Myriad Realms Gatekeeper

"Here!"

Someone in the square waved at Shen Ye.

Xiao Mengyu!

Shen Ye also waved back at her.

Qian Rushan smiled beside him, patted his shoulder, and lowered his voice,

"I won't be the third wheel, we'll contact each other later."

"Hey, don't be dirty-minded, our relationship is purely platonic," Shen Ye retorted unhappily.

Qian Rushan didn't believe him at all, gave him a knowing wink, and left with several other professionals who were there to pick up arrivals.

Shen Ye jumped down from the Flying Shuttle and approached Xiao Mengyu.

Not having seen her for a night, her aura seemed indeed different from before.

"Thank you for healing my wound during the fight. The Strength that lingered in me helped me make a breakthrough,"

Xiao Mengyu said.

Shen Ye looked at her.

The term "Holy Protector" above her head had vanished.

Not only that, the term "Great Swordsman" had also become quite blurred, as if it were evolving into a completely new term.

——She really did have a breakthrough.

Shen Ye suddenly realized how noisy the place was.

Flying Shuttles were constantly landing.

When some of the Flying Shuttles opened, examinees from all over the world stepped out, looking around curiously.

On those slow-moving heavy shuttles, however, all sorts of cargo were loaded.

Shen Ye even saw a shuttle over a hundred meters long loaded with two Mobile Armored Suits.

Nothing was produced on the entire Floating Island—no crops, no mineral resources, and certainly no factories.

Everything had to be transported from the outside world.

Despite the bustle of the port——

Passersby would still occasionally glance at Xiao Mengyu.

——She was dressed in a white hoodie today, with her long, waterfall-like hair covered by a hat, wearing a black mask, with the long sword fastened on her back, revealing only her bright eyes, and wearing wide sports pants, looking both efficient and beautiful.

"Don't mention it, let's find a place to talk," Shen Ye said.

"Follow me," Xiao Mengyu said.

She led Shen Ye away from the square, through several streets, to a large sports gym.

"Rent a small, soundproof venue for about two hours, and add more time if it's not enough,"

Xiao Mengyu said.

"Alright, please go to Gym No. 9." The staff member handed over a sign.

"Let's go," Xiao Mengyu said.

She led Shen Ye further inside. Shen Ye observed as they walked, thinking that the structure of the place was very much like the central hall of a movie theater from his previous life. Starting from Gym No. 1, each gym was closed off, with the sounds of various fights occasionally audible from within.

All the way.

They occasionally passed some publicly used duel platforms.

Many were fighting on the platforms.

A girl was sent flying off the stage, rolling several meters before stopping.

She struggled to stand up from the ground and said indignantly:

"You know so many powerful unique skills, why bother fighting me when I haven't learned anything?"

On the platform.

A tall boy with his arms crossed said with an air of superiority,

"I'm just completing a task, who cares about you."

Shen Ye glanced at the boy.

The latter was wearing a set of Chainmail and Metal Knuckles, periodically emitting bursts of flames.

——With such complete equipment, it would be hard for him to lose.

This guy... he had seen him in the 'Newcomers' deck.

He should be a Four-Star newcomer, ranked seventeenth in the deck.

The boy was quite alert and immediately felt something, turning his head to stare at Shen Ye.

"Another newbie—no, a One-Star Level!"

He said, interested, leaping off the platform and walking towards Shen Ye.

A sword blocked his path.

"He's mine,"

Xiao Mengyu said.

The tall boy looked at Xiao Mengyu, then at her sword, and grudgingly said,

"You beat him up first, and later I'll pick up another task to beat him."

"Didn't you hear me? He's mine," Xiao Mengyu repeated.

The tall boy, angry in his heart, shouted,

"Hogging it all to yourself? You won't be able to get by acting like this."

A flash of cold light.

His clothes were sliced into two pieces and fell to the ground.

Looking at Xiao Mengyu again—

Xiao Mengyu's hand was lightly resting on the hilt of her sword, as if she hadn't drawn it at all.

"Dare to repeat that,"

She tilted her head, staring expressionlessly at him.

The boy picked up his clothes, not even having the courage to look at Xiao Mengyu again, and scampered away in a panic.

"Hmph,"

Xiao Mengyu then continued walking forward with Shen Ye.

"Are we really going to have a fight later?"

Shen Ye asked quietly.

"As long as you and I are always engaged in combat, others can't challenge you," Xiao Mengyu explained.

She showed her card to Shen Ye.

The card read "In Combat" in four small characters.

Shen Ye then looked at his own card, which also displayed the same four characters.

"Isn't this a way to exploit a bug? If everyone does this, they can all protect themselves," Shen Ye said.

"It's not like that—someone else can also forcibly intervene in our battle, provided they defeat me,"

Xiao Mengyu said lightly.

"I see, thank you."

Shen Ye replied.

Xiao Mengyu ranked fifth on the newcomer list, with five stars above her head, and her swordsmanship was unanimously recognized as the best.

Anyone wanting to challenge her had to weigh that decision carefully in their heart.

——This effectively protected herself.

"Do all Scions of the Noble Families rush to farm points from Normal examinees?" Shen Ye asked.

"Not really, for instance, Nangong Sirui doesn't—he's a very proud person who completely disdains such actions," Xiao Mengyu replied.

"You haven't farmed points either."

"Right, this thing is somewhat shameful, and not every Scion of the Noble Family is willing to do it."

"What if someone farming points surpasses you guys?"

"That's simple," Xiao Mengyu said with an utterly natural tone, "I just have to keep beating that point-farmer, and I can take away all the points they've worked hard to accumulate."

"That makes sense."

They walked for a while and stopped in front of a door with a large "9" on it.

Xiao Mengyu swiped her card on the door.

Beep—beep—beep!

The door slowly opened.

Inside was a clean, tidy wooden floor, about the size of a basketball court.

The two entered the door.

"This is a soundproof enclosed training hall, so whatever we say, others can't hear,"

Xiao Mengyu explained.

"When I was coming here, I thought you might take me to a cafe or someplace like that," Shen Ye said.

"This place is quieter and more convenient."

"But if one gets injured here, with life in danger, wouldn't it be like shouting to heaven without response or pleading to the earth without spirit?"

"There is a life detection system."

"The conditions are really good; next time I'll apply for a venue myself," Shen Ye remarked.

"Has your Shen Family registered you for the status of a Clan Disciple in Yunshan Port?" Xiao Mengyu asked.

"No," Shen Ye said.

"Then you can't apply—only Scions of the Noble Families can apply for this kind of high-level combat arena, of course, Professionals working for the Three Major Organizations can too," Xiao Mengyu said.

Shen Ye pondered for a moment and said, "Is it because you fear that if something gets damaged, us ordinary folks couldn't afford to compensate for it, right?"

"Yes."

"How infuriating. Is this world really owned by the Noble Families?" Shen Ye muttered.

"Or if you could get a five-star evaluation in the 'Newcomer' rankings, you could also apply."

Alright then.

Let's give up on that for now.

"Actually, you don't have to worry about these strength evaluations, I have something to tell you."

Xiao Mengyu changed the topic.

She recounted what had happened from the time she found Zhao Yibing last night.

Shen Ye frowned and said,

"That's not right... After I went to the hotel, I never saw Zhao Yibing, where's her body?"

"That shadow," Xiao Mengyu hinted.

Shen Ye came to a realization.

But what exactly was that shadow?

"The corpse of 'The Skinner' was also taken away by the shadow, why is that?" he asked.

"I don't know either, but I guess it must need that corpse for some reason—these strange beings often like some sacrifices that humans can't understand," Xiao Mengyu said.

"Zhao Yibing was also going to take the exam," Shen Ye sighed.

"Stay away from her; she's definitely no longer human," Xiao Mengyu cautioned.

"Is it any use to call the police?"

"No use, no one will believe it."

"What about Kunlun?"

"I've reported the situation, but there's been no response."

Suddenly, Shen Ye remembered something and said, "Right, the emergency line was also down last night, do you know why?"

"Someone made a deal with 'The Skinner.' In the place where 'The Skinner' fights, all communications will be cut off to cover up its killing," Xiao Mengyu said cryptically.

They looked at each other, both understanding who those people probably were.

"They really have a lot of power," Shen Ye said with a cold laugh.

"Not just that, this morning several Noble Families have already approached mine, proposing an engagement for me," Xiao Mengyu said.

"Engagement?" Shen Ye repeated.

"Yes, the marriage partner is an uncle from a Great Noble Family, over fifty years old, and his wife just died," Xiao Mengyu said.

"They think you'll comply?"

"I said I needed a few days to consider it."

"Ha?"

Xiao Mengyu spoke with calm composure, "Some people in my family are pressuring me."

Shen Ye said, "So—"

"It's just to buy time. Once I get into one of the Three Great High Schools, I won't come out again until the day I don't fear them anymore," Xiao Mengyu said.

Shen Ye subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

"Shen Ye, have you decided which of the high schools you want to try for?" Xiao Mengyu asked.

"I don't know anything about these Three Great High Schools," Shen Ye said worriedly.

So it looks like things are progressing simultaneously on both sides.

His own side was facing pressure from his uncle to apologize.

Xiao Mengyu's situation was even worse; they wanted to directly destroy her as a person.

From a young age, Xiao Mengyu had been practicing swordsmanship and received various kinds of professional guidance, leading to her current accomplishments with the sword.

Even she had to play along and fight for time.

What about himself?

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