Chapter 46: The Qualities of a Great Detective

Qian Mingjie’s heart beat wildly, as if it were about to leap right out of his chest.

He stared fixedly at the young figure on the training ground, his pupils contracting.

So alike—he looked far too much like him!

Every single leap Shi Yu made, every swing of his staff, uncontrollably reminded him of Shi Yu.

Qian Mingjie’s mind was in turmoil, churning like a stormy sea.

How could this be possible?

When he first encountered Shi Yu, he had already used pure logic to dismiss such a possibility.

Yet now, his logic was suffering a devastating assault!

That staff technique, carried with a magnificent momentum and a condescending aura that looked down upon the entire world, was simply too distinctive.

It could be said to be Shi Yu’s signature style.

If anyone on the internet today understood Shi Yu the deepest, Qian Mingjie would undoubtedly consider himself number one, with no one daring to claim second place.

He had personally edited several combat videos featuring Shi Yu, and he was intimately familiar with all of Shi Yu’s habitual movements.

If Qian Mingjie hadn’t been practicing the saber-and-shield combination technique for so long and found it too hard to give up,

he would have wanted to switch to practicing staff techniques entirely!

For no other reason than that it was simply too cool and too domineering!

At this moment, Shi Yu’s demonstration had reached its final concluding phase.

Qian Mingjie stared unblinkingly, not daring to blink even once.

"Left hand holding the staff, pulled back within an inch of the body, torso leaning slightly to the left," he muttered to himself.

Just as expected!

Shi Yu’s final move was an exact match for his prediction!

Qian Mingjie suddenly felt a wave of dizziness wash over his mind—it was him, it was definitely him!

Shi Yu was Shi Yu!!

That’s right, Shi Yu’s IP address was in Nanhu Province, and up to now, not a single university had leaked any news about him.

Logically speaking, a university student possessing this level of strength could not possibly remain obscure all this time.

This was not something that could be hidden simply by wanting to hide it.

Now he finally understood—it was because his previous direction of investigation had been completely wrong.

Shi Yu was no university student at all.

He was merely a high school student!!

Deeply shocked, Qian Mingjie steadied himself by holding onto the doorframe, lowering his head for a long while before finally recovering his composure.

Eliminate all the impossibilities, and whatever remains—no matter how incredible—must be the truth!

"Shi Yu’s cultivation realm is merely at the first tier of the Yuan-Gathering Realm, a hundred thousand miles away from the Foundation Establishment Realm."

"Under such circumstances, there is only one possibility: his soul power rank is exceptionally high, far exceeding the imagination of ordinary people."

"Yes, that must be it." Qian Mingjie’s eyes lit up. "He’s part of the municipal training camp; anyone with poor soul power wouldn’t even have been selected in the first place."

This municipal training camp had only tested cultivation realms, and nothing else had been measured.

Qian Mingjie had only been roped in to do chores previously, so he hadn’t bothered to specifically inquire about the detailed circumstances of these junior students.

Now, looking back, if he had found out sooner, he would have discovered the anomaly much earlier!

As for why Shi Yu was able to log into the Primordial Network with the cultivation level of a high school student in the Yuan-Gathering Realm...

Qian Mingjie’s gaze was sharp and brilliant, and he pushed up a pair of non-existent glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"This can only mean that Shi Yu’s background is terrifyingly astonishing."

"Someone must have provided him with some kind of special account!"

"What kind of person could possibly stand behind him to make such a thing achievable!"

The more he speculated, the more alarmed he became.

Endowed with such innate talent and possessing an unimaginable family background,

this damn kid was a hidden big shot!

A dragon dormant in the abyss, bound to soar straight into the skies one day!

Convinced he had deduced the truth, Qian Mingjie’s body actually trembled slightly with excitement.

Then, a wave of fervent fanaticism began to surge from the bottom of his heart.

He slowly raised his head, sweeping his gaze across everyone in the martial arts hall.

Such a prodigy of tomorrow, yet he was the only one who knew his true circumstances.

He alone grasped the truth!

So, the question arose:

How could he cozy up to this future big shot without anyone else knowing?!

Qian Mingjie began to seriously ponder this problem.

He needed to take advantage of the present, while Shi Yu had not yet fully fledged or soared into the nine heavens, to provide as much assistance as possible and get on his good side.

That way, he could secure the merit of a foundational follower in the future!

...

Inside the martial arts hall, Shi Yu retrieved his staff and stood upright.

After a brief moment of silence, thunderous applause erupted.

Wan Song and Jiang Chenchen clapped the most enthusiastically. Although they didn’t practice staff techniques, as fellow students from Yali, seeing Shi Yu achieve such proficiency in martial arts filled them with a sense of shared honor.

Xu Shuo from Changjun High School whistled involuntarily.

"This guy really can't be judged by conventional logic."

For some reason, the more monstrous Shi Yu proved to be, the more relaxed Xu Shuo felt.

People naturally compared themselves to other people, but how could anyone possibly compare themselves to a monster?

Xu Shuo glanced stealthily at Sheng Jianxing from No. 1 High School, only to find that the latter had already assumed a stern expression and was diligently practicing his swordsmanship.

"This guy still hasn't let it go..." Xu Shuo shook his head.

Everyone had their own ambitions, and one couldn't force these things.

He sighed inwardly: "It's just that, Sheng Jianxing, your eyes seem to hold only Shi Yu."

"Don't forget, I am the second-ranked in Star City!"

"As the third-ranked, shouldn't you show a little respect to the second-ranked first?"

Xu Shuo cleaved downward with a ferocious sweep of his blade, swift as a ray of light and bright as lightning. His mastery of saber techniques was by no means inferior to Sheng Jianxing’s swordsmanship.

...

After a session of training,

Qian Mingjie panted heavily as he carried a heavy crate of stamina-boosting drinks into the inner court of the martial arts hall.

With a beaming smile, he distributed the drinks to every student in the training camp.

"Thank you, Senior!" The high school juniors were all very polite.

"You're welcome, there's more over there once you finish those."

Qian Mingjie greeted them warmly, acting with utmost attentiveness.

Finally, he walked up to Shi Yu.

"Classmate Shi Yu, this one is for you." He proactively handed over a bottle of the beverage.

"Thank you!"

Shi Yu had an impression of this senior; it was he who had led the team for the cultivation assessments yesterday.

However, he seemed much more enthusiastic today, acting like a completely different person compared to yesterday.

"Classmate Shi Yu, your staff technique is executed so brilliantly—are there any special techniques behind it?"

After finishing the distribution, Qian Mingjie didn’t leave; instead, he sat right down next to Shi Yu to strike up a conversation.

Having finally managed to get close to the big shot in an unassuming way, he wouldn't have left even if someone tried to chase him away.

After a session of humble inquiry, Qian Mingjie put on an expression of sudden realization, as if he had attained supreme enlightenment under Shi Yu’s guidance.

To express his gratitude,

he patted his chest, his face filled with an expression of boundless loyalty and righteousness.

"Classmate Shi Yu, don't you worry."

"I am firmly on your side as your supporter!"

"If you need anything done in the future, just give the word!"

Shi Yu wore a blank expression. What was going on? Was this senior alright?

He had merely spoken a few casual words, yet Senior Qian was acting as if he wanted to offer his entire being in return...

...

When the day's martial arts training came to an end,

Shi Yu returned home first, enjoying a harmonious and happy dinner together with Aunt Lan and little sister Bai Yue.

After washing the dishes, he returned to the Yali Martial Arts Hall.

Taking out his phone, he pondered for a moment before beginning to type out a message.

After a lengthy process of typing, deleting, and trimming, he fell silent for a long time.

In the end, with a sigh, he left only a single sentence.

"Sister Song, thank you!"

Before sending this message, Shi Yu hesitated once more with unusual reluctance.

Slowly moving the cursor, he deleted the leading character "Song".

"Sister, thank you!"

...

Xiangyun Xi, Tianxin District, Star City.

Song Yunwei had just finished her shower.

Her dark, ink-like hair, still wet, draped loosely over her shoulders, swaying gently with her light movements.

Her skin was as white and flawless as jade, as delicate as porcelain, as if it had absorbed the essence of heaven and earth, emitting a faint luster.

At that moment, her phone rang.

Barefoot, she walked over to the coffee table, picked up the phone, and lightly swiped to unlock the screen.

A message caught her eye.

It consisted of only three simple words, yet it seemed to contain a thousand unvoiced feelings.

She gazed at it for a very long time.

A faint smile could not help but curl up the corners of her lips.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the night view of Star City was dazzling and brilliant, as if it too had been infected by the joy of this beautiful woman, growing even more resplendent and colorful.