The tournament qualifiers had ended and Xiang Ning hadn’t even broken a sweat. His team members all went home to bid their parents farewell. They were to gather at the Eastern District Train Station at five in the afternoon, so there were four hours for preparation and family time.
Xiang Ning needed to pack his things, throwing stuff into the dimensional ring he had brought from the Chaos. Then he waited along with many parents outside the school for his sister to finish her exam.
He felt emotional as he looked at the quiet school compound. It had been seven or eight years since the year he’d brought his sister out of the orphanage with him.
When Xiang Ning was in primary school, many people wondered why his grades were so good, because his classmates knew that he was always the first person to hand in his paper during exams. Since there was a rule that students could only hand in their paper thirty minutes before the end of the exam, Xiang Ning would wait until it was time, then immediately hand it in.
Yet he always remained at the school gates after he left.
Initially, no one had known why, but he didn’t keep it a secret on purpose; it was only a matter of time before someone figured it out. Coincidentally, one day, there was a boy who had given up on the exam after doing all the questions he could. Since there was no point in staying, he handed his in at the same time as Xiang Ning. Since he was bored and recalled how Xiang Ning always handed his exams in early, he decided to wait with him at the school gate to figure out what he was waiting for.
The school bell rang, signaling the end of the exam. Students poured out of the halls, each with a smile on their face, but Xiang Ning seemed to be looking for something.
That instant, the boy understood why. It was a simple reason: Xiang Ning was waiting for his little sister! And just like that, it had become his habit over many years.
Just like right now, the bell rang and students poured out of the building either with smiles or frowns on their faces.
Xiang Ning quickly found his sister. He wasn’t the tallest among the students there, but was still considered tall. Xiang Xiaoyu also spotted him waving at her and cheerfully ran up to him. Chen Zixin and another boy were with her.
“Hi, Senior Xiang Ning!” Chen Zixin smiled sweetly, then introduced the boy. “His name is Liang Yuanhao, he’s my cousin and another huge fan of yours!”
“N-nice to meet you, S-senior Xiang Ning! I’m Liang Yuanhao!” yelled the boy. He looked very stiff.
Xiang Ning recognized him as the boy who had sat with Chen Zixin at the concert. “Nice to meet you.” He grinned and extended a hand, which the boy gripped and enthusiastically shook.
“I… I really want to be like you when I grow up, c-can I have your autograph?!” yelled the boy.
Xiang Ning scratched his head, then signed Liang Yuanhao’s shirt as the boy excitedly watched.
The boy was obviously overjoyed.
The four of them made some small talk, then bade each other farewell. Xiang Ning brought his sister to the gates of the upper secondary area. Lei Zhongyuan was already there.
“Wow, the pretty little girl’s here, too! Looking good!” Lei Zhongyuan loved Xiang Xiaoyu very much. One, because she was cute, and two, because it was by proxy of loving Xiang Ning.
“Hello, Uncle Lei,” she sweetly greeted him. “Please take good care of us during this trip!”
“Hahaha! Alright, alright!” Lei Zhongyuan ushered them into the car to Xiang Ning’s resentment. Why hadn’t Instructor Lei always been this friendly? He was such a great conversationalist on the way there, completely different from the stone-faced instructor he knew.
Very soon, the three of them arrived at the train station. Fang Rou and the rest were already there.
Wu Rui and Li Zimo had their arms over each other’s shoulders. Ever since Wu Rui had resolved the knot in the depths of his heart, he had opened up much more, becoming a completely different person. He used to be a serious boy that only focused on cultivation. But now he was a cheerful and friendly person, even teaching many fellow students in Hanwu Academy during the past few days.
He had changed as a person overnight, winning the respect of many of the students, and was greatly admired by those of Hanwu Academy just as Xiang Ning was at Qiling Academy.
“Your sister’s coming along, too?” Fang Rou grinned and held the shy girl’s hand.
Xiang Ning smiled when he saw her reaction. “Yeah, we’ve never been out of Marsh City before. This is a rare opportunity, so I wanted to show her the world outside.”
Everyone nodded. Xiang Ning was still Xiang Ning, after all, he cared more about his sister than himself.
“The two of you seem to get along well,” Xiang Ning joked when he came up to Li Zimo and Wu Rui.
Li Zimo laughed heartily. “When we leave Marsh City, we’re on the same team. Our goal is to get to North Star City, and we’ve also made a pact. Whoever gets eliminated first has to give away a tier four martial skill!”
Xiang Ning’s heart ached at the wager. They were definitely rich kids, alright. Li Zimo had a military background, while Wu Rui had a martial background. They each had their own family’s inherited martial skills; a common tier four martial skill was nothing to them.
“Alright, we’re leaving soon. We can talk in the car,” Lei Zhongyuan said after exchanging a few words with Hanwu Academy’s instructor.
The groups entered the train carriage. It wasn’t a very long train, and could only fit two hundred people. Since they had to cross a patch of wilderness, shorter trains were safer, despite the smart shields equipped on the tracks that repelled common beasts. However, there were always exceptions, so caution was always recommended. The trains traveled at very high speeds; if there was a collision, even Lei Zhongyuan might not survive the crash.
Along the way, the wilderness still retained traces of human civilization. There were tall buildings enveloped in lush greenery, and at the top of a tower, there was a gigantic gorilla beast looking in their direction, which made Xiang Ning slightly nervous.
Xiang Xiaoyu, on the other hand, was excited. Other than the videos on the internet and TV, she had never seen the world outside. This was her first time. “Hey? Isn’t that a fearsome beast?” She pointed at the tracks a distance away, which was a section they would pass through soon.
Xiang Ning’s chest tightened, his expression turning solemn. When he was about to stand up, Lei Zhongyuan stopped him from behind.
“Calm down. Wait and you’ll see,” he said with a smile.
The beast was obviously curious about the train and wanted to take a better look. However, when it came near the tracks, a faint blue membrane appeared in the space between it and the rails. The beast didn’t seem to care.
When the train passed, the beast pounced to stop it, but when it touched the blue membrane, electricity zapped it. It only lasted two seconds, but the tier three beast was already dead.
Xiang Ning looked at Lei Zhongyuan, who waved and remarked, “Don’t underestimate it. This defensive mechanism can hold off more than ten rounds launched from rail cannons. It’s used on the front line fortresses, but only activated at the last second.”
The tournament qualifiers had ended and Xiang Ning hadn’t even broken a sweat. His team members all went home to bid their parents farewell. They were to gather at the Eastern District Train Station at five in the afternoon, so there were four hours for preparation and family time.
Xiang Ning needed to pack his things, throwing stuff into the dimensional ring he had brought from the Chaos. Then he waited along with many parents outside the school for his sister to finish her exam.
He felt emotional as he looked at the quiet school compound. It had been seven or eight years since the year he’d brought his sister out of the orphanage with him.
When Xiang Ning was in primary school, many people wondered why his grades were so good, because his classmates knew that he was always the first person to hand in his paper during exams. Since there was a rule that students could only hand in their paper thirty minutes before the end of the exam, Xiang Ning would wait until it was time, then immediately hand it in.
Yet he always remained at the school gates after he left.
Initially, no one had known why, but he didn’t keep it a secret on purpose; it was only a matter of time before someone figured it out. Coincidentally, one day, there was a boy who had given up on the exam after doing all the questions he could. Since there was no point in staying, he handed his in at the same time as Xiang Ning. Since he was bored and recalled how Xiang Ning always handed his exams in early, he decided to wait with him at the school gate to figure out what he was waiting for.
The school bell rang, signaling the end of the exam. Students poured out of the halls, each with a smile on their face, but Xiang Ning seemed to be looking for something.
That instant, the boy understood why. It was a simple reason: Xiang Ning was waiting for his little sister! And just like that, it had become his habit over many years.
Just like right now, the bell rang and students poured out of the building either with smiles or frowns on their faces.
Xiang Ning quickly found his sister. He wasn’t the tallest among the students there, but was still considered tall. Xiang Xiaoyu also spotted him waving at her and cheerfully ran up to him. Chen Zixin and another boy were with her.
“Hi, Senior Xiang Ning!” Chen Zixin smiled sweetly, then introduced the boy. “His name is Liang Yuanhao, he’s my cousin and another huge fan of yours!”
“N-nice to meet you, S-senior Xiang Ning! I’m Liang Yuanhao!” yelled the boy. He looked very stiff.
Xiang Ning recognized him as the boy who had sat with Chen Zixin at the concert. “Nice to meet you.” He grinned and extended a hand, which the boy gripped and enthusiastically shook.
“I… I really want to be like you when I grow up, c-can I have your autograph?!” yelled the boy.
Xiang Ning scratched his head, then signed Liang Yuanhao’s shirt as the boy excitedly watched.
The boy was obviously overjoyed.
The four of them made some small talk, then bade each other farewell. Xiang Ning brought his sister to the gates of the upper secondary area. Lei Zhongyuan was already there.
“Wow, the pretty little girl’s here, too! Looking good!” Lei Zhongyuan loved Xiang Xiaoyu very much. One, because she was cute, and two, because it was by proxy of loving Xiang Ning.
“Hello, Uncle Lei,” she sweetly greeted him. “Please take good care of us during this trip!”
“Hahaha! Alright, alright!” Lei Zhongyuan ushered them into the car to Xiang Ning’s resentment. Why hadn’t Instructor Lei always been this friendly? He was such a great conversationalist on the way there, completely different from the stone-faced instructor he knew.
Very soon, the three of them arrived at the train station. Fang Rou and the rest were already there.
Wu Rui and Li Zimo had their arms over each other’s shoulders. Ever since Wu Rui had resolved the knot in the depths of his heart, he had opened up much more, becoming a completely different person. He used to be a serious boy that only focused on cultivation. But now he was a cheerful and friendly person, even teaching many fellow students in Hanwu Academy during the past few days.
He had changed as a person overnight, winning the respect of many of the students, and was greatly admired by those of Hanwu Academy just as Xiang Ning was at Qiling Academy.
“Your sister’s coming along, too?” Fang Rou grinned and held the shy girl’s hand.
Xiang Ning smiled when he saw her reaction. “Yeah, we’ve never been out of Marsh City before. This is a rare opportunity, so I wanted to show her the world outside.”
Everyone nodded. Xiang Ning was still Xiang Ning, after all, he cared more about his sister than himself.
“The two of you seem to get along well,” Xiang Ning joked when he came up to Li Zimo and Wu Rui.
Li Zimo laughed heartily. “When we leave Marsh City, we’re on the same team. Our goal is to get to North Star City, and we’ve also made a pact. Whoever gets eliminated first has to give away a tier four martial skill!”
Xiang Ning’s heart ached at the wager. They were definitely rich kids, alright. Li Zimo had a military background, while Wu Rui had a martial background. They each had their own family’s inherited martial skills; a common tier four martial skill was nothing to them.
“Alright, we’re leaving soon. We can talk in the car,” Lei Zhongyuan said after exchanging a few words with Hanwu Academy’s instructor.
The groups entered the train carriage. It wasn’t a very long train, and could only fit two hundred people. Since they had to cross a patch of wilderness, shorter trains were safer, despite the smart shields equipped on the tracks that repelled common beasts. However, there were always exceptions, so caution was always recommended. The trains traveled at very high speeds; if there was a collision, even Lei Zhongyuan might not survive the crash.
Along the way, the wilderness still retained traces of human civilization. There were tall buildings enveloped in lush greenery, and at the top of a tower, there was a gigantic gorilla beast looking in their direction, which made Xiang Ning slightly nervous.
Xiang Xiaoyu, on the other hand, was excited. Other than the videos on the internet and TV, she had never seen the world outside. This was her first time. “Hey? Isn’t that a fearsome beast?” She pointed at the tracks a distance away, which was a section they would pass through soon.
Xiang Ning’s chest tightened, his expression turning solemn. When he was about to stand up, Lei Zhongyuan stopped him from behind.
“Calm down. Wait and you’ll see,” he said with a smile.
The beast was obviously curious about the train and wanted to take a better look. However, when it came near the tracks, a faint blue membrane appeared in the space between it and the rails. The beast didn’t seem to care.
When the train passed, the beast pounced to stop it, but when it touched the blue membrane, electricity zapped it. It only lasted two seconds, but the tier three beast was already dead.
Xiang Ning looked at Lei Zhongyuan, who waved and remarked, “Don’t underestimate it. This defensive mechanism can hold off more than ten rounds launched from rail cannons. It’s used on the front line fortresses, but only activated at the last second.”
