Volume One, Chapter One Ethan Bennett

On a clear summer evening, the sky was filled with stars.

Ethan Bennett lay flat on the roof of the small house, gazing up at the sky. The night breeze gently brushed past, his soft black hair scattered across his face. A shooting star streaked across the sky, but under such a brilliant night, its fleeting glow seemed insignificant. Ethan Bennett smiled slightly, rolled over, and tumbled down from the roof.

This was an old-style bungalow, but the eaves were at least three meters above the ground. Ethan Bennett rolled off sideways, but landed steadily on both feet without making a sound. It was already late at night, and disturbing the neighbors would not be good. In fact, by now, no one else lived in this area except for Ethan Bennett. It was just a habit he had developed over the years.

When he went back inside and came out again, Ethan Bennett was carrying a small suitcase, containing the few clothes he owned. He was going to take the midnight train to City A, where the university he had been admitted to was located. This time, he might never return.

He had lived in this little house with his father for nine years.

The memories of those nine years were vivid.

When he was five, his father began teaching him the "Star-Killing Technique." At the time, he patted Ethan Bennett's young shoulder and said, "Son, I don't ask you to do anything with the 'Star-Killing Technique.' Just remember, when you grow up to be as old as your dad, find a good kid like you, and teach him the 'Star-Killing Technique' just like I taught you."

Ethan Bennett blinked and asked, "Does it have to be my son?"

His father smiled and said, "As long as he's a good kid like you, it doesn't matter who it is."

Ethan Bennett nodded, half understanding.

Time slipped by, and three years passed in a flash. When he was eight, his father said he had taught Ethan Bennett everything he could about the "Star-Killing Technique." That day, he patted Ethan Bennett's shoulder again and said, "What you've learned now is just the method of practicing the 'Star-Killing Technique.' You can't say you've mastered it yet. How it goes from here depends on you. But you mustn't forget the promise you made with Dad when you were five."

Ethan Bennett nodded hard; by then, his shoulders were already a bit sturdier.

Ethan Bennett didn't know what his father did for a living, only that sometimes his father had to go out even in the middle of the night.

And after that day when he turned eight, his father seemed to get busier and busier, going out more often and for longer periods. Until one day, he never came back. That year, Ethan Bennett had just turned nine.

He didn't turn to anyone for help, because he didn't know if he had any relatives. But even at a young age, he had already learned to take care of himself. It seemed his father had been consciously training him to live independently from an early age.

And for the day he would no longer be there, his father seemed to have made arrangements long ago. The money he left in the bank card lasted Ethan Bennett until today, with some still left.

These nine years were the years in which Ethan Bennett grew up and matured, gradually understanding many things he hadn't before.

In fact, his father was not his biological father; he was an abandoned baby adopted by his father. No wonder he never had a mother growing up. Whenever he asked about it, his father would always smile and not answer, or brush it off.

As he continued to practice the "Star-Killing Technique," he gradually came to understand what it really was.

The "Star-Killing Technique" was a martial art.

He just didn't understand what "Star-Killing" actually meant.

As his skill in the "Star-Killing Technique" improved, Ethan Bennett gradually discovered that there were many unusual people around him.

Walking through the streets and alleys, there were often people who paid special attention to him, and he could suddenly sense their presence.

Ethan Bennett gradually realized that these people, like him, had practiced something similar, though he didn't know if it was also the "Star-Killing Technique." He had never asked, because his father had warned him: never mention the "Star-Killing Technique" to anyone.

Besides the "Star-Killing Technique," his father had also constantly emphasized another thing over those nine years: character.

From as early as he could remember, his father tirelessly told him: character is the most important thing in a person.

He had once asked his father in return: so what exactly is character?

His father seemed to have said a lot in explanation.

But this principle was challenged when Ethan Bennett was very young. When he started school, the teacher's attitude once made him think that grades were the most important thing. But when he asked his father, his father firmly told him: compared to character, grades are nothing at all.