Volume Two: The Young Man of a Thousand Faces—Truth in Falsehood Chapter Twenty-Seven: Tan Xiao

Over the next three days, Huo Ye’s reputation steadily fermented within the academy. The moniker “The Black Prince” did not entirely replace “Little Reaper.” Whenever Huo Ye appeared in conversation as a formidable fighter, he was called Little Reaper; when people discussed his noble status, they referred to him as the Black Prince.

Yet both nicknames seemed to carry the shadow of Eddie Halls.

During these three days, Huo Ye wandered through the academy, familiarizing himself with its layout. He gained a general understanding of the geography. In the meantime, the academy published the examination results, and as the top scorer, his fame soared once more. The academy extended an invitation, hoping he would deliver a speech as the student representative at the opening ceremony. Huo Ye accepted.

Meanwhile, all seven major societies began making moves to recruit Huo Ye. Surprisingly, the most relentless was not the Hall of Darkness, which traditionally only accepted those with dark attributes, but rather the Light of the Sacred Ring, belonging to the Sacred Light branch. This seemed to be driven by the will of the two society presidents.

Bancroft Academy implemented an elite system, resulting in a stark polarization of student abilities. The strong found it easier to acquire resources and grow stronger, while the weak could only scrape by until they were eliminated by the academy.

This was why the struggles between large societies were always contests between the best of the best.

Ke Zhen checked in with Huo Ye over the past few days, asking whether he had been eating more regularly. Huo Ye replied, “I have.” Ke Zhen then asked if anything had changed. Huo Ye answered, “My appetite has increased.”

Ke Zhen was stumped by Huo Ye’s response—it sounded so reasonable, yet something seemed off.

If there was something to say, they spoke; if not, they stayed silent. Time slipped by in this way, and before long, the opening day arrived.

The autumn sky was high and clear, sunlight gently kissing the earth. Alice pulled Huo Ye and Shangguan Yudie along toward the central plaza.

Alice was as energetic as ever, dragging the two of them with ease. In contrast, Huo Ye and Shangguan Yudie were both listless. Huo Ye, in particular, would have shown up with dark circles under his eyes and risked becoming the “Prince of Dark Circles” on stage, if not for Alice’s careful application of foundation before they left.

Shangguan Yudie had spent the past days organizing the Night Rain Cold Crow fan club. Fan circles always required significant funding, but the Shangguan family’s wealth was legendary; Yudie alone received a monthly allowance of one million Sola. Every time Night Rain Cold Crow held a signing event, she would take the lead in organizing it. Recently, there was a launch for a new book, and for some reason, the location had been set in Bancroft.

This was her home turf, so she naturally took full responsibility, bustling about with the arrangements and barely sleeping these days.

Huo Ye was even busier. He was Night Rain Cold Crow. The book launch was his affair, and it was set in Bancroft simply because that was where he was. His editor had asked whether it was appropriate, since the trains still faced threats of disaster, but who was Huo Ye? The young master of the Halls family. The editor dared not argue; after a few words, the matter was settled. Huo Ye promised to personally cover the cost of hiring Awakened Walkers to protect ordinary people at the event, which set the publisher’s mind at ease.

Not all Awakened Walkers joined the military; in fact, more often they were hired as private security. After all, not everyone could join the armed forces.

There was also the matter of Huo Ye’s speech. Though he was a novelist, crafting a speech was a different skill than plotting a story. He was not particularly adept, so he poured much effort into it. For his first public address, he wanted to make it grand.

The plaza was bustling; nearly all the students had gathered, along with many ordinary citizens doing business in Bancroft, drawn by the excitement.

The students sought out their friends and began to chat.

Huo Ye forced himself to remain focused, reciting his speech from memory. He had written it himself, but found it hard to remember, especially with his lack of sleep. All he could do was cram at the last minute.

Just then, a familiar voice called his name.

Huo Ye turned and saw Yan Motang and Xiao Linghu striding toward him. Before Huo Ye could say anything, Yan Motang declared, “You’re strong, but one day I’ll surpass you.” With that, he turned and left.

Xiao Linghu smiled awkwardly, a bit embarrassed. “Sorry about that, Che Dou’s just like that. Congratulations on taking first place in the exam.”

“Thank you,” Huo Ye replied.

“By the way, our previous invitation still stands. If you need anything, just say the word.” Xiao Linghu was even willing to offer more than the original fifty thousand credits.

But Huo Ye answered, “Sorry, I’m not interested.”

Xiao Linghu showed no disappointment, only smiled and said, “Then I won’t disturb you. Goodbye.” With that, he turned to leave.

Huo Ye watched him walk away and was just about to resume reciting his speech when he caught sight of a tall man approaching. The man looked about student age and was exceedingly ordinary in appearance—so much so that he could vanish in a crowd. Yet there was a commanding presence about him, and the giant hammer strapped to his back was as tall as a man and clearly weighed over a hundred pounds. It was hard to imagine how his unimposing frame could wield such a weapon.

Huo Ye had familiarized himself with many at Bancroft these past days, and had seen this man’s photo on the forum: the undisputed top fighter of the academy, current president of the Hall of Darkness, Tan Xiao.

Huo Ye put away his speech and looked at Tan Xiao. The two regarded each other in silence.

Tan Xiao stopped in front of Huo Ye and, without preamble, asked, “I hear you’re strong?”

Huo Ye’s lips quirked. For some reason, he suddenly didn’t want to be modest. From the first moment their eyes met, he felt a resolve to test himself against this man. “Yeah. Want to find out?”

I hear you’re strong.

Yeah. Want to find out?

Their first meeting was marked by this simple exchange—a conversation that would become legendary at Bancroft for decades to come.

The two locked eyes. There was no tension, no camaraderie, no sparks flying. It was just a look, as if they saw something in each other’s gaze, or perhaps nothing at all.

Tan Xiao turned to leave, but before he did, he said, “See you at the Society Tournament. I hope it’s with your own society.”

Huo Ye turned to Alice at his side. “Xiao Ai, I saw something in his eyes.”

“What?” Alice asked, puzzled.

“A longing for a worthy opponent, someone equally matched.” In that instant, Huo Ye was certain. He’d seen that look in Eddie’s eyes in the old days, and in his own, two years ago.

At the height of their youthful ambition, young men always dream of a fated rival. But ever since that night two years ago, all his passionate dreams had become a fire—a fire that wanted to devour every calamity in the world.

Alice rolled her eyes. “I thought you’d outgrown your adolescent phase.”

“Yeah, I’m not a teenager anymore,” Huo Ye replied. Then he caught himself. “Wait, when was I ever adolescent?”

Alice gave him a strange look. “Where’s your confidence coming from?”

“I really wasn’t!” Huo Ye protested.

“Sure, if you say so.” With a “since you’re so sure” tone, Alice turned to Shangguan Yudie. “Xiaoyu, let me tell you—mmph—”

Huo Ye clamped a hand over Alice’s mouth, gritting his teeth. “If you dare spill my secrets, I won’t cook for you for a month!”

Shangguan Yudie, uninvolved, only tilted her head and closed her eyes, as if drifting off to sleep.