lowered, wearing a baseball cap.
The brim was pulled down low, completely obscuring his face.
Just as Lin Yi relaxed his guard slightly and was about to turn back around...
...several talent entries suddenly appeared above the student's head.
[Tier Four Snake Demon: A demon that transformed after a hundred years of cultivation.]
[Bronze Sinews and Iron Bones (Blue): Sinews like bronze, bones like iron. Possesses considerable defensive power.]
[Iron Fist (Blue): Fists like iron. Strength +5%.]
[Snake-shaped Stepping Technique (Blue): Agile movement, making its tracks difficult to follow.]
Lin Yi averted his gaze and turned back around as if nothing had happened, sitting up straight.
'No wonder that person appeared behind me so silently.'
'And brought that icy cold feeling.'
'So it's a Snake Demon?'
Ever since his ability had been enhanced, allowing him to not only see others' entries but also directly discern their Martial Arts Realm and whether they were human or demon, things had become much more convenient for Lin Yi.
From now on, it would be much easier to distinguish between humans and demons.
'But why would this Snake Demon be on a bus?'
'And why is it sitting behind me?'
'Could I be its target?'
Lin Yi thought to himself. With the experience from a few Demon Hunts under his belt, his mind had already matured considerably.
He wouldn't panic like before.
Instead, he could calmly think of a countermeasure.
A few minutes later, the bus arrived at his stop.
Lin Yi stood up, holding his schoolbag. As he walked toward the rear door...
...he glanced at the Snake Demon out of the corner of his eye.
However, the Snake Demon sat there, completely motionless.
Its head was still lowered, the cap's brim obscuring its entire face.
Lin Yi frowned. 'Isn't it here for me?'
'Does it just want to ride the bus for a few stops?'
The bus came to a complete stop, and the rear door opened.
Lin Yi started to get off…
As the bus slowly pulled away, Lin Yi looked up at its window.
Suddenly, the Snake Demon, which had been looking down, snapped its head up and also looked out the window at Lin Yi.
A terrifying and grotesque snake-face, its vertical pupils shimmering with an eerie light.
It even flicked out its forked tongue, sizing up Lin Yi with a provocative air.
In that instant, Lin Yi's heart skipped a beat.
'So the Snake Demon had noticed me all along?'
Moreover, the look it just gave him was filled with a mix of mockery and indifference.
It felt even more like a hunter sizing up its prey.
A chill shot up his spine straight to the crown of his head.
Lin Yi's brows furrowed slightly as he watched the bus gradually disappear into the night.
But then, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
He slung his schoolbag over his shoulder and walked back toward his residential complex.
…
Back home.
Liu Hongmei and Lin Yu weren't there; they had gone to the Martial Arts Hall for tutoring.
Only Lin Dazhi was home. Just as Lin Yi opened the door and came in...
...he actually walked out of the kitchen wearing an apron.
Seeing it was Lin Yi, he broke character and said with a smile, "Son, you're back? Go wash your hands and rest for a bit. Dinner will be ready soon!"
Lin Dazhi's unusual behavior startled Lin Yi a little.
'Is this still Lin Dazhi?'
'The man who started acting like a stepfather the moment he married my stepmother?'
'Not only is he personally cooking today, but his attitude has done a complete one-eighty?'
In all of Lin Yi's memories...
...there wasn't a single one that matched the Lin Dazhi before him now.
For as long as he could remember, Lin Dazhi had always worn a gloomy expression.
Later, after marrying Liu Hongmei, all his gentleness, smiles, and sense of responsibility...
...were given to Liu Hongmei and Lin Yu.
He was stingy with even a single smile for his own biological son, Lin Yi.
But today, it was as if he were a completely different person… Such abnormal behavior was always a sign of something fishy.
There was something off about Lin Dazhi tonight.
Lin Yi went back to his room and put down his schoolbag.
He then changed into a set of athletic wear.
Ever since the school had stopped forcing students participating in the martial arts exam to attend regular classes...
...their homework for academic subjects had also been waived.
The goal was not to add any extra burden on the students, allowing them to prepare for the martial arts exam with all their focus.
Therefore, Lin Yi had no homework.
He didn't leave his room right away.
Instead, he opened the mission file he had brought back yesterday.
[Mission Objective: Cat Demon]
[Target Realm: 1-Star]
[Sin Index: 4-Star]
[Crime Committed: Hunting and killing children. 12 children have been devoured.]
[Mission Requirement: Hunt or capture it within 3 days.]
[Mission Reward: 25,000 yuan, 1 bottle of Low-Grade Qi and Blood Powder, 15 Demon Hunting Points.]