Chapter 53: The Sensation of General Xing

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Seeing her friend in such a state, Zheng Hao found himself at a loss for words. They were disciples of a renowned family of mystic arts, enjoying both fame and fortune, with an illustrious lineage. But was their life truly as glamorous as outsiders imagined? In truth, there was so much more beneath the surface.

"Alright, I’ll try to avoid her from now on, but don’t even think about being friends with her!" Zheng Hao muttered gruffly. Then he climbed aboard his sapphire war chariot, joining the queue to leave the city.

Chen Ziming smiled contentedly and stepped onto his platinum war chariot.

The Azure Dragon war chariot raced at its maximum speed, yet inside, it felt as smooth as silk. Wei Zi and Zhou Xiaoya sat on one side, completely ignoring Xing Haotian. Xing Haotian could only strike up a conversation with Zhou Xiaoya’s parents. Naturally, they dared not offend this great figure, and being both in awe and curious about a general of Huatianguo, they couldn’t resist asking all sorts of questions.

"I heard the general once set fire to a whole mountain over at Molin Ridge—is that true?"

"Well, there’s some exaggeration to it. I was chasing a particularly cunning wild beast, and that’s what caused it..."

"I also heard the general entered the Forbidden Zone—what’s it really like there?"

"Extremely dangerous. Every step is fraught with deadly intent. One wrong move, and you could perish. The terror of the Forbidden Zone is beyond description."

It had to be said, Xing Haotian might not be loquacious, but his experiences were extraordinarily rich. He’d been through knife-edge dangers and firestorms, and even ventured into the Forbidden Zone seven times and emerged unscathed. This left Zhou Xiaoya’s parents utterly stunned and full of admiration. After all, Xing Haotian’s world was utterly unimaginable to those protected within the Imperial City, many of whom might never set foot outside their sheltered zones in a lifetime.

Inside the war chariot, the two young women seemed unimpressed by the stories. Zhou Xiaoya opened her communicator and sent a text to Wei Zi.

"You stayed at General Xing’s place before? Don’t deny it—he said your luggage is still on his chariot! How could you hide such a big secret from me?"

"…You told me not to deny it, so what else can I say?"

"But but, that’s General Xing! The third most popular ‘nationwide husband’! Oh my god!"

Wei Zi was drinking water, but when she saw the message, she suddenly sprayed the water out, choking and coughing uncontrollably.

"What’s wrong? Are you okay?" Xing Haotian immediately handed her a tissue, his eyes fixed on her, concern etched across his face. If it weren’t for the cramped space, he would have patted her on the back himself.

"I’m fine, I’m fine!" Wei Zi waved it off, taking the tissue and wiping her mouth before regaining her composure.

Meanwhile, Zhou Xiaoya, the instigator, watched their interaction with eyes full of mischievous implication.

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"Why so excited? And pretending to be so calm? Tell me, was living with General Xing a happy time?" Zhou Xiaoya asked, brimming with gossip.

Wei Zi pursed her lips and furiously typed back, "If I had to pick the third most notorious scoundrel nationwide, it would be Xing Haotian!"

"No way! General Xing is great! Are you blind?" Zhou Xiaoya replied.

"I’d rather be blind than see him again!"

"What happened? Why do you have such a deep grudge against General Xing?"

"…"

Some things were just impossible to tell even your closest friends. How could Wei Zi explain that Xing Haotian had forced her into such a situation? She simply couldn’t.

"In any case, there’s nothing between me and Xing Haotian. Don’t overthink it!" After sending this, Wei Zi put away her communicator, refusing further conversation. Her gaze drifted to the window, shadowed with quiet sorrow.

Seeing this side of Wei Zi, Zhou Xiaoya could only fall silent, unwilling to press further. She had never seen her friend so troubled, so lost, struggling and wavering. Not even when Wei Zi was bullied and tormented by He Xiaohe had she appeared like this.

The Azure Dragon war chariot sped along swiftly. What was supposed to take three hours was covered in just thirty minutes.

Each year, about 100,000 students graduate from the primary enlightenment schools of Huatianguo’s imperial capital. However, only one in a thousand who received the awakening serum actually awakened their mystic cores. So the new students in the mystic arts department numbered just over a hundred.

Among them, many had not used the government-provided free awakening serum. The rare awakening serum, which required vast financial resources to develop, boasted a 50% higher success rate than the ordinary serum and was sold at sky-high prices on the black market.

Wei Qing had become a mystic through this very method. Two years ago, Wei Dongming had drained most of the family’s savings to afford it during a financial crunch.

Thus, mystics were exceedingly rare.

There were the wealthy, of course, but also many from ordinary families who became mystics using the standard serum. Those truly gifted individuals, however, often couldn’t afford the expensive cultivation costs. Some mystics even left halfway through their studies to become mercenaries or enlist in the army!

Yet those who persevered soared to great heights. In Huatianguo, academic credentials were a passport to opportunity wherever one went.

This day was the final day of registration and military training for the new students. The school gates were bustling, with crowds lining up to register amid a sea of luxury vehicles. But the domineering presence of the Azure Dragon war chariot made all other vehicles give way, unwilling to challenge its might.

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“Boom!”

The Azure Dragon war chariot came to a halt at the school gates, causing several other war chariots to retreat, unwilling to provoke it.

Everyone present—both passengers of other war chariots and school officials—paused to watch.

“Who is it? Driving the Azure Dragon war chariot? Could it be someone from the Four Great Families?”

“The Shui family doesn’t have any children of age this year, and the youngest son of the Jun family is still in third grade. That just leaves the Han family and the Leng family.”

“The Han family’s war chariot is the Thousand-Legged Poisonous Centipede, and the Leng family’s is the Nine-Tailed Fox—not the Azure Dragon!”

“Guessing won’t help. We’ll know once they get out!”

The chariot doors opened, and the first to step down was dressed in an exquisitely ornate military dress uniform. Every button gleamed, the shoulder badges and chest medals shone brilliantly, and his signature flaming red hair and eyes were impossible to miss.

“Boom!”

It was like an explosion had gone off, eliciting gasps and screams from the crowd.

General Xing Haotian!

As a school filled with youths harboring dreams and hopes, how could they not have idols? Xing Haotian, the youngest general in Huatianguo, shone brilliantly.

Most importantly, he had no powerful backing. Starting as a lowly soldier, he rose to general in just ten years—an exemplar for every young person.

Someone like him appearing at the academy was akin to an earthquake of magnitude eight.

Yet soon, all noticed that Xing Haotian was carrying two large luggage trunks.

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I didn’t expect the comments to attract so many readers! Little Ci wants to say that after the 30th release, the daily update will be set at five chapters, but how long this can continue depends on my inspiration and the work’s reception. I hope everyone will support me—your support is truly my motivation, not just empty words. Many authors persist only because of good results. I hope my efforts can earn the recognition of many readers. Thank you all!