Xia Ning

"Ring, ring..." It was a call from Wang Yan.

"Hello! Sis!" Wang Ji answered.

"I heard you're back? You're back and you still haven't come home! Getting bold, aren't you?" Wang Yan glared.

"Heh heh! I'm just at our villa in the Jiangnan Military Region! What's wrong?" Wang Ji laughed.

"Then come keep me and Xia Ning company to check out the school. Both our acceptance letters have arrived. Jiangnan University! We want to go in and take a look early," Wang Yan said.

"Alright! I'll drive over to pick you two up!"

An hour later, Wang Ji picked up Wang Yan.

"East Garden Residential Quarter, go to East Garden Residential Quarter to pick up Xia Ning!"

Wang Ji was puzzled, "Isn't Xia Ning's house at No. 112 in our residential quarter?"

Wang Yan sighed and said, "She moved out half a month ago. I only just found out too; her older brother was also specially recruited into the Limit Martial Hall early. It's a pity that an accident happened during the prospective martial artist combat assessment, and he died. Martial artists only have usage rights for the Limit Martial Hall villas. The Limit Martial Hall is actually quite decent; after her brother died, they still let her family stay for another year."

After finishing, she added, "You weren't in the city at that time, so I drove over to help Xiao Ning move. East Garden Residential Quarter is also low-rent housing. It's about the same as where our family used to live. You say... do you think our family will one day also..."

Wang Ji glared, "Pah! Wang Yan, stop talking nonsense! Let me tell you, it won't happen! Your brother is very capable! Even if that day really comes, our family will still have a villa to live in!"

"Bragging!"

"I'll go buy a villa tomorrow! Buy a villa that belongs to us!" Wang Ji glared.

Wang Yan squinted at him, "Do you have the money?"

"I... I have a few million?" Wang Ji's tone lost some of its confidence.

"Tch!"

After picking up Xia Ning, Wang Ji accompanied the two girls to stroll around their future campus. Jiangnan University was the best comprehensive university in the Jiangnan Base City. If your score wasn't above 640, don't even think about getting in! Wang Yan was a top student at Yi'an No. 3 High School; even though she worked part-time every day, her scores were always in the top ten of her grade.

Xia Ning was also quite good, attending Yi'an No. 1 High School. This high school was even better than Yi'an No. 3 High School. Xia Ning's college entrance exam score was also quite high.

Jiangnan University covered an area of over 7,000 mu and had more than 40,000 students and faculty. Inside, the trees were lush and the flowers and plants were pleasant. As youthful students strolled through the campus, Wang Ji felt he had found his long-lost youth.

"I feel like my youth has returned!" Wang Ji sighed with emotion.

"Thwack!" Wang Yan's fair, delicate hand slapped the back of Wang Ji's neck. "Pah! Your youth? Are you an old man now? Or are you saying your sister is old too?"

"Hee hee..." Xia Ning pursed her lips and smiled.

Wang Ji's eyes were dazzled. This girl, she looked truly beautiful when she smiled.

By the time they returned to Yangzhou City, the evening lights were already flickering on. Wang Ji walked Xia Ning upstairs. The rental unit on the 58th floor was truly unfriendly to people. By the time Xia Ning climbed to the 50th floor, she was already panting. Her delicate little face looked as if it had been brushed with rouge, pink and flushed.

"Xia Ning?"

"Hmm?" Xia Ning looked up, her small mouth slightly parted, breathing heavily.

Wang Ji pressed her against the wall and kissed those soft, pink lips.

"Wuu... you... mm..." Xia Ning's eyes were filled with shock, shyness, and a hint of disbelief.

Wang Ji pinned Xia Ning against the wall, watching her panicked little face, but he didn't hold back, continuing to slowly savor the sweetness in her small mouth.

"Mm..."

After a long while, he finally let go.

"Wuu..." Xia Ning's eyes were misty with tears, and she choked out, "You... how could you do this..."

Wang Ji touched her smooth, soft face and said, "Xia Ning, be my girlfriend!"

"You... how can you be like this! I... I haven't agreed to anything yet... and you just did that!" Xia Ning sobbed.

Inside Wang Ji's 17-year-old body was the heart of a man in his 30s. He understood his advantages very well, so when it came to Xia Ning, it was a sure thing. He wouldn't be like a teenager, guessing back and forth, dragging things out, and developing a year or two of a "familiarity period" or "dating period."

Wang Ji kissed her again, "Mm..."

After the kiss, Wang Ji stared into Xia Ning's eyes and said earnestly, "Can you agree now?"

"You... you jerk!"

"It's already been stamped! No backing out now!" Wang Ji laughed.

"Who stamped anything with you! This... this doesn't count!" Xia Ning was speechless.

Wang Ji held Xia Ning's hand and walked up to the 58th floor. The rental unit was just as cramped, even smaller than Wang Ji's old home, only 24 square meters. Xia Ning's grandmother was lying listlessly on a recliner in the living room; seeing Wang Ji, she greeted him with kindness and warmth.

The room was very tidy. Although it was small and didn't have much furniture or appliances, it was neat, clean, and exuded a sense of warmth. "Not bad!" Wang Ji nodded. Xia Ning secretly pinched Wang Ji hard.

Outside the room, Wang Ji held Xia Ning's hand and said, "I have a villa in the Jiangnan Military Region. Tomorrow, I'll help you move there."

Xia Ning's face turned pale. She half-turned away and said stubbornly, "I'm not going!"

Wang Ji pulled her thin shoulders around, "Why?"

"I... this isn't right! It's like... like you're keeping me!" Xia Ning's gaze was stubborn, with tears shimmering in her eyes.

Wang Ji found it amusing and wiped away her tears, "I'm serious, Xia Ning! We are fated, a fate you don't even know about."

Wang Ji stared into her eyes and continued, "I know you're worried. No matter how bad this place is, it's still your own home. At the villa, you're afraid that something unexpected might happen, afraid that one day, with just a single word, it won't belong to you anymore. But think about Grandma. If she stays here, she might not be able to go downstairs or see the sun for a month or two at a time. It's cramped and stifling, which affects her health."

"How about this? We'll just leave this rental empty for now. The villa in the Jiangnan Military Region happens to be close to Jiangnan University, and Wang Yan lives there too. You and Wang Yan can keep each other company, and Grandma can help out with the cooking, alright? There are plenty of rooms there anyway!"

Xia Ning stared blankly at Wang Ji, feeling that he didn't seem like a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy. He had arranged everything so methodically, addressing her worries, respecting her self-esteem, and considering everyone's feelings. He was mature and steady, like an adult—an adult she could rely on.

"Wang Ji..." Xia Ning lowered her head, trying to keep her tears from falling.

"Touched, aren't you? How about you give me a stamp of approval?" Wang Ji whispered into Xia Ning's ear.

"Pfft... you... you're so bad!" Xia Ning glared at him, then bit her lip and smiled through her tears.

"Then it's settled! I'll have Wang Yan come help you move tomorrow. I won't come. You two can get familiar with the area around the university beforehand."

"Okay!"

Jiangnan Base City, Extreme Pavilion.

Wang Ji was still training in the practice room. The results of Zhuge Tao's application had already come out. Wang Ji's cultivation of Genetic Energy was indeed stunning, but his power output and sword technique realm were lackluster. Although his mastery of the footwork at the Micro-level was a highlight, it still wasn't enough!

Therefore, he could enter the Basic Training Camp, but he didn't quite qualify for the Elite Training Camp yet.

"What kind of standard is considered qualified?" Wang Ji asked.

"A power output of over 2 times, preferably close to 3 times!" Zhuge Tao replied. This was indeed a very high standard.

One couldn't just look at City Lord Luo, who had reached the third layer of the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade and a 2.8 times power output in just a few short months. It made it seem so simple.

In reality, it wasn't. Among the martial artists who practiced blades or swords, how many spent over a decade stuck at the Specialist level, with a power output of only 1.4 or 2.1 times? Everyone who managed to become a martial artist was gifted and brilliant in their own right.

"But I have the best power output manual! I have the assistance of Iron Will! I will definitely make it!" Wang Ji's conviction was firm. He declined the invitation to the Basic Training Camp, planning to make a direct dash for the Elite Training Camp instead.