329: Chapter 329 A Key to the Highest Throne

Sunlight streamed through the spotless glass window, casting a bright and warm patch of light on the corner of the desk.

In the air, tiny specks of dust danced merrily within the beam of light.

Eventually, they quietly landed on Fang Cheng's focused profile, casting a soft golden glow over his chisel-sharp, handsome outline.

The bedroom was completely tranquil.

Only the rhythmic rustling of the pen tip gliding across the paper echoed within.

It was clear and reassuring.

On Fang Cheng's desk, all kinds of books and study Materials were piled up like a mountain.

"Detailed Explanations of the Civil Code", "General Principles of Criminal Law", "One Hundred Cases of Criminal Psychology Analysis"...

One heavy professional classic after another almost buried his entire person inside.

Knock, knock.

A gentle knock sounded, breaking the indoor tranquility.

"Chengcheng."

Li Biyun's voice was lowered to an extreme degree, as if she was afraid of disturbing her son's concentrated study:

"Mom stewed a bowl of Gastrodia and pig brain soup for you. Drink it while it's hot; don't wait for it to get cold."

Holding a white porcelain soup bowl, she carefully pushed open the door and entered, stepping extremely lightly.

"Yeah, Mom, just put it on the desk first."

Fang Cheng did not even raise his head, his gaze still closely locked onto the case files in front of him, and the pen in his hand did not pause in the slightest.

Li Biyun dared not say much, gently placing the soup bowl on the vacant corner of the desk.

With a gaze carrying a hint of heartache and expectation, she cast a complicated look at her son.

Then, she tiptoed out and thoughtfully pulled the bedroom door shut for him.

Fang Cheng continued to bury his head and write furiously, completely immersed in the sea of questions.

Time also slipped away second by second amidst the rustling sound of the pen tip contacting the paper.

Until he finished writing the argument for the last material analysis question and heavily dotted down the final period.

Only then did he let out a long breath.

Fang Cheng raised his head and stretched his slightly stiff neck.

It had been a long time since he studied so earnestly like this.

So much so that now he felt sitting at the desk reading and doing problems consumed even more energy than simply exercising his body.

Fang Cheng smiled and shook his head, glancing at the alarm clock placed beside him.

The hour and minute hands barely pointed to 10:05.

From the time he started doing this mock test paper expected to take two hours, less than forty minutes had passed until now.

A line of illusory light screen information quietly emerged before his eyes.

[Focus Experience + 3]

[Focus Lv2 (327 / 500)]

[Speed Reading Experience + 3]

[Speed Reading Lv2 (104 / 500)]

"As expected, mock exams under this extreme state are indeed the best way to farm experience."

Fang Cheng sighed knowingly in his heart; this could be considered an extra harvest brought by the recent high-intensity review.

Then he retracted the panel, picked up another standard answer sheet printed with red text, and began to grade question by question.

Out of a full score of 100, the final score was 97.

The deducted three points went wrong on the last two essay questions and material analysis questions.

This was actively deducted by Fang Cheng himself according to the most stringent standards and discretion.

After all, wanting to get a full score in the written professional courses of the graduate entrance examination was a sheer fantasy; it was mixed with too many subjective factors from the graders.

Especially in the field of jurisprudence, reality inherently contained a large number of ambiguous cases full of controversy and lacking clear legal theoretical support.

Let alone test papers which were just empty talk on paper.

As for the other foreign language proficiency test.

Fang Cheng did not waste a single bit of time on it.

Possessing the talent of Omniscient Language, his attainments in linguistics were at least comparable to a Grandmaster master.

Coping with a mere exam was simply a dimensional strike.

The real test lay in the interview session of comprehensive quality and ability.

After all, no matter how high the written test score was, it was only an admission ticket.

Thinking of this, Fang Cheng's gaze flickered slightly, passing through the piled-up books to look out the window.

Outside was Jiuchang Street where he had lived for over a decade.

The exceedingly familiar gray tone.

Low buildings interlocked like dog teeth, and old wires intertwined between buildings like spider webs.

Forming a sharp contrast with the distant skyscrapers, as if they were two worlds.

There were no singing birds and fragrant flowers here, only the crude and real atmosphere of life left over from the industrial era.

Last week, the scores of the preliminary graduate entrance examination, the national lines, and the school's self-drawn lines had all been announced successively.

He entered the re-examination list of the law school of Dongdu University without any suspense.

One week later would be the moment that decided fate.

Or to be precise, this was an important exam in the mother's mind concerning her son's future.

Fang Cheng was very clear about this.

When the mother saw him pick up books again and study hard day and night.

In those eyes that were often filled with worry, a trace of gratified light would always emerge.

And this light was the solace he, as a son, must give to his mother.

The mother seemed to vaguely sense something.

She never asked, but Fang Cheng knew.

His day-and-night physical training and the occasional superhuman physical strength he displayed could not escape her meticulous eyes.

No one knows a son better than his mother.

The more silent she was, the heavier the worry she revealed became.

It seemed she was terrified that he would suddenly disappear one day, repeat his old man's mistakes, and step into that mysterious world full of blood and fire once again.

In Fang Cheng's heart, a trace of complicated and helpless ripples arose.

He indeed could not truly live as an ordinary person spending days in peace and stability as his mother wished.

Because he had long embarked on a Shura path destined to have no turning back.

Even if at this moment, he was willing to let go of everything, be content with the status quo, and disguise himself as a harmless, good citizen.

Those enemies lurking in the dark, whether the Noah Organization or other unknown lurkers, would never let him go.

Entrusting one's safety to the kindness and forgetfulness of the strong was the most stupid and ridiculous self-deception in this world.

What's more, Fang Cheng was someone who possessed a Panel.

This Heaven-Defying Opportunity was like a key handed to him by fate, a key to open the door leading to the Peak of power.

If it was said that only one person in this world was destined to ascend to the supreme throne.

Then why couldn't this person be himself?

Carrying a Sharp Weapon, the murderous intent arises on its own.

How could Fang Cheng give up just like that and be content with mediocrity?

Therefore.

This graduate entrance exam was a balance point he carefully chose, a necessary disguise.

He could not truly retreat to the shore, but at least he could build a seemingly solid lighthouse for his mother on the churning sea.

Letting her heart have something to rely on, even if it was just seeing a bit of light revealing itself through the wind and rain.

As his thoughts flowed, Fang Cheng's gaze fell on the bowl of pig brain soup that was still faintly steaming.

So he reached out to pick up the ladle and gently stirred it.

The milky white soup emanated a rich aroma.

Fang Cheng scooped up a spoonful, blew on it, and took a slow sip.

The warm soup slid down his throat, bringing a burst of warmth and slightly calming his chaotic thoughts.

Coming to think of it, the innocent identity of a prestigious university graduate student could indeed provide him with excellent cover.

Allowing him to accumulate strength in the dark more calmly to deal with all storms appearing in the future.

Otherwise, with his complicated family background, if he roamed the gray areas in the identity of a fighter for a long time, it would sooner or later attract the attention of the Special Investigation Team.

Just like being targeted by the Noah Organization and listed on the observation list once again...

Knock, knock.

Li Biyun's voice sounded outside the door again, interrupting Fang Cheng's thoughts.

"Chengcheng, are you done studying? You can come out to eat."

Hearing his mother's call, Fang Cheng immediately restrained his mind and replied:

"Alright, I'll clean up a bit and come out."

At the dining table, Li Biyun continuously picked food and put it into Fang Cheng's bowl.

Steamed sea bass, walnuts with shrimp—these were all dishes that nourished the brain and enhanced memory.

While gorging himself, Fang Cheng listened to his mother chat about the renovation progress of grandpa's big courtyard in Wanghu Town.

So he smoothly told Li Biyun about the fact that the house in Haitian Garden had already been renovated.

And he gave her a heads-up in advance, saying that if he was busy with work in the future, he might sometimes live there.

The matter of the uncle gifting the property was already known to the mother when she vacationed at Yulong Lake. At that time, she only exhorted Fang Cheng to firmly remember this hard-won familial affection and to be more filial to grandpa and uncle in the future.

Hearing her son say this at the moment, Li Biyun pondered for a bit and said:

"Then I'll go over tomorrow to help you clean up and buy some daily necessities."

"In the future when you have a girlfriend, you can also take her there to live. You can't always go to hotels to open rooms or squeeze into our family's old house."

Fang Cheng was originally nodding, but upon hearing the last sentence, the rice in his mouth almost sprayed out.

Immediately, he waved his hands hurriedly:

"Mom, I've bought all the furniture, and I've also hired a housekeeping service to clean. Don't go running around busy yourself."

"Tomorrow I'll accompany you over together, just to recognize the road."

Thinking of that eccentric neighbor in Room 1803 who sprayed strong perfume, she might really be some murderer or wanted criminal.

Fang Cheng was a bit worried about his mother going alone.

After finishing the meal, the sunlight was just right, warmly spilling over the living room.

A little bit of cooking fumes still lingered in the air.

Li Biyun briskly cleaned up the leftovers, wrapped the uneaten food with plastic wrap, and put it into the refrigerator.

Holding the bowls and chopsticks, Fang Cheng prepared to take them to wash, but was snatched away by his mother, who directly pushed him out of the kitchen.

"You're clumsy, don't get in the way here. Hurry up and go take a nap, you still have to study in the afternoon."

The mother's command allowed no questioning.

Fang Cheng rubbed his nose somewhat sheepishly and had to dismiss the idea of practicing the Cleaning skill along the way.

With Mom at home, such chores wouldn't fall to him to do at all; she was simply raising him like a scholar...

Sighing inevitably in his heart, Fang Cheng glanced at the panel.

His gaze fell on one of the daily life skills.

[Cleaning Lv1 (209 / 250)]

Ever since he quit the job at the club's Logistics Department, the progress of this skill had been extremely slow.

The experience improvement basically relied entirely on daily housework and certain "aftermath cleanups" to accumulate.

Yesterday at the new house, he did a thorough deep clean all by himself, and the experience jumped up by a large chunk.

Looking at it now, it wasn't far from upgrading, but in reality, there was still plenty of work for him to stay busy.

Fang Cheng shook his head slightly.

With the current situation being complicated, having one more skill on hand was ultimately a good thing.

Don't look at this as just a daily life skill; the special effects of the Scavengers Eye had repeatedly helped him shake off tracking, find clues, and eliminate the possibility of being monitored.

If it could be successfully upgraded, perhaps one day it would come in very handy.

For example, handling a certain crime scene more efficiently...

Returning to the bedroom, Fang Cheng did not continue studying, nor did he choose to take a nap.

Instead, he sat cross-legged on the bed and slowly closed both eyes.

Tranquility was restored in the room once again.

Fang Cheng's heartbeat began to slow down, his breathing became deep and long, and every tense muscle relaxed accordingly.

His whole person was like a high-speed machine actively down-frequencying, entering a low-power standby mode.

Outside the window, the hustle and bustle of Jiuchang Street mixed with the noise of distant traffic, turning into the city's background noise.

Separated by a layer of thick glass, they gradually became blurry and distant, as if they were pushed out of the sensory world.

Only his own heartbeat, steady like water, and that piece of pure tranquility deep within his consciousness, that wispy burning flame remained...

For a long time, Fang Cheng slowly opened his eyelids, his gaze becoming increasingly profound and bright.

A line of prompt information emerged accordingly.

[Meditation Experience + 2]

[Meditation Lv2 (36 / 500)]

Looking at the Cultivate progress, Fang Cheng nodded slightly.

Whether fast or slow, as long as he persevered every day with unremitting efforts, all skills were accumulating day by day and improving step by step.

After practicing Meditation.

Fang Cheng felt refreshed all over, seemingly recovering the energy loss caused by today's head-down bitter studying.

Just as he let out a light sigh and prepared to enter the Memory Palace to contact Xu Hao, his heart was touched without warning.

That feeling was as if an invisible pebble had been cast on the far other end of the city, causing ripples to spread in circles.

The ripples were extremely faint yet exceptionally clear, crossing the barrier of several kilometers and precisely affecting the calm lake of his heart.

"Is there some important intelligence on Xu Hao's side, and he took the initiative to find me and report?"

As soon as this thought arose, Fang Cheng's eyes condensed.

"That's not right."

Then he shook his head in denial.

Fang Cheng could clearly feel it.

This wave of mental fluctuation carried a hint of unfamiliarity and did not come from anyone he was familiar with.

Moreover, this Mind Resonance phenomenon generated this time had a relatively weak directivity.

It was more like an out-of-control signal emitted carrying a strong emotion of fear... a distress call.

Without hesitation, Fang Cheng immediately restrained his mind and closed his eyes once again.

His whole person's consciousness instantly contracted and sank inward.

The surrounding real world rapidly stripped away and became virtual.

When he opened his eyes again, his consciousness had already entered the Memory Palace.

Fang Cheng quickly got up and strode forward, pushing open the bedroom door.

In the center of the dark hall, the golden orb of light was still quietly suspended, blooming with a soft and mysterious halo.

Looking up, the surrounding dome was like the night sky, and the spots of light were like stars dotted among it.

Every single one represented an individually conscious entity successfully connected, or a spiritual coordinate waiting to be contacted.

Fang Cheng's gaze searched among the many stars for a moment, and quickly locked onto a spot of light that was rapidly flashing and appeared quite abnormal.

That's it!

"One-way projection!"

Following Fang Cheng silently reciting the command in his heart, a buzzing sound of resonance rang in his ears.

An invisible and solid channel pierced through the dark and boundless Void Realm.

The surrounding scenery rapidly changed, like a television picture continuously changing, twisting, and stretching.

Eventually, the line of sight pierced through layers of darkness and light and shadow, and everything suddenly became clear.

Through the connector's pupils, Fang Cheng stared intently at the scene in front of him, his thoughts moving slightly.

"This is..." (End of chapter)