Light Barrier

One day.

It could be very short or very long.

For the three people stationed in the tall building across from Gu Shen’s apartment and taking turns to monitor it, this day… was extremely boring, dragging on for a seemingly endless twenty-four hours.

From sunrise to sunset, from moonrise to moonset.

“Since the night before last, Teacher has disappeared with Gu Shen. There’s been no news.” Zhong Wei sat by the window. “How curious. I wonder what the final special training is.”

“To be precise, it was past midnight last night.” Senior Sister Luo corrected him calmly and took a sip of coffee.

She was sitting on a rocking chair on the balcony, holding a thick old book. She had been maintaining this posture for several hours. A mental-type transcendent at her level had long integrated her breathing technique into her daily habits. She only needed a small amount of rest to maintain a high spirit.

In terms of energy, Zhong Wei and Nan Jin were much worse.

“Speaking of which, we’ve been waiting all day.” Nan Jin rubbed her eyes. “Han Dang hasn’t shown up yet. Did he sense danger?”

“Han Dang is a very sharp guy,” Luo Er said softly. “I’ve had a few dealings with him over the past few years. This person is cunning and exceptionally deceitful. This time, he’s here on an undercover investigation mission, so he won’t reveal himself easily.

“But since he’s here for Gu Shen’s assessment, he’ll definitely take action at the last moment.” She flipped through her old book calmly. “Just wait patiently.”

…

I feel like someone is staring at me.

The crowd came and went.

Han Dang, dressed entirely different from his usual style, was wearing sunglasses, a mask, and a cap, keeping a low profile.

He had already blended in the crowd and walked back and forth along the street outside Gu Shen’s apartment several times. Every time he was about to enter the apartment building, his heart would skip a beat, and he would feel a sense of unease creeping over him.

Something’s wrong! Something’s very wrong… His intuition was very accurate.

When carrying out previous missions, it was all thanks to this innate intuition that he had narrowly escaped many dangerous situations.

I’ve already submitted the report about the truth of Gu Shen’s fire case to the assessment team. He entered a small alley and disappeared into the darkness. Logically speaking, I shouldn’t feel so uneasy. Today is the day of the assessment. His lack of transcendence will definitely be exposed. I only need to take that ruler as evidence.

Han Dang sorted out his thoughts.

That kid fell under my hypnosis, so it’s impossible for him to notice.

But where does this sense of unease come from? Han Dang really couldn’t figure it out. He shook his head. Time is limited. I have to act quickly.

He took a deep breath.

He stepped out of the alley.

He entered the building.

The moment Han Dang entered the apartment building, Luo Er closed her book. “Prepare to move.”

She stood up, put on her coat, and quickly headed outside the apartment.

“The man who just entered the building…Is it Han Dang?” Nan Jin was somewhat surprised. She had been keeping watch the entire time, while Senior Sister Luo’s eyes had never left her book. How did she do it? Was it a special application of her transcendental ability?

“I left a little item at the entrance of the building. I can immediately sense anyone who approaches it. As for Han Dang, I’m too familiar with his aura. I won’t be mistaken,” Senior Sister Luo said. “There might be a battle when we encounter Han Dang. Be careful and follow behind me.”

The three of them quickly went downstairs and arrived at the building opposite.

“Wait.” Senior Sister Luo stopped and wiped two fingers over an invisible door sensor.

Swoosh!

In the next moment, a thin strand of hair appeared between her fingertips.

The strand of hair immediately wrapped itself around her little finger.

This strand of hair had been sticking to the sensor, practically invisible unless checked carefully inch by inch.

“This is the little item I mentioned,” she explained. “Don’t misunderstand. This isn’t my hair… It’s a very special transcendental sealed object. In a sense, it’s like another eye of mine.”

“Is there only one?” Nan Jin asked curiously.

“Of course…” Senior Sister Luo said, “it’s impossible.”

She said softly, “I set up more than three hundred eyes on the street outside. Since yesterday, there’s been a man following the crowd back and forth on the street. I’ve suspected him for a long time. This ‘eye’ left at the entrance of the apartment is relatively special. Within a certain range, it not only sees but also senses fluctuations of mental power.”

Nan Jin understood.

She felt an abnormal flow of air. As Senior Sister Luo spoke, thin strands of hair that were almost invisible to the naked eye kept gathering toward her. The passersby didn’t notice at all as these fine, spider-silk-like black strands of hair eventually merged into her long hair.

In any case, placing the most important ‘eye’ at the entrance would never be wrong.

“He just entered the elevator,” Senior Sister Luo said calmly. “We only need to follow behind and catch him red-handed.”

…

Knock, knock, knock!

There was a knock on the door.

Soon, there was a response.

“Please come in.”

The door was pushed.

But it didn’t open.

Another attempt.

Creak…

A squeak sounded.

The door opened.

Unexpectedly, what greeted the eyes was a neat and tidy classroom. The windows were half-open, and the curtains fluttered in the breeze. The desks and chairs had been cleared away, leaving only a few arranged in a long row.

Gu Shen rubbed his cheeks. He didn’t expect this to be the location of the assessment.

It looked more like a place for some kind of gathering… a stage?

Every day of the special training, Gu Shen had imagined what his assessment would be like.

The scene in his mind was probably similar to the scene when the chief justice interrogated him alone—dim lighting, a cramped interrogation room, and intimidating big shots with scarred faces like Yan Shicheng sitting together.

Rather than an assessment, it was more like a trial.

After the conversation on the roof, Mr. Tree had spent the last day of special training with him.

On this day, there were no fifteen-kilometer long-distance runs with weights, no training of being beaten, no getting knocked down a hundred times, and no getting back up a hundred times.

There was no training at all on this day.

Instead, Mr. Tree only brought Gu Shen around to visit various places in Oto City.

The old man had gotten a fancy luxury car from somewhere and brought him for a spin in the city, running through more than ten traffic lights. They went to seven or eight upscale restaurants where Gu Shen couldn’t even pronounce the dishes on the menu. At first,  Gu Shen didn’t want to go anywhere, but the old man’s reason made it impossible for him to reject. He rarely got the chance to come to Oto City and wanted to experience the local customs and culture while also showing Gu Shen what his ideal day looked like.

Gu Shen was also curious about what the old man’s ideal day would be like.

In reality, it was all about eating, drinking, and having fun, like an eighteen-year-old with unlimited energy.

In contrast, Gu Shen felt isolated from the world, like a lonely old man with one foot in the grave.

At the end of the day, Gu Shen lay sprawled on an oversized bed in a presidential suite. The window was open, and a chilly breeze kept brushing across his face.

In his half-asleep state, he suddenly thought of something.

He had been here for almost two years.

Today was the first time he had spent a ‘free’ day as a tourist in the city where he had lived for two years.

Freedom wasn’t about riding in the best car, eating the finest food, or living in the fanciest house.

Freedom was about not worrying, not hesitating, not having to think about anything at all.

During the two weeks of special training, at every moment of every day, Gu Shen’s mind was tense.

And this time, he had the most peaceful sleep in more than ten days.

After waking up, he and Mr. Tree went to the University of Oto, the best public university in Oto City, with young students around his age everywhere.

The assessment venue was here, not an interrogation room or an underground research facility.

It was in a school under the sun.

It was a bright and sunny day, and everything was beautiful.