[Reboot Volume] Chapter 211: None of These People Are Simple!

After saying goodbye to the teachers, Mo Xing put his staff and review notes into the Titan Ring, then walked alone toward the exit of the Hades Training Grounds.

"Mo Xing!"

At the sound of his name, Mo Xing looked over and saw Shi Yan waving at him as she came down from the stands, with Chen Anye and several unfamiliar upperclassmen and upperclasswomen following behind her.

"Shi... Shi Yan, why are you here?" Mo Xing asked as he looked at the approaching group.

"I had no classes this afternoon, so I came to see how you freshmen are doing in training," Shi Yan said. "By the way, these people next to me are all officers from the student council."

"Hello!" Mo Xing greeted them, and they replied politely in kind.

"Oh, well, look at this. Isn't that the student council? Rushing over to pull freshmen into your camp already, are you?"

Mo Xing turned around and saw a somewhat tall senior standing behind him.

"Li Qingchi! What do you mean by that?" Chen Anye frowned.

"Oh? If it isn't the rising little star Mo Xing?" Li Qingchi said. "I've heard about you. Interested in joining our singer team? We can all make music together. Don't go over to the student council and become free labor."

"Li Qingchi, we student council people haven't got any grudge against you, have we? Was there any need to slander us like this?" Shi Yan said angrily.

"What, your student council only has a handful of people at the Blue Ocean Stage, doesn't it? I'm just helping him head somewhere with a future," Li Qingchi said with a smile.

"You're going too far!" the student council officers shouted.

"Tch, then come hit me!" Li Qingchi laughed. "At worst, we all make the news tomorrow and see which side suffers more!"

"You!" Shi Yan snapped.

Faced with such a scene, Mo Xing did not know what to do. He wanted to smooth things over, but the hostility between the two sides was too intense.

"Excuse me, please let me through."

A clear, bright voice rang out, and everyone turned. It was a girl with golden, curly hair. Beneath her long lashes were a pair of clear, lovely eyes; her refined yet understated attire carried an air of quiet elegance.

For a moment, time seemed to freeze. Looking at her, Mo Xing felt a strange sense of familiarity.

Those eyes and that fragrance felt far too familiar...

As if she were the mysterious woman in black who had once saved him...

No, no, impossible.

That woman in black had an air of deadly menace about her...

It did not match the graceful bearing of the girl before him.

"Miss Xia."

Li Qingchi's voice pulled Mo Xing back to reality. "My apologies, I was blocking your way."

"Sorry, we'll make way for you," the student council officers said at once. Only Shi Yan remained nonchalant.

"Think nothing of it."

Miss Xia waved a hand.

"We're all students here. Why be so confrontational?" She glanced at Mo Xing. "Don't you agree, Mo Xing?"

"Ah... yes, yes, of course!" Mo Xing blurted out, taken aback that this Miss Xia had suddenly addressed him by name.

"Then, for Miss Xia's sake, I won't hold it against you today," Li Qingchi said with a smile.

"We can't be bothered to hold it against you either," Chen Anye said with a shrug.

"I'll take my leave first."

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Miss Xia departed.

"I'm leaving as well," Li Qingchi said with a smile. "Until we meet again."

Watching Li Qingchi go off into the distance, the student council officers let out a sigh.

"You've got something there, kid. To think Miss Xia would know your name!" Chen Anye said, patting Mo Xing on the shoulder, while the others also began discussing it among themselves.

"Who is she?" Mo Xing asked, puzzled.

"Then tell me, do you think she's beautiful?" Chen Anye asked.

"She's pretty beautiful..." Mo Xing hesitated.

"She's one of our school's top beauties," Chen Anye said. "Little brother, you're quite fortunate. And she has other identities too! Let me tell you all about them—"

"Enough. Let's go back and have the meeting first," Shi Yan interrupted. "The president will be back the day after tomorrow."

Only then did Mo Xing notice that Shi Yan had not said much since arriving. From her expression, he could tell she did not like Miss Xia.

If the two were flowers, then Miss Xia would be the peony adored by all under heaven, while Shi Yan would be the lotus that rose unstained from the mud.

"Mo Xing..."

Mo Xing came to himself and found Shi Yan calling his name.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I'm heading off first," Shi Yan said. "Good luck with the freshmen assessment the day after tomorrow."

"Okay, I will!" Mo Xing said.

Shi Yan looked at him, then left together with the other student council officers.

Watching Shi Yan's retreating figure, Mo Xing had the feeling that she had something left unsaid. Well, there would be another chance to ask her later.

The sun was setting in the west, red hues draped across the clouds, and Mo Xing made his way back to the Leien Apartments.

The moment he opened the dormitory door, he was stunned by what he saw.

Everything seemed to have been replaced anew. The shoes on the rack were lined up neatly, the floor gleamed, and the bulbs shone brightly. If he had not seen Cotton and Cai Hong collapsed on the sofa, Mo Xing would have thought he had entered the wrong dormitory.

"You're back? We're about to drop dead."

Cai Hong spoke slowly, sounding as if he were gasping for his last breath, while Cotton was so exhausted he could not even be bothered to speak.

"You two worked this hard?" Mo Xing looked around and touched the smooth table.

"Th... that man is coming back!" Cai Hong managed to get the sentence out only after a great effort.

"That man? Which man?" Mo Xing asked in confusion.

Cai Hong did not answer. Soon after, Mo Xing heard a snoring sound from him; he must have fallen asleep from sheer exhaustion.

An hour later.

"I have risen again, my lords!"

Cotton was wolfing down the dinner Mo Xing had prepared.

"I never thought you could cook, Mo Xing," Cai Hong said as he ate heartily. "And it's pretty tasty too!"

"Not at all, not at all," Mo Xing said. "I saw you had ingredients, tools, and fire, so I just made something."

Mo Xing thought to himself that the kitchenware of the Aslant world was surprisingly similar to that of his old world, almost as if made from the very same mold.

"By the way, senior brothers, who exactly is that person you mentioned?" Mo Xing asked. "The one who could make you clean up so diligently?"

"Mo Xing, do you remember? We still have an empty bed in the bedroom, don't we?" Cotton said suddenly, his expression turning solemn as he set down his chopsticks.

"I didn't really pay attention," Mo Xing said. "I only slept in the dorm for one night. I've been lying in the hospital these past few days."

"Enough, Cotton, stop beating around the bush! It's not a big deal, just tell him already!" Cai Hong said impatiently.

"Fine! We have another roommate. His name is Zhang Zhihao, and he's now in his second year. When he enrolled last year, he had already reached the second level of the Blue Ocean Stage. Truly a genius!" Cotton exclaimed.

"Second level of the Blue Ocean Stage upon enrollment?" Mo Xing was completely stunned. "It seems like Teacher Tianqi mentioned this person before, back at registration..."

"Yes," Cotton said.

"Just as Teacher Tianqi said, since our school's founding, only three freshmen have entered with Blue Ocean Stage cultivation, and Zhang Zhihao is one of them!"

"Would he be hard to get along with?" Mo Xing asked, puzzled.

"No, actually he's especially friendly to us. He often shares stories with us, eats hotpot with us, and we help each other out too. He's practically the best roommate in all of Aslant," Cotton said.

"Though what you said is true, there's one thing not quite right," Cai Hong suddenly cut in. "Actually, Zhang Zhihao and I are the closest. At best, you're second!"

"Nonsense. When I met him, you were still a directionless lost soul wandering around the school gate!" Cotton laughed.

"Tch, so what? You only met him half an hour before I did! And the books I lent him are more than the hotpot meals you treated him to!" Cai Hong shot back.

"He loves reading in the first place! Why are you even comparing something so trivial?" Cotton retorted.

Watching the two of them bicker back and forth, Mo Xing felt as though he were watching two rival concubines hurting each other for the emperor's favor. He could not help but wipe a bead of sweat from his brow.

"All right, all right, stop arguing. Let's talk about something else!" Mo Xing said quickly. "Do you know who Miss Xia is?"

"Miss Xia?" Cai Hong turned his head.

"What, kid? You're interested in the school beauty?" Cotton was also drawn in by the topic.

"No, no, not at all! I'm just asking!" Mo Xing hurriedly explained, his face instantly reddening.

"Fine. Since you're so interested, your senior brother will tell you all about her!" Cotton said with a smile.

"Xia Ningxin, the daughter of the wealthiest man in Aslant, addressed by others as Miss Xia. Though she has always kept a low profile, her noble bearing is impossible to hide."

"Xia Ningxin..." Mo Xing nodded. "That name sounds pretty nice."

"Besides being rich, she's also one of the top beauties at our school. Just those two points alone are far beyond your reach," Cotton said, shaking his head. "So you should give up early."

"Senior brother, I never even thought about chasing her!" Mo Xing explained, spreading his hands.

"That's best. You know what? She's only a second-year student, and she has already reached the sixth level of the Blue Ocean Stage!" Cotton marveled without pause. "A true prodigy!"

"Sixth level of the Blue Ocean Stage? Are upperclassmen in their second year all this strong?" Mo Xing asked in shock.

"Not exactly. For example, Cai Hong beside me is an exception," Cotton said.

"Ahem, Cotton, you're a third-year student and your level doesn't seem to be higher than mine, does it?" Cai Hong said with a smile.

"Hmph, too lazy to argue with you," Cotton said. "Xia Ningxin is also a cold-faced queen. She rarely says more than three sentences to anyone."

Mo Xing thought about it. That afternoon at the Hades Training Grounds, Xia Ningxin had indeed spoken only a few brief lines.

"Yet every rule has an exception," Cotton said. "Someone broke this one."

"Then... who was it?" Mo Xing asked, his curiosity growing even stronger.

"Who else could it be?" Cai Hong said with a grin. "It was actually—"

"Zhang Zhihao!"

What the heck?

Him again?

This guy is practically woven through the whole story...

Just what kind of legendary person is he?