Jealousy and Hatred After the Glory

As soon as news about Chen Nan broke, it immediately attracted the "attention" of people from all walks of life. Setting aside the folk gossip artists who vividly recounted Chen Nan's legendary tales on street corners, in small taverns, or by the hearth, even truly important figures became interested in him.

What does it mean to be an overnight sensation?

This is what it means to be an overnight sensation. It must be a single explosion that shakes the world.

The important figures paying attention to Chen Nan were those in the ranks of Transcendants. Especially the big names among the Transcendants within the Qingyang Kingdom, all of them were somewhat interested in Chen Nan.

Even if the news didn't mention Chen Nan having a Transcendent foundation, they would have assumed he did. To accomplish such a major feat without Transcendent potential would be a joke.

However, the attention from these influential figures was merely out of curiosity. After all, among the many major clans in the Transcendent ranks, children who reached Chen Nan's level by the age of ten were considered ordinary.

The reason they paid Chen Nan a little extra attention was his orphan status.

This proved that the boy possessed inherent traits of a great figure, such as resilience, meticulousness, ruthlessness, and decisiveness.

According to the sages, this falls under the category of "those who know by birth," meaning true geniuses.

The children of the great clans, on the other hand, could only reach this level through rigorous training. This would be considered "those who know by learning," naturally falling short by a tier.

It was a pity that those influential Transcendants didn't know Chen Nan wasn't actually a child, thus overestimating him.

But this very overestimation planted some seeds of trouble for Chen Nan.

Transcendants, in the end, merely possessed extraordinary abilities; it didn't mean they were exceptionally wise in conduct or interpersonal skills. It was like saying that rich people who mingle in high society are not scumbags – it's the same logic.

In their daily lives, they were not much different from ordinary people.

Why did the major clans train their young children? Wasn't it simply following the secular path of not letting children lose at the starting line? More importantly, it was to allow their children to bring glory to the family and parents after entering school, which was the same as in the secular world.

Because he attracted the attention and praise of influential Transcendants, it inevitably made some Transcendent children feel stifled, and one family was particularly so.

In a side room of the main courtyard of the Chen Mansion in Luojing, two children were talking. They were a brother and sister. The girl was pretty with clear features, fair skin, and a smile like a flower, but her smile always carried a hint of mockery.

The boy was full of heroic spirit. Though only twelve years old, his gaze was so firm and indifferent it was heartbreaking, akin to the regret felt when seeing a child blinded from birth due to their parents' indiscretion.

The girl's name was Chen Wan'er, which perfectly matched her smile. In fact, ever since she was sensible, she had often worn a gentle smile to live up to her name.

She said to the boy, "Brother, you've seen the news about Chen Nan, right? He shares the same surname as us, yet he's already made such a name for himself before even entering the academy.

But you, the eldest young master of our Chen family, the future helmsman of the Chen family, don't have such a reputation."

The boy, named Chen Jiadong, spoke with a cold gaze but a heart burning like fire, "A savage, what is he worth! Accomplishing something like this, what's so praiseworthy for a Transcendent?

Let him graduate from the Preparatory Academy and enter Qingyang Academy first. Whether he's a significant figure or not is a basic standard only after entering Qingyang Academy. What is this?"

Chen Wan'er smiled and said, "That's true. Brother, you're already a guaranteed admission student to Qingyang Academy, so naturally, you look down on ordinary people.

However, this Chen Nan also shares the Chen surname. By doing such a thing, doesn't he bring honor to all of us surnamed Chen?"

This statement was not wrong in itself, but saying it to Chen Jiadong was almost malicious. His face contorted with inexplicable jealousy, but he quickly regained control, sneered, and left the room, leaving Chen Wan'er behind.

Chen Wan'er chuckled alone in the room, humming, "This Chen Nan is quite interesting. He's also cute. Could he be a bastard son my uncle or something had outside?"

Chen Nan sat in his room and suddenly felt a chill. He thought, Is something bad about to happen?

Then, his phone suddenly rang. He saw it was a number from the Prefecture. At this time, them looking for him was likely to demand the return of those materials.

He answered the call. The person from the Prefecture apologized profusely, "Little hero, I've handled the matter for you. Moreover, you've become famous because of this. Not only are you famous, but the Wu City government, under instructions from Hongyang Commandery, will be awarding you.

The award includes fifty thousand Qingyang Coins, and given your special circumstances, you will be exempt from the entrance examination for Wu City Preparatory Academy.

There will be a press conference in mid-October to present the award. You'll make an appearance, accept the award, and promote positive energy. What do you think, is that feasible?"

Chen Nan asked, "Are there no remaining remnants of the Wang Clan?"

The Prefecture replied, "Except for Wang Bodan, the son of Wang Yide, who has already entered the Preparatory Academy, there are no more of their people. You can rest assured about that.

Furthermore, you are now a celebrity. If anything were to happen to you in Wu City, I wouldn't be able to escape consequences. I will take full responsibility for your safety."

Chen Nan smiled and said, "As long as you don't bother me too often, I'll be grateful. Don't worry, I'll hand over everything related to you."

Thus, Chen Nan and the Prefecture completed the handover, and he gave him the items related to his crime. This wasn't because Chen Nan couldn't distinguish right from wrong, or because the Prefecture was corrupt and still harbored ill intentions without being exposed.

It was because Chen Nan understood that even if he exposed this Prefecture official, the next one would be the same. There was no point.

After that, he accepted the rewards. He was given a card with fifty thousand Qingyang Coins. He also received the certificate for free admission (including tuition waiver) to Wu City Preparatory Academy.

Then, under the spotlight, Chen Nan was interviewed by reporters.

The scene was one of immense glory.

Watching this grand occasion on their phones, computers, and televisions, some felt admiration, some gratitude, some jealousy, and some hatred.

Among them, three individuals stood out the most: Li Yu, Xun Xin, and the former Tie Dan, now Wang Bodan.

Wang Bodan, in particular, stared at the spotlight-grabbing Chen Nan, wishing he could reach through the screen, grab him by the neck, and strangle him.

Because all the honor, rewards, fame, and glory Chen Nan now possessed were built upon the foundation of his family's ruin, imprisonment, and death.

Chen Nan had almost walked on the corpses of his father and uncle to achieve this glory. How could he not hate him?

He recalled that he used to be a genuine second-generation rich kid, respected by everyone even in the Preparatory Academy.

Now, after this incident, his life had plummeted to the bottom. Fortunately, even a starving camel is bigger than a horse. Even though his family had collapsed, he still had enough money to complete his studies.

However, the glory of yesterday was gone forever.

Especially when he thought about how he wouldn't have as much money to squander in the future, Wang Bodan's hatred surged even more intensely than when his father was sentenced to prison.

"Damn you, Chen Nan, just you wait," Wang Bodan swore inwardly, "I'm going to kill you!"

Sharing similar sentiments were Li Yu and Xun Xin. However, their hatred for Chen Nan wasn't as intense.

The only reason they wanted Chen Nan gone was because he knew about their bribery. While it was an ugly secret, it wouldn't cause irreparable damage if exposed.

The Transcendent organization wouldn't impose severe penalties for such an offense; the only consequence would be public embarrassment.

Though greedy, these two still cared about their reputation. Thus, they had secretly set Chen Nan up before. Now, they didn't want Chen Nan to emerge victorious, but they also wouldn't confront him openly.

There was no need for that, as they had a convenient pawn to use.

They secretly found Wang Bodan and proceeded to brainwash him. At this point, Wang Bodan didn't need any convincing; he would do anything harmful to Chen Nan.

Li Yu and Xun Xin merely provided Wang Bodan with a path for revenge, which was through the rules of the Transcendent organization.

There were two main points: first, Chen Nan had committed murder; second, Chen Nan had used his transcendent abilities to steal a significant amount of wealth.

The two informed Wang Bodan that he could use these reasons to report Chen Nan's crimes to the Transcendent litigation department. This, at the very least, would cause Chen Nan considerable trouble.

They both knew very well that a death sentence was impossible if the case went to court. However, it was highly unlikely Chen Nan would be able to enter the Preparatory Academy without the exam.

And this was exactly what the two of them hoped for.

Working within the Preparatory Academy, they naturally didn't want to see Chen Nan there.

If Chen Nan were deprived of this reward, passing the assessment to enter the Preparatory Academy would not be so simple.

Talent wasn't the most crucial factor for entering the Preparatory Academy; a large sum of money was also required. The registration fee alone was ten thousand Qingyang Coins, and after enrollment, the annual tuition was fifty thousand.

Typically, the Preparatory Academy required students to graduate upon reaching the age of sixteen. For a child entering the Preparatory Academy at ten, the minimum expenditure would be over three hundred thousand.

For ordinary people, this was an astronomical sum!