When Did I Say I Was Going With You?

Jiangcheng and Magic City were more than six hundred kilometers apart in a straight line. Even by high-speed rail, the trip took over three hours.

Before boarding the high-speed train, Xu Jingming called Zhang Chaoyang. He had merely intended to let him know that he would be arriving today.

To his surprise, Zhang Chaoyang was exceptionally enthusiastic and said he would drive to the Magic City high-speed rail station to wait for him in advance.

Xu Jingming could not talk him out of it, so he could only let him do as he pleased.

After boarding, Xu Jingming put away his luggage and found his seat.

Then he closed his eyes and leaned against the window to rest.

At the same time, he recalled the contents of the Ability Training Method.

Besides the two-million-yuan bonus and a villa Jiangcheng had given him, the most important thing was this Ability Training Method.

It was an Ability Training Method called the "Abyssal Sea Training Method."

Just like abilities, Ability Training Methods came in different grades.

There were four levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced, and top-tier.

The higher the grade, the faster one could cultivate.

The "Abyssal Sea Training Method" was an intermediate Ability Training Method.

The original copy of the Ability Training Method was held by the Jiangcheng government. What Xu Jingming had received was merely a duplicate.

However, the contents were the same, so there was no difference in cultivation.

The Ability Training Method did not contain much material.

With Xu Jingming's Mental Strength of 180 hertz, he had memorized all of it in just over two days.

"According to the Ability Training Method, there is a special kind of energy drifting between heaven and earth.

"Only by absorbing this energy can the power of one's ability be increased..."

On the first day he received the Ability Training Method, Xu Jingming had sensed that special energy according to its instructions.

At the same time, a "+" sign had appeared after his level on the system panel.

However, he had not immediately chosen to use Ability Points to level up.

According to the records in the "Abyssal Sea Training Method," when evolving from an Awakened to a Metahuman,

the higher the grade of Ability Training Method used for the breakthrough, the greater the benefits afterward.

And once he entered Modu Metahuman University, he would be able to consult top-tier Ability Training Methods.

Naturally, he would not choose to break through using an intermediate Ability Training Method.

"After registering for school, the first thing I'll do is go to the Library and look up Ability Training Methods."

Xu Jingming silently thought to himself.

The journey was truly boring, and he had no way to train.

Originally, he had only intended to rest with his eyes closed. But as drowsiness washed over him while he leaned lightly against the window, he simply lay down on the table and fell asleep...

The high-speed train from Jiangcheng to Magic City stopped at several stations along the way.

One of them was Ning'an City, the provincial capital of Jiangnan Province.

The seats around Xu Jingming had originally been empty, but after reaching Ning'an City, they were all filled.

Several young people seemed to have boarded the train. One of the boys kept talking nonstop from the moment he sat down.

Before long, Xu Jingming's already hazy sleepiness was completely driven away. Left with no choice, he stopped sleeping on the table and opened his eyes.

He was seated in a four-person section with a table in the middle.

At that moment, the seats opposite him, which had originally been empty, were occupied by a young man and woman.

A bespectacled girl was seated beside him as well.

The one who had been chattering nonstop since boarding was the young man directly across from Xu Jingming.

"Huangpu Metahuman University is considered a pretty good school in Magic City. Last year's minimum admission score was 406.

"I scored 421 this time, so I'm not that far above the cutoff, but I'm basically guaranteed to get in.

"And my older brother attends Huangpu Metahuman University too. Once we get to Magic City, I can take you around the campus.

"Huangpu Metahuman University usually isn't open to outsiders. You're lucky my brother is there, or you wouldn't get this chance."

The boy was well dressed and talked at length.

Most of it was him flaunting his Martial Arts College Entrance Examination score and his connections at Huangpu Metahuman University.

The bespectacled girl beside Xu Jingming listened with a smile.

But the quieter girl beside the boy opposite him seemed vaguely impatient and barely responded.

In fact,

Liu Qian's patience with Zhang Qiang was indeed nearing its limit.

After the Martial Arts College Entrance Examination, she and her best friend had both wanted to apply to universities in Magic City.

So they had bought tickets for today's high-speed train, intending to take a look in person.

Yet after boarding, they had run into Zhang Qiang beside them. Once he learned of their plans, he began bragging nonstop.

At first, she had been quite patient and had even smiled along with him.

But as time passed, he repeated the same two things over and over more than ten times, and she was starting to get annoyed.

Still, out of politeness, she could not directly tell him to shut up.

Look, he had even woken up the quiet person sleeping across from them!

Liu Qian was about to apologize, but when she saw his face, her beautiful eyes lit up.

What a handsome guy!

The boy across from her had resolute features, a high nose bridge, and a pair of clear, lively eyes.

Even compared to male celebrities on television, his looks did not fall short in the slightest.

Though she was not boy-crazy, she could not help feeling favorably inclined toward such a handsome young man.

Especially with that endlessly buzzing fly beside her serving as a contrast.

"Sorry, we woke you up."

Liu Qian apologized softly.

Xu Jingming waved his hand, indicating that he did not mind.

"Hello, I'm Sun Rui. Are you going to Magic City too?"

Compared to Liu Qian's quiet demeanor, the bespectacled girl beside Xu Jingming was clearly much more outgoing.

Seeing that Xu Jingming was around her age, she took the initiative to greet him.

"Xu Jingming. I'm going to Magic City too."

Xu Jingming nodded politely at Sun Rui's question.

"We're all going to Magic City. What a coincidence."

Liu Qian smiled brightly and said in a friendly manner, "I'm Liu Qian. I'm planning to take a look at the metahuman universities in Magic City in person."

"I'm going there for a trip, and I'm also planning to visit my brother at Huangpu Metahuman University."

The boy beside Liu Qian leaned over as well. "My name is Zhang Qiang. Brother, are you going to Magic City to visit schools too?"

Xu Jingming was about to say that he was going there to register for school, but the boy continued on his own:

"You look about the same age as us, so that must be it.

"How about this? I'll take all of you to Huangpu Metahuman University later for a look around."

Zhang Qiang grinned, with a faint sense of superiority in his voice.

"I'm not bragging, but among all those universities in Magic City, Huangpu Metahuman University ranks pretty high!

"Once the application process is over, I'll be attending Huangpu Metahuman University too."

Xu Jingming was somewhat speechless at that.

As an international metropolis, Magic City indeed had several decent metahuman universities besides the very best Modu Metahuman University.

But among those schools, Huangpu Metahuman University, with an admission score of just over four hundred, definitely could not be considered particularly good.

Of course, for ordinary examinees, it was indeed a prestigious school.

Xu Jingming had little desire to talk with people he did not know.

Liu Qian was also rather quiet by nature, while Sun Rui was slightly more lively.

But she seemed to prefer listening over talking.

Thus, in the conversation that followed, Zhang Qiang naturally took the lead.

He enthusiastically flaunted his college entrance examination score and his connections at Huangpu Metahuman University, hoping to attract Liu Qian's attention.

But his attempts were far too clumsy, and even Xu Jingming could not help shaking his head inwardly.

As for Liu Qian, the word "disgust" was practically written across her forehead.

Still, compared to when she had first boarded the train, Liu Qian's tolerance was far greater now.

After all, there was now an easy-on-the-eyes handsome guy to look at, wasn't there?

Thus, for the remainder of the trip, Liu Qian's gaze was almost always drifting toward Xu Jingming...

Time passed swiftly, and shortly after noon, the train finally arrived at the Magic City high-speed rail station.

Xu Jingming and the others followed the crowd outside.

Along the way, Zhang Qiang tried to ask Liu Qian for her contact information, only to be rebuffed.

Before long, the group exited the high-speed rail station.

Outside, taxis and private cars waiting for passengers were lined up one after another.

When Zhang Qiang spotted one of the sedans, his eyes lit up. He hurried over to Liu Qian and eagerly said:

"My brother's car is here. Come with me, and we can visit Huangpu Metahuman University while we're at it."

After saying that, he pretended to look apologetically at Xu Jingming.

"But my brother's car doesn't have enough seats. If you want to come along, you'll have to take a taxi yourself.

"Don't worry, though. We'll wait for you at the school gate."

An ordinary sedan had five seats. Including his cousin driving, there would only be four people, so there was naturally enough room.

He said that deliberately because he wanted to squeeze Xu Jingming out.

After all, he was not blind. During the train ride, the beautiful Liu Qian's attention had been almost entirely on Xu Jingming.

Even an idiot could tell that Liu Qian was interested in Xu Jingming.

But if he could force the other guy away, then perhaps he might still have a chance.

However, not only did his little stunt fail to produce the result he wanted,

it instead earned him a look from Xu Jingming as though he were an idiot.

"When did I say I was going with you?"