Chapter Forty-One: Homecoming

Ye Bai stared blankly at the wooden intelligence, which had already reverted to its appearance as the Science and Technology Building. "Yes, life is really just an examination. You only get one chance to answer the test. Life and death, success and failure—all hinge on a single thought."

His dark eyes flickered as he gazed at the spot where the King of Heavenly Wood had finally vanished. Then, turning around, Ye Bai headed back to his dormitory. This exam had given him profound insights, especially the slaying of the mutated saber-toothed tiger and the King’s Five Elements Formation, which still lingered vividly in his memory.

In the past, he had believed that all elemental attributes, including wood, were meant solely for attack and destruction. But, driven by curiosity, he combined three attributes, and to his surprise, the wood element seemed to come alive, burrowing into the mutated saber-toothed tiger’s head, drawing out a small amount of blood and returning it to Ye Bai’s body.

The most remarkable aspect of the Five Elements Formation was its ability to instantly switch between two attributes, to transform matter. When Ye Bai witnessed the final Vermilion Fire Qilin, he truly grasped its power. Yet the octagonal formation that the King created at the end seemed like an upgraded version of the Five Elements Formation.

But the real world differed from the virtual one—there was no attribute like Hu Yan Jiayi’s, and the King had replaced two attributes by himself, which Ye Bai had never seen before. Aside from the four attributes he possessed within his own body, he only knew that the Fusion Record mentioned a metal attribute.

Ye Bai also noticed that the people in the Ice and Snow World were different from the examinees; they had no attribute power, but rather a white energy wrapping around their bodies, which seemed capable of transforming into any attribute.

Knock, knock, knock.

Suddenly, a knock came at the door. "Examinee Ye Bai, assemble at the physical training field in five minutes."

The knocking interrupted Ye Bai’s thoughts. He opened the door and found no one outside. Taking out his examination permit, he noticed a yellow dot had appeared on the back.

The scene at the physical training field was not what Ye Bai had expected. He thought it would be packed with various exercise equipment, or perhaps throngs of students working out.

Yet, aside from the examinees, there wasn’t a single person exercising. As far as the eye could see, apart from a seemingly endless track, only a few modest ‘metal boxes’ stood before him.

"Ultra-high Pressure Training Room."

Ye Bai matched the location with his permit, sensed this was the spot, opened the door, and entered.

"Examinee Number 8, Ye Bai, please find a seat and wait for the other examinees to arrive." The cool, commanding female voice was identical to the one he’d heard in the Alaya Space during the theory exam.

He chose a random seat. Most of the examinees had already arrived; more than a hundred people sat around him.

At the front console, two elderly men were busy tinkering with their devices, never once glancing at the crowd below, as if they didn’t exist.

Soon, the icy female voice sounded again. "Examinee Number 245, Mo Lei, please find a seat. All examinees are present."

Everyone watched the two elders’ every move in silence, waiting as they checked the last item in their hands.

"First, congratulations on passing the exam and becoming students of the Four Great Academies." The elder’s face bore a kindly smile as he introduced himself. "You may call me Elder Bai, head of the Alaya Research Group, Science and Technology Institute."

"We have just completed the final adjustment and inspection of your Smart Brain. Please place your examination permits on the desk in front of you."

The two elders began implanting the Smart Brain into the permits, working from either side.

Smart Brain? The students below grew visibly excited at the mention of these words. Most had assumed they would only receive such a thing months later, at the start of term, never imagining they’d get it right after the exam.

As he worked, Elder Bai explained, "Once the Smart Brain is implanted in your permit, wait for the red indicator light to turn blue. Then, place the permit on any part of your body and think of something you desire—preferably something alive. In about two minutes, a tattoo-like mark will form where you placed the permit. It can be hidden or revealed at will."

"Really?" A girl in the front row, seeing her indicator turn blue, couldn’t wait to press her permit to her arm, eyes closed in deep concentration.

Elder Bai smiled gently; he’d seen this scene every year. "Once your permit becomes a tattoo on your body, the Smart Brain’s form will match the tattoo on your arm. In about an hour, your information will be fully uploaded to the Alaya System, and you’ll be free to enter the Alaya Space at will."

Just as he finished, the device was fully implanted into the permits, and the other elder also completed his task.

Ye Bai watched as the red indicator on his permit slowly turned blue. Unlike the girl, he did not press it immediately to his arm. Instead, he pondered what image he wanted for his Smart Brain, closing his eyes to sift through his memories. At last, he settled on the image of a girl in his mind.

He picked up his student permit and placed it on his wrist. There was no pain like a tattoo needle, only a cool sensation. He closed his eyes and conjured the girl’s figure.

Suddenly, Ye Bai’s brow furrowed. Just as he felt pain at his wrist, as if something had entered his body, an ache began at the back of his head.

The two elders watched the fresh faces before them, all slightly weary from the recent exam. The elder standing behind Bai Elder’s shoulder blinked back tears from time to time.

If only his grandson hadn’t died—he would be about this age.

The first girl to press her permit to her arm opened her eyes. On her arm, a blue butterfly had appeared.

"Xiao Die, come out."

With a clear call, blue virtual lines materialized above her arm, constructing a butterfly a few centimeters above her skin. The butterfly’s wings flickered with radiant blue light.

Once fully formed, the butterfly broke free from the tattoo’s constraints and fluttered around the girl, while her arm returned to spotless, smooth skin, the tattoo vanishing without a trace.

In a short while, everyone had emerged from their meditations. Seeing the examinees had nearly all awakened, Elder Bai cleared his throat.

"According to the notice, you have only three days of holiday. If you’re returning to distant places, you’ll only have one day at home. The fourth day will be your first day of school."

"Three days? Three days!"

The entire ultra-high pressure training room erupted.

"Wasn’t it supposed to be three months? How did it become three days?" The examinees’ voices rose in a clamor.

"Quiet, quiet," Elder Bai pressed his hands down. "It’s not just you. This rule has been in place since last year, decided by the Three Kings."

Gradually, as Elder Bai’s voice grew louder, the examinees’ noise subsided.

"Alright. The exams have lasted a whole day. Go back and rest."

The examinees filed out one after another. When the last had left, Elder Bai pressed a button on the console. Instantly, everything inside the training room vanished, the desks and chairs replaced by an empty floor, the air still humming.

Early the next morning, the knocking at the door woke Ye Bai from his dreams.

Last night, Ye Bai had tried to merge his four attributes to create a dagger, but the fire attribute acted like a wild beast, refusing to blend with the other three. He didn’t know how late he experimented, and nearly burned his clothes.

"Ye Bai, wake up! If you don’t get up now, you’ll miss the bus home!"

The knocking continued outside. Ye Bai opened his eyes. "Xiao Ma?"

"Hurry!" Xiao Ma pulled Ye Bai toward the station, calling out, "The Silver Wing is almost here. I didn’t see you, and was afraid you’d miss your ride home, so I ran to get you."

Ye Bai smiled. "Thanks. After all this time, I still don’t know which city you’re from."

Xiao Ma glanced at him, then at the Silver Wing. "I’m not from any of the three big cities—just born at a small guard post outside Departure City. This is my first time seeing such a big city."

With that, Xiao Ma hurried toward the Departure City carriage. Ye Bai watched his retreating figure, then turned and walked toward the carriage bound for Muyang City.