"You guys go back and wait for me. I'll go into this passage alone."
Fang Ming said to the group, not wanting Qingmian Yihao and the others to follow him into danger.
"Hey, hey, what are you talking about? Am I the kind of person who's afraid of death?" Yihao protested indignantly.
Qingmian also looked displeased, clearly annoyed by Fang Ming's words.
Seeing this, Fang Ming quickly explained, "This passage is likely a death trap. It's not that I don't want to bring you along, but even if we all went in, we'd just be throwing our lives away."
"What do you mean? Did your diary say that?" Qingmian frowned and asked.
Although Fang Ming hadn't told them the diary's specific functions, having been with him for so long, they could guess some of it.
Fang Ming sighed, took out the diary, and said, "At this point, there's no need to hide it from you anymore. This diary can actually predict the future, and its help has been indispensable in traversing so many worlds."
"But this time, the diary didn't show any future after entering the passage. That means..."
Fang Ming trailed off, but even without him finishing, they could all guess.
A future that couldn't be shown—what else could it be but death?
The group fell silent.
Should they all go to their deaths together, or should Fang Ming go alone?
"Death... if we die, we die. I'm not afraid anyway!" Yihao said carelessly, though his voice lacked its usual bravado.
Qingmian's expression was unreadable, but his tone was firm. "I am not a coward. To have come out of the eighteenth floor and seen so much is already enough for me."
Fang Ming looked at them, speechless for a long time, before finally letting out a wry smile. "If that's the case, then let's have one last crazy adventure!"
He then turned to Zheng Zhuliu. "Sixth Master, this is our private matter. Just the three of us will go in. You should head back now."
Zheng Zhuliu had been listening to their conversation the whole time and naturally knew what was about to happen.
He and Fang Ming weren't close friends, but rather good acquaintances. Going to die together was something he could do without.
"Then take care, and make sure you come out alive!" Zheng Zhuliu cupped his fists to Fang Ming and the other two, then turned to leave.
This hospital was no safe haven for him. With Fang Ming and the others gone, staying here would be tantamount to seeking death.
After Zheng Zhuliu had completely left the hospital, Fang Ming had Yihao and Qingmian transform into their Shamanic patterns. Only then did he approach the passage, take a deep breath, and step through.
A dizzying sensation of the world spinning distorted his vision, then suddenly disappeared.
"Bang."
Abruptly, Fang Ming instinctively reached out and caught something flying his way.
"Hey, student over there, can you throw the ball back?"
From a distance, a student called out to Fang Ming.
Fang Ming scanned his surroundings. He had inexplicably found himself in a school, standing on the sports field.
This appeared to be a high school. The students ranged from first to third year, with not much difference in height. Moreover, looking at the teaching buildings, Fang Ming felt a faint sense of familiarity.
On the field, some were playing basketball, others soccer, and some were leisurely strolling.
The object that had hit Fang Ming was a basketball.
Fang Ming casually threw the ball back.
"Clang!" The basketball landed precisely in the hoop.
The students playing basketball were stunned. Fang Ming was standing at least dozens of meters away from the basket he hit. What kind of arm strength and accuracy was required to make such a shot?
A true master!
The students stopped playing and rushed over.
"Brother, brother, which class are you from? You're amazing!" an excited young man asked.
Fang Ming looked at them. There was no resentment within them. In fact, there was no resentment in the entire school!
Could this be a corner of reality?
Fang Ming stroked his chin, his mind filled with surprise.
He had expected to die as soon as he entered, but this was an entirely different situation.
"Where did you take Nannan?" Fang Ming asked sternly.
"Nannan?" The principal in front of him blinked. "What Nannan? Do you know me?"
Fang Ming's heart sank with confusion at this response. He then asked, "After you had my father take Nannan away, where did you hide her?"
The principal shook his head with a wry smile and waved his hands. "Young man, I think you've mistaken me for someone else. I don't know the Nannan you're talking about, let alone your father."
"I've been teaching here my whole life. How could I possibly engage in kidnapping? It's impossible."
"Don't you know about the Divine Son?" Fang Ming inquired.
"No," the principal shrugged. "I'm sure you've got the wrong person. I'm an old man now, how could I have the ability to kidnap the person you're talking about?"
Fang Ming felt a vague suspicion forming in his mind after hearing the principal's words, but he decided to probe further.
"Whoosh!" Fang Ming leaped forward, his body moving rapidly towards the principal, his right fist smashing towards him.
He didn't believe the principal would actually take his punch.
The principal in front of him hadn't expected the young man to suddenly attack. He only saw a blur before his eyes, and then a fist magnified infinitely in his vision!
"Whoosh!"
The fist stopped a millimeter from the principal's nose, the gust of wind ruffling his hair.
"Thump thump thump..." A rapid heartbeat echoed.
The principal hurriedly swallowed.
"You... young man, you... you can't just lash out like this. At worst, I won't recruit you," the principal stammered.
Fang Ming retracted his fist. He was now certain that this person, who looked exactly like the principal, was indeed not "the principal," or at least, not the principal from reality!
"I apologize. It seems I have indeed mistaken you for someone else," Fang Ming said.
The principal, not holding a grudge, calmed himself and smiled. "Your explosiveness and accuracy have astonished me. You definitely have the skills of a top-tier athlete!"
"Why don't you reconsider becoming a sports teacher?" the principal asked expectantly.
The students nearby, seeing some "drama" unfold, quietly gathered around, peeking from a distance.
They had clearly seen Fang Ming's attack just now. He was definitely a martial arts master!
If someone like that became their sports teacher, wouldn't they also be considered disciples of a master?
The students eagerly awaited Fang Ming's reply, especially the boys who had been playing basketball.
Fang Ming hesitated for a moment. Becoming a sports teacher and integrating here seemed like a good option?
At least it would make it much easier for him to act.
"Alright, I accept," Fang Ming nodded.
"Wow!" The surrounding students cheered excitedly.
"Principal, Principal, can you assign the new teacher to our class?" the boys who had been playing basketball shouted from the side.
The principal's face lit up with a smile upon hearing Fang Ming's acceptance. He had actually managed to keep this talent!
Ignoring the boisterous students, the principal said to Fang Ming, "Will you be staying in the dormitory, or will you be living off-campus? If you're staying in the dormitory, I'll have someone help you with the onboarding process and arrange accommodation."
"On-campus," Fang Ming replied.
"Principal, let me take the new teacher. I'm familiar with the academic affairs office!" the young man who had first spoken to Fang Ming stepped forward confidently.
"Ah, Zhang Jun. Alright, you can take... hmm... I haven't asked the teacher's name yet..." The principal was about to instruct Zhang Jun to take Fang Ming to the academic affairs office when he realized he didn't even know the other person's name.
"Fang Ming."
"Oh, Teacher Fang. Zhang Jun, please take Teacher Fang to the academic affairs office to complete the onboarding. I'll inform the director shortly," the principal said with a smile.
"Roger that! Mission guaranteed, sir!" Zhang Jun gave a comical salute and happily approached Fang Ming.
"Teacher Fang, shall we go now?"
"Okay," Fang Ming nodded and followed Zhang Jun.
The principal watched Fang Ming's retreating back with a smile, hands behind his back, humming a little tune as he also left. He hadn't expected to find such a talent for the school during his casual stroll.