"Zijin, run!"
Bai Muye yelled as he abruptly sat up on the bed and opened his eyes.
His bloodshot eyes looked ferocious.
After a while, his eyes slowly regained clarity, his expression returned to normal, and his entire demeanor became clear.
Like a ray of morning light shining through the curtains.
It made one feel happy.
He wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and let out a long sigh, continuing to sit there in a daze.
Once again, he woke up from a nightmare.
He had this dream for six years.
Different scenes, the same people, a similar plot.
This time, it was in the forest.
A skinny, short-haired little girl, her clothes stained with blood, staggering as she dragged him forward.
The forest was dark and cold.
There were green eyes all around, watching them in the darkness.
He couldn't move, couldn't scream, and felt like there was a huge rock on his chest.
It was like a nightmare.
The dream was long, and it was tiring.
For so many years, in countless dreams, he had always wanted to see the little girl's face, but there was only a back view.
The only theme of the dream was to escape.
It was a never-ending escape!
He didn't know why he had this dream for so many years.
He didn't know who this little girl called Zijin was.
What was her relationship with him?
To find out, he had recorded many videos of himself sleeping.
But besides the extremely frequent occurrence of the four words "Zi Jin, run quickly" that were relatively clear, the rest were all meaningless ravings.
Every time he asked the old man, he would always laugh and change the topic.
He would say it was just a dream and not to be taken seriously.
Or he would say he had been single for too long and was yearning for love.
It was obvious that he was spouting nonsense to bully an innocent child like Bai Muye.
If yearning for love was like this, humans would have lost the motivation to reproduce long ago.
The old man must know something!
Shirō Makino had a good memory. Not to say he had a photographic memory, but it was close.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember anything from before he was eleven.
It was a blank, with no impression at all.
It was as if someone had tampered with it, erasing that part of his memory.
Could it be that I had experienced something extraordinary when I was still a baby?
Could it be that my true identity is actually a fallen prince, and there is a throne waiting for me to inherit?
But why don't I have a strong and loyal servant by my side?
An old man?
Forget it!
It was good enough that he did not think of himself as a servant.
So, I might just be an amnesiac orphan picked up by an old man.
Shirō Makino sighed softly and said to the air, "Open the curtain."
The curtains parted on their own, illuminating the dark room.
The morning sun shone in and shone on his well-proportioned and well-built body.
For a seventeen-year-old boy, his body was too perfect.
Of course, he was excessively handsome, so he rarely went out these past few years.
Always being looked at with surprised eyes, or even being touched and pinched on the head was not a pleasant feeling.
In the bathroom, Shirō Makino looked at the mirror and asked seriously, "Mirror, mirror, why do I always wake up from nightmares?"
A sweet voice came from the mirror, "Little brother is woken up by your handsomeness!"
A perfunctory reply, a perfunctory compliment!
Do I need you to remind me of something that everyone knows?
Shirō Makino began to wash up expressionlessly.
Then he exercised and ate breakfast.
It was a regular routine.
Today was the day he would register for high school, and also the day he would go to school for the first time. He could not be late.
When the old man came back, he would give him a surprise.
But … would the old man come back?
"It's so beautiful … I want to eat plain porridge and beef buns."
Shirō Makino said as he washed his face, "Also, if you dare put onions in my food again, I will not let you off!"
"Yes, little brother …"
…
…
Flying Immortal Planet, Hundred Flowers City.
The weather at the end of August was still very hot.
The square of First High School was crowded with people.
At least tens of thousands of teenagers had gathered here, and their faces were filled with excitement, nervousness, and anticipation.
There were a few hundred lines that were not very neat, but still orderly, waiting for the examination.
These were the students who had passed their cultural classes and were preparing to register for First High School.
This was also the last hurdle to enter First High School.
The huge transparent dome above the square filtered out the heat outside, leaving only bright light and a suitable temperature.
This season of the year was the time when many parents and students in Hundred Flowers City were the most nervous.
It was also the time when the teachers of First High School were the most stressed out.
They had to select the most talented students from among the tens of thousands of excellent students, and they were extremely busy.
Compared to the other long lines, the line that Shirō Makino was in was very small.
He stood relatively close to the front. Although he was wearing a hat and a mask, his tall and straight figure and bright and pure eyes were still very eye-catching.
Many girls in the line around him were secretly sizing him up.
Shirō Makino, on the other hand, was guessing how many Talisman Artist apprentices there would be this year.
According to the number of people in his line, it was not very optimistic.
There had always been very few people applying for the Talisman Artist exam.
Even if it was only once every ten years, not many people applied.
The Talisman Artist's requirements were really too high!
Drawing skills, patience, memory, ability to distinguish … After one hurdle after another, who knew how many people were eliminated.
Now, the last hurdle was to test the most important foundation of becoming a Talisman Artist — spiritual power!
Perhaps the school also felt that this year's Talisman Artist recruitment would not be very optimistic.
Therefore, for the whole morning, the female examiner in charge of the Talisman Artist's enrollment had not stopped scolding, and it could be heard clearly from far away.
Taking care of the children's face?
No way!
"9.5 points, not qualified, why did you come with such a low score? Next! "
"12.3 points, no, next …"
"Make an exception? You can't make an exception! Do you think this is a joke? What the hell can you draw if your spiritual power is not up to the standard? "
"I repeat, if your spiritual power is not up to 20 points, don't even try! Haven't you used the virtual cabin at home? Why waste time if you know it won't work? "
"You can't pass in other aspects either! Spiritual power is the foundation of becoming a Talisman Artist! Didn't you talk to your family before coming? Even if you haven't used the virtual cabin, can't you feel the level of your spiritual power? "
"You, you, you, and you, look at your listless and weak appearance, do you look like people with high spiritual power?"
"It only opens once every ten years … Don't want to miss it? It's not a matter of whether you want to or not, it's a matter of whether you can do it or not! "
Listening to the examiner's harsh words, Shirō Makino sympathized with the eliminated students.
Although the virtual cabin had long been common, it did not mean that everyone had used it.
Many parents were worried that their children would be addicted to it, so they did not allow their children to use it too early.
That was the case with the old man.
He said that the virtual cabin was used to play games.
Games were poisonous.
Shirō Makino could not help it even if he did not believe it, because he had no money.
One by one, the students were eliminated. Some were disappointed, some were depressed, and some pretended to be calm, but left silently with red eyes.
It was not cruel, but it still made the other students waiting in line feel sad.
From early in the morning until now, it was almost noon, and it seemed that only three people had passed.
One had a spiritual power of 33, another had 36, and the last had 55.
The one with 55 caused a sensation as soon as the results were out.
It had been many years since a first-year high school student with a spiritual power over 50 appeared in Hundred Flowers City.
So when the boy named Moussy was tested to have a spiritual power of 55, even the principal was alarmed. He immediately brought a group of people to take Moussy away.
The treatment of geniuses was indeed different!
Time passed slowly.
When a chubby girl in front of Shirō Makino was also eliminated, she looked at him pitifully and finally mustered up the courage to cheer him on. Then, she quickly ran away while wiping her tears. It was finally his turn!
Shirō Makino looked calm on the surface, but he was actually quite nervous.
A while ago, the old man had sealed his spiritual power again and said that he only had 17 or 18 points left.
So many days had passed … it should have increased, right?
If he was eliminated before 20 points, it would be embarrassing, but it would be really depressing if he couldn't get into First High School.
Self-study was only allowed until high school, and he had to go to high school.
Feeling uneasy, Shirō Makino walked up to the examiner and took off his hat and mask.
In an instant, countless people looked in his direction.
"Wow!"
"He's so handsome!"
"How can there be such a handsome person?"
"I really like this handsome guy!"
Shirō Makino was very calm. He smiled at the examiner and bowed. "Hello, teacher!"
This strict and irascible female examiner was actually very beautiful. She looked like a young woman in her late twenties, and her eyes were especially bright and spirited.
She looked up at Shirō Makino and was stunned for two seconds. Then, she smiled for the first time all morning and said gently, "Hundred Flowers Art School is next door."
Shirō Makino: "…"
Judging a book by its cover?
That was too much!
Shirō Makino said, "Teacher, I'm here to apply for the Talisman Artist exam."
Why is he taking the Talisman Artist exam when he's so handsome?
Wouldn't he have a better future as an idol?
The examiner thought to herself.
But when she looked at his face, the depression and anger she had been feeling all morning magically disappeared.
What a handsome boy, how pleasing to the eye!
So she smiled patiently and said, "Applying for the Talisman Artist exam? Okay, put your hand on this machine. Yes, just like that, don't move …"
Some of the students who had just been eliminated and hadn't had time to leave were stunned. Wasn't this too discriminatory?
A moment later, a string of numbers appeared on the machine. The examiner looked a little surprised and looked up at Shirō Makino again.
"Are you sure you want to apply for the Talisman Artist exam?"
Shirō Makino nodded.
Curious, some people craned their necks to look. On the machine's screen were two bright red numbers — 20!
To think that he had barely passed the test!
"Holy shit … is that even possible?"
"What's going on? Someone passed? "
"This is the fourth one, right? Amazing! Huh? Spiritual Power of 20? "
"Damn … isn't his luck too good? But 20 … isn't it a little low? "
"He's so handsome, and his spiritual power is so high!"
"Yes, yes, he's so handsome! He's even more handsome than a celebrity! "
The examiner was speechless. 20 was indeed over the line.
But the key problem was that the Talisman Artist's requirement for spiritual power was extremely high.
Although he had reached the standard of a primary Talisman Master at the age of 20, there had never been such a student who was able to do well in so many years.
Generally speaking, high school students who were qualified to apply for the Talisman Artist exam would have a spiritual power of 30, and the lowest would be 28 or 29.
This kid had 20 points of spiritual power, and he was so handsome. How could he spend all his time on the boring talisman technique?
Thinking about this, she couldn't help but look at Shirō Makino. So handsome!
Why is he so handsome? If I had a daughter … Sigh, I don't have a daughter.
If I were 20 years younger …
Shirō Makino looked at the examiner in front of him, feeling a little uneasy.
If he had known earlier, he wouldn't have asked the old man to seal him. At that time, he only had 70 or 80 points, which was within the range of the Junior Talisman Artist.
Even if it would cause a sensation, it wouldn't be as embarrassing as it was now, right?
20 … How dangerous!
And a little shabby.
"Wait a minute, don't rush …" The examiner looked at Shirō Makino and said in a pleasant tone. Then, she began to communicate with the leader.
After a while, she looked at Shirō Makino and smiled. "Congratulations, Shirō Makino, you passed!"
Shirō Makino immediately heaved a sigh of relief, and a happy smile appeared on his face.
This smile made the eyes of many girls around him sparkle.
"So handsome!"
"He's the best in school!"
"He's so handsome! It must be a blessing to be classmates with such a handsome guy! "
The examiner also heaved a sigh of relief, but at the same time, she felt a little regretful. If this youth's Soul Power was a little higher, even if it was only around 30 … he could probably become the spokesperson of the Talisman Artist, right?
It was a pity that there were too few students who met the requirements this time!
From the beginning until now, including this Shirō Makino who met the requirements, there were a total of four people!
In addition to the two that were already confirmed, this year's cohort … only had six?
Looking at the line at the back, which wasn't too long, there probably wouldn't be any surprises.
It was really getting worse every year. In the batch ten years ago, there were at least 12 people who met the requirements.
When would a true genius appear in Hundred Flowers City?
If he placed his hand on the machine, and a three-digit number appeared … How wonderful would that be? This talisman teacher of his would probably wake up laughing even in his dreams, right?
The examiner glanced at Shirō Makino and smiled gently. "Go back and wait for the notice."
"Okay, thank you, Teacher!" Shirō Makino bowed slightly, then turned around and left.
He left with a lot of envious gazes.
The news of a "genius" with a Soul Power of 20 being accepted into the Talisman Artist class would probably spread quickly.
But it would probably be a completely different voice from Moussy, who had a Soul Power of 55 …
But for Shirō Makino, it didn't matter.
No matter what, he was still accepted, right?
His Soul Power wasn't really only 20. Even if he would be looked down upon in a short period of time, there was still a long way to go.
For the girls in First High, it didn't matter.
If it was 20, then so be it. He was so handsome, it didn't matter even if his Soul Power was zero!
It was enough to see this face every day!
Thinking about being classmates with such a handsome person, the hearts of countless girls almost melted.
So happy!
Looking at Shirō Makino's back, the examiner's gaze became even gentler.
What a good and polite child!
The student behind Shirō Makino in the line had been waiting for a long time, and couldn't help but remind the examiner in a low voice. "Teacher …"
"What's the rush?"
The examiner instantly became serious and said expressionlessly, "Hurry up!"
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