Only You Know How to Show Off, Huh!

Only You Know How to Show Off, Huh!

At two in the afternoon, Grade One, Class Eight, led by their Class Teacher Shan Qingrong, claimed a spot on the School Field.

Class Eight had fifty-two students in total. Facing the Flag Raising Platform, they formed four rows: two for the boys and two for the girls, clearly separated.

The girls' line was beside Jiang Ning, and Chen Siyu happened to be in the same row as him.

Chen Siyu was chatting with the girls in her class, occasionally glancing at Jiang Ning. This afternoon, she had wanted to switch classes with her sister, but thanks to Jiang Ning, her sister had refused, afraid they would be found out.

As a result, she was full of resentment toward Jiang Ning. But she couldn't exactly share something like this with others, so she could only keep it bottled up inside.

Jiang Ning noticed her gaze but paid it no mind. She was merely a pretty young girl. In his previous life, as a Nascent Soul True Lord, he had seen all kinds of fairies.

With his cultivation, countless women had thrown themselves at him—imperial princesses, gifted daughters of heaven, female sect leaders, holy maidens of demonic cults, pure and innocent Daoist nuns, and more.

Yet he cultivated the Ice Soul Life Creation Art, which left him without emotion or desire. His heart held only the pursuit of immortality, and he had never given women a second glance. Women would only slow his cultivation.

Though he had changed his cultivation method in this life, his standards remained. Ordinary women did absolutely nothing for him.

Jiang Ning ignored Chen Siyu and resumed circulating his cultivation art. He calmly absorbed energy, keeping only himself cool while no one else benefited.

On the Flag Raising Platform, No.4 Middle School's leaders delivered impassioned speeches, encouraging the new students. At first, the students listened with enthusiasm, but as one leader after another came up and repeated the same old lines, everyone grew impatient.

September's sun was still scorching, beating mercilessly upon No.4 Middle School's School Field. Six or seven hundred students were like wheat scattered across the ground, drained of moisture until each of them looked listless and wilted.

With the principal of No.4 Middle School's final address, the student assembly, which had lasted two and a half hours, finally came to an end.

Everyone in the class let out a sigh of relief. They were finally free.

Jiang Ning carried his stool and lined up to return to the classroom. After a burst of noise, the students settled into their seats. Shan Qingrong announced that the day was over and told everyone to wear their military training uniforms tomorrow and gather in the classroom before seven thirty in the morning.

Jiang Ning left the classroom and called out to Xue Yuantong from the steps, inviting her to ride his Mountain Bike.

Xue Yuantong's little face remained calm as she waved him off.

She would walk home the same way she had walked to school.

Xue Yuantong, Xue Yuantong, you have to steel yourself and bravely face three kilometers!

Facing the summer sunset, Xue Yuantong spent forty-five minutes walking. Her legs had gone weak, but with sheer determination, she finally dragged herself home.

Then she saw Jiang Ning sitting on a small stool by the door, eating a huge slice of watermelon with a thoroughly contented expression.

"You're back," Jiang Ning greeted her.

For some reason, Xue Yuantong suddenly felt a pang of sorrow. It was as if the entire world were against her, and a sense of grievance spread through her uncontrollably.

She felt so pitiful that she wanted to cry. But she was the one who had chosen to walk to school, and she was also the one who had refused a ride.

Xue Yuantong gritted her teeth. I'm not the one in the wrong. The world is.

She thought bitterly:

Only the weak ride bicycles to school. The strong always walk!

The next day, during military training, Jiang Ning rode his bike with the wind at his back.

Last night, he had tempered his body beside the Transformer Box, then refined his Spiritual Sense in the Early Morning. Today, he could absorb spiritual energy and the power of the sun during military training. Three paths to becoming stronger were advancing side by side, and his future looked bright. He was in an excellent mood.

By coincidence, he saw Xue Yuantong again on the road. Dressed in a green camouflage military training uniform, she marched along on her short little legs.

Out of habit, he called out, "Xue Yuantong, get on!"

Xue Yuantong kept a straight face and said coldly:

"I like walking. You go ahead."

"Oh, I'll go first." Jiang Ning rode past her. The little girl was quite stubborn.

Xue Yuantong gritted her teeth and persevered. Walking could exercise her body. Once she became stronger, she wouldn't get tired anymore.

When Jiang Ning arrived at the classroom, he found a seat by the window. Ma Shicheng was already there, holding his phone and playing Protect the Carrot. Two boys stood beside him, watching with great interest.

Smartphones were already widespread these days, but quite a few students in the class still used button phones or simply had no phones at all. Some parents worried that phones would affect their children's studies, so they refused to buy them. Those students could only watch others play or borrow phones to play themselves.

Back then, Jiang Ning's three-hundred-yuan phone had often been borrowed by others.

There was only 2G and 3G internet at the time, and data was expensive—a thirty-megabyte data plan cost five yuan.

Whenever he lent his phone to someone, he had to remind them beforehand not to use too much of his data.

Once most of the students had arrived, Shan Qingrong entered the classroom right at seven thirty, followed by a tall, muscular man in military uniform.

Looking at the students below dressed in military training uniforms, Shan Qingrong briefly introduced the instructor. He did not state his name, only that his surname was Li. After giving a few more instructions, he had Instructor Li lead Class Eight to the School Field.

Once they reached the School Field, the girls stayed behind while the boys were led away and merged with Class 7 to form a single formation.

At first, the formation was full of chatter. Instructor Li barked at them twice, and the students quieted down.

Soldiers were quite intimidating, especially Instructor Li, who was exceptionally strong. The muscles on his forearms stood out clearly, making many students envious.

They were then arranged according to height and told to stand at attention. Jiang Ning had undergone military training once in high school and once in university in his previous life. After Instructor Li demonstrated the stance, Jiang Ning mastered it with ease.

Some students, however, had improper posture. Instructor Li corrected them twice, yet some still failed to stand properly.

Instructor Li simply walked along the formation. Whenever he saw someone with the wrong posture, he slapped them. He was strong enough that the students grimaced in pain.

After several repetitions, their postures finally became standardized.

They stood for fifteen minutes while Instructor Li watched them like a hawk. Frightened by his gaze, the students did not dare scratch even when something itched. Otherwise, the instructor might suddenly strike them, and it would hurt for quite a while.

The students all cursed Instructor Li inwardly, angry at how strict he was. Meanwhile, laughter and giggles occasionally came from the girls' formation beside them, making the boys' hearts itch. They could only hate that they were not girls at this moment.

"Not bad. Now we'll practice marching!" Instructor Li demonstrated twice. "Lead with your left foot!"

"March... forward!"

The formation clattered forward, making Instructor Li frown. "Attention."

"March... forward!" The formation moved forward awkwardly, walking and walking. Seeing that they were getting closer and closer to the girls' formation, many students instinctively stopped, throwing the formation into disorder.

"Stop!" Instructor Li roared.

"If I don't say stop, you are not allowed to stop. Keep walking until you drop! Do you understand?"

Seeing Instructor Li lose his temper, the formation immediately fell silent as the grave.

"Do you understand?" Instructor Li demanded again.

Jiang Ning answered casually, "Understood."

The other students realized it a beat later and shouted along, "Understood!"

Instructor Li noticed Jiang Ning. This student was good: proper posture, steady footing, standard marching steps. He was prime material for the military.

He glared at everyone else. "Didn't you eat? Louder!"

Everyone shouted in unison, "Understood!"

Someone secretly glanced at Jiang Ning and said unhappily:

"What are you showing off for? You're the only one who knows how to perform, huh?"