Chapter 167: Turning Point! How Did Another Person Show Up?

Lin Qingyuan was the class monitor during Xu Jingming's high school years.

Beautiful and kind-hearted, she had quietly taken care of him in high school, even considering inviting him to form a team for the Wu Ke Gaokao.

But after the Wu Ke Gaokao, they lost contact, and he never expected to run into her here.

"What a coincidence, Monitor, you're here too."

Though the timing was awkward, meeting an old classmate still lifted Xu Jingming's spirits.

Besides, he remembered that not long after the Wu Ke Gaokao results were released,

their homeroom teacher had posted everyone's Gaokao rankings and final university admissions in the high school class group.

And their monitor, Lin Qingyuan, had enrolled at an psychic university in Jin Ning City, Zhejiang Province.

"We're old classmates—you came to Jin Ning and didn't even tell me?"

Lin Qingyuan walked up with long strides, feigning annoyance.

Unlike Song Qiuyun and Jiang Chuxuan, whose breathtaking beauty made most girls feel inferior,

Lin Qingyuan was also beautiful, but far from unapproachable—she felt like a kind older sister next door.

Hearing this, Xu Jingming dared not reply.

He had completely forgotten that Lin Qingyuan attended a university in Jin Ning City.

Even if he had remembered, he wouldn't have reached out voluntarily.

After all, he was here on a mission, not on vacation.

"Xiao Yan, who's this?"

The other teenagers with Lin Qingyuan also approached, all casting curious glances at Xu Jingming.

Under the control of his upgraded B-grade combat technique, the Concealing Breath Art, Xu Jingming's aura displayed only a First-Grade Mid-level presence.

His psychic level wasn't particularly high.

But the cold, lethal aura forged through years of fighting in the Wildlands, combined with the unique sacred aura from his SS-grade Dou Tian Shen Lei,

made him stand out like a crane among chickens—impossible to ignore.

"Let me introduce you properly—this is my high school classmate, Xu Jingming.

He's also this year's Jiangnan Province Wu Ke Gaokao top scorer, currently studying at the Metropolis Psychic University."

Lin Qingyuan's pale, oval face beamed with delight.

"Holy shit? Jiangnan Province's top scorer?"

"A prodigy from a top-tier university?!"

Though they'd guessed Xu Jingming's background might be extraordinary, they hadn't expected him to be the provincial champion!

They were all students at Jin Ning City Psychic University, all having taken the Wu Ke Gaokao themselves.

They knew full well the immense prestige of a provincial champion.

Instantly, their previously calm expressions widened in shock:

"Wow, Xiao Yan, you've got such an awesome high school classmate."

"Hello."

Xu Jingming smiled and waved for the server to bring the menu.

"What would you like to drink?"

There were still over ten minutes before the operation began.

Blue Ocean Tech Park was right across the street—just a crosswalk away.

Since they'd already decided to force entry, Xu Jingming had no need to rush away.

"I'll have orange juice."

"I want bubble tea!"

"Then I'll have lemon water."

"..."

Lin Qingyuan's group—two boys and two girls, four in total—each ordered a drink and sat around Xu Jingming.

They subtly studied the provincial champion with curiosity.

Lin Qingyuan, seated closest to Xu Jingming, now asked curiously:

"Jingming, aren't you in Metropolis? Why are you in Jin Ning? On vacation?"

"Sort of."

Xu Jingming offered no further explanation.

"Jin Ning does have a few decent sights."

Lin Qingyuan nodded with a smile, then sighed:

"It's only been half a year since we last met, but you've changed so much—I almost didn't recognize you."

Indeed, compared to high school, Xu Jingming's transformation was immense.

He'd grown taller, his physique more muscular, his aura no longer youthful and naive.

Calm and composed, he now carried a faint sense of pressure.

Even her university professors couldn't give her this feeling.

"And you're already a psychic, right?" Lin Qingyuan's beautiful eyes held a hint of envy.

The first semester of freshman year was already more than half over, yet she was still just an Awakened.

Advancing to a full psychic still felt impossibly distant.

Though as an Awakened with weak spiritual power, she couldn't sense Xu Jingming's exact level,

she could still tell his level was likely First-Grade.

"Yes."

Xu Jingming nodded with a smile, noticing the envy in Lin Qingyuan's eyes.

Lin Qingyuan, from the parallel class of Jiangcheng No. 2 High School, was hardly a genius.

The Nijin City Psychic University she attended was merely an ordinary psychic college.

Before graduation, reaching First-Class peak would be considered impressive.

In fact,

most psychic universities in the Great Xia Nation aimed to train their students into First-Class psychics before graduation.

This was also why the Shanghai Psychic University, which produced Fourth-Class graduates, was considered a top-tier institution.

"No wonder it's a top-tier school—you've already become a psychic in just half a year."

Lin Qingyuan clicked her tongue in amazement upon receiving an affirmative answer.

Who could have imagined that Xu Jingming, once an unremarkable classmate who even needed her help, could achieve such success?

"Xiao Yuan, from your tone, Xu Jingming wasn't even a psychic before entering school?"

The others beside her found this strange—wasn't it common knowledge that the provincial top scorer was a psychic?

"Yes."

Lin Qingyuan proudly puffed out her chest:

"Jingming isn't just the first provincial top scorer in Jiangcheng's history—he achieved it as an Awakened."

"An Awakened won the provincial top scorer title?"

The other three instantly widened their eyes, staring at each other in shock.

Over the years, provincial top scorers across the nation had all been First-Class Upper-tier psychics.

This was the first time they'd heard of an Awakened becoming a provincial top scorer.

"Holy shit, I just remembered—during the Wu Ke Gaokao, I saw news from your province.

They said an Awakened won the provincial top scorer, and I didn't believe it—but it's actually true!"

At that moment, one of them suddenly slapped his thigh and exclaimed in realization.

"Holy shit! I remember now too."

"I thought that was fake news."

"So awesome."

Amid their shock, the group's gaze toward Xu Jingming subtly shifted, tinged with reverence, as if looking at a senior master.

"Sir, here are your drinks."

At that moment, the server approached with the drinks.

"By the way, Brother Jingming, can you tell us what top-tier universities are like?"

After receiving the drinks, one of the boys asked curiously.

The others, including Lin Qingyuan, instinctively turned to look, clearly interested in the topic.

"Sure."

Xu Jingming readily agreed.

He gave them a general overview of daily study and cultivation at Shanghai Psychic University.

When they learned that every student at Shanghai Psychic lived in a villa and was taught by Sixth-Class instructors, they clicked their tongues in amazement and couldn't help but envy him.

During the conversation,

Xu Jingming also learned that Lin Qingyuan and her group had come to attend a tech exhibition held within Blue Sea Tech Park.

Moreover, Leng Chang, CEO of Blue Sea Tech, would be present at the exhibition.

"Tech exhibition? You can enter Blue Sea Tech Park?"

Xu Jingming's heart stirred.

"My uncle runs a tech equipment company—he's one of the invited members, and we came along with him."

Lin Qingyuan smiled lightly.

Precisely because of this connection with her uncle, she had chosen the Zhejiang Province psychic university.

That way, after graduation, even if she didn't want to become a risky adventurer psychic, she could still choose to work in a corporation.

"Can I go in with you?" Xu Jingming blinked his eyes.

If he could enter with them, he wouldn't need to risk drawing attention by forcing his way in.

"Of course! My uncle's arriving soon—I'll just tell him."

Lin Qingyuan agreed without hesitation.

Not long after, Lin Qingyuan's uncle, Lin Hai, arrived by car.

He was a middle-aged man with a slightly stout build and a kind, approachable face.

When Lin Qingyuan mentioned this to her uncle, he gave an extremely swift and agreeable response.

Xu Jingming hadn't expected such an unexpected turn of events.

So after sending a message via his communication device to the Special Operations Team—"Stand by"—

he followed behind Lin Hai's back toward the main entrance of Blue Sea Tech Park.

Outside Blue Sea Tech Park, only small psychic teams patrolled.

At the main entrance, however, a full five-member Second-Class team stood guard at all times.

"Hello, please show your credentials."

As Uncle Lin Hai and the group reached the entrance, a short-haired, sharp-looking psychic immediately stepped forward.

"I'm Lin Hai, CEO of Yuan Yang Tech, invited to attend the exhibition."

Uncle Lin Haima handed his credentials over.

"Ding, identity confirmed: Yuan Yang Technology Lin Haima. Four accompanying personnel: Lin Qingyuan..."

The lean adept swept the credentials across the device, and a voice immediately sounded.

Immediately, the identity and facial data of all five, including Lin Haima, appeared on the device.

"Identity is clear."

The lean adept nodded, his gaze sweeping over Lin Qingyuan and the others.

When he saw Xu Jingming, his brow furrowed:

"Boss Lin, your pre-registration listed only four accompanying personnel. Why is there an extra person?"

As soon as he spoke, the other four adepts immediately closed in, alert.