Chapter 342: Old Friends

After confirming that no one else chose to withdraw, the leading Level Eight Wizard hovering in the air gave a slight nod. This book premieres on Tiantian Kan Xiaoshuo, accompanying your reading at t t k s dot t w, offering smooth reading with no erroneous chapters and no disordered sequences.

"Good."

He spoke no further words, merely raising his hand and giving a gentle wave toward the void behind him.

In an instant, the simulated sky canopy above everyone's heads slowly parted to both sides like a curtain, revealing the deep, boundless starry sky beyond.

Against that backdrop of stars, a huge, gloomy, circular spatial rift, its edges constantly twisting and emitting an ominous suction, hung silently there, like the eye of a colossal beast staring down at all the wizards ready for departure.

"Go!"

The Level Eight Wizard's voice rang out like a great bell, echoing throughout the entire ship-plane:

"Depart!"

"Gao Jie Ming, get up and eat breakfast! If you don't get up now, you'll be late for school!!"

A familiar yet slightly hurried female voice pierced through the bedroom door, forcibly dragging Gao Jie Ming out of his chaotic drowsiness.

He sat up somewhat blankly, rubbed his eyes, and found the sunlight outside the window rather glaring.

His brain felt as if covered by a thin veil, his thoughts viscous and sluggish.

Subconsciously, he grabbed the clothes by his bedside—a set of seemingly ordinary casual wear for teenagers—and mechanically put them on, then swayed unsteadily as he pulled open the bedroom door and walked into the living room.

The air was filled with the aroma of food.

His mother, wearing an apron, was placing the final plate of stir-fried green vegetables onto the dining table.

His father sat in his usual chair as always, his eyes fixed on the ultra-thin television light-screen hanging on the wall, from which came the crisp, standard pronunciation of a news anchor:

"... A military spokesperson confirmed yesterday that the Seventh Mixed Fleet has successfully seized the third jump node on the outskirts of the 'Charon' galaxy, delivering a heavy blow to alien creatures... Next is our local livelihood news: the City Hall urges citizens to actively participate in the 'Clean Beach' volunteer activity; registration channels opened today..."

Fleet battles... Clean Beach?

These two completely different types of information mixed together, making Gao Jie Ming feel even more groggy.

He shook his head and walked toward the bathroom.

Cold water splashed against his face, bringing a brief moment of clarity, yet that strange sense of dissonance still lingered.

The scene before his eyes, his mother's voice, the content of the news... everything exuded an indescribable familiarity, yet it also felt as if viewed through a layer of frosted glass, unclear and indistinct.

He always felt that he had forgotten something extremely important.

"Hurry up, Gao Jie Ming! The soy milk is getting cold!" His mother's voice came again.

Gao Jie Ming wiped his face with a towel, walked to the dining table, and sat down.

Before him lay a standard home-style breakfast: golden fried dough sticks, milky-white soy milk, and two dishes of emerald-green stir-fried vegetables.

"Eat more; today is your first day registering for university, so be spirited," his mother nagged as she placed a fried dough stick into his bowl.

His father finally shifted his gaze from the news, glanced at Gao Jie Ming, and said in a flat tone, "Listen to your mother; don't be late."

Gao Jie Ming uttered an "Mm," lowered his head, and began chewing his food.

The taste was normal, just the usual flavor of home-cooked meals.

The family chatted casually at the table, the topics nothing more than neighborhood relations, the weather, the news, and exhortations regarding his university life.

Gao Jie Ming subconsciously echoed their words, as if all of this had been repeated countless times.

After the meal, Gao Jie Ming returned to his room and began packing his schoolbag.

Brand-new textbooks, stationery... everything appeared neat and orderly.

Just then, the doorbell rang with a "Ding-dong."

Immediately followed were his mother's footsteps, the sound of the door opening, and then her voice filled with delight: "Oh, it's Xiao Ai and Xiao Wei! Come in, come in quickly!"

She turned her head and shouted into the house, "Gao Jie Ming! Hurry up, Xiao Ai and Xiao Wei are here to pick you up for school!"

Two young voices came from outside the door.

One was a crisp female voice laughing as she offered a greeting.

The other was a male voice, carrying a hint of helplessly serious correction: "Auntie, my name is Victor, not Wei."

Gao Jie Ming, still immersed in that strange feeling of having forgotten something, lifted his schoolbag, swayed unsteadily out of his room, said "I'm leaving" to his parents, and then turned toward the entrance.

Standing at the doorway were a young man and a young woman.

The girl's smile was bright; it was Amy.

The boy's expression was slightly serious; it was Victor.

"Ha! Gao Jie Ming! You're too slow!" Amy said with a laugh.

Looking at them, Gao Jie Ming almost instinctively, just as he had countless times in the past, offered a greeting:

"Good morning, Amy, Victor."

The two naturally responded to him.

However, the instant this greeting fell...

Boom!

Gao Jie Ming felt as if his brain had been violently struck by an invisible heavy hammer!

All the chaos and viscous feeling was shattered in that instant!

He suddenly froze in place, his pupils contracting sharply as if he were witnessing the most inconceivable sight in the world, staring fixedly at the two people before him!

Amy?! Victor?!

They... hadn't they already... died long ago?!!

Why were they standing here alive and well?

And even become his classmates?

Coming to pick him up to go to university together?!

No!!!

What's even more wrong is himself!!!

Why had he integrated so naturally into this scene?!

Getting up, eating, and preparing for school like a genuine ordinary student?!

For a fleeting moment, he had even felt all of this was perfectly natural!

He was no university student! He was Gao Jie Ming! A wizard!

A Tier Three Wizard from the Noren Academy of the Star Ring Federation, here to participate in the Plane War!

He possessed a Nascent Soul cultivation base, he owned the Purgatory Sulfur Plane, and he commanded the Black Giant Legion!

As memories surged forth, Gao Jie Ming immediately understood what had happened:

He had fallen into a trap!

When exactly had it happened?!

Was it the instant he crossed that spatial rift, or even earlier?

A chill shot straight from his spine to the crown of his head, making every hair on his body stand on end.

Beneath the calm and peaceful facade of this world lay a suffocating horror capable of silently engulfing a million wizards.

He strove to maintain a calm expression, yet the turbulent waves within his heart nearly drowned him.

He quickly turned his gaze inward, sensing his dantian—the Nascent Soul remained, but it seemed wrapped in an invisible membrane, the flow of spiritual energy sluggish and nearly stagnant.

He immediately focused his attention on his left wrist; it was bare. The inscribed wizard artifacts he had equipped before entering this plane were gone.

He could sense that deep within his sea of consciousness, his innate magic treasure, the 【Five Aggregates Transforming into Rainbow Mirror】, still existed.

Gao Jie Ming then perceived his protective magic treasure, the Profound Qi Red Dust Barrier; fundamentally, it was still functioning normally, showing no fluctuations, issuing no warnings, and not even consuming any liquid refined gold.

It showed no reaction... because this was not an illusion at all?

Impossible; how could this not be an illusion?!

Cold sweat instantly soaked Gao Jie Ming's back.

He looked at Amy and Victor, who still wore their smiles, looked at the "mother" bustling in the kitchen behind him, and looked at the "father" in the living room who had returned his attention to the news.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

Now was not the time for panic.

He had to figure out exactly what was going on.

"Let's go; if we don't leave now, we'll truly be late," Amy urged with a smile, her expression identical to what Gao Jie Ming remembered, showing no trace of disguise.

Gao Jie Ming nodded, forcing a smile no different from usual.

"Alright, let's go."

He took a step, following his two "deceased" companions, walking out of this seemingly warm yet utterly bizarre "home" and stepping into this unknown world.

(End of Chapter)