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At the beginning of the spring semester, on the main path leading to Qiling Academy, Xiang Ning and his sister held hands as they entered the school compound. Hundreds of people surrounded them—he was famous there, famous enough to go mad for him.
Especially the students, where every school in Marsh City had taken him as their idol. But they all knew what state he was in, so they only looked at him from afar, not wanting to disturb him.
Upon stepping into school, the siblings both entered the lower secondary compound, hearing many greetings toward ‘Senior Xiang Ning’ along the way.
As for Xiang Ning? He returned a warm smile for every greeting.
Everyone knew that he would pass through the shaded path by Mingzhe Lake after sending off his sister. When he’d become famous, it had been turned into a pilgrimage spot where couples and martial artists visited alike. But there weren’t many people there now, because they didn’t want to disturb him. He strolled along with a warm smile on his face.
In the past, he would have jogged toward his classroom to avoid being late. Since this was the first day of school, they only had to arrive in class by a specific time, but there weren’t any formal lessons.
Leaving the shaded path, he turned on his Disguise skill to blend in with the crowd. People only recognized him when they were one or two meters away, which was a problem he noticed when he entered.
Although he had lost his powers, he could still use some of his skills. If that weren’t the case, he wouldn’t have been able to absorb so much knowledge from his two masters in this short period of time.
Everything grew much calmer after he activated his Disguise skill. Usually, people only recognized him when they were nearby, then lost him in the crowd. They would turn, wondering if they had the right person.
Things continued like that until he arrived at his class, Class 8. Disguise was useless there as the entire class was staring at him.
He nonchalantly walked to his seat, and just like his first day, no one but one person talked to him.
“Xiang Ning, finally I get to see you,” Fatty Wang chuckled, arriving by his side. He tapped the person sitting in front of Xiang Ning and said, “Let me have your seat.”
The entire class knew they were close and didn’t protest, only regretted. Why hadn’t they made friends with Xiang Ning during his lowest point? But now all they could do was smile and nod at him. Xiang Ning wasn’t arrogant now that he was more powerful, they just didn’t dare disturb him or feel like they were fit to be friends with him. With such power, they didn’t see him as a regular person; instead, they revered him.
Just like students could have great relationships with their teachers but never could become true, lifelong friends with them.
There was a legend circulating that anyone who spent time with Xiang Ning would suddenly improve. Take a look at Fatty Wang, who was already at the top of the second batch of special trainees. And Xiang Ning’s own squad was currently fighting at Hang City.
That was a battlefield they weren’t qualified to step into.
Xiang Ning grinned and jokingly punched him. “It’s been a while, but somehow, you haven’t lost weight.”
Fatty Wang scratched his head and grinned. “Don't underestimate me, my strength is all thanks to this blubber.” As he spoke, he blushed a little, but that was a fact that many people in school knew. “You don’t know how hard I cultivated just to lose this blubber, but it never disappeared even though my cultivation improved,” he laughed.
Xiang Ning stuck out his thumb. That was one way to do it. Every fat person was a reservoir of potential. You never knew if they would become a different person after they lost weight, or the sheer power hidden in their size. If they were determined enough, not even ten bulls would be able to hold them back.
The two youths started chatting like old friends. They hadn’t met for a while, and after his help, the Wang family was doing better than ever. The orphanage was also doing well, all because of them, and never had to worry about anything.
“Come to my house for dinner tonight, I need to thank you for taking good care of the orphanage.”
“What’re you talking about? Those are my little brothers and sisters, I should take care of them. Especially the little girl, she said she wanted to marry me when she grows up,” Fatty Wang laughed, rubbing his nose.
Xiang Ning smiled. According to Grandpa Director, Fatty Wang took a day every weekend to spend time with the kids. It was a huge feat for a person so focused on his cultivation; even Xiang Ning could sense that he truly loved the children.
Very soon, the bell rang. Su Muhan, the teacher who had taken care of him since the start of his school year, walked in. He was utterly grateful for everything she had done. When she saw that he was back, her gentle smile grew gentler, like sunlight in winter. Some of the students were stunned by her beauty.
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“I’m happy to see a student come back to school again. Although the others aren’t back, they won’t be counted as absent as they’re fighting at the front line for Marsh City and our school.”
Xiang Ning was back and had brought glory with him as well. But the price was just too huge! And the rest who weren’t back were still fighting at war.
Everything went as usual. After class, Xiang Ning and Fatty Wang left the classroom. To their surprise, an anxious student ran past without noticing them. They collided and Xiang Ning lost his balance, falling to the ground. The bustling crowd of students leaving class fell silent.
Even Fatty Wang’s eyes widened a bit. Xiang Ning stood up, patted his pants, and smiled. “Are you alright?”
“I’m… fine.”
Xiang Ning smoothed out his clothes and turned to Fatty Wang. “Stop staring, let’s go.”
Everyone looked at the boy, who was acting as if nothing had happened, feeling bitter.