Please be my partner.

Zuoqiu Shiyu said, "This place is called the border area."

"You've probably heard of the parallel universe theory. This is a special region where our world intersects with other worlds due to some unexpected factor."

"Parallel universes? Borderlands?" Mellen nodded slightly, then looked at the mist behind the gate and asked, "What were those just now?"

Zuoqiu Shiyu shook her head and said, "I don't know."

"You don't know?" asked Murren, puzzled.

Zuoqiu Shiyu pursed her lips and said, "There are so many unsolved mysteries in the world, how could I possibly know them all?"

After thinking for a moment, Zuoqiu Shiyu added, "You may have heard some similar folk legends, such as the underworld, Ox-Head and Horse-Face, and the Hundred Ghosts and Five Immortals..."

"Perhaps, in our world, these are all fictional legends, but in some other worlds, these are real, fantastical life forms. In the borderlands, nothing is surprising."

"Luckily, this team meant no harm, otherwise, even with you in tow, I don't know if we could have escaped!"

As she finished speaking, Zuoqiu Shiyu's tone became more forceful, and her expression turned fierce.

Unfazed by this threat, which was essentially just a cutesy act, Mellen continued, "According to Xia Tian, ​​what he saw was not like that, but rather paper figures carrying a sedan chair and wooden figures leading the way."

Zuoqiu Shiyu shook her head slightly and said, "Xia Tian did not actually enter the border area. What he saw was just a virtual image of the border area reflected in our world. It is normal for there to be some deviation."

Mellen looked at the flashing instrument on the ground and asked, "What's that?"

Zuoqiu Shiyu said, "This is a space measuring instrument, which is specially used to collect boundary data. It can measure the spatial deviation value and roughly determine the fusion depth and convergence time of the boundary."

Mellen withdrew his gaze and looked at Zuoqiu Shiyu, saying, "One last question: who exactly are you?"

Zuoqiu Shiyu chuckled and said, "Want to know? Then..."

"Beep beep beep!"

Just then, all the indicator lights on the space measuring instrument turned green and emitted a soft sound.

Zuoqiu Shiyu quickly picked up the space measuring device and put it away, then said, "Let's leave here first, we'll talk about it outside."

With that, he grabbed Mellen's arm and ran quickly back the way they came.

This time, Mellen didn't dodge, so he was directly 'carried away'.

A moment later, Mellen and Zuoqiu Shiyu returned along the same route. After passing through a fog, they returned to the main suburban road they had come from.

Mellen took out his phone and glanced at it. There was no signal when they were at the border, but it had been restored.

I glanced at the time and realized that only half an hour had passed.

Seeing Zuoqiu Shiyu turn to leave, Mellen asked, "Zuoqiu, you haven't answered my question yet."

Zuoqiu Shiyu stopped and turned her head slightly, smiling, "I'll be waiting for you at the school gate at eight o'clock tomorrow morning. If you still want to know the truth then, and you're not afraid of your current peaceful life being changed, then come!"

"One last reminder, this is no joke. Once you come, there's no turning back."

After saying that, without waiting for Mellen to react, he quickly disappeared with a few leaps.

With a calm expression, Mellen walked slowly toward the school.

The dormitory lights are turned off at 11 p.m., and it was already close to midnight. Except for a few dorm rooms with laptops that still had a faint light, the entire building was basically dark.

Mellen knocked on the dormitory supervisor's window. The supervisor opened the window with a gloomy expression. When she saw that it was Mellen, she calmed down a little, but still scolded him for several minutes before opening the door for him.

For a dormitory manager, it's impossible to know all the students in the building; only the outstanding and mischievous ones will leave a lasting impression on her.

Mellen is naturally among the outstanding ones. During this period, he was busy with his mentor's tasks and would sometimes come back very late. His mentor had already informed the dormitory manager about this in advance.

Back in 501, I saw that Chi Xiao was still awake, lying in bed watching videos. When she saw Mellen return, she simply greeted her.

"Please ask for leave for me tomorrow," Mellen said. "I need to go out for something."

Chi Xiao casually responded.

Silent all night.

The next morning, Mellen got up at six o'clock and went outside for a short workout.

After last night's trip to the border region, Mellen's physical condition has inexplicably improved, by about 30% in all aspects.

Don't underestimate this 30%. You should know that without the intervention of supernatural elements, it would take years of training for a normal adult to improve their physical fitness by 30%. But Mellen only stayed at the border for half an hour.

Mellen even felt that if he had stayed at the border last night, his physical fitness could have improved even further.

Because the matter was somewhat strange, Mellen did not directly ask Zuoqiu Shiyu.

At eight o'clock in the morning, Mellen stood at the school gate on time.

Zuoqiu Shiyu complained, "You're really 'punctual'!"

"That's one of my good qualities," Mellen laughed.

"Good character?" Zuoqiu Shiyu curled her lip in disdain, recalling Mellen's 'despicable and shameless' behavior last night, and couldn't help but say, "Do you really have such a thing?!"

Mellen waved his hand and said, "You're such a petty person. You always dwell on other people's past mistakes. Can't you be a little more magnanimous?"

Zuoqiu Shiyu's eyes widened, as if she had never seen such a shameless person before.

Mellen changed the subject, saying, "Tell me, who exactly are you?"

Zuoqiu Shiyu snorted and didn't continue arguing. Instead, she took the lead and walked out of the school. Mei Lun didn't ask any more questions and followed closely behind.

At this time, Zuoqiu Shiyu resumed her usual rustic attire, and Mei Lun was not a school celebrity. In addition, there were few people in the morning, so no one paid any attention to them.

More than ten minutes later, the two arrived at a black car. Zuoqiu Shiyu gestured with her lips, indicating that he should sit on the other side. The two sat in the back seat, one on each side.

Zuoqiu Shiyu said, "Uncle Zhong, let's drive."

The driver, Uncle Zhong, was a burly man wearing a black suit and sunglasses. Even in formal attire, he still exuded a fierce aura.

Although he was wearing sunglasses, Mellen could sense that Uncle Zhong was observing him through the rearview mirror from time to time, and with a scrutinizing gaze.

About forty minutes later, the car stopped in front of a quaint courtyard building.

Looking at the plaque above the courtyard gate, Mellen read aloud, "Pond?"

At Zuoqiu Shiyu's invitation, Mei Lun entered the pond and immediately saw two rows of bamboo. These bamboos were green with a hint of purple, probably some rare species.

Beyond the bamboo grove lies a spacious front yard, where many training tools are placed.

An elderly man with white hair, long eyebrows, and a long beard was lazily lying in a rocking chair, basking in the sun.

Hearing the noise, the old man squinted and looked over. When he saw Zuoqiu Shiyu, a kind smile appeared on his face, and he said, "My precious granddaughter has arrived."

Upon seeing Mellen, the old man's eyes widened slightly, his kind expression vanishing, replaced by an imposing aura.

Mellen felt a blur before his eyes, and the old man went from lying down to standing up. In the next instant, he covered a distance of more than ten meters and stood in front of him. Moreover, his upper body was leaning over, and he stared at him fiercely with one eye.

Mellen blinked and leaned back slightly. He wasn't frightened. After all, although the old man looked fierce, he didn't feel any malice. It was just that the old man was too close, which made Mellen a little uncomfortable.

Seeing Mellen's reaction, the old man seemed satisfied and nodded, saying, "So it was you who bullied my granddaughter?!"

It was only then that Mellen truly saw that the old man was unexpectedly tall, about 2.2 meters, and through his loose shirt, one could clearly see his solid muscles, which looked as if they were cast in steel. The old man exuded a powerful sense of oppression at all times.

Mellen chuckled and said, "Old man, how can that be called bullying? It's just that I went astray and received some help and care from classmate Zuoqiu."

"Hahahahahahaha...!"

The old man laughed loudly, and Mellen felt as if he had been hit by a physical attack. His head was buzzing, and even the bamboo forest behind him rustled.

The old man slapped Mellen on the shoulder and said, "Good lad, you've got guts."

Mellen grinned, half of his body was numb, and after a while he regained consciousness, he felt like his body was about to fall apart.

"Grandpa!~"

Zuoqiu Shiyu's dissatisfied voice came, which made the old man click his tongue and say, "It's nothing, it was just a joke with the child."

The old man sat back down in his recliner and chuckled, "You little rascal, want to explore the new world?"

Mellen rubbed his shoulder and nodded in agreement.

The old man looked Mellen up and down a few times and said, "Alright! For Shiyu's sake, I'll arrange a position for you."

"Xiao Zhong, take this kid to Tenglong Group to report for duty later and let him intern in the logistics department."

"Kid, you're still in college, so you can come here for an internship one day a week. After you graduate, I can promote you to supervisor. If you perform well, it won't be difficult for you to become a manager in Tenglong Group before you turn thirty."

Zuoqiu Shiyu's eyes flickered, as if she wanted to say something but ultimately remained silent.

Driver Uncle Zhong nodded respectfully, then said to Mellen, "Mr. Mellen, please come with me."

Mellen remained unmoved, looking at the old man calmly and saying, "Sir, you should know that this is not what I want."

The old man asked unhurriedly, "Oh? What do you want?"

"The power you just displayed, and the truth of the world," Mellen said earnestly.

The old man smiled but said nothing.

Uncle Zhong glanced at the old man, then said to Mr. Mellen again, "Mr. Mellen, we should go now."

As he spoke, a hand reached out to grab Mellen.

This grab may seem simple and unadorned, but it's difficult for even a martial arts master to dodge, let alone an ordinary person.

Just as Uncle Zhong's hand was about to touch Mellen's shoulder, Mellen suddenly turned his head. His eyes were clearly unremarkable, but for some reason, Uncle Zhong seemed to be stunned and stopped moving.

"Mr. Zhong," said Mellen, "my conversation with this old gentleman is not over yet."

Upon seeing this, a strange light flashed in the old man's eyes as he carefully examined Mellen once more.

After a moment, the old man said, "Young man, do you want to cultivate martial arts?"

Mellen nodded in agreement.

The old man shook his head slightly and said, "You are too old. Any school of martial arts requires building a foundation from childhood. You are nearly twenty years old now, and your foundation is already established. You have no future in martial arts. Rather than wasting your years, you might as well give up this unrealistic fantasy."

Unmoved, Murren said, "Perhaps a miracle will happen to me."

"Hahahaha!" The old man seemed amused and burst into laughter: "Your arrogant and conceited nature really does have some of my own youthful flair!"

After laughing for a while, the old man suddenly sighed, "It's been a long time since I've had steamed rice in bamboo tubes. If I could have a hot meal like this before noon, my mood would improve, and when I'm in a good mood, everything goes smoothly."

After saying this, the old man closed his eyes on the recliner.

Mellen looked thoughtful, then turned around and saw the pale purple bamboo forest, and a heavy black axe stuck in a wooden stake next to the bamboo forest.

Chapter 627 Perseverance and Limits

Understanding the old man's meaning, Mellen did not hesitate and walked towards the wooden stake.

Zuoqiu Shiyu's expression changed. She understood that this was a test that her grandfather had given to Meilun, but she was also more aware of the difficulty involved.

Needless to say, those purple bamboos were rare varieties brought back from the border region. Although they no longer possessed any of their mystical properties, their sturdiness was comparable to that of gold and iron, and their toughness was extremely high.

More importantly, the best tool for cutting down these purple bamboos is not a knife or axe, but a saw.

It's important to understand that there's a limit to how much you can chop with a knife or axe. If you can't chop the same spot every time you strike something as sturdy as purple bamboo, then you're just wasting your time.

Since Mellen had no martial arts training, let alone physical strength, the mere fact that his hands trembled from the swelling and pain after a dozen or so axe strikes was enough to prevent him from accurately hitting his target.

Therefore, this is simply an impossible test.

It was precisely because Zuoqiu Shiyu understood this that she became even more furious.

The border area is not a place that just anyone can enter. Without having practiced martial arts, only those with strong innate spirits can enter.

Adding to Mellen's performance last night, Zuoqiu Shiyu is certain that Mellen is no ordinary person, but possesses extraordinary talent.

So, Zuoqiu Shiyu reported the matter concerning Mei Lun to her grandfather last night.

Zuoqiu Shiyu originally thought that her grandfather would just go through the motions and then take Mellen under his wing, but she didn't expect this to happen.

Seeing that her grandfather had closed his eyes for a nap and showed no sign of changing his mind, Zuoqiu Shiyu stomped her foot in frustration, snorted heavily, and went to Mellen, who was warming up, and said, "Mellen, give up. These bamboos are special. You can't possibly cut them down."

Mellen didn't stop what he was doing, but laughed and said, "How will you know if you don't try?"

Zuoqiu Shiyu sighed and said, "Why don't you believe me? When I had achieved some success in martial arts, I tried to cut these bamboos. I failed the first few times, and only succeeded on the fifth try. At that time, my strength was far superior to that of ordinary people. So, cutting bamboo is not as simple as you think."

After warming up, Mellen picked up the black iron axe and weighed it in his hand, discovering that it weighed more than ten kilograms.

It should be noted that a normal axe usually weighs less than five pounds, and anything over five pounds is considered a large axe. The one that Mellen is holding is clearly not for a normal person.

Mellen lightly swung the axe a few times in the air, not rushing to chop the bamboo. Instead, he put the axe down and wandered around the area. Sure enough, he quickly found several more axes, but each one was heavier than the last, with the first one being the lightest.

After testing the feel of each axe and determining their sharpness, Mellen finally picked up the first one, thus completing all the preparations.

Seeing how focused and serious Mellen was as she completed the series of actions, Zuoqiu Shiyu couldn't bring herself to offer any words of comfort and could only watch quietly from the side.