Farewell to the Old

With a soft click, the room's light came on. Chen Chuan walked inside, closed the door behind him, and walked over to the window. High in the night sky hung a bright moon. He reached out to draw the curtains closed, returned to the bedside, glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand, and closed his eyes. The Second Self behind him instantly merged with him. After a short while, he opened his eyes and glanced at the alarm clock. Today, to bring down Zhong Wu, he had channeled the power of the Spirit-Startling Fist into every strike, exhausting a considerable amount of merged time. Yet now, the duration had increased by over two hundred and seventy seconds—the upper limit of their merge now exceeded six minutes. This was the greatest progress made since the birth of the Second Self. Zhong Wu was likely the most dangerous opponent he had faced to date, and in that moment, he had never felt such a fierce desire to take someone down. It was precisely when his conviction was at its firmest, stubbornly set on accomplishing a goal and actually achieving it, that he had sparked an unprecedented resonance within his Second Self. He reached out and laid the alarm clock face-down. From here on out, it would be a new beginning. The next morning, Chen Chuan woke right on time. With two days left before the term started, he needed to make a few preparations. Once classes began, he certainly wouldn't have any free time, so he had to get in touch with those close to him. He called Ding Jiao first. The moment the call went through, a voice burst from the receiver: "Hello? Is that Chen Chuan? Brother Chuan! You finally called! Man, I've been bursting at the seams these past few days! I told everyone I have a classmate going to Wuyi—my desk partner, no less! But those bastards refused to believe me! Said I was bragging! Bragging about what? Do I look like the type to brag? You tell me, do I look like it?" Chen Chuan held the receiver a bit farther away before asking, "And then?" "And then what?" Chen Chuan chuckled. "About the bragging?" "Oh, that! Let me tell you... Hey! Pulling my leg again, aren't you? Wait, what did you call me about in the first place?" Chen Chuan said, "I passed Wuyi's re-examination. Just letting you know so you won't complain that I keep news from you." "You passed the re-exam?!" Ding Jiao's voice shot up an octave. "Holy crap, that's incredible! Unreal, unreal, unreal... Dammit, I'm gonna... Holy shit! Brother Chuan, you really are my big brother!" The booming voice blasted through the receiver again, loud enough to be heard from several meters away, but Chen Chuan had calmly pulled the earpiece away well in advance. "By the way, Brother Chuan, you have to treat! You've gotta treat, hear me? Can you really not treat for something like this? Otherwise I'll have to jump out my window! Could you bear that on your conscience?" Chen Chuan gave it some thought and decided it was indeed serious. Although Ding Jiao lived on the first floor, right outside his window was a drainage ditch. "I was actually planning on it," Chen Chuan said. "No need for a big crowd—just a few of our close friends. We'll pick a time and get together at Wangxiangzhai." "Awesome! I'm going to make some calls right now! Catch you later!" Ding Jiao hung up excitedly. Chen Chuan thought for a moment, then dialed another number. "Is this the Mi Firm? I'm looking for Gao Ming." After a brief wait, a voice answered: "Cousin? I've been keeping an eye on Wuyi's re-examination over the past few days. Calling at this hour—you passed, right?" "Yeah," Chen Chuan said. "Just passed last night." The voice chuckled. "Then congratulations, Cousin! Oh, right, it'll be about two months before I have time to come back. The exact dates aren't set yet, but I'll contact you when the time comes." Chen Chuan knew Gao Ming had a lot on his plate. After chatting for a couple more sentences, he hung up. Just then, a bicycle bell chimed outside, followed by someone knocking on the gate and calling out, "Does Chen Chuan live here? Chen Chuan of Wuyi? You've got a package." The voice was loud, heard by whichever neighbors happened to be home. Chen Chuan stepped out, went through the front courtyard, and opened the door. A young man in a gray uniform with a satchel over his shoulder stood there, behind him a bicycle laden with parcels on both sides. Seeing him, the courier handed over a receipt and a pen. "You're Chen Chuan, right? Package from the express courier service. Please sign for it." Chen Chuan took the slip and signed it. The young courier accepted it back, returned to his bicycle, and retrieved a large parcel, passing it into Chen Chuan's hands. "You got into Wuyi, man? That's incredible," he said enviously. "My younger brother is taking the exams next year—don't know if he'll make it. See ya!" He swung his leg over the bicycle, rang the bell, pumped the pedals several times, and rode away. Once he was gone, Chen Chuan returned indoors and opened the parcel. Inside lay two sets of retro-styled training robes, both overlapping to the right: one cyan, one white, each accompanied by a matching headband. Besides the training robes, there were two sets of formal student uniforms complete with caps, shoes, gloves, and socks—one everyday uniform and one winter version. The design was similar to the style he wore now, but the fabric was superior, the colors richer, and the Wuyi school emblem was embroidered over the chest. There was also an exquisite envelope stamped with Wuyi's name. It felt stiff to the touch; when he tore it open, he drew out what looked like a card. He picked it up for a closer look: it was his new student badge. Having passed the re-examination, he was now an elite student marked for prioritized cultivation by Wuyi, and his previous student card was officially replaced by this one. Inside the envelope, there was also a booklet and a key. The booklet was accordion-folded. It opened with congratulatory remarks, followed by college rules and essential guidelines. When fully unfolded, the back formed an ink-wash map of Wuyi College. Though a printed copy, the artwork was exquisite and pleasing to the eye, clearly the work of a master painter. As for the key, it was for his assigned dormitory room, something he wouldn't need until the term officially started. After putting everything away, he went into the courtyard to practice his boxing routines. Before long, noon arrived. After lunch, he changed clothes and headed out, jogging toward the House of Fists. But he decided to drop by Wei Dong's place along the way to check on the guy and see whether he had passed the re-exam after all. This time, he didn't take the long alleyway and scale the building—that wasn't a proper route. Instead, he took the long way around, entered through the residential complex's main entrance, located Wei Dong's building, and climbed the stairs to his floor. Pasted on the front door was a poster of a boxer raising a fist, its style dating back to quite a long time ago. He stepped forward, knocked on the door, and called out, "Young Wei, you home?" Thudding footsteps sounded from inside, and the door was yanked open. Wei Dong stood there with medicinal plasters stuck to his face. Waving a hand, he said, "Hey, Young Chen! I didn't see you yesterday. Someone told me you were in a different testing area. That guy almost got into a fight with me, but then he backed down, so we didn't end up throwing hands." Chen Chuan chuckled. "That was inside the testing grounds. Even if he wanted to, would you really have fought him?" Wei Dong replied proudly, "No way! I was just scaring him. What I promised the old man, I'll definitely deliver." Chen Chuan said, "Looking at you, I take it you passed the re-examination?" Wei Dong scratched his head. "That examiner was pretty tough. Came right at me and knocked me flat with a few punches and kicks. But I refused to admit defeat, so I got back up and fought him a few more rounds—quite a few times, maybe three or four? In the end, the proctor said that was enough, told us to stop, said there was no point in continuing and not to waste time, then told me I passed and could leave." Chen Chuan extended a hand. "Then congratulations, Young Wei." Wei Dong slapped his hand firmly. "Hehe, congrats to you too, Young Chen! We can keep sparring in the future." He suddenly grew a bit more serious. "I'll figure out a way to beat you." Chen Chuan replied with a smile, "Then you'll have to work hard." Having caught up, Chen Chuan lingered at Wei Dong's place for a short while before heading out again toward the House of Fists. He arrived around two in the afternoon. Lu Ke was sweeping the hall. Seeing Chen Chuan walk in, he stopped, pleasantly surprised. "Young Chen..." He gazed at him, knowing that Chen Chuan had taken Wuyi College's re-examination yesterday, but unsure of the outcome. Chen Chuan smiled at him and raised a clenched fist. Delight broke across Lu Ke's face. He gave him a thumbs-up and said with heartfelt sincerity, "Young Chen, amazing!" Then, remembering something, he added, "Right, Master is upstairs. He's been waiting for your news too." Chen Chuan nodded. "Talk later." He headed up the stairs. Reaching the second floor, he saw Yu Gang standing along the veranda of the balcony, arms crossed as he gazed into the distance. Walking over, he bowed to Yu Gang. "Mr. Yu, I passed Wuyi's re-examination. In a few days, I'll be heading to the college. Thank you for your guidance all this time, Mr. Yu." Yu Gang turned around, lowered his arms, and said, "Since you passed the re-examination, my training of you ends here." Chen Chuan said, "Regardless, I must thank you for your instruction, Mr. Yu." Yu Gang said, "You possess talent; you were bound to make your mark sooner or later. With this, my favor to Captain Nian is repaid. If you come asking me about combat matters in the future, it won't be at this price." Chen Chuan chuckled. "Very fair." Yu Gang grunted an acknowledgment, then added, "Competition exists everywhere, and Wuyi is no exception. At times, it will exceed your imagination. Watch your back." Chen Chuan answered solemnly, "Thank you for the warning, Mr. Yu. I'll do my best to adapt." He stayed a while longer before bidding farewell to Yu Gang. As he was leaving, Lu Ke handed him a plastic bag and said, "Master told me to give you this." Chen Chuan looked inside and said in surprise, "Black meat?" Lu Ke nodded. "Right, four jin of black rat meat, bought with what was left of your money. Master said to make sure you eat it; it should be just enough to last until school starts." Chen Chuan smiled. "Thank Mr. Yu for me." He raised a hand. "I'm off." Lu Ke acknowledged him with a hum. Chen Chuan waved and walked away. When he reached the entrance of the alleyway leading out, Lu Ke's voice called from behind, "Young Chen, come visit often when you have time!" Chen Chuan turned around and smiled. "Will do." With that, he waved to Lu Ke and up at Yu Gang, who was watching from the second floor, then turned and strode away. Master and disciple watched Chen Chuan's figure walk out from the narrow alleyway, both knowing in their hearts that waiting for him out there was a far vaster world. ...... ......