Chapter 3: Childhood Sweethearts

Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Childhood Sweethearts

Luocheng, September 1st.

"Good morning, Lu!"

Lu Chen had just closed his front door when a familiar voice rang out from the hallway. Acting almost entirely on instinct, he didn’t even turn his head as he reached up and caught the delicate hand trying to pat his head. It was as if he had practiced this exact motion countless times.

"Yezi, I’ve told you many times. A man’s head is just like a girl’s feet—you can’t just touch it casually," Lu Chen said.

Pulling his key from the lock, he turned around and shot the girl in front of him an exasperated glare. In response, she simply stuck out her tongue, playfully acting cute.

The girl had delicate features and her hair tied in a ponytail. Her large, watery eyes were exceptionally striking, radiating an indescribable liveliness. She was the kind of girl bursting with Vitality—just one look at her was enough to put anyone in a better mood.

Her name was Mu Xiaoye, Lu Chen’s childhood friend who had grown up right alongside him. She lived just one floor above him in the same apartment building.

They say time works wonders on a girl, and it was true. He never expected the little girl he used to lead around by offering a single lollipop would grow into such a bright, captivating girl next door.

Ever since the great upheaval ten years ago, Lu Chen’s personality had grown much quieter. Yet, whenever he faced her, he would show a rare glimpse of the youthful Vitality a teenager should have.

Hearing his scolding, Mu Xiaoye didn’t show the slightest hint of remorse. Instead, her eyes darted around as if a wicked idea had just popped into her head.

"Lu, are you hinting that you want to touch my feet?"

"???"

Lu Chen stared at the quirky and mischievous Mu Xiaoye. He never expected her to say something that could shock a Celestial Being.

After a moment of stunned silence, he hurriedly dropped her wrist, terrified that the early-rising neighbors heading to work might misunderstand. He quickly turned and marched down the hallway of the residential building.

Seeing this, Mu Xiaoye rushed to catch up.

"Don’t go! Don’t run away! You haven’t answered my question yet!"

"Don’t follow me. I’m afraid insanity is contagious," Lu Chen shot back.

"Hehe, you don’t even dare to look me in the eye! And you claim you don’t have a crush on me!"

"...Whatever makes you happy."

Mu Xiaoye looked at his speechless expression, her eyes curving into adorable little crescents as she smiled. She thought to herself that he still hadn’t answered her question.

***

At Luocheng First High School’s front gate.

"Lu, what have you been playing this whole time? I saw you glued to it the entire way here," Mu Xiaoye said.

She leaned down to peek at his phone, looking incredibly curious.

Even though she was his closest childhood friend, Lu Chen had no intention of telling anyone about *True Cultivation*. So he simply gave a nonchalant reply, "Just a single-player game to kill time."

"We’re in our third year of high school! You still have time to play games?"

"...This is my way of Cultivation."

At those words, Mu Xiaoye shook her head with an air of exaggerated maturity, her smooth, jet-black ponytail swaying back and forth.

"Oh, Lu. I don’t mean to nag, but you can fool others with words like that—just don’t fool yourself.

"If you trick me, I might just believe you. We can have a good laugh and let it slide.

"But if you trick yourself, you won’t be laughing when the college entrance exams come around."

Lu Chen looked at her wicked grin, fully aware that she was seizing the opportunity to lecture him and deliberately ’knock some sense’ into him.

He pocketed his phone and said expressionlessly, "Mhm, you make a very good point. But that reminds me... when a certain someone was six years old and had to air out her quilt, she claimed she ’accidentally knocked over a water cup.’

"Now, what normal kid drinks water in bed? Like you said, you can fool others with words, but if..."

"AHH!!!"

Seeing that Lu Chen was about to expose her dark history, Mu Xiaoye frantically clapped a hand over his mouth, pressing her chest against him in a fierce Suppression. Meanwhile, Lu Chen struggled wildly, eager to clap back ruthlessly and regain his dominance.

Back and forth they went, grappling and tugging at each other right by the school gates. One was determined to spill the other’s embarrassing secrets, while the other was desperate to keep them hidden.

Mutually assured destruction—this was the eternal, unchanging theme of childhood friends. However, this playful wrestling match between "friends" looked completely different in the eyes of the surrounding students.

It was worth noting that Mu Xiaoye wasn’t just stunningly beautiful; she was also a student in the Heavenly Dao Class of First High School, making her overwhelmingly popular.

And Lu Chen? His talent was mediocre, his family background was average, and his Cultivation was at the absolute bottom, even within the Human Dao Class. The only thing he really had going for him was his handsome face.

But could a pretty face feed a person? Most people certainly didn’t think so. After all, in the world of the Immortal Alliance, Cultivation was king. Therefore, to many observers, Mu Xiaoye and Lu Chen were worlds apart. They had no business being together.

Watching the two of them acting so intimate as if no one else was around, some students grew sour with envy, while others gnashed their teeth in hatred as though a knife had been plunged into their hearts. And one of those gnashing his teeth was Chen Hua, a fellow student in Mu Xiaoye’s Heavenly Dao Class.

"Mu Tongxue, why are you still hanging around this trash from the Human Dao Class? Be careful, he might drag you down with him."

The playing duo immediately stopped and turned toward the source of the voice. Lu Chen looked at Chen Hua, who didn’t even try to hide his hostility. Deep down, Lu Chen felt perfectly calm.

If there was anyone in the entire First High School who hated his guts the most, it was definitely Chen Hua. His infatuation with Mu Xiaoye was an open secret. And Lu Chen’s close relationship with her was equally well-known.

Because of this, Chen Hua had naturally tried more than once to step on Lu Chen to elevate himself, especially when she was around. But whenever this happened, Lu Chen didn’t need to lift a finger before someone else would step up.

"What is that supposed to mean, Chen Hua? You’d better take those words back right now, or don’t blame me when I target you during the mock exams in three days," Mu Xiaoye snapped.

"And let me make one thing clear. We aren’t close. Don’t talk to us if you have nothing useful to say.

"Let’s go, Lu. Ignore this idiot."

Watching Chen Hua get roasted into silence, Lu Chen secretly shook his head. He wondered why the guy bothered; it always ended up like this.

For some reason, Chen Hua just loved trying to humiliate him in front of Mu Xiaoye. It was as if he believed that doing so would highlight his own excellence and Lu Chen’s worthlessness, making her look at him with newfound respect.

What Chen Hua didn’t know was that Lu Chen and Mu Xiaoye were far more than just childhood friends. If it hadn’t been for Lu Chen ten years ago, she would have probably become nothing but dry bones in the ruins. Furthermore, the reason Lu Chen became an orphan—and the reason he only possessed a Low Grade Spiritual Root—was entirely tied to what had happened back then.

Mu Xiaoye owed him far too much.

Although Lu Chen didn’t dwell too heavily on the past, she clearly felt differently. She always harbored an unspoken sense of guilt toward him. That was why, whenever Chen Hua tried to put him down, she was always the first to jump to his defense. Even if she wasn’t there to witness it, as soon as she found out, she would definitely settle the score for him later.

The fact that Lu Chen could live so peacefully at First High School was heavily thanks to her.

After all, everyone knew one unspoken rule: At First High School, you could offend Mu Xiaoye herself, because she was generally easygoing and wouldn’t take it to heart. But if you offended Lu Chen, she would hold a grudge against you for life, and she would strike back the moment she got the chance.

Who didn’t know that behind Lu Chen, the bottom-feeder of the Human Dao Class, stood a prodigy ranked in the top three of the Heavenly Dao Class? Only someone as stubborn and hormone-driven as Chen Hua would gleefully try to challenge this fact time and time again.

Staring at their retreating backs, Chen Hua quietly clenched his fists, his eyes filled with determination.

"Mu Xiaoye, I’ll use my actions to prove who is truly worthy of you."

He planned to give Lu Chen, that Human Dao Class dead last, a little taste of Heavenly Dao Class shock during the upcoming mock exams! He would make her clearly see that Lu Chen was nothing more than a hollow shell.

But what Chen Hua never expected was that a certain game-addicted young man was also planning to show off a sliver of his Power in the mock exams. He was going to give everyone a little taste of ’cheat code’ shock.

This mock exam was destined to be anything but peaceful.

***

[Purple Mist Health Cultivation Technique: Great Success 1/10000]

[Effect: Increases lifespan by 200 years. Raises Spiritual Power cap by 5000 points. Unlocks the ability to cast Purple Mist Divine Light.]

***

[Sharpness Skill: Great Success 1/1000]

[Effect: Upon casting, infuses weapons with Qianjin Power, drastically enhancing their sharpness.]