Chapter 1 A Surname of Gong?

The Duke of Duanyang's heart sank. He thought that things in this world were always like this – what you feared would come to pass... The visitor was probably from the Gong family. But why travel all the way to North Continent without even giving a heads-up?

This was terrible.

The Duke of Duanyang quickly instructed the servants to treat the guest well, find a place for them to settle down temporarily, and that he would be there shortly.

The Duke closed the door and took a deep breath.

"The Gong family... has sent someone!"

He turned to Lin Sheng and asked coldly, "Are you going to keep kneeling there? At least come with your father to receive the guest, wouldn't you?"

There was no response.

The Duke of Duanyang sighed softly.

He came back to his daughter and said, "Tell me... who exactly is the man you've taken a liking to?"

Lin Sheng said softly, "He's just a nobody. You definitely haven't heard of him."

The word "also" was used in an intriguing way.

Because Meng Xizhou of the Meng family had fallen in love with a nobody.

Meng Xizhou was exceptionally talented and her cultivation talent could be described as monstrous. She even had the opportunity to join the disciples of the Divine Seat in Light City. Such a woman, carrying the hopes of the entire Meng family, wanted to break off her engagement, which shook the entire West Continent.

The Duke of Duanyang, Lin Yu, looked at his daughter with a complex expression.

Clearly, his silly daughter saw herself as "Meng Xizhou." No matter how you looked at it, she was far from Meng Xizhou... and of course, he couldn't compare to the Meng family.

The title of Duke of Duanyang had been bestowed for a hundred years. His ancestors for three generations had been deeply favored by His Majesty the Emperor of North Continent. But even so, they had paid unimaginable efforts and made great contributions to achieve the peaceful life they enjoyed today.

When Lin Yu was young, he had been stationed on the front lines of the fortress for nearly ten years. He was responsible for guarding the Gubu Fortress, the arch point of the right wing, an extremely treacherous snow-sealed city, and the most important giant wall defense line in the northern part of the human world.

In Gubu, he met Gong Qing, the equally young head of the Gong family.

Extraordinary individuals from the Five Continents considered it an honor to arrive in North Continent to carry out missions... At that time, [Deep Sea] had not yet been created, and many extraordinary individuals would come to the fortress to apply to join the legions.

Lin Yu became close friends with that Gong kid. At that time, neither of them knew that one was a descendant of the Gong family and the other was the son of the Duke of Duanyang, and that the two families already had a century-long friendship. Perhaps it was destiny. By the end of their first year stationed at Gubu, the two "unknown" young men had become famous figures. When they chose to continue their stay, they discovered each other's true identities.

Later, North Continent ushered in its most turbulent war years in nearly fifty years. Lin Yu blocked a fatal, logically enhanced bullet for Gong Qing, while Gong Qing carried Lin Yu across dozens of miles of battlefield with his source energy armor shattered. Both young men thought they were doomed. Lin Yu laughed and cursed as his dying wish that his family only had one heir and that if he kicked the bucket, no one would inherit the title. He regretted enlisting too early and not having a son.

Gong Qing said, "Live, and you can have one."

Lin Yu cursed again, "It's a pity that even if I have a son, he won't be able to steal the Gong family's cabbage."

Gong Qing said, "Live, and he can steal it."

Then... the childhood betrothal was settled.

And then, the two of them really lived on.

Amidst the whizzing bullets, the war in North Continent came to an end. Her Majesty the Queen quelled the flames of war and brought about the final peace.

Gong Qing and Lin Yu also welcomed the final farewell after their stationing period was over.

The fate of life is full of gatherings and separations.

At that time, the two young men thought that even if they parted, there would be plenty of opportunities to get together.

However... many things can only be guessed at the beginning, but not at the end.

From that day on, the two families continued to interact, but the two men rarely met.

Years later, Lin Yu and Gong Qing were no longer young. They were both drunk when they discovered that the childhood betrothal had taken an unexpected turn: Lin Yu had a beautiful daughter, while the Gong family had a big, fat son.

Lin Yu slammed the table in anger.

But in reality... they both smiled happily during the final toast.

They both remembered the desperate scene of lying in the snow, close to death. Being able to survive was the greatest luck.

Lin Yu's first half of his life was very lucky.

And now.

He was old, retired from the front lines. Her Majesty the Queen gave him the greatest consideration and respect, allowing him to live out his days in the manor. In the final turbulent war, there were too few lucky ones, and there were only a handful of people in the entire North Continent who were granted the title of "Grand Duke," so few that you could count them on one hand.

Lin Yu had no other desires now.

He only hoped that his daughter could live happily.

...

...

Gong Zi was brought to a side hall of the Duanyang Manor.

He wasn't in a hurry.

He hadn't given prior notice of his visit, nor had he revealed his identity directly, only stating his surname. It was reasonable to be brought to a side hall... No matter what, just because of the surname "Gong," the Grand Duke would meet with him. And at that time, he could bring up the matter of breaking off the engagement.

Gong Zi took a sip of tea.

He looked calm and composed, but in reality... he was quite nervous inside.

As far as Gong Zi knew, the Duke of Duanyang and his father were sworn brothers.

They had saved each other's lives several times on the battlefield.

This marriage was the link connecting the Gong family and the Duanyang title.

Now he was suddenly visiting, making it clear that he wanted to break off the engagement. Perhaps the Duke of Duanyang would misunderstand. Gong Zi silently wondered how to explain it without harming the relationship between the two families.

And... without hurting the heart of that Lin family girl.

If he remembered correctly, he had come to North Continent as a guest in his early years and had played with Lin Sheng. The memory of that girl's face was already a bit blurry.

Later, Gong Zi didn't have time to come to North Continent again.

The connection between the two families... became less and less.

He rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache.

In any case... when the news of the broken engagement reached East Continent, his father would definitely be furious.

After waiting for a while.

Gong Zi finally saw the Duke of Duanyang, a middle-aged man in luxurious clothes, hurrying over from the distant side hall with his daughter.

Both Gong Zi and the Duke of Duanyang were taken aback when they saw each other.

"Gong Zi?"

The Duke of Duanyang never expected that the one who had come to visit was not a messenger from the Gong family.

But Gong Zi himself!

Gong Zi was taken aback because... he saw tears streaming down the Lin family girl's face. She had obviously just been crying.

"Uncle Lin."

Gong Zi quickly got up to greet him and bowed.

"No need to be so polite..."

Lin Yu's expression was a bit complex. It was truly unexpected... All the words he had prepared in his heart were suddenly useless after seeing the visitor.

He had been waiting in the hall earlier.

He had planned that... if the Gong family visitor didn't mention the engagement, he wouldn't mention it either, and would let the matter be put on hold temporarily. After he finished dealing with it, he would find a good opportunity to contact Gong Qing and carefully broach the subject.

But.

Gong Zi was no ordinary person.

It was almost certain... that he had come to North Continent for the sake of the "engagement."

The two sides drank tea in the side hall.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, anyone listening in the side hall would have noticed that both sides were preoccupied and absent-minded.

Finally... Gong Zi couldn't hold back any longer.

After offering tea several times, he straightened his body and carefully said, "Uncle Lin... I've taken the liberty of visiting this time for the sake of the 'engagement.'"

Lin Yu sighed in his heart.

As expected.

What was coming would eventually come.

He put on a posture of listening attentively.

In the next moment.

Gong Zi took a deep breath, mustered his courage, and said in a low voice, "I came to North Continent... to break off the engagement..."

Lin Sheng, who had been silent with her head lowered, suddenly looked up.

Her eyes widened in surprise and shock as she looked at Gong Zi.

The Duke of Duanyang was also stunned.

"I apologize for my presumptuousness and rudeness. This visit is also my own intention."

Once Gong Zi started speaking, his expression became serious. He no longer hesitated and said everything he had been holding back. He solemnly said, "It's not that I look down on the title of Duanyang, nor that I look down on Miss Lin Sheng..."

The words that followed were no longer so important in the Duke of Duanyang's mind.

It was roughly that.

This broken engagement was his own doing. He already had someone he loved, and he hoped that the Grand Duke could fulfill his wish.

In addition.

He hoped that the relationship between the Gong family and Duanyang would not be severed... He would take responsibility for this broken engagement alone and not let it ruin the friendship of their fathers.

Hearing this, Lin Sheng could no longer hold back, and the tears that had been swirling in her eyes streamed down.

She had knelt in the hall for a long time earlier, and her father hadn't relented, but it was clear that he was already softening.

However, the visitor from the Gong family was Gong Zi himself.

When she saw Gong Zi, she had already given up hope of a legitimate broken engagement and was preparing to consider how to elope with her beloved.

But unexpectedly... there was a turn for the better.

The Lin family girl's tears startled Gong Zi.

He quickly stopped and said with some shame, "Miss Lin Sheng... what's wrong..."

Was he hurting this woman's heart by breaking off the engagement?

"She's fine."

The Duke of Duanyang's voice slowly rang out.

Lin Yu rubbed his temples. His gloomy expression slowly relaxed at this moment, but his face looked as if he had aged several years.

"Gong Zi... I understand your intentions."

Lin Yu was silent for a long time.

He said softly, "Thank you for a young man, traveling thousands of miles, to come to North Continent to find me... If this matter is reported back to Changye, your father will definitely be furious. If I remember correctly, you won the Seed of Fire last year and have already become the future heir of the Gong family, right?"

If this matter was reported back to Changye.

The position of the Gong family head would probably be subject to many shocks.

Gong Zi was slightly stunned.

"Well then... I'll be the one to speak about the broken engagement."

The Duke of Duanyang looked at his daughter, sighed softly, and slowly said, "I will make it clear with Gong Qing, so as to spare you from unwarranted suffering."

Now that things had been said to this point, how could Gong Zi not understand?

He wasn't the only one who wanted to break off the engagement.

The Duanyang Lin family also wanted to dissolve the engagement... The tears that Miss Lin Sheng was shedding at this moment were probably not a single drop for him.

The big stone that had been hanging in Gong Zi's heart finally fell to the ground.

The scene in the side hall was a bit awkward at this moment.

Lin Sheng kept crying.

He wanted to laugh, but he didn't dare to laugh out loud.

His luck seemed to be good?

The most worrying thing about going to North Continent had been resolved!

...

...

"Brother Gong?"

Gu Shen looked at the image that appeared on the communicator.

"It's me."

A year had passed.

Gong Zi's face was slightly more weathered. A day ago, he was still a disheveled mess, but because of his visit to break off the engagement, he had shaved his beard and carefully groomed his face. He still looked as handsome as ever, and there wasn't much change compared to when he left Changye.

"Why are you contacting me?"

Gu Shen was a little surprised.

Gong Zi hadn't told a second person about the matter of breaking off the engagement in Duanyang when he went north... And if he wanted to visit, he naturally had to avoid the Gong family's gaze and find a good opportunity. Without a doubt, Gong Zi shouldn't use the Deepwater Zone network before returning to East Continent.

"Guess..."

Gong Zi tried to hide his smile, but the slight upward movement of his eyebrows didn't escape Gu Shen's attention.

Gu Shen chuckled and said, "Congratulations on successfully breaking off the engagement."

"It's so boring to talk to someone like you."

Gong Zi smacked his lips and asked, "This shouldn't be something you divined with divination, right?"

"Where would I need to use divination for something like this?"

Gu Shen smiled and asked, "I think you probably haven't been eating and drinking well in North Continent, living a life of luxury... If it wasn't for a visit to break off the engagement, you wouldn't be dressed so carefully like you are now."

Gong Zi touched his face and said helplessly, "Okay, is being handsome a sin?"

After saying that.

He lowered his voice, "Actually, this broken engagement was a little too smooth."

He hadn't recovered from it when he said these words.

Gu Shen glanced at the background of the image that appeared on the communicator.

He reminded him, "You should still be in Duanyang Manor, right? Be careful when you speak."

"It's okay."

Gong Zi smiled, "The Duke of Duanyang is letting me stay for the night, and tomorrow I'll set off and head back to East Continent..."

The two families had a deep friendship, but unfortunately, they were too far apart.

Gong Zi had finally made a trip.

The Duke of Duanyang would definitely want to keep him for the night and at least treat him well.

Leaving aside the marriage contract, this was also the young man he admired most.

"The Duke of Duanyang's daughter also wanted to break off the engagement." Gong Zi sighed and said, "If I hadn't visited this time, this matter would probably have become very complicated..."

It was quite a coincidence!

Gong Zi's visit this time expressed his intentions.

By chance, he clarified the situation, so at least the two families wouldn't have any misunderstandings because of it.

This marriage was initiated because of the friendship between the fathers of the two families.

It was also broken because the two descendants had their own wishes.

It was the best ending for the Duke of Duanyang to personally speak out.

"That's a happy thing."

Gu Shen was sincerely happy for Gong Zi. He smiled and said, "Do you need me to tell Miss Muya?"

"No need!"

Gong Zi was in high spirits and said, "I'll give her a surprise when I set off to return to East Continent!"

It was clear that Gong Zi was in a great mood now.

"Then I'll wait for you to come back to Changye."

Gu Shen smiled and shook his head, watching the other party hang up the communication.

He had meditated quietly in the Spring Rain Temple for a day.

And waited for Gong Zi's message.

Could this be considered a good omen?

Before Gu Shen could think too much, there was a knock on the door outside the Spring Rain Temple.

Luo Yu's expression was solemn. He pushed the door open, sat down opposite Gu Shen, and drank a large mouthful of tea.

"Bad news."

Fatty Luo looked at Gu Shen, "Xu Yan... passed the assessment."

...

...

"New S-Class - Xu Yan!"

"The most talented dream interpreter in the history of Changye."

"No - the most talented mental-type transcendent."

Posts like these were constantly refreshing in the Snow Forbidden City Deepwater Zone forum, like snowflakes. Today, the Judgment Hall Dojo opened the permissions for onlookers, so that everyone could observe Xu Yan's passage through the S-Class assessment.

A large number of transcendents poured in, filling all the seats.

It was comparable to the finals of the Newcomer Battle last year.

And many people could only wait outside the dojo.

So after the complete video of Xu Yan's comprehension was uploaded, it immediately attracted a large number of clicks.

The mental-type geniuses in Snow Forbidden City all issued exclamations...

Xu Yan created a new record!

He only used an hour and a half to unlock the three Nightmare-level sealed items of the assessment team. This was an even faster speed than Gu Shen's record. After completing the three dream interpretations, Xu Yan applied to view the "Awakening of Insects Scroll" inside the Judgment Hall.

As the first scroll of the Breath of Spring.

This was originally a secret scroll that should not be taken out and given to people to comprehend at will.

But... Xu Yan's teacher was named Zhu Wang.

Zhu Wang used the privilege of "Grand Judge" to take out the Awakening of Insects Scroll, so Xu Yan began his second performance in front of everyone in Snow Forbidden City. He used fifty minutes to complete the comprehension of the Awakening of Insects Scroll!

Before that, the fastest comprehension record was one hour and forty-five minutes!

Comprehending the Awakening of Insects Scroll in two hours... In a sense, he already possessed the potential of "S-Class", and the comprehension record of fifty minutes was simply unheard of.

This news was even more shocking than the previous continuous comprehension of three Nightmare sealed items!

Xu Yan's name successfully shook the entire Changye.

It also successfully aroused people's attention to another name that had been gone for a long time.

That name... was Gu Shen.

"Everyone remembers how your 'S-Class' came about." Luo Yu's expression was a little annoyed. He said angrily, "Because of Xu Yan's appearance, many people now think you are an 'unworthy' S-Class."

It was normal to have this idea.

The challenges that Xu Yan had done were too targeted.

This was targeting Gu Shen. He did almost everything that Gu Shen had done... This was walking the path that Gu Shen had walked!

As long as he walked faster than Gu Shen!

People would only remember Xu Yan's name!

"I contacted my friends in the Security Council as soon as possible, but unfortunately... Du Wei told me that Xu Yan's mental state was very normal and extremely stable."

While saying these words, Luo Yu heavily punched the table.

He hoped so much that this Xu Yan was like Zhu Wang's previous disciple, Lian Zhou, a "pseudo-genius" who used illegal privileges to break through!

Unfortunately...

The power that Xu Yan showed was real.

Gu Shen smiled helplessly and shook his head.

He was just about to say something.

"Little Gu, you don't have to comfort me. I just don't like this Xu Yan. No matter how I look at him, I get angry..."

Luo Yu said sullenly, "Xu Yan is really annoying!"