Light Barrier

“Due to the fire, the residence has been burned down. For now, you can make do with staying here.”

In front of an apartment in Oto City.

Make do? Gu Shen stood at the door, his attention attracted by the fingerprint and iris dual recognition door lock. He was leaning over and squinting, trying to check the functions. He had never had to ‘make do’ like this in his life.

After fiddling around for a while, he still couldn’t figure out how to open the door lock.

Beep!

Nan Jin glanced at the young man, swiped a card, and strode into the apartment.

The large apartment was nearly two hundred square meters, with excellent lighting and clean windows, looking neat and tidy. With the door opening, layers of lights lit up. The smart home was fully equipped, and the curtains swayed with the wind, revealing the sunset on the twenty-ninth floor.

The woman in the trench coat wearing sunglasses stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, bowed slightly, and made a symbolic welcoming gesture. “Here, distinguished Mr. Gu Shen, who finds yourself without a home, come and take a look at the new home the Adjudication Bureau has arranged for you.”

“Wow…” Gu Shen was stunned by the scene in front of him. During the car ride, although he had thought that the old man Zhou Jiren would definitely give him some sweetness next, he knew that money was a sugar-coated bomb, and he couldn’t fall too easily.

At this moment, he had a realization.

He was wrong.

Poverty had limited his imagination.

Seeing Gu Shen’s expression, Nan Jin smiled silently.

Those who knew her well knew that she was actually an iceberg woman who rarely smiled. To her, the most important thing in her life should be practicing the saber. Mr. Tree had protected her file very well, and almost no one in the Adjudication Bureau knew this woman’s background. They only knew she was a hard worker who would give her all every time she carried out a mission.

Therefore, everyone speculated that this person who was working so hard probably had a very lonely background.

While taking care of Gu Shen, Nan Jin had looked at his file.

This young man was the truly lonely one. He had been fostered in an orphanage since he was a child and lived off the meager subsidies provided by the government. After he turned sixteen, he left the orphanage and earned money to support himself.

The thinner the file that recorded the past seventeen years of Gu Shen’s life was, the more distressing his life experience seemed.

“How does it feel?”

“It feels…” Gu Shen tried hard to keep his gaze from wandering and said stubbornly, “This place… is alright, I guess. It’s barely livable. Although it doesn’t quite match my status, it still suits my temperament.”

But three seconds later, unable to restrain his urge to see the entire apartment, he caved in.

“Okay, I admit I’m a country bumpkin.” Gu Shen shamelessly nodded. “But… what about the landlord?”

“I’ve taken care of it for you. Any problem money can solve isn’t a problem.”

When Nan Jin said this, her image in Gu Shen’s eyes immediately became as towering as a Buddha.

He immediately had the urge to free ride on her.

“Oh, right.” Gu Shen suddenly remembered something. His Ruler of Truth and the orange cat… were still in the old building!

Just as he was about to speak, he heard a soft knock from the bedroom door.

“Meow.” A lithe orange cat slowly tiptoed its way to Nan Jin’s feet. It rubbed its head against her pants leg, then flipped over to expose its belly and let out affectionate purrs. “Purr…”

The cold woman in the trench coat squatted down cooperatively and gently scratched the orange cat’s chin with her fingers. “Most of the things in that old apartment were burned down. When we arrived, this cat was still alive. It’s lucky. Only some of its fur was burned off.”

When Gu Shen saw Chu Ling appear, his first reaction was nervousness, but he quickly relaxed.

Judging from the ungraceful posture, the one rolling back and forth for affection now should be the silly cat that he had brought back. For some reason, the consciousness of the young girl Chu Ling had already left this orange cat.

“After the fire, apart from this cat, was there anything else left in my apartment?” Gu Shen asked tentatively.

“What else do you hope to have left?” Nan Jin raised her eyebrows. “Besides a broken table and a lousy bed, what else did your apartment have?”

“… That’s true.” Gu Shen scratched his head. It looks like they haven’t discovered the Ruler of Truth. Did Chu Ling hide it?

“Rest well these days.” Nan Jin rubbed the orange cat twice before hugging the little guy and getting up. “The Adjudication Bureau is still determining your transcendental ability. There will be an assessment in a few days. You can take it when you’ve recovered enough.”

“Assessment? What kind of assessment?”

“Everyone awakens different transcendental abilities, and the degree of danger varies as well. Although the degree of danger of transcendental power is related to the degree of development according to Mr. Turing’s theory, there are always some people who take a big step ahead of others as soon as they open their eyes.

“Some people awaken transcendental abilities that can only bend spoons, while others… can easily burn down an entire building.” Nan Jin used a simple analogy and reminded him meaningfully, “Last night, your first awakening resulted in the astonishing feat of killing two transcendents. The Adjudication Bureau will most likely give you an S-grade strength rating.”

“…” Gu Shen covered his forehead, feeling extremely apprehensive. “To be honest… I might not be as powerful as you think.”

“Don’t underestimate yourself.” Nan Jin shook her head, her gaze intense. “I’ve seen the photos of the roof. The destructive power is terrifying, far beyond that of most newbies. It’s been a long time since Azure River District has seen a monster like you. What ability is it? Can you use it again?”

Gu Shen looked at his hands. Without the ruler, I seem to be just an ordinary person. How can I unleash such terrifying transcendental power?

After coming to this point through a twist of fate, Gu Shen suddenly felt that the troubles entangling him seemed to be getting bigger and bigger.

On the day of the assessment… the truth that he didn’t have transcendental power would likely be exposed.

“…” He was lost in thought.

Nan Jin had expected this and said softly “It seems you haven’t fully mastered this power. It doesn’t matter. Take your time.

“But there’s something else I need to tell you. This time, in order to secure your recruitment, my teacher and the chief justice of the Penitentiary Bureau almost came to blows. Because of the use of the pardon order, many people in the Adjudication Bureau are dissatisfied.”

“For those who are dazzling, there are always people who are envious, resentful, and hostile. There are always people who want to tarnish them, make them fall, and make them crumble.” Nan Jin put down the cat and looked straight at Gu Shen. “The more people try every means possible to crush you, the more it indicates your endless potential and promising future. Instead of shrinking back, giving up, and resigning yourself to mediocrity, why not rise up, fight, and forge your transcendental path?”

The orange cat meowed and leaped away.

Nan Jin enunciated each word clearly. “If you want to wear a crown, you have to bear its weight.”

If you want to wear a crown, you have to bear its weight. Gu Shen looked up thoughtfully. “Did… Mr. Tree say these things?”

“Because of the pardon order, my teacher is busy dealing with those stubborn old people of the Adjudication Bureau. He’s in a terrible fix.

“I was improvising just now.” Nan Jin’s sunglasses slid down, revealing a tranquil gaze. “My teacher appreciates you a lot and said that you’re a very promising newcomer. I have to give you some comfort. What do you think of the speech just now?”

“You said it so well,” Gu Shen praised earnestly but then changed his tune. “Don’t make any speeches next time.”

“Tsk.” The woman in the trench coat didn’t think much of it. She adjusted her sunglasses and checked the concealed sabers under her coat while saying, “I have something important to do tonight, so I won’t accompany you. Rest well.”

Before leaving, she tossed another card over. “The password is your birthday. There’s some money in this account. Consider it compensation for selling yourself. There should be no problem with your daily expenses. My teacher asked me to tell you to relax. The assessment results aren’t that important. After all, he already took a fancy to you before the fire.”