First Day of School

Two days later.

Night, River Dam.

Jiang Ning rode his Mountain Bike as the night wind blew straight at him, making his Adidas clothes flap loudly and scattering the gloom in his heart.

The Mountain Bike had been a gift from Jiang Junlong, who said it would make getting to school easier. He had been insistent, so Jiang Ning had not refused. He could compensate him with a few Pills someday.

His Adidas clothes and Nike shoes had been bought by his uncle. He had bought him two sets, spending over two thousand yuan. His uncle had always treated him well, often giving him pocket money in the past. Later, worried that he would spend it recklessly, his parents spoke to his uncle, who began giving him clothes instead.

For the past two days, he had eaten all his meals at Uncle's Home, and his relationship with his uncle's family had grown increasingly harmonious.

In his previous life, he had lived at Uncle's Home. Over their day-to-day life together, all sorts of conflicts caused by differing habits had gradually become irreconcilable. In the end, relatives who should have been close had become strangers.

But now that he looked at them from another perspective, he noticed different things. It was undoubtedly far more comforting.

His previous life's experiences were worth learning from, but after being reborn, the butterfly effect had changed many people and events. Jiang Ning would not view everything entirely through the lens of the past.

This was a brand-new life.

Jiang Ning squeezed the brakes and stopped beside the Transformer Box, circulating his cultivation technique.

As his physical strength steadily increased, he grew more and more adept at drawing in electric current. After two days of tempering, his slender body concealed strength no weaker than that of an adult man. It was not just his strength—every aspect of his physique had improved.

In modern society, some men who spent all year sitting in offices could still have considerable strength, yet their bodies remained in a subhealthy state, plagued by all kinds of issues: aching waists, sore backs, and hidden injuries or flaws here and there.

Jiang Ning's body, however, had been continuously tempered and strengthened by electricity. Every part of it was in perfect condition. If this continued, then even without breaking through his realm, he could prolong his life and live to a hundred.

Still, starting tomorrow, he would probably only be able to come here at night.

Today was August 30. Tomorrow, the 31st, was the opening day for Yuzhou No. 4 High School's first-year students.

They would be assigned to classes, issued military training uniforms, and begin more than a week of military training.

Now that his body had adapted to electric current, he would be able to make further attempts after another week.

He could not neglect his spell cultivation, either. After all, once he obtained the Golden Altar, he would need Mana to take it away without anyone noticing.

Body tempering did not rely on cultivation techniques alone. Nutrition had to keep up as well, or he would ruin his body through training.

His appetite had increased considerably lately. He could mooch meals at Uncle's Home for a short while, but it would not be appropriate in the long run.

Jiang Ning needed money to supplement his nutrition. Milk, ribs, fruit—if he ate large quantities of such things, his living expenses definitely would not be enough.

Jiang Ning considered every detail until late at night before getting up and heading back.

Xue Yuantong was quite capable of staying up late. She had had an especially fun summer vacation, going to sleep after midnight every night. Hearing the sound of a door opening next door, she wondered curiously:

"Jiang Ning runs around outside all day and comes back at eleven every night. Could he be going to an internet café?"

These days, Yuzhou City had plenty of internet cafés. Even minors could get the attendants to set them up with an account and go online. CrossFire and Dungeon Fighter were at the height of their popularity, while League of Legends was beginning to rise. Although smartphones were starting to become the trend, internet cafés were still thriving.

"Whatever!" Xue Yuantong sat in front of the electric fan and went back to playing games on her phone.

August 31, the first day of school.

At seven in the morning, Jiang Ning wheeled his Mountain Bike to the front door and lightly tapped his temple with a finger.

Last night, he had practiced a Spiritual Sense Secret Art until three in the Early Morning, only falling asleep under intense exhaustion.

After merely a few hours of tempering, the effects were already beginning to show.

His eyesight had improved tremendously. In the distance, several sparrows perched on the wires strung between utility poles, using their beaks to groom their brown feathers. A black insect clung to the crossing veins of the leaves on the Big Official Poplar Tree in front of the house. Everything entered his eyes in minute detail.

In his third year of middle school, Jiang Ning had become addicted to smartphones, causing his prescription to worsen to around fifty degrees. He had felt that the world was less clear than before. Now that he had tempered his Spiritual Sense, his five senses had improved greatly. His vision had completely returned to normal and was even better than before.

Several Old Men from nearby households had just returned from their morning jogs, carrying enamel mugs filled with fried tea. Its distinctive spicy fragrance drifted through the air, while the Yellow Dog trailing behind them panted with its tongue out.

The entire world lay within his perception. It was profoundly wondrous—this was the effect of enhanced Spiritual Sense.

If Jiang Ning continued cultivating spells and broke through to Qi Refining Layer 4, his Spiritual Sense would gain even greater benefits.

He got on his Mountain Bike and rode along the Hui River Dam. Though it was summer, the morning was crisp and cool.

Halfway there, Jiang Ning spotted a small figure ahead. Xue Yuantong from next door was starting school too.

"Xue Yuantong, I'll give you a ride!"

Jiang Ning planted one toe on the ground and invited her.

Ordinary Mountain Bikes did not have rear seats, but the one his Cousin Jiang Junlong had given him not only had front and rear fenders installed, but also an extra-sturdy padded rear seat. Carrying someone would not be a problem at all.

Xue Yuantong looked at Jiang Ning's Mountain Bike and felt the tiniest bit tempted, but with her personality, she could not bring herself to ride on a boy's bike. "No, I'm used to walking."

"Get on. We're about to be late," Jiang Ning said.

He would be digging beneath her house before long, and he could not help feeling a little guilty. He would make up for it however he could, even if only a little. At least then he would feel less guilty.

Seeing how determined Jiang Ning was, Xue Yuantong nearly agreed. Yuzhou No. 4 High School was three kilometers away, and it took her more than forty minutes to walk there. She was not even halfway there yet, but she was already exhausted.

But when she thought about how she was not familiar with Jiang Ning, and how he was renting her family's house and paying rent, she felt too embarrassed to hitch a ride.

Xue Yuantong lowered her head and muttered:

"You go on ahead. I get motion sickness."

Jiang Ning nearly laughed out loud. This was the first time he had heard of someone getting motion sickness from a bicycle.

"Fine. Bye."

Jiang Ning pedaled twice and breezily passed Xue Yuantong.

Once Jiang Ning's back vanished from sight, Xue Yuantong drooped in dejection. Her family actually had an Electric Bike, and she could have ridden it to school.

But the first time she had ridden it, she had sped straight down from the Dam. She had raced down the slope, nearly scared out of her wits. If a tree had not stopped her, she probably would have plunged headfirst into a puddle. Even so, she had scraped her arms and legs, and they had hurt for a long time.

From then on, she had never dared ride the Electric Bike again. Her mother had always given her rides.

Back in middle school, her mother had taken her to and from school. Now she was a high school student, already a mature adult. When her mother offered to take her to school, she had casually turned her down.

What a joke. Did Xue Yuantong need someone to drive her around? Now, staring at the long road ahead, Xue Yuantong could only sigh in frustration and swallow the bitter consequences alone.

She had originally planned to find a part-time job over the summer, but she looked young and had not developed yet. People always mistook her for an elementary school student, making it difficult to find suitable work.

Later, her mother told her to focus on her studies. So Xue Yuantong had simply spent the entire summer playing at home. She had truly been happy, so happy that she had long forgotten what going to school felt like.

Now that school had started, she immediately felt as though hardship had descended upon her, and she resisted it with all her heart.

Why did things like the first day of school even exist? She was not bragging—even if she studied at home on her own, she could easily take first place.