Xia Ning

"Ring, ring..." Wang Yan's phone rang.

"Hello! Sis!" Wang Ji answered.

"I heard you were back. You're home and still haven't come by! Think you're all grown up now?" Wang Yan glared.

"Heh heh! I'm at our family's villa in the Jiangnan Military Region. What's up?" Wang Ji asked with a smile.

"Then come take Xia Ning and me to look at our school. Our admission letters have both arrived. Jiangnan University! We want to check it out before classes start," Wang Yan said.

"Sure! I'll drive over and pick you up!"

An hour later, Wang Ji picked up Wang Yan.

"East Garden Residential Quarter. We're going there to pick up Xia Ning!"

Wang Ji looked puzzled. "Isn't Xia Ning's family at No. 112 in our neighborhood?"

Wang Yan sighed. "They moved out half a month ago. I only just found out that her older brother was also recruited early into the Limit Martial Hall. Unfortunately, something went wrong during the Quasi-Martial Artist combat assessment, and he died. Martial artists only have the right to use the villas owned by the Limit Martial Hall. The Hall was decent enough to let her family stay for another year after her brother died."

Then she added, "You weren't in the city back then, so I drove over and helped Xiao Ning move. East Garden Residential Quarter is also low-rent housing, about like the place we used to live in. Do you think... do you think our family might end up like that one day, too?"

Wang Ji glared. "Bah! Wang Yan, don't say such nonsense! I'm telling you, that won't happen! Your little brother's pretty capable! Even if it really does happen one day, our family will still have a villa to live in!"

"Yeah, right!"

"I'll buy a villa tomorrow! One of our very own!" Wang Ji declared.

Wang Yan gave him a sidelong glance. "Do you have the money?"

"I... have a few million?" Wang Ji's voice wavered.

"Pfft!"

After picking up Xia Ning, Wang Ji accompanied the two girls as they strolled around their future campus. Jiangnan University was the best comprehensive university in Jiangnan Base City. Anyone who scored under 640 could forget about getting in! Wang Yan was the top student at Yi'an No. 3 High School. Though she worked part-time every day, her grades were always among the top ten in her year.

Xia Ning was doing well, too. She attended Yi'an No. 1 High School, which was even better than Yi'an No. 3 High School. Her college entrance exam score was high as well.

Jiangnan University covered more than 7,000 mu and had over 40,000 students and staff. Trees shaded the grounds, and flowers and plants brightened the walkways. As youthful students strolled around campus, Wang Ji felt as though he'd found the youth he'd long since lost.

"I feel like I'm young again!" Wang Ji sighed.

"Smack!" Wang Yan's delicate hand slapped the back of his neck. "Pah! Your youth? Are you an old man or something? Or are you saying your big sister's old, too?"

"Hee hee..." Xia Ning covered her mouth, laughing.

Wang Ji was dazzled by her smile. She was so beautiful when she smiled.

By the time they returned to Yangzhou City, night had fallen and the city lights were on. Wang Ji walked Xia Ning up to her apartment. The rental unit was on the 58th floor, which was certainly an unfriendly setup. By the time Xia Ning climbed to the 50th floor, she was already panting. Her delicate face was flushed pink, like she'd dabbed on rouge.

"Xia Ning?"

"Hmm?" Xia Ning looked up at him, her lips slightly parted as she panted.

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

"Mmph... you... mm..." Xia Ning's eyes were full of shock and embarrassment, with a hint of disbelief.

Wang Ji pinned Xia Ning against the wall. Looking at her flustered face, he still couldn't bring himself to stop. He continued savoring the sweetness of her lips.

"Mm..."

Only after a long while did he finally pull away.

"Mmph..." Tears welled in Xia Ning's eyes as she choked out, "How... how could you do that..."

Wang Ji stroked her smooth cheek. "Xia Ning, be my girlfriend!"

"You... How can you do something like that? I... I haven't even agreed to anything... and you just..." Xia Ning sobbed.

Inside Wang Ji's seventeen-year-old body was the heart of a man in his thirties. He knew exactly what advantages he had, so when it came to Xia Ning, he was confident things would work out. He wouldn't be like a teenage boy, guessing and hesitating, inching forward, and spending a year or two getting to know her and dating before things developed further.

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

After the kiss, Wang Ji looked into Xia Ning's eyes and asked seriously, "Can you say yes now?"

"You... you're awful!"

"We've already sealed the deal with a kiss! You can't take it back now!" Wang Ji smiled.

"When did we ever seal the deal? That... that doesn't count!" Xia Ning was speechless.

Wang Ji took Xia Ning by the hand and led her up to the 58th floor. Her rental apartment was just as cramped as his family's old place, if not smaller, at only 24 square meters. Xia Ning's frail grandmother lay in a reclining chair in the living room. When she saw Wang Ji, she greeted him warmly.

The apartment was neat and tidy. Though it was cramped and didn't have much furniture or many appliances, it was clean and gave off a cozy feel. "Not bad!" Wang Ji nodded. Xia Ning secretly pinched him hard.

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

Xia Ning's face went pale. She turned halfway away, her expression stubborn. "I'm not going!"

Wang Ji turned her narrow shoulders back toward him. "Why not?"

"I... I don't think that's right! It would be like... like you were keeping me!" Xia Ning's gaze was stubborn, tears shimmering in her eyes.

Wang Ji chuckled and wiped away her tears. "I'm serious, Xia Ning! We're connected by fate, though you don't know how."

Looking into her eyes, Wang Ji continued, "I know you're worried. No matter how shabby this place is, it's still your home. At the villa, you're afraid something might happen—that one day, with a single word, you could lose the right to live there. But think about your grandmother. Here, she might go a month or two without ever making it downstairs or getting any sunshine. It's cramped and stifling, and it's bad for her health."

"How about this? We'll keep this rental apartment empty for now. The villa in the Jiangnan Military Region is close to Jiangnan University, and Wang Yan lives there, too. You can keep her company, and your grandmother can help with the cooking. There are plenty of rooms!"

Xia Ning stared at Wang Ji, feeling that he didn't seem like a boy of seventeen or eighteen. He'd thought everything through and taken care of her worries, her pride, and everyone's feelings. He was mature and dependable, like an adult she could rely on.

"Wang Ji..." Xia Ning lowered her head, trying to hold back her tears.

"Touched, aren't you? How about giving me a kiss, too?" Wang Ji whispered by Xia Ning's ear.

"Pfft... you... you're so naughty!" Xia Ning glared at him, then smiled through her tears.

"Then it's settled! Wang Yan will come help you move tomorrow. I won't come along. You two can get to know the area around the university ahead of time."

"Okay!"

Jiangnan Base City, Extreme Pavilion.

Wang Ji was still training in the practice room. The results of Zhuge Tao's application had come in. Wang Ji's cultivation of Origin Energy was indeed impressive, but his power output and swordsmanship were nothing special. His advanced mastery of the subtle-level footwork was a bright spot, but it wasn't enough!

So he could enter the Basic Training Camp, but he wasn't quite qualified for the Elite Training Camp.

"What would qualify me?" Wang Ji asked.

"Power output of at least twice your strength, preferably close to three times!" Zhuge Tao replied. That was certainly a high standard.

You couldn't judge by City Lord Luo alone. He'd reached the third layer of the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade in just a few months, with power output at 2.8 times his strength. He made it seem easy.

But it wasn't. How many martial artists who trained with swords or blades spent more than a decade stuck at the Proficient Level, with power output of only 1.4 or 2.1 times their strength? Every martial artist had to be exceptionally gifted to make it that far.

"But I have the best power-output manual! I have Iron Will to help me! I can do it!" Wang Ji's resolve was firm. He turned down the offer from the Basic Training Camp and planned to make a direct push for the Elite Training Camp.