Classmates

Qin Cheng drove over, picked up Wang Xuan, and left the campus.

His family was in business and fairly well-off. He had owned his own car for years.

On an autumn afternoon, the sky was clear and lofty, its fresh azure seeming ready to pour down and cleanse the entire city.

"Wouldn't it be too early if we went over now?" Qin Cheng asked.

"It's not early. We'll get there at just the right time." Wang Xuan looked out the car window.

The city had both ancient relics from the old era, such as Stone Pagodas that had stood for centuries without falling, displaying all the marks of age, and clusters of skyscrapers rising in orderly ranks, immensely prosperous and filled with a modern air.

There were many pedestrians on the roads nearing the commercial district, with an endless stream of traffic, and the roads were somewhat congested.

"I'm about to leave. I never felt much living here before, but now I suddenly find it a little hard to part with it." Qin Cheng sighed, feeling hollow inside.

Wang Xuan said, "Once you rise to prominence, you'll be able to travel freely between the New Star and Old Earth. By then, none of this will be a problem."

Quite a few ancient ginkgo trees lined both sides of the road. Their yellow leaves fluttered down, piling thick upon the ground. Under the sunlight, the earth was covered in gold, breathtakingly beautiful.

Among the ginkgo trees along this stretch of road stood many maples as well. Their blazing red leaves spread in continuous swathes, as fervent as great stretches of Evening Glow.

In this season, the grass and trees had begun to yellow, while most lovely flowers had withered, displaying autumn's desolation.

Yet the golden ginkgoes and fiery red maples lining the city roads were so brilliant and exuberant, giving an utterly opposite feeling.

In this season, fervor and bleakness existed together within the same city.

The gathering was not in the city. Qin Cheng drove steadily to a mountaintop villa district outside town, where the scenery was beautiful and the entire city could be overlooked.

Although most classmates from the New Star kept a low profile, some had exceptionally extraordinary backgrounds and origins. It was not surprising for them to choose this place.

The rented villa stood atop the tallest of these low hills. It covered several mu of land, with an enormous lawn, a swimming pool, and more.

There were even two helipads on this mountaintop.

Qin Cheng spotted at a glance that two silver flying saucers were already parked over there. Their lines were sleek and beautiful, leaving him speechless for a moment.

"At this stage, don't compare yourself to aliens," Wang Xuan said with a smile.

When Qin Cheng heard that, he realized that was indeed the case and immediately laughed. He had never thought about it before, but on reflection, there were actually many aliens among his classmates.

Su Chan walked over just in time to hear them.

"Wang Xuan, you look quite dashing and handsome, with clear eyes, yet your mouth is so unkind. You make us sound like some alien species."

Lively and energetic by nature, she stood slim and graceful. Beneath her short off-the-shoulder dress, her long straight legs were on full display. She was youthful, beautiful, and brimming with vitality.

"Every time we meet lately, you praise me. First you said I shone brilliantly, and today you directly called me handsome. You make me tremble with fear. Don't tell me you have improper designs on me?"

Though Su Chan was young and pretty, she was certainly not as thin-skinned as some teenage girl. She remained perfectly composed. "Don't change the subject."

Li Qingzhu, who had a scholarly air and was always very quiet, also spoke with a smile. "I heard it too. You said we're aliens, but our ancestral homes are all on Old Earth. This is our hometown too, so how are we aliens?"

Wang Xuan clasped his hands as he smiled and apologized, then walked with them onto the enormous lawn.

"Wang Xuan, come over here!"

"You brat dared call me an alien? Come, let me see whether your strength has grown by another huge margin and whether you've made new breakthroughs in physical arts. Otherwise, wait for the few of us to join forces and deal with you."

People kept greeting him along the way. Wang Xuan naturally knew them all well, chatting and laughing as he instantly blended into the group.

On the lawn, the barbecue racks had already been set up, and buffet food was being laid out on rows of long tables.

More than twenty students selected to head for the New Star had come this time, while over a dozen students staying in the city and soon returning to their hometowns had also come.

With so many gathered together, it was naturally lively, without any barriers or awkwardness.

Still, many of the classmates remaining on Old Earth were very disappointed. They had heard more or less some rumors and already knew that missing the New Star meant missing a chance at fate's favor. Something extraordinary seemed to be happening there.

Some had already heard that the extraordinary would appear in the future!

In such a great era, if some of their classmates remained at the very forefront and came into contact with supernatural power, it was difficult to imagine what the future would become.

"Wang Xuan!"

Those staying on Old Earth had complicated feelings as they greeted Wang Xuan. They all sighed inwardly. Even Wang Xuan had failed to be selected, which was beyond expectations.

Wang Xuan understood how they felt. He went over and chatted with them for a long time. Speaking of the future, he truly felt it was a pity for this group of classmates.

They had insisted on remaining in the city to wait for the list to be finalized, to see whether any new names would be added in the end. That was enough to show their state of mind.

At the same time, it indirectly proved the confidence they had in themselves, because these people had indeed achieved fairly good results in Old Arts.

But unfortunately, this selection did not use that as its criterion.

"I heard that the blood samples from our physical examinations were taken to the New Star. I don't know what analyses they did there, but it was one of the selection hurdles," said a male student staying on Old Earth.

Wang Xuan was startled. This was the first time he had heard of it. He had thought it was merely as he had analyzed with Qin Cheng earlier, never expecting that such testing was involved as well.

Qin Cheng eased the atmosphere. "Forget it, don't bring up what's past. Don't feel down. There's nothing wrong with staying behind. If we can't touch the extraordinary, then we'll work hard and strive from today onward to become financial magnates, ordering around and controlling extraordinary beings in the future."

The group was immediately amused into laughter.

Night fell. Standing atop the mountain, they could overlook the city Not Far Away, where dazzling lights glittered and the Night Scenery was beautiful.

As time passed, many people drank too much, and their emotions grew increasingly high.

Those whose homes were on Old Earth but had been chosen to go to the New Star were the most excited. They imagined the future and envisioned the day they would become extraordinary beings.

Thus, most of them were thoroughly drunk, and some began to Go Wild.

But overall, the atmosphere remained quite good. Whether they were people from the New Star or classmates born on Old Earth who would head to the New Star, they all promised the classmates staying behind that if they had the chance in the future, they would certainly help those here.

In the distant city, lights shone brightly along every street, like interwoven silver chains. An endless sea of lights merged together, radiant and dazzling.

At the same time, countless stars filled the sky, their starlight Poured Down in another resplendent expanse.

Some people were lightly drunk, their heads hazy with alcohol, unable to distinguish the starlight in the sky from the lights of the mortal world. Heaven and earth seemed connected as one.

In the end, someone still lost control and began crying off to the side. He had not been selected, and after drinking, the disappointment in his heart spilled out. He could not help shedding tears.

Wang Xuan and several classmates immediately sobered up. They hurriedly escorted him to a room and had him rest, telling him not to drink any more. Fortunately, nothing went wrong.

At this moment, someone walked toward Wang Xuan, holding a crystalline Wine Cup and gently swirling it, releasing the fragrance of fine wine.

The moment Qin Cheng saw him, he followed over and stood together with Wang Xuan to face the man.

The newcomer wore medium-length hair that fell past his ears. He was not particularly handsome, but his eyes were exceptionally spirited and left a deep impression. He looked somewhat domineering, and that temperament was unmistakable.

"Kong Yi, don't start anything," Qin Cheng warned.

If there was anyone among these classmates whose relationship with Wang Xuan was terrible, it was none other than this man.

Wang Xuan was usually calm and steady and got along well with every classmate.

Kong Yi came from the New Star. The reason he had become hostile toward Wang Xuan was mainly because he had once pursued Ling Wei when they first enrolled, only for Wang Xuan to become Ling Wei's boyfriend.

"What are you thinking? Do you think I can't tell the occasion? Must I make trouble for myself here?" Kong Yi was a forceful man, and his words carried a hint of provocation toward Qin Cheng, mainly because he was dissatisfied with Qin Cheng's attitude just now.

Wang Xuan stopped Qin Cheng and raised his glass to Kong Yi. "Drink. We're all classmates, and we're about to part ways. What can't be put down? Besides, there was nothing much to begin with."

Kong Yi cast Qin Cheng a sidelong glance, then clinked glasses with Wang Xuan and drained his drink in one gulp. "Come, this way. I have a batch of rare delicacies sent over from the New Star. Before we part, I'm treating you alone!"

Wang Xuan walked beside him. Qin Cheng was worried and followed too, afraid something might happen.

"Here, you've definitely never eaten this Deep-Sea Flood Dragon Fish. Even on the New Star, it counts as a rare specialty."

"And this spiritual Snow Cow raised on the grasslands at the foot of the New Star's snowy mountains. Its meat is exquisite. Carefully selected cuts can be served as top-tier sashimi even on the New Star, let alone here. You definitely haven't eaten it before. This is specially supplied for certain Old Men. Try it, it's especially fresh."

Kong Yi brought Wang Xuan into a room and introduced the Ingredients on the table, the scent of alcohol Emitting from his body.

Qin Cheng found him a little unpleasant to look at, mainly because he felt Kong Yi was too overbearing. He mentioned the New Star with every other sentence and kept saying that Wang Xuan had never eaten this or that, speaking with brazen arrogance.

So he answered irritably, "What's so special about that? Do you know how I eat top-grade Snow Cow sashimi? When the sun rises in the east and the first strand of Morning Glow blooms, I chase after cattle across Hulunbuir Grassland and gnaw on them. That's when the beef is most tender!"

Kong Yi was instantly dumbfounded, and Wang Xuan was speechless too.

"Ha ha..."

The room door was pushed open, and a group of people walked in, all laughing loudly.

"Fresh! Absolutely the freshest new way to eat it. After I return to the New Star, I'll try it too!" Even the aloof Xu Wenbo laughed.

Kong Yi understood at once what was happening. This Group of People had been worried and were keeping an eye on him, afraid he would cause trouble.

He was immediately rather displeased. "Am I really that bad? How is it possible that I'd go looking for trouble with Wang Xuan? Besides, if I provoked him at this stage, I'd only get beaten up. I'm no match for him at all. Since we're about to part, I specially had people prepare rare ingredients. They're all powerful tonics. I know he's obsessed with practicing Old Arts, and these things are beneficial to his body."

"I can testify that Kong Yi really did put some thought into it. He wanted to reconcile with Wang Xuan before they parted," Su Chan said.

Wang Xuan nodded. "I know. Come, the past is nothing. It has long since been turned over. I wish you a brilliant future and success in the extraordinary!"

He clinked glasses with Kong Yi. Qin Cheng also came over, stuffed several slices of beef into his mouth, and clinked glasses with them. "It really is a bit tastier than the beef on Hulunbuir Grassland."

The three clinked glasses and drained them in one gulp.

"Wang Xuan, you're a decent person. Honestly, if it hadn't been for my pursuing Ling Wei back then, your personality would suit my taste very well. We might even have become friends," Kong Yi said, his tongue thick with drink.

"It's not too late now. We're classmates, and we're friends too," Wang Xuan said.

"Ling Wei hasn't come yet. I think she'll be a little late," Zhou Kun quietly told Wang Xuan.

Not long afterward, Wang Xuan and Kong Yi came onto the lawn outside with their arms around each other's shoulders, reeking of alcohol. This immediately drew sidelong glances from a group of people. The two of them could actually... coexist peacefully?

Even these two had resolved their old grudge, and the atmosphere immediately grew much livelier. Everyone drank and feasted, and all were somewhat drunk.

Several classmates from Old Earth who would soon be heading to the New Star kept imagining life over there.

"What beautiful visions do you have?" someone asked, then stated his own wish.

"Once I'm settled over there, I'll definitely buy a villa like this one in a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters. Mm, I'll buy it somewhere relatively remote. The potential for appreciation in the future is enormous. The New Star's population will definitely keep growing."

Wang Xuan smiled. "If you can think of it, others have probably already acted on it. Anything you like and yearn for..."

Before he could finish, Qin Cheng cut in ahead of him. "What I like and yearn for is being alone with Zhao Qinghan..."

His eagerness to speak immediately changed the flavor of Wang Xuan's words. "Any place you like and yearn for must already be packed with traffic."

The people around them looked at Wang Xuan with strange expressions.

Wang Xuan patted Qin Cheng on the shoulder. "Why are you interrupting so randomly?"

Yet it remained very quiet around them. The group was looking behind Wang Xuan. He instantly came to his senses and quickly turned around, immediately seeing the breathtakingly beautiful Zhao Qinghan.

Thank you all for your support. If you still have monthly votes in hand, please cast them for Beyond the Deep Space.

Thanks to: Three-Lives Fate Snowflake, Ferry Hole, Jiangzu Chen, Starry-Sky Wanderer, Sun on the Field Ridge, Sword Howls, Wind Spirit, Xiaoyan, Yan Han, Chasing the Horizon Just For You.

Thanks to all of the above alliance leaders.