Deep into the night.
In the capital, Transcendent District.
"Sizzle."
"Sizzle sizzleâ"
Inside the mansion, in the basement, Chen Yu was welding a steel helmet onto his head as he stood in front of a floor mirror, electric welder in hand, working hard.
The helmet was entirely green, thick, and heavy.
Two steel bars extended from below, firmly fixed to a metal collar around his neck through welded connections.
Encasing Chen Yuâs entire "head" within its grasp.
"Sizzleâ"
After welding the last point, Chen Yu placed down the welder, leaned close to the mirror, and carefully observed the firmness between the steel helmet and the collar, giving it a few tentative tugs.
It didnât budge at all!
He nodded in satisfaction.
"Thatâs secure."
"If anyone else wants to see my title, theyâll have to blow off my head first."
After knocking on the helmet, Chen Yu finally set his mind at ease, hands in pockets, and walked out of the basement.
His title for the month was "Castrated for Human Glory."
He had spent an hour on the internet searching and finally confirmed that "castration" meant "self-emasculation."
Thus, he swore on his junior brother that should anyone dare to see his "title," they must annihilate that personâs entire nine generations! Otherwise, he would take his own life to apologize to the world...
At the same time, he noticed.
From the initial title of "Corpse" to the current "Castration."
His titles were becoming more perverse and more abstract...
"This canât go on."
He sighed deeply and walked into the main hall on the first floor.
He saw in the hall, his sister Chen, his father Chen, his mother Ms. Chen, the housekeeper, and many servants, all looking at him with worried eyes.
"Hmm?" Chen Yu turned around, checked that everyone was looking at him, and scratched at his helmet in confusion, "Do I have a dick growing on my face?"
"Little brother." His sister Chen hesitated with her words, "If youâre really not confident about this graduation evaluation, just forfeit."
"What are you talking about? Iâm super confident."
"Sir." The housekeeper curtsied, "Your helmet seems sturdy, but in the Transcendent groupâs combat, it wonât provide much defense. Itâll also limit your field of view and flexibility."
"You donât understand."
Chen Yu waved his hand, picked up the backpack from the ground, slung it over his shoulder, "Timeâs almost up, Iâm heading out. The house is in your hands."
"Alright." The housekeeper nodded, "Rest assured, sir."
"Son." Chenâs father approached slowly, his expression stern, "You... um. Hm."
"Dad, just say what you want to say."
Chenâs father, "Where are you heading off to?"
Chen Yu, "..."
"Dad." Sister Chen held her forehead, "Little brother is going to the graduation evaluation."
"What is a graduation evaluation?" Chenâs father asked again.
"You can think of it as a graduation exam," the housekeeper explained, "Pass the exam, and sir will no longer be an apprentice Transcendent."
"Oh." Chenâs father suddenly understood, nodding his head, looking Chen Yu over, "It looks risky, doesnât it?"
"There is a fatality rate," sister Chen lowered her head.
Chenâs father, "Canât you just not take it?"
Sister Chen, "You canât."
"Then thereâs nothing more to say," Chenâs father extended his hand, patting Chen Yuâs shoulder, "I may not understand the rules of your Transcendent world. But a man born in this world... there are things that must be done. You canât be afraid of death."
"I know," Chen Yu nodded, "Donât worry, Dad. I wonât die."
"Even if you do, it doesnât matter," Chenâs fatherâs eyes reddened, "Iâll use all our familyâs wealth to give you a grand and glorious funeral!"
Chen Yu, "Well, thank you for that."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"You silly old man, always spouting nonsense," Ms. Chen wiped her tears and stepped forward, pinching Chenâs father hard, then hugged Chen Yu, "My son, youâll always live in our hearts."
Chen Yu, "..."
After a moment of silence, Chen Yu turned to his sister Chen, "Sis, the treatment theyâre receiving in the hospital right now... it doesnât damage the brain, does it?"
"It... it shouldnât," sister Chen hesitated.
"Then Iâm leaving," Chen Yu adjusted his helmet, hugged his mother Ms. Chen, and headed for the door, "Remember to tune in to the capitalâs channel during the arena match. You should be able to see me."
"Little brother." Sister Chen quickly caught up, whispering into Chen Yuâs ear, "Did your title change?"
"Yes."
"What did it change to? You welded your head to the helmet to cover the title, right?"
"Pretty much."
Upon hearing this, sister Chen bit her lip, "But your title... itâs predictive. Wouldnât it be unlucky? If itâs really not good, just donât participate."
"Ah, relax," Chen Yu took out his phone, checked the time, "Iâm definitely not going to die. Iâm off."
"Bang!"
The door to the villa swung open and then shut tightly.
Leaving only three family members with complex expressions in the living room.
...
"Over here!"
"All participants, please go this way."
"I will stress again, you are not allowed to bring any prohibited items. For a detailed list of prohibited items, please refer to pages five through ten of the evaluation manual..."
Late, at 10:48 PM.
Outside the evaluation site in the west of the city, the place was already surrounded by Transcendents waiting to enter.
They (or rather, they) gathered in groups of threes or twos, some chatting casually, some discussing with each other, some remaining silent, and some even played poker.
In a corner, a man and a woman were engaged in a passionate kiss.
Next to them, stood a chubby fellow, cracking sunflower seeds, watching with great interest.
"Hey!"
A hand suddenly slapped the chubby neighbor on the shoulder, startling him.
He turned around to find Chen Yu.
"Chen Yu, youâre here," he said.
"Do you have no shame? Theyâre having a kiss goodbye, and youâre gawking?"