Chapter Twenty-Three: Blades and Swords

After the written exam, Ye Ran walked out of the examination hall in low spirits. No matter how hard he worked, he lagged far behind his peers in terms of knowledge. Watching those beaming faces emerge from the hall, Ye Ran couldn’t help but sigh in his heart.

This hurdle was indeed difficult to overcome.

Yet, he felt a faint glimmer of hope, for nearly ninety percent of the candidates had been eliminated in the first two rounds. In the end, fewer than a hundred students sat for the exam, and the results of the martial trial would weigh most heavily in the final selection.

Thinking this way, his gloom lifted slightly.

From afar, he saw Yamo emerging from the right corridor. Ye Ran lifted his foot and left the hall, keen not to become further entangled with that fellow.

Outside Maple Leaf Academy, Yun Meng was pacing, holding a small box. She spotted Ye Ran in the crowd and stood on tiptoe, waving eagerly.

Her gesture drew many curious glances. Ye Ran squeezed through the crowd and ran to her side.

“Yun Meng, what brings you here?” he asked.

Yun Meng smiled. “You’re taking your exam today—how could I not come? Come, let’s celebrate.”

She took Ye Ran’s hand.

In their ways of life, Yun Meng, born to the Yun family, and Ye Ran, an orphan from the slums, couldn’t have been more different. For Yun Meng, celebrating happy occasions with banquets was perfectly normal—birthdays, festivals, and other important days were always marked at a teahouse or an upscale restaurant.

Ye Ran, however, was the opposite. In his sixteen years of life, he had never celebrated even his own birthday.

Hermes Hotel on Lanshe Avenue was as crowded as ever. This establishment, named for the god of commerce, Hermes, was managed by his twelve most favored chosen ones, known as the “Twelve Brains.” Its status in the business world of Torrent City was unparalleled.

Led upstairs by a rabbitfolk attendant, Yun Meng and Ye Ran entered a private room on the second floor. Yun Meng slid the small box toward Ye Ran and said, “Open it, Ye Ran. It’s a gift for you.”

Ye Ran opened the box. In the daylight, sharp lights flickered beneath his eyes, and he was instantly captivated.

Inside lay a dagger and a sword, both about five inches long. Their entire bodies were a dark green, their blades gleaming coldly. Even stranger, faint green glimmers danced across their surfaces—clearly no ordinary weapons.

Beneath the weapons was a set of black clothing.

“This is...”

“Forged by dwarves at the Urken Smithy,” Yun Meng explained. “They’re not divine artifacts, but close enough to be considered top-tier.”

Urken was the god of fire and forging, an eccentric deity. He never chose humans as his favored ones, but the industrious and resilient dwarves earned his esteem. His smithy employed only dwarves.

The Urken Smithy was not open to the public; it only did business with major families. Though their prices were steep, no one ever complained.

In Torrent City—and indeed, throughout the mortal world—items crafted at Urken Smithy were the finest, nearly synonymous with divine artifacts.

Aside from weapons forged by Urken himself, few smiths could produce arms of higher quality.

Given Ye Ran’s status, he might never have hoped to possess a weapon from Urken’s smithy, not even dared to dream of it. Yet Yun Meng had effortlessly fulfilled that wish for him.

As he gripped the dagger’s hilt, warmth flowed into his palm. The blade turned smoothly between his fingers; the dark green dagger seemed to meld with his arm. He instantly loved it.

Yun Meng smiled. “This assassin’s suit seemed perfect for you, so I bought it to make a complete set. Wear it for the martial trial—Maple Leaf Academy will surely admit you.”

“Yun Meng, thank you,” Ye Ran said.

They had known each other for so long, yet he had never uttered the word “thanks”—this time, it slipped out, heartfelt and sincere.

Yun Meng poured him a glass of wine, smiling. “It’s what you deserve. With your diligence, you should have achieved much more. Luck is only temporarily against you—don’t lose heart.”

Ye Ran replied, “Of course not. Though luck isn’t on my side, having you and Freya is enough for me…”

He blushed, realizing the words sounded ambiguous, and quickly added, “I mean, having friends like you…”

Yun Meng couldn’t help but laugh.

Soon, the rabbitfolk attendant brought dish after dish, filling the room with delicious aromas.

Yun Meng poured him a bowl of plum soup, saying, “Ye Ran, I heard there will be chosen ones at this martial trial.”

Ye Ran replied, “I know—I’m one of them.”

“I mean…chosen ones from various divine temples.” Yun Meng smoothed her hair, “The Sixth Heavenly Temple, the Temple of Thunder, and the Martial Hero Temple—they’ll all send people to participate.”

“The Sixth Heavenly Temple…” Ye Ran was taken aback.

Why would the temple’s people attend Maple Leaf Academy’s martial trial? In terms of rank, aren’t the temples above the academies? Graduates of the academy must undergo training in the temples to attain mastery.

Hidden Dragon, Godslayer, and others were no exceptions.

The temples always looked down on the academies. So why send people to Maple Leaf Academy’s trial?

Moreover, in Torrent City, there was only one true temple—the Temple of Thunder, dedicated to Thor.

The Sixth Heavenly Temple and the three martial temples of Ares—Martial Spirit, Martial Hero, and Martial Saint—were all located elsewhere, belonging to no city or faction.

Would someone from the Sixth Heavenly Temple be Misha?

If he saw her again, how would he face her? At this thought, he frowned.

Seeing his thoughtful expression, Yun Meng laughed softly. “Though it’s strange for the temple’s people to join the trial, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Perhaps it’s just an exchange between the academy and the temples. You’ll get to meet true chosen ones.”

True chosen ones—her words carried weight.

Ye Ran looked up at her.

“Ye Ran, once you’ve met the real chosen ones, you might gain new insights.”

“Yun Meng, what do you mean?”

Yun Meng spoke softly, “About you, about the identity of the chosen ones, and…Freya.”

“A chosen one is someone chosen by a god and trained in the temple to acquire divine abilities. In that sense, you are not a true chosen one—Freya selected you, but she has no abilities for you to learn…”

At this, Ye Ran’s heart jolted. What had always been vague now suddenly became clear—the harsh truth masked by Freya was laid bare.

“If she never grows, never enables you to become stronger, someday you may have to abandon Freya and pledge yourself to a new god.”