Chapter 154:
Chapter 154:
The next day, Chen Chuan left the company and walked to the agreed-upon location. He made a call from a nearby phone booth and waited.
Soon, a car arrived, and he got into the passenger seat. After closing the door, he greeted Cheng Zitong, who was in the driver's seat, "Hello, Teacher."
Cheng Zitong looked at him for a while, hesitated, and asked, "Are you done with the exam?"
Chen Chuan nodded and took out the Infinite Defense Certificate from his pocket, handing it to Cheng Zitong. The latter quickly removed his sunglasses, carefully took the certificate, and examined it repeatedly. Finally, he confirmed, "It's true, you... you always give your teacher surprises."
Chen Chuan glanced at Cheng Zitong, thinking to himself, 'Thank goodness it's not a scare.'
Cheng Zitong returned the certificate and reminded him, "Keep it safe, don't lose it." But he still felt it was unbelievable, and he asked, "Tell me, how did you do it so quickly?"
Chen Chuan modestly replied, "Maybe because I went there early."
He briefly recounted the events, as the entire process took only two days—arrival on the first day, action on the second, and then completion. It wasn't complicated, so he finished the story in a few minutes.
After listening, Cheng Zitong leaned back in his seat, his gaze unfocused as if digesting the information. After a while, he looked ahead and said, "This time, to avoid acquaintances, I deliberately went to a remote area. I had just settled down when I received your call. I hurried back overnight, wondering if you had encountered any difficulties."
He paused, then continued, "Don't blame the teacher for being anxious. The students who left for the Class C Certificate exam a few days ago will probably take a month to return. You took the Class B Certificate exam and finished first. If I didn't know you were reliable, I would doubt if you really went."
As he spoke, he couldn't help but laugh, patting the steering wheel and sighing, "It's truly wonderful."
After a while, he straightened up and looked at Chen Chuan, "We need to get our stories straight, so we don't slip up later. You got the certificate in the first year, so you have a chance to compete for the spot in Central City."
Chen Chuan nodded.
Cheng Zitong then coordinated their stories, feeling elated. He was genuinely happy for his student, having taught Chen Chuan from the basics to now obtaining the Infinite Defense Certificate.
He felt a sense of pride and accomplishment as a teacher, for what could be more delightful than seeing one's student succeed?
Finally, he reminded Chen Chuan, "But don't be in a rush. You still have a month left to complete your first year at Wu Yi Academy. Applying to go to Central City also requires a process, and there's not enough time. After this semester, when you're in the second year, I'll discuss this matter with you in detail."
Chen Chuan nodded, "Although I want to go to Central City as soon as possible, I'm not fully prepared yet. I'll try to improve over the next few months."
At this moment, Cheng Zitong started the car and asked, "Haven't eaten breakfast yet? Let's go, I'll treat you to a good meal to celebrate your Infinite Defense Certificate."
Chen Chuan followed Cheng Zitong and enjoyed a hearty breakfast. Then, the two returned to the school together.
Their return was uneventful, attracting little attention, seemingly like any other day. But both of them knew that some things had already changed.
Upon returning to the dormitory, Chen Chuan took a quick shower and, without tidying up, went to the living room to make a call. He first called Gao Ming.
Gao Ming's voice came through the phone, "Cousin, aren't you supposed to be on your training trip?"
Chen Chuan slowly replied, "Since the training has yielded results, and the process was smooth, I'm back now."
This was a code they had agreed upon earlier, using "training results" to represent the Infinite Defense Certificate.
Gao Ming paused briefly, then he spoke in a calm tone, "In that case, I must congratulate you, cousin."
Chen Chuan said, "Gao Ming, we'll talk more when you're back."
"Okay, cousin." Gao Ming's voice carried a subtle excitement, "It's been a while since I visited Auntie and Uncle. I should take this opportunity during the summer break to pay them a visit."
With a click, both hung up the phone.
Both knew that now that they had successfully obtained the Infinite Defense Certificate, the next step was to plan their entry into Central City and compete for the spot.
At the same time, in Wubian City, over 300 kilometers away from Yangzhi, Wei Jun was pondering the exam content. This time, they were required to deal with a group of death-row prisoners.
These prisoners would be released into the wilderness before the exam, provided with some water, food, and weapons. The task was to apprehend or kill them within the specified time.
The exam wasn't challenging for Wei Jun, as he could obtain the prisoners' information in advance from the guards and even use manpower to track them. In the end, he only needed to take them down, and with his firearm, it would likely be a matter of firing a few shots.
Obtaining the Class C Infinite Defense Certificate shouldn't be a problem, although the two-year validity period was somewhat unsatisfactory. However, after graduation, he could continue training for a year or two and then go for the Class B Certificate.
There were no recommended students in his batch at school who could compete with him. After graduation, he could go to Central City, where there would be more advanced training methods, more resources, better guidance, and opportunities to expand his network, preparing him for his future role in the family's company.
At this moment, they still needed to conduct another round of inspection to ensure no unexpected incidents occurred.
Previously, Shen Zheng had almost obtained the recommendation to go to Central City after acquiring the Infinite Defense Certificate. At that time, no student in the entire school could match him, and he nearly took the spot of a senior above. Fortunately...
However, due to Shen Zheng's precedent, they attached great importance to this matter. They would never allow another student to take the Infinite Defense Certificate exam without their arrangement! This matter must be nipped in the bud!
He called for the butler and instructed, "Tan Laoshi once said that I could only go to Central City after mastering Foundation Strength. I've almost achieved that now. I'm also about to obtain the Infinite Defense Certificate, but we can't afford any mishaps in the final step. Go and check if any students have been outside the school recently."
The butler confidently replied, "Young Master, I've been keeping an eye on this matter, and I have detailed records."
Wei Jun said, "Let me see it."
The butler acknowledged and went to retrieve the records. He soon returned and respectfully handed over a set of documents.
"Since the start of the semester, only these students have left the school in the past few months, and we have a rough record of their departure times."
Wei Jun took the documents and flipped through them. He first looked at the third-year students, but he was aware that the Mutual Aid Society suppressed the outstanding commoner students in the third year. They either suppressed or absorbed them, and now almost no one dared to defy them. So, he glanced through them and moved on.
He mainly focused on the second-year students because they were also eligible to take the certificate exam. Especially this time, he had met several powerful students from other cities, who, like him, had the potential to go to Central City. They had exchanged some words.
From these students, he heard about an incident that supposedly happened last year in Guanbi City. A second-year commoner student with a Firearms License had gone alone to take the Infinite Defense Certificate exam. With the student's strength, passing was almost guaranteed, but the news couldn't be kept secret. Someone had arranged for the student to be dealt with on the way.
It seemed like they broke the student's limbs and then drowned them in Chunqiu Lake with cement? Wei Jun didn't know if it was true or not, but if it was, he could only say they were daring. Such an act was provocative towards the Review Committee and could have severe consequences.
Although it was difficult to implicate them directly unless they did it themselves, the company they belonged to might attract attention from above.
Fortunately, he didn't have to worry about this issue now. Among the second-year students in Wu Yi Academy, the most talented was Geng Zheng. Initially, Geng Zheng refused to join the Mutual Aid Society, but they eventually pulled him in. Geng Zheng's family's medicine for treating illness came from Central City, and only they could provide it. There was no way he wouldn't listen to them.
After going through the second-year students, he didn't pay much attention to the first-year students because they were unlikely to pose a threat to him.
However, since he had already started looking, he took the opportunity to glance through the first-year students as well.
Undoubtedly, the most talented among the first-year students was Chen Chuan. Chen Chuan had left a deep impression on him by defeating Zhong Wu's dog during the entrance exam. It seemed that Chen Chuan's departure from the academy was also related to him, and he hadn't joined the Mutual Aid Society yet.
He noticed that Chen Chuan's whereabouts seemed uncertain, and he frowned, pointing at the document and asking, "What's going on with this Chen Chuan? Is he always outside the school?"
The butler respectfully replied, "Young Master, we've investigated. Although this student is often not in the academy, the longest he's been away is seven or eight days. We can confirm that he's been at a training hall in the south of the city, practicing with Manager Cheng. He went out recently but returned to school yesterday, probably to learn some unique techniques."
After hearing this, Wei Jun didn't pay much attention, "Alright, you can go. I need to prepare for the upcoming evaluation."
Meanwhile, two miles away from this luxurious hotel, Deng Fu, Tai Dongwei, and Geng Zheng were assigned to the same dormitory.
They also learned about the exam content and felt that it was indeed somewhat challenging. However, they believed that with their best efforts, passing shouldn't be difficult.
But they had to give up.
This time, giving up also meant they would never have another chance to take the defense certificate exam.
Tai Dongwei didn't know what Deng Fu and Geng Zheng were thinking, but for himself, although he had said he didn't care, when it came to actually giving up, he still felt a twinge of discomfort.
He thought to himself that perhaps he hadn't truly let go.
He sighed inwardly, but this was the way of the world, and there was nothing he could change.
He looked at Geng Zheng, who was sitting there with a rebellious expression. Who knows what this kid might do.
The only one who seemed relaxed was Deng Fu, half-sitting on the bed, engrossed in a collection of stories. Tai Dongwei thought that Deng Fu probably had it all figured out. Since he didn't care about anything, he didn't feel like he had lost anything; instead, he felt like he had gained.
Deng Fu was perceptive and noticed Tai Dongwei's gaze. He looked at him, smiled meaningfully, then turned his attention to Geng Zheng. Seeing the latter's silent demeanor, he smiled, put down his book, and said, "Little brother, what's on your mind? Let me teach you a lesson today. Don't compete for short-lived glory. Temporary humiliation is nothing. Don't be upset with yourself. Your life is long, and if you persevere, I can tell you that you'll encounter all sorts of strange things. The roles of host and guest can be reversed, and the world can be turned upside down. It's not impossible."
Tai Dongwei's thoughts suddenly stirred.
Geng Zheng couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean?"
Deng Fu said, "I'm just telling you to live a long life. I don't mean anything else." As he spoke, he propped his arm behind his head and resumed reading his book.
...
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(End of Chapter)
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