Chapter 98.1: Strange
Nan Yu didn't dwell on it for long.
After all, Bai Zhouyun was still the same mediocre person he had always been.
If he had really become someone else, would he still be acting like this?
On the other hand, Bai Zhouyun was actually pleased by Nan Yu's attitude.
If Nan Yu weren't jealous, he definitely wouldn't have said those things, right?
The last sentence had startled him a little.
But someone traveling back to the past...
Something like that was simply too unbelievable.
Even if he told someone directly, Nan Yu probably wouldn't believe it.
Much less suspect such a thing himself.
That last remark had probably just been something Nan Yu blurted out in anger.
Bai Zhouyun silently encouraged himself.
"I know you're still angry with me."
Nan Yu simply looked at him in silence.
He wanted to see what Bai Zhouyun could possibly say at this point.
Something like—
"I know you're still angry."
"But I really love you."
"Please give me another chance."
If he actually dared say something like that...
Nan Yu would turn around and leave without another word.
Bai Zhouyun continued,
"I'll change the way you see me."
"I promise that within a year, I'll make you look at me differently."
"When that time comes..."
"I hope we can start over."
Nan Yu narrowed his eyes.
Looking at Bai Zhouyun's serious expression...
He was suddenly reminded of the Bai Zhouyun from his previous life.
The one who had already become a High-Tier Ability User.
Overflowing with confidence.
Bright.
Optimistic.
Entirely unlike the Bai Zhouyun from before—
Someone with overwhelming pride who nevertheless couldn't hide the inferiority buried deep inside.
He really had changed.
Nan Yu could honestly say he understood Bai Zhouyun better than anyone else in this world.
The Bai Zhouyun standing before him now...
Was genuinely different from before.
Could this be the result of the butterfly effect caused by his own rebirth?
After all...
In his previous life, at this point, he had still been trailing obediently behind Bai Zhouyun.
He hadn't become someone as sought after as he was now.
So...
Had all of Nan Yu's changes caused Bai Zhouyun to become what he was today?
Did Bai Zhouyun feel he was about to lose him?
Was that why he had begun changing?
Because he wanted to keep him?
But...
Didn't Bai Zhouyun dislike him?
So why was he trying so hard now?
Was it simply because he couldn't accept losing control?
A Mental Power User as outstanding as Nan Yu had originally belonged to him.
Now things had slipped beyond his control.
Nan Yu truly had a way to leave him.
So Bai Zhouyun had started panicking.
Combined with pressure from his family...
And pressure from everyone around him...
Had he finally reflected on himself and decided to improve?
Nan Yu honestly couldn't imagine Bai Zhouyun being diligent and motivated.
Was this really what it looked like?
Forget it.
Even if Bai Zhouyun had genuinely changed...
So what?
There was absolutely no way Nan Yu would ever stay with the person who had destroyed his family...
Ruined his reputation...
And ultimately left him dead without even an intact corpse.
Even if, in this lifetime, Bai Zhouyun hadn't done any of those things yet.
Every time Nan Yu saw that face...
He remembered every single moment of his previous life.
Especially his own stupidity.
It made him want to go back in time...
And strangle his former self to death.
Nan Yu looked at him.
"Fine."
"Then actually accomplish something."
"Stop saying things like 'I'll work hard' or 'Give me another chance.'"
"Show me."
Bai Zhouyun looked at Nan Yu's expression.
It was still somewhat cold.
But compared to before...
It had softened considerably.
He clenched his fist inside.
As expected.
He had gambled correctly.
"Xiao Yu, don't worry."
"The next time I come looking for you..."
"I'll already be a High-Tier Ability User."
"I'll show you my progress."
"I'll make you come back to me."
Nan Yu watched Bai Zhouyun turn and leave.
Only then did he head toward his hovercraft.
After getting inside...
He remained deep in thought.
No matter how much he considered it...
Something still felt wrong.
He simply couldn't identify exactly what it was.
There was an uncomfortable feeling lodged in his heart.
Yet he couldn't grasp the crucial point.
He remained troubled all the way to Yang Zhou's home.
The moment Yang Zhou saw Nan Yu walk in wearing such a thoughtful expression before sitting on the sofa and staring blankly into space...
He couldn't help asking,
"What's wrong?"
"Did you run into some difficult problem?"
"Tell me about it."
"I might not know the answer..."
"But I can at least think about it with you."
Nan Yu almost mentioned running into Bai Zhouyun.
But then he remembered just how much Yang Zhou hated Bai Zhouyun.
There was absolutely no way Yang Zhou wanted the two of them meeting again.
So...
Better to forget it.
It wasn't really a big deal anyway.
He wasn't suddenly going to admire Bai Zhouyun.
Nor would he ever return to his side.
So none of it mattered.
What Nan Yu couldn't understand...
Was exactly how Bai Zhouyun intended to become a High-Tier Ability User within a single year.
It certainly wouldn't happen through ordinary training.
At Bai Zhouyun's current pace...
Reaching High-Tier would take at least five years.
One year...
One year...
Nan Yu suddenly opened his eyes.
The abrupt movement startled Yang Zhou, who had quietly sat beside him, waiting for him to continue speaking.
Nan Yu muttered,
"Could it be..."
"Is he really planning to do that?"
"But that's impossible..."
"Although that thing works incredibly fast the first time..."
"If he wants to keep getting stronger afterward..."
"It'll become his greatest obstacle."
"Wait..."
"If that's the case..."
He muttered to himself until that point before suddenly falling silent.
Yang Zhou had been observing him the whole time.
Only then did he realize Nan Yu hadn't even noticed he was sitting there.
Just what had him so absorbed?
"NAN YU!!"
Nan Yu jumped.
"Huh?"
"What?"
Yang Zhou sighed heavily.
"You've been sitting here on the sofa thinking for ten whole minutes."
"What exactly are you thinking about?"
"And just now..."
"You mentioned something that works quickly once but becomes an obstacle afterward."
"Who are you talking about?"
Nan Yu immediately looked away.
He suddenly seemed a little guilty.
Yang Zhou knew that expression all too well.
He hit the mark immediately.
"You ran into that bastard Bai Zhouyun again, didn't you?"
Nan Yu blinked in surprise.
How had he guessed so easily?
Seeing that reaction, Yang Zhou instantly knew he'd guessed correctly.
He felt like he could die on the spot.
Without even taking another breath.
Nan Yu looked speechless.
"What are you thinking?"
"It's not like I've changed my opinion of him."
"I just think something about him is strange."
Yang Zhou forcibly suppressed the anxiety in his heart.
"Then tell me."
"What's strange?"
Nan Yu answered,
"Bai Zhouyun found me at school just now."
"He said he'd become a High-Tier Ability User within a year to prove himself to me."
"Do you think that's possible?"
Yang Zhou blinked blankly.
"Huh?"
"How could that possibly happen?"
"Even if the Bai family hired two Mid-Tier Mental Power Users to remove his Mental Contamination..."
"They're not you."
"They don't possess techniques anywhere near your level."
"At his current rate..."
"He absolutely can't become a High-Tier Ability User anytime soon."
"It'll take at least five years."
Nan Yu nodded.
"That's exactly what I thought."
"So I kept wondering what method he plans to use."
"Do you think those prohibited drugs from the black market could do it?"
Yang Zhou suddenly understood.
"So that's what you were talking about."
"They definitely can."
"But according to everything I've heard..."
"Almost all prohibited drugs only work once."
"And afterward..."
"The side effects are extremely severe."
"In other words..."
"If Bai Zhouyun really uses one..."
"Even if he becomes a High-Tier Ability User..."
"He'll never become stronger again."
Nan Yu nodded.
"Exactly."
Yang Zhou snorted.
"So what?"
"Who cares about one High-Tier Ability User?"
"On the Capital Star..."
"Or inside the various legions..."
"High-Tier Ability Users are everywhere."
"You can grab one at random."
"The first requirement for almost every legion recruiting ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) new soldiers is being a High-Tier Ability User."
"That's the absolute minimum."
"If you're below High-Tier..."
"You'll only be accepted in other positions."
"The most obvious example is Mental Power Users."
"It's already difficult enough recruiting enough Mid-Tier Mental Power Users."
"So most legions are filled with Low-Tier Mental Power Users."
Nan Yu sighed.
"Forget it."
"Even if he really uses prohibited drugs..."
"That's his own decision."
"I didn't force him."
"If something happens in the future..."
"It'll be entirely his own responsibility."
Yang Zhou nodded.
"Exactly."
"And according to Imperial law..."
"Buying prohibited drugs is a crime."
"Selling them is also a crime."
"Actually using them?"
"Even more so."
At that point...
Bai Zhouyun would become a criminal.
And the engagement between him and Nan Yu would automatically become invalid.
Although the Empire granted High-Tier Mental Power Users enormous freedom and privileges...
Mid-Tier and Low-Tier Mental Power Users also enjoyed certain legal protections.
For example—
If an engaged Ability User committed a crime and became a criminal...
The engagement would immediately become void.
That provision was explicitly written into Imperial law.
If Bai Zhouyun truly planned to do something like that...
Yang Zhou wholeheartedly supported it.
When the time came...
He would report him personally.
He would stomp Bai Zhouyun into the ground without mercy.
The matter gradually faded away.
Afterward, they played the game for a while.
Their guild had leveled up.
Its maximum membership increased by two.
Their guild leader had even recruited another top-tier player willing to join.
Perhaps the newcomer thought the guild's rewards were generous.
Besides completing missions...
Members enjoyed tremendous freedom.
That was probably why he had joined.
But Nan Yu was certain—
Once people joined this guild...
None of them would ever want to leave.
After all...
He was ridiculously rich.
The next day, before classes even began, Nan Yu was summoned away by one of the instructors.
He originally assumed it was related to the new class.
Unexpectedly...
After arriving at the principal's office, he found the principal wearing an unusually troubled expression.
"What's wrong, Principal?"
"Did the returning seniors cause trouble?"
The principal waved his hand.
"They've only just returned."
"They're already attending classes everywhere they can and training nonstop."
"They don't dare waste a single moment."
"Freshmen normally have six years before graduation."
"But these students only have three years after returning."
"And they can choose to graduate at any point during those three years."
Nan Yu nodded.
"But I don't think anyone will graduate early."
The principal sighed.
"That's true."
"But I didn't call you here because of that."
"The academy can handle those matters."
"You're still a student."
"You don't need to worry about everything."
Nan Yu blinked.
"Then what's the matter?"
The principal asked,
"Do you remember the allied nation's diplomatic exchange visit?"
"Have you heard about it?"
Nan Yu suddenly remembered.
Yang Zhou had mentioned it before.
"I heard one of the visiting Mental Power Users wants to challenge me?"
The principal nodded.
"That's right."
"That person is the illegitimate child of the allied nation's emperor..."
Nan Yu blinked.
That wasn't quite what Yang Zhou had said before.
Still...
His identity had nothing to do with Nan Yu.
He only cared about the part that involved himself.
The principal waved his hand.
"Forget the identity."
"It doesn't concern us."
"Anyway..."
"He's determined to challenge you."
"He probably heard about you somewhere."
"He's unconvinced."
"He insists on competing against you."
"And they've even requested to hold the match here at the academy."
Nan Yu frowned slightly.
"If I lose..."
"I'll embarrass myself in front of the entire academy."
"And the audience definitely won't consist only of students and teachers."
"There'll also be members of the Imperial Family..."
"And other important figures."
"If I lose..."
"I won't just disgrace myself."
"I'll disgrace the Empire."
After all...
This was the Royal Military Academy of the Capital Star.
The gathering place of the Empire's strongest young generation.
Nan Yu frowned.
"I have a bad feeling about this."
"They don't seem to have good intentions."
The principal felt exactly the same.
Then he looked at Nan Yu with a rather strange expression.
It made Nan Yu uncomfortable.
"What is it, Principal?"
"Is there some hidden story behind all this?"
The principal leaned closer and whispered,
"I heard another version."
Nan Yu immediately leaned in as well.
"Tell me."
The principal lowered his voice.
"I heard that Mental Power User has been obsessed with Marshal Yu for a very long time."
"This visit was supposedly arranged because he wanted to meet Marshal Yu."
"But Marshal Yu never appeared."
"Then..."
"Apparently he heard from somewhere that Marshal Yu and you are a perfect match."
"So he fixed his attention on you."
"I heard he insisted on fighting you while throwing a tantrum in the reception lounge."
Nan Yu stared blankly at the principal.
He had never imagined...
It was because of something like this.
"...How could trash like him possibly be worthy of my—"
"...our Empire's strongest Marshal Yu?!"
The principal blinked.
Something about that sentence felt a little strange...
Yet...
It somehow sounded perfectly reasonable.
"That's what everyone thinks."
"His status alone is already problematic."
"And ever since arriving in the Empire..."
"He's behaved arrogantly and overbearingly."
"The only people he shows any restraint toward are His Majesty, Her Majesty, and the Crown Prince."
"As for everyone else..."
"He looks down on all of them."
Nan Yu asked,
"So..."
"The match has already been agreed to?"
The principal smiled awkwardly.
"Yes."
"His Majesty agreed to it."
"But the exact date hasn't been decided."
"They're planning to hold it shortly before the delegation leaves."
Nan Yu smiled.
"That's perfect."
"Once they lose..."
"They can cover their faces and leave immediately."
"They won't have to keep embarrassing themselves in our Empire."
The principal burst into laughter.
"Exactly!"
"I think that's what they're thinking too."
"So they had no objections to scheduling it then."
"There's about ten days left."
"Are you ready?"
Nan Yu smiled confidently.
"I'm ready anytime, Principal!"
"Good."
"I'll let you know the exact date later."
"For now, go back to class."
Nan Yu left the principal's office.
Honestly...
He didn't take the matter seriously at all.
It had never appeared in his previous life.
So it probably wouldn't leave much of an impression in this one either.
After returning, Yang Zhou asked what had happened.
Nan Yu casually mentioned a few things about the new class before changing the subject.
It wasn't anything important anyway.
Time slowly passed.
Then Nan Yu finally welcomed the second of the three people he'd been paying special attention to.
Chen Yuming.
Chen Yuming stood outside the academy gate.
Nan Yu was already waiting for him just inside.