Era of Mist

When it came to straight-line acceleration, Shi Tiexin’s Black Venerable was in a league of its own.

"ROAR~~" The crowd grew excited, rushing over to the large screens that had been set up beforehand to watch the two of them race.

The race was a 7.4-kilometer loop, ending right where it started. The entire course wound through the streets and alleys of Tokyo. While the terrain wasn’t overly complex, it wasn’t simple either; there were plenty of turns, meaning straight-line acceleration alone wouldn’t decide the winner.

Although Sakado Genzaburō was eating its dust, he was inwardly calm. ’The Black Venerable... who doesn’t know this legendary machine? It’s way more powerful than my little ride, for sure. But with all that weight, it’s the king of the straightaways and a deathtrap on the curves. Daring to challenge me, the Ghost Lord, on the complex streets of Tokyo?’

’Today, I’m writing my name on his ride!’

But soon enough, three turns later, Sakado Genzaburō found he was still eating dust.

Five corners flew by. He wasn’t just eating dust anymore—the gap was widening so much that he was about to be left behind completely.

Little did he know that Shi Tiexin’s fundamental driving technique was a modified version of the Jingtuan style. And when it came to street courses, what Jingtuan rider wasn’t an expert at weaving through them? A +14% agility bonus was no joke.

ROOOAR! Shi Tiexin tore down the road. His current position and every upcoming turn were clearly marked on his riding interface. The course had been cordoned off in advance, with young bikers blocking off the intersections at every corner. They were highlighted on his display, making it almost impossible to take a wrong turn.

These young bikers had also set up six cameras along the route, placed at key corners and long straightaways.

WHOOSH— Shi Tiexin blasted past. The sight of the massive bike taking the corner at such an insane speed startled the bikers stationed there, making them stumble backward before they erupted into wild cheers.

Back at the start/finish line, the crowd was glued to the big screen. Two different people were shouting a live play-by-play in two languages, their commentary eliciting wave after wave of gasps and cheers.

"Great lean!" "Perfect cornering!" "That speed is insane!" "Holy shit, he’s already put two hundred meters on Genzaburō! This is unreal!"

One side’s crew cheered wildly, while the other’s grew furious, howling curses through gritted teeth. Some even pulled out Japanese-style voodoo dolls, apparently trying to curse Shi Tiexin into crashing.

But in the end, victory comes down to skill.

The 7.4 kilometers passed in a flash. Before long, a signature, thunderous roar reached their ears, growing rapidly louder. The crowd surged toward the finish line, clearing a path on the track and craning their necks in anticipation.

In the distance, a headlight beam pierced the darkness around the final corner. A moment later, a black motorcycle shot out, tearing through the turn like a bolt of lightning.

Its immense presence was awe-inspiring, even from hundreds of meters away. The crowd roared, and roared again, but before they could even get a third cheer out, the massive bike had already streaked like lightning past the finish line marked by flares.

"WOOHOO!" "VICTORY!" "SO BADASS!"

The young men and women scrambled in excitement, chasing after the black motorcycle. Aside from the rival crew, no one was paying attention to the rider still on the course. At that very moment, Mop-Top was still two corners behind, giving it every ounce of strength he had just to reach the finish.

With a short SCREECH, the Black Venerable came to a halt. For such a heavy machine, it displayed a surprising agility as it braked.

THUNK. Shi Tiexin kicked down the stand and swung himself off the bike. He took off his helmet, greeted by the roar of the crowd. People worship the strong and follow the strong, especially in these chaotic, turbulent times. By defeating Sakado Genzaburō in a race witnessed by all, Shi Tiexin’s prestige had naturally grown.

He could even hear gasps of amazement in Japanese from the crowd. As he completed stages of his mission, Shi Tiexin was starting to understand a little, at least enough to distinguish praise from insults.

With a pathetic PUTT-PUTT-PUTT, Sakado Genzaburō’s motorcycle finally crossed the finish line. He drove over, looking thoroughly defeated. The crowd parted, allowing the two competitors to face each other.

Suddenly, someone from the rival crew shouted in passably fluent Chinese, "What’s there to be so smug about? It’s just because you have a better bike—"

"Shut up!" Sakado Genzaburō snapped. He got off his bike and walked over, his head hanging in defeat. "You win. I lose."

A golden light burst forth from the void, shining down on Shi Tiexin.

’So there really is a Celestial Golden Light!’

Shi Tiexin glanced at the onlookers and had a realization. ’As long as it’s a widely recognized competition, a win will earn me the Celestial Golden Light.’

But when he checked the reward notification, Shi Tiexin was taken aback. ’The amount of Celestial Golden Light is a little low, isn’t it? Only zero-point-two?’

’Celestial Golden Light can come in fractions?’

While Shi Tiexin was still processing this, Ah Fei had already stepped forward to collect on the bet. "A bet’s a bet. We made an agreement before the race, so now it’s time for you to honor it."

"Fine!" Sakado Genzaburō raised his voice and bellowed, "I... announce... that from now on, I am no longer... the Ghost Lord! My new name is—" He suddenly struck a pose, a deep and charming expression on his face. "Grandson of the Ghost."

"Bullshit! Don’t think you can get away with some cool-sounding knockoff!"

"Yeah, stop trying to weasel your way out of it!"

Ah Fei’s expression was smug. "Not ’Grandson of the Ghost.’ Your new name is ’Ghost’s Grandkid.’ Got it?"

Sakado Genzaburō hesitated for a long moment before dejectedly accepting his fate.

The long-legged beauty suddenly sidled up to him. Her flirtatious gaze swept over Shi Tiexin’s powerful build, and she purred, "Boss, your bike is so~~ cool. Are you free to take me for a spin?"

’A spin?’

’No way. I’ve got things to do. No time for a ride.’

But— Shi Tiexin looked at her. "What’s your name?"

"My name is Lily."

"Lily." Shi Tiexin swung his leg over the motorcycle. "Tomorrow, you’ll be starting the race again."

’Hmm, this girl is bilingual. That’s useful. I’ll have her start the next race, too.’

ROAR. Shi Tiexin sped off.

That night, in an old garage, an annotation was added in chalk after the name Sakado Genzaburō on a list: "Ghost’s Grandkid." Then, a long, horizontal line was drawn through his original name.

The name right above his on the list was Li Xiuzhen.

"Chinese?"

"Korean."

"Her, then. Set it up." Shi Tiexin thought for a moment about the meager zero-point-two Celestial Golden Light he had just received. ’Either Mop-Top’s skill level was too low, or the race didn’t have enough of an impact.’ He gave another order: "Ah Fei, step up the publicity. Build some hype."

"Don’t you worry, Boss. This is my specialty!"

The next day, news spread like wildfire among the biker gangs all over the city.

"Did you hear? The Ghost Lord officially changed his name to ’Turtle’s Grandson’!"

"Who did that to him?"

"Don’t know his name. All I know is he rides a Black Venerable and beat the Ghost Lord... I mean, Turtle’s Grandson... by more than twenty seconds!"

"Damn, that’s brutal."

"And he’s already put the word out. He’s challenging Sister Hua, Li Xiuzhen, today. We’re in for another good show."

"We can’t miss that! Let’s go, let’s go! We have to see this!"