15: Chapter 15 Yan Yan Starts School Early

Huangshan First Source Energy Middle School.

Today was exceptionally lively. When Chu Hong and the others arrived at the school, right at the school gate, they saw one vehicle after another—some brimming with sci-fi colors, others with magical colors—all clearly mounts or vehicles originating from secret realms parked outside the school's main gate.

Applying for Source Energy University not only required confirmation from the examinee taking the assessment, but also required their guardian's signature.

After all, no matter how simple a secret realm was, once someone died inside, they truly died.

At this moment, the scene at the school gate vividly illustrated how strength equated to wealth.

"Xiaohong, you're here. Oh my, why does this child's complexion look so terrible?"

As Chu Hong and Wang Suming were still looking at the mysterious or gorgeous vehicles and mounts at the school gate, a gentle female voice came over. The moment Chu Hong turned his head, his entire body was already pulled into a warm embrace.

The familiar, enthusiastic aura from his memories made Chu Hong's pale face instantly flush with a bit of red.

Mother Wang reached out, full of heartache, and stroked Chu Hong's cheek.

Father Wang, standing to the side, frowned: "Looking like this, are you really going to take the assessment?"

He paused, weighed his words for a moment, and said: "It's normal for young people to care about face, but who hasn't run into some frustrations when it comes to romance? Before I met your Aunt Wang, I also ran into some rotten people. Why bother torturing yourself over a woman?"

Obviously, Wang Suming had already told his parents about what happened to Chu Hong.

Hearing this,

Chu Hong didn't feel offended; instead, a wave of warmth flooded his heart.

After the original body's parents passed away, the family's house was about to be repossessed by Huangshan Base City due to mortgage issues. Back then, it was Father Wang and Mother Wang who chipped in money to help Chu Hong keep a place to live.

Afterwards, whenever they bought anything for Wang Suming, they would always buy an extra share for him.

They truly, completely raised him as if he were their own son.

Chu Hong took a deep breath and smiled.

"Uncle and Auntie, don't worry. I know what I'm doing, and please trust me..." His expression turned slightly solemn as he looked at the two of them earnestly.

"My life doesn't just belong to me. If I die, this guy Wang Suming won't just cry his eyes out, he'll faint from it."

Wang Suming wore a dark expression.

As for Aunt Wang, she repeatedly spat: "Bah, bah, bah."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Don't say such inauspicious things, talking about death and all that. Quickly, spit it out and take it back."

Chu Hong smiled.

Chu Hong had no guardian. According to Huangshan Base City's regulations, applying for university naturally didn't require any guardian's signature; he just needed to sign a life-and-death pact himself and that was it.

Arriving at the school's assessment registration desk,

at this moment, it resembled a bank counter from his past life. Aside from a row of windows, there were also various self-service machines—those were university registration points for universities that didn't dispatch personnel to handle registrations because they were too far from Huangshan Base City or because Huangshan Base City was too small and unqualified.

"Which Source Energy University are you two planning to apply to?"

Mother Wang finally asked this question at this moment.

Wang Suming hemmed and hawed, his gaze looking at Chu Hong with hesitation and awkwardness, carrying a bit of anxiety in his eyes.

Chu Hong smiled and was just about to say something

when he suddenly heard a chorus of noisy discussions and mixed exclamations coming from not far away.

"It's Song Jiaojiao! W-Why is she heading toward the registration machine for Longming Sacred Academy?"

"Damn, Song Jiaojiao actually registered for Longming Sacred Academy? Is she—is she out of her mind?!"

"Shh, what nonsense are you spouting? Didn't you know? Song Jiaojiao's awakened initial skill is rumored to be an eighth-stage Qiyuan skill. With this innate advantage, there's really a chance she could get into Longming Sacred Academy."

Song Jiaojiao?

Chu Hong and Wang Suming both turned their gazes over as well.

That was a girl wearing a purple-and-white-bottomed puffy dress, holding an umbrella in one hand that was clearly a collection item of no low grade. Her calves exposed beneath the skirt hem were fair, and she stepped in a pair of pitch-black boots.

Amidst the crisp sound of footsteps, her aloof aura that kept people thousands of miles away caused everyone to step back wherever she passed.

Wang Suming looked at Song Jiaojiao, who had already begun operating the machine, his eyes filled with envy.

"Sigh, Song Jiaojiao... I heard her initial skill is Invisibility. And her family is the renowned Magic Cube Firm in the base city, which has operated for three generations and focused on the development of magic-side secret realm collection items for over a hundred years. She doesn't even need to worry about Source Energy consumption when entering maps. Isn't this practically a score-farming machine?"

"Applying to any university is definitely a piece of cake for her."

Invisibility?

A strange look flashed across Chu Hong's eyes.

The skill of Invisibility was indeed quite popular in secret realms that emphasized searching, fighting, and retreating.

Aside from some special units that might discover her due to factors like aura and temperature, but... as long as she had the corresponding preventive measures,

wouldn't this Song Jiaojiao entering the map be as easy as stocking up on goods?

"Brother Hong, are—are we really applying to Longming Sacred Academy? With Song Jiaojiao here, once the two of us get compared to her, we'll truly lose face big time."

Wang Suming was already starting to get cold feet.

In fact, he hadn't even planned to participate in the assessment in the first place.

However,

Chu Hong just gave a faint smile.

"What about Invisibility? The assessment score of Longming Sacred Academy doesn't just look at the value of the items brought out; it also considers the number of monsters killed in the secret realm. If besides her, nobody else applies to Longming Sacred Academy, then the two of us can team up, while she can only go alone."

"No matter what, the competition ratio is 2 to 1. The advantage is with us!"

Wang Suming: "..."

At this moment, he was about to cry, but when Chu Hong strode toward the registration machine for Longming Sacred Academy, the following movements of his feet were so smooth.

The actions of the two quickly attracted the attention of many people.

"Isn't that Chu Hong? What is he trying to do?"

"Huh? Isn't that guy's initial skill unranked? How does he still dare to sign up for the assessment?"

"..."

The surrounding discussions made Song Jiaojiao, who was filling out information in front of the machine, raise her head slightly. When she saw Chu Hong and Wang Suming walking straight toward her side, a look of confusion couldn't help but appear on her exquisite face.

She knew Chu Hong.

After all, Chu Hong's grades in school had always been in the top ten, and Song Jiaojiao happened to be the same.

Of course, that was also the only place where the two could barely be called intersection points.

"Do you need something?"

Song Jiaojiao frowned, her tone carrying a chill.

Before Chu Hong could say anything, a familiar, sharp, loud laughter suddenly came from the crowd behind them.

"Hahaha, holy shit, Chu Hong, you punk actually dare to come!"

It was Wu Gang!

At this moment, he still looked like a reckless brute wearing a vest and deliberately showing off his strong muscles. However, the faint dark bruises under his eyes caused Chu Hong, who turned back to see him, to curl the corner of his mouth slightly.

"Yo, isn't that our fellow enthusiast, Class Monitor Wu?"

As soon as these words were spoken,

Wu Gang's expression, which was originally arrogant and mocking, instantly stiffened.

And Liu Yanyan, who followed behind him to register today, was so angered upon hearing this that she stomped her feet on the spot.

"Chu Hong, you parentless bastard, watch your mouth when you speak to me!"

A cold gleam flashed in Chu Hong's eyes.

He grabbed the fatty Wang Suming who was about to step forward beside him. Showing no signs of anger at all, he instead kept a smiling, enthusiastic expression as he looked at Wu Gang.

Making a facial expression that all men understood, he winked and nudged his brows.

"Class Monitor Wu, I've told you before, Yanyan is very eager to learn, so she starts school very early and has rich experience. Now that my experience has been wrung dry by her, it looks like she has started extracting experience from you, Class Monitor Wu."

Wu Gang's face turned livid. The strange, spectator-like gazes all around made the little bit of superiority he had just felt when facing Chu Hong start to waver.

"Chu Hong, stop fucking talking nonsense! If it weren't for the fact that we're classmates, believe it or not, I'd beat the crap out of you right now!"

He waved his fist, and a bracelet on his wrist that looked like it was inlaid with gems lit up with a faint glow.

Immediately afterward, a surge of Source Energy instantly rose from that massive fist.

This elicited a burst of exclamations from the surrounding people.

"It's Source Energy! Wu Gang is already able to drive Source Energy now. It looks like what was said before—that a Pioneer Squad approached him—must be true!"

"He even has Source Energy equipment. It looks like Wu Gang is going to apply to a Tier 2 or higher Source Energy University."

"No, his initial skill [Bomb Thrower] should be able to play a significant role in the secret realm. Maybe he can get into a Tier 1 Source Energy University..."

The surrounding envious or shocked discussions made Wu Gang, who had just been humiliated and lost face by Chu Hong's sharp tongue, seem to regain his confidence instantly.

He sneered.

"If you had just obediently lived as an ordinary person, that would be it. Since you still dare to come and register for the assessment today, don't blame me for targeting you afterwards... Chu Hong, you'd better pray that you don't run into me in the assessment secret realm, otherwise..."

"Inside the secret realm, life and death are up to fate!"

Wu Gang sneered grimly, his massive fist making a grabbing motion.

Hearing this, Chu Hong smiled.

He turned back and asked Song Jiaojiao, who was calmly exiting the registration interface behind him:

"Classmate Song Jiaojiao, are you done? If you're done... it's our turn to register for Longming!"