Wang Lan's silence made Xie Sisi even more panicked. "Wang Lan, believe me. Although I like you, I am not the kind of woman who would scheme. It was really an accident yesterday. Please don't think of me as that kind of despicable woman, okay...?"

"Sisi, with what you're saying, it sounds as if I'm the one who lost out," Wang Lan said with a wry smile, patting Xie Sisi's hand. "Actually, that wasn't you... How should I put it? You've always had another personality."

Xie Sisi was unaware of the existence of another her. Perhaps that was the other Xie Sisi's tragedy. She was like Xie Sisi's Guardian Angel, silently protecting her. Yet, the one she protected never knew of her guardian's existence.

It was like the many ordinary people who are always protected by Star Martial Warriors but lavishly praise the peaceful times. How many truly understand that the so-called peaceful times are merely the result of someone else shouldering the burdens?

"My other personality?" Although Xie Sisi had stopped crying, her grip on Wang Lan's arm tightened. "Why don't I know about it?"

"Do you remember that time you were drugged? How could you possibly have escaped under those circumstances, let alone when you'd been shot? It was your second personality, always protecting you. Ever since the incident with that pervert when you were a child, you've always had a second personality.

"Last night, she came to say goodbye to me. She appeared because you yearned for protection. And now, you've become stronger, more resilient, so you no longer need her protection. That's why she disappeared.

"Yesterday, she came to bid me farewell. From now on, you'll just be you. I just didn't expect she would do that yesterday."

"I..." Xie Sisi's face was filled with shock, but she knew Wang Lan would never lie to her. Furthermore, her memory of last night was somewhat fuzzy. It felt like she was the one doing it, yet it was also like a dream.

"Do you regret it?" Wang Lan asked softly, looking at Xie Sisi's perfect body. "Even though I can't make you any promises."

"Not at all! I don't regret it one bit! We're Star Martial Warriors; who can promise anything to anyone? Who knows, we might die in battle any day. Wang Lan, I don't regret it, not now, not ever..." Xie Sisi pressed her face against Wang Lan's back, gently nuzzling him.

"You don't feel wronged? This is quite unfair to you."

"Outstanding men possessing more outstanding women—that's the fairest rule in the Law of nature. Being able to be your woman, how is that unfair to me? From the first day you came to our class, this outcome was already destined."

Wang Lan let out a soft sigh. "Are you hungry? Do you want to get up and eat something?"

"Not hungry. I just want to hold you a little longer."

"Just holding..." Wang Lan turned over and pushed Xie Sisi down. "Who initiated things yesterday? Maybe we should reenact it..."

「The summer vacation passed quietly.」

On August 25th, students from various places could start returning to school. Freshmen, needing to enroll, had to set off even earlier than other students.

Parting always comes with a hint of sadness. From Suzhou City, there were direct high-speed trains to both Modu City and Jin City. Modu City was closer, with the high-speed train journey taking only forty minutes.

Wang Lan and his three companions arrived at the station with their luggage. Each carried only a carry-on suitcase, intending to buy living supplies after reaching their destination.

"Xiangwen, after arriving in Jin City, Sisi is in your care," Jiang Xinyu said, holding Xie Sisi's hand, a rare expression of sadness on her face.

"Of course! But Jin City is only about two hundred kilometers from Suzhou City, isn't it? Is there a need to act as if it's a final goodbye? Any day you feel like returning, you can. Look, Lanzi seems much more composed about it."

Jiang Xinyu looked at Wang Lan beside her. He was holding tickets and searching for the check-in gate, looking eager to board the train immediately.

"Xinyu, our check-in gate is over there, and they're about to start boarding. Let's go," Wang Lan said, striding over.

"Hey, Lanzi, aren't you going to say goodbye before we part?" Xu Xiangwen's eyes reddened slightly. "The next time we see each other, it will be the New Year."

"Oh, then goodbye!" Wang Lan waved absentmindedly. "Never mind, let's hug instead."

He shared a gentle embrace with Xu Xiangwen and Xie Sisi. "Take care of yourselves, keep in touch often."

"Mm!"

Xu Xiangwen and Xie Sisi's departure times were actually similar to Wang Lan's, only about fifteen minutes apart. As Wang Lan's train was preparing to depart, Xu Xiangwen's group also began boarding.

Wang Lan turned his head, staring blankly out the window.

"Feeling sentimental at a time like this? Isn't your reaction a bit slow?" Jiang Xinyu teased.

"I'm not sentimental. It's just that I'm about to leave Greater Su City, so I'm feeling a bit reflective. I've only left here three times in my entire life, and the last time was two years ago."

"I have to leave several times a year. I don't get that feeling, but this is my first time taking a high-speed train."

「Meanwhile, on the train heading for Jin City」

Xie Sisi sat down and turned her head slightly to look out the window, while Xu Xiangwen had already picked up his phone and was engrossed in a fierce game of TM.

As a train pulled out of the station, Xie Sisi suddenly snapped back to reality. Remembering something, she opened her bag and took out a beautiful jewelry box. Seeing the azure mid-grade Soul Bead inside, Xie Sisi's face showed surprise. Instantly, her nose tingled, and tears welled up in her eyes.

The forty-five-minute journey hardly felt tiring. They hadn't even finished watching two episodes of a TV series before the train arrived at the station.

Stepping off the train with their luggage, they were greeted outside the station by buses from various universities, designated to pick up new students. Among them, the most prominent was the bus for the Modu City Star Martial Academy.

After all, everything about the Star Martial Academy could pique public curiosity, especially the Modu City Star Martial Academy. Although a Star Martial Warrior walking down the street wouldn't be treated like a giant panda, a student from the Modu City Star Martial Academy wearing their uniform would certainly attract numerous admiring glances.

Even those who weren't new students at the Modu City Star Martial Academy would gather outside the school bus to take selfies and show off. Paired with some background music and posted on a short video platform, they'd instantly rake in countless likes.

"Is the big shot a new student at the Modu City Star Martial Academy?"

"My respects to the big shot, let me get you a drink."

"I'm already a fan! Big shot, could you post more videos about life at the Modu City Star Martial Academy, please?"

Students of the Modu City Star Martial Academy generally wouldn't linger outside the bus. When Wang Lan approached, carrying his luggage, senior students enthusiastically took it, helped store it away, and then guided them to their seats to wait.

All along the way, a multitude of gazes fixated on Wang Lan's face. Regardless of gender, their eyes blazed with fervor.

These five or six steps felt as long as walking five or six hundred meters. Wang Lan was puzzled. Jiang Xinyu, next to him, was the true beauty, so why were they all staring at *him*? Could it be that his charm had completely overshadowed Jiang Xinyu's?

"Xinyu, do you feel that something's... off?" Wang Lan whispered to Jiang Xinyu after sitting down.

"Hmm?" Jiang Xinyu looked up at Wang Lan, puzzled.

The atmosphere inside the bus was somewhat oppressive. Though half-full, it felt as empty as a vacant bus. Many people, intentionally or unintentionally, glanced at Wang Lan. Even those busy with something kept their attention on him.

"From the moment I boarded this bus, I've been the target of countless intense stares. Those looks carry some kind of strong signal. I suspect we might have already been marked."

"What are you thinking?" Jiang Xinyu shot Wang Lan a look, baffled by his bizarre train of thought. Is his mind always this peculiar?

"Think about it. We don't know any of them, so why are they looking at me like that? It can't be just because of my handsome face, right? Anyone eligible to attend the Modu City Star Martial Academy can't be that superficial."

"COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!"

Suddenly, a handsome guy in the row ahead started coughing violently. It took him a while to recover. "Everyone who can get into the Modu City Star Martial Academy is a genius, but you, Wang Lan, are a real piece of work! The fact that you almost made me choke to death is enough for me to want to be your friend. I've heard so much about you. I'm Tong Wei, from Ji'an City in Lu Province."

"Is Wang Lan always this entertaining?" A sweet-looking girl greeted Wang Lan. "Hi, I'm Deng Duoduo from Jin City. Xu Ruo and the others came back and couldn't stop talking about you, so when we saw you in person, we couldn't help but stare a bit."

"Huh, a fellow provincial! What a pleasure. How come I didn't see you at the provincial martial arts meet?" Wang Lan asked.

"Please, half the people on this bus are from the same province as you," a lazy voice chimed in. "Today is the first day of new student registration. Anyone who arrived by 10:30 this morning must live fairly close to Modu City. Bai Ze from Tai'an City. Wang Lan, I've long admired your name."

"Whoa, you all know me? Why don't I recognize a single one of you?" Wang Lan exclaimed.

"The strongest high school student in the history of Jiang Province. It would be hard for us *not* to know you," a petite girl with dimples smiled. "You don't recognize us because we didn't attend the provincial martial arts meet."

"Impressive! All of you are such big shots, deeming yourselves above attending the provincial martial arts meet and getting in directly. My respects, my respects!" Wang Lan said.

"I could hear your voice from a mile away!" Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out as Mingyue Wucheng, wearing a backpack, boarded the bus. "You two certainly ran fast! My bus was just fifteen minutes after yours. I saw you at the station and wanted to say hi, but you all took off like the wind."

"Wucheng? What are you doing here? Didn't you skip the college entrance exams?" Wang Lan asked.

"Ah! Yes, I did. So what? Didn't you skip them as well?" Mingyue Wucheng replied.

"But you didn't attend the provincial martial arts meet either, right? How did the Modu City Star Martial Academy accept you?" Wang Lan was completely baffled.

Wang Lan knew Mingyue Wucheng came from a Star Martial family. He had assumed that since Mingyue Wucheng skipped both the provincial martial arts meet and the college entrance exams, his family would arrange for him to pursue cultivation or work after high school instead of attending college.

"I was recommended back in eighth grade. Why would I need to take the college entrance exams?" Mingyue Wucheng stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, making Wang Lan want to throttle him.

"So you're saying... after eighth grade, you were just coasting?" Wang Lan turned to Deng Duoduo, who had spoken first. "You too?"

"No!" Deng Duoduo lowered her head in embarrassment. But before Wang Lan could breathe a sigh of relief, she added, "I'm not as impressive as Mingyue Wucheng. I was recommended a year later than him, just before finishing ninth grade."

"Amazing, amazing! And I only got recommended after my first year of high school. The gap is just... glaring!" Wang Lan said with feigned awe.

Thanks to Wang Lan's humorous interruption, the previously tense atmosphere on the bus suddenly lightened. These were all individuals who had once made waves, each a personality in their own right. After a round of introductions, they quickly became familiar with each other.

"Let's start a group chat! Anyone not in yet?"

"Coming! Damn, what's the group ID? YU335? What does that mean?"

"It's our bus's license plate! We all met on this bus, so isn't this group ID pretty meaningful?"

The guys warmed up quickly, their conversation igniting easily. The girls, being more reserved, formed small circles and chatted quietly amongst themselves while waiting for more new students to arrive.

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