Chapter 82: Returning to School! So He

Xu Jingming, who hadn't eaten for two days and two nights, woke up feeling he could devour an entire rhinoceros.

So, after accepting Jiang Chuxuan's second ordinary autographed photo,

Xu Jingming went to the second-floor cafeteria of the supply base and ate a massive meal.

He consumed enough food for ten ordinary people before finally feeling full.

Across from him, Jiang Chuxuan's lips parted slightly in surprise as she watched.

Although adepts ate more than ordinary people, it was rare to see an adept consume ten portions.

But remembering Xu Jingming's physical transformation after activating his special state, she understood.

Of course—without storing that much energy, he couldn't have activated such a powerful form.

After eating, Xu Jingming went to the sixth floor of the supply base and sold all his beast materials.

He had only stayed in the wilderness for a week, so the number of beasts he hunted wasn't large.

But third-rank beast materials were worth far more than second-rank ones.

Thus, this batch of materials sold for eight million Daya coins.

In reality, the estimated value of these beast materials was only 7.67 million.

But the new supervisor on the sixth floor insisted on rounding down the total.

In the end, it was rounded to eight million...

Additionally, Xu Jingming still had rare herbs and flowers he found in the burrow of the Earth-Dragging Worm.

Besides giving half to Jiang Chuxuan, he didn't sell the other half either.

The Metropolis Adept University had its own potion and pill department.

As long as you provided the raw materials and paid a small processing fee, you could receive a batch of refined pills.

Selling these rare herbs and flowers outright would be a waste.

After finishing all his business, Xu Jingming went to find the chief supervisor, Wang Chuang, to say goodbye.

Upon learning Xu Jingming was returning to school, Chief Supervisor Wang Chuang looked deeply disappointed:

"The rat tide in Source Water Wilderness will fully recede within a week at the latest.

But it will take another two or three months before the number of beasts in the wilderness returns to normal levels.

When that happens, I hope you two, Xu and Jiang, will come back."

"Definitely, definitely."

After chatting with Chief Supervisor Wang Chuang for a while longer,

Xu Jingming and Jiang Chuxuan stepped out of the supply base building and arrived at the square in front of it.

Due to the rat tide, many adept squads had left Source Water Wilderness for other wilderness zones.

As a result, the square was quieter than usual.

"The earliest high-speed train to Metropolis leaves at six p. m. When we get to the station, we might have to wait a while longer."

Xu Jingming said, checking his phone for the train ticket.

It was three p. m. now; it would take two hours just to reach the Source Water City high-speed rail station.

"High-speed train? No, I drove here."

Beside him, Jiang Chuxuan smiled faintly, took out car keys from her space ring, and pressed a button lightly.

Not long after,

accompanied by a low engine roar, a sports car with a streamlined body and an ice-blue paint job drove up.

It came forward amid the envious glances of the few adepts on the road.

It pulled over with hazard lights flashing, and its scissor doors slowly opened.

"A Mercedes S-80 ladies' exclusive sports car—limited to one thousand units worldwide, with an official price over ten million."

"I didn't expect a junior like you to already have one, and it looks like it's equipped with a fairly advanced artificial intelligence."

"I never expected you, junior, to own one—and it even seems equipped with a fairly high-level AI."

With Blue Star's current technological level, achieving autonomous driving was indeed very simple.

Just install an artificial intelligence system.

"Just a Level 5 AI," Jiang Chuxuan stuck out her tongue, then ushered Xu Jingming into the car.

Jiang Chuxuan stuck out her tongue, then brought Xu Jingming along to get into the sports car.

The engine roared to life.

The ice-blue sports car sped off, vanishing quickly at the end of the road...

The ice-blue sports car sped off, quickly disappearing at the end of the road......

Metropolis, Jing'an District University Town.

As the start of term neared, Jing'an District University Town gradually grew lively.

Especially now, near mealtime, roadside hotpot restaurants and eateries

were packed with dorm mates who had returned from summer break and were eager to gather for meals.

Students could be seen everywhere in groups of two or three, laughing and walking together, brimming with youthful energy.

Additionally, students kept streaming out of the campus gates.

Compared to the other four schools,

the number of students exiting through the main gate of Metropolis Adept University—the one occupying the best position at the center of the university town—was far fewer.

Yet every student who walked out stood tall and proud, their eyes carrying a faint glimmer of pride.

And some students from other schools passing by the gate of Metropolis Adept University...

And some students from other schools who happened to pass by the gates of Modu Ability University.

He had not the slightest objection to this; on the contrary, his face carried a hint of envy.

Being able to get into Magic City Ability University — that really is capital enough to be proud of!

Boom—

At that moment, accompanied by a low rumble of displaced air,

an ice-blue sports car sped over from afar, under the gazes of the pedestrians on the road.

For students like them, a sports car like this was naturally an incomparably dazzling sight.

Some students who knew cars, moreover, understood this car's value, and could not help but reveal looks of astonishment.

Amidst gazes that were either envious or burning, the ice-blue sports car stopped at the gate of Magic City Ability University.

Then, a young girl and a young man stepped down from the sports car.

The girl had a slender figure and a face of stunning, cold beauty.

But what drew the eye most was the beautiful waist-length silver-white hair behind her.

The young man beside her, meanwhile, was tall, with a resolute, steady face, his whole body faintly carrying a murderous air, his pressure intensely strong.

"Hiss! What a handsome guy. Is he also a student of Magic City Ability University?"

"That tall, straight bearing, that faintly dangerous air of pressure — I'm really feeling it."

"Too bad, he seems to already have a girlfriend, and such a beautiful one at that."

"..."

Quite a few young girls cast burning gazes at that young man.

But upon noticing the stunningly beautiful girl beside him, they all instinctively felt a sense of self-abasement.

In contrast, some hot-blooded male classmates, after a glance at the curvaceous girl beside him,

all cast envious gazes toward the young man.

"I'm back..."

Gazing at the broad gate of Magic City Ability University before him, Xu Jingming's face showed a touch of emotion.

A month and a half ago, he had set out from here at the rank of First Order Upper.

A month and a half later, returning once more, his strength had already undergone an earth-shaking change!

Jiang Chuxuan beside him was likewise emotionally moved.

If her luck had been just a little worse, and she hadn't met her senior,

she would long ago have been buried in the wilderness zone, unable to return.

"Senior, let's go."

Jiang Chuxuan pressed the car key, and the ice-blue sports car automatically drove toward the garage of Magic City Ability University.

And Xu Jingming and Jiang Chuxuan, the two of them, also stepped into the school.

"Senior, which zone is your dorm in?"

"Zone 3."

"Zone 3 seems to be the area further inside, right? I'm in Zone 2, which is closer to the outside."

"Zone 2 is closer, so I'll walk you back to your dorm first."

"..."

Xu Jingming and Jiang Chuxuan made their way through the campus.

After walking for a while, they arrived in front of Villa No. 103 in Zone 2, where Jiang Chuxuan's dorm was.

"Senior, let's part ways here.

If there's anything in the future where you need me, just say the word."

At the villa's entrance, Jiang Chuxuan said, with a trace of reluctance.

Although they had only known each other for a few days, Xu Jingming, who had saved her life three times in a row,

had left an indelible impression in her heart.

"Alright, if there's a chance I'll definitely trouble you." Xu Jingming said with a smile.

"It's a deal." Jiang Chuxuan nodded.

However, the next moment,

she suddenly drew close, the tips of her toes rising slightly, and brought her pretty face up.

Accompanied by a faint, maidenly fragrance that drifted into his nose,

Xu Jingming felt a soft, warm touch on his left cheek.

Before he could react, Jiang Chuxuan was already standing before him, shy.

"Consider this a small token of thanks for saving my life."

Set off by the silver-white hair behind her, Jiang Chuxuan's pretty face was as lovely as a rose.

"Senior, then I'll see you next time."

Having said that, without waiting for Xu Jingming's response, she ran into the villa with her long, shapely legs, as if fleeing.

Did I just get forcibly kissed?

Watching the slender figure quickly disappear into the villa, Xu Jingming was first stunned for a moment, then shook his head and turned to leave as well.

Regardless, at least the experience wasn't bad...

"Xuanxuan, you're back?"

"Mm, I'm going back to my bedroom first."

On the other side, Jiang Chuxuan, who had fled into the villa, paid no heed to her roommate's call.

She ran straight up to the second-floor bedroom and buried herself in the blankets.

After a good while, the accelerated heartbeat gradually calmed down.

"Right, going back to looking up Senior's information at school — we should be able to find it now."

Jiang Chuxuan sat down in front of the computer.

First she went to the school's official forum and entered Xu Jingming's name in the search bar.

"Someone with Senior's level of strength wouldn't remain unknown."

Sure enough, a string of posts about Xu Jingming appeared on the projected page.

Only the content of the posts was wildly different from what she had imagined.

They were all things like "Freshman Breaks Record," "Strongest of the First Rank," and the like.

"Strange — why is everything tied to freshman topics?"

Jiang Chuxuan's willow brows knit slightly, and with great patience she clicked into the posts one by one to read them.

Just like that, after browsing through posts for over ten minutes, she finally discovered, to her shock—

Xu Jingming was actually a freshman who had just finished this year's Wu Ke Gaokao and entered the school!

"Senior… turns out he's a freshman."

Jiang Chuxuan's expression was wonderfully complex, then she muttered to herself with a strange look:

"Still, a Second Rank Upper-Stage freshman… isn't that just way too absurd…"