Chapter 19: An Extraordinary Announcement! Thank You, Fang Qingchen

Everyone was stunned by this sudden turn of events!

Two S-rank talent holders appearing one after another—this was a first even in the entire Great Xia Nation.

It could be said that every person present was witnessing history!

After a brief moment of stunned confusion, the sports field exploded into uproar once more.

The students present all had eyes red as rabbits as they shouted and argued loudly.

“Ahhh! My eyes are going blind from the glare!”

“I’m not dreaming, am I? Another S-rank talent!”

“Isn’t she that withdrawn girl from Class Seven, Lu Qingqian? Why is the one awakening an S-rank talent her and not me?”

“Now I’m the one who’s shutting down!”

“Setting envy and jealousy aside, our year has finally held its head high.”

“Otherwise, who knows how arrogant those bastards from No. 1 High would’ve become.”

“I hereby declare that Lu Qingqian is the one and only goddess of No. 7 High, above every school belle!”

“I second that!”

The students all talked at once, saying every kind of thing.

But the core of it all came down to just two words.

Admiration!

Lin Wanxing stood below the stage like a clown.

She looked up at Lu Qingqian, who was bathed in golden light, her hands clenched tightly, her gaze unimaginably complicated.

She had lost.

And she had lost completely.

Before an S-rank talent, an A-rank talent was like the stars in the night sky, utterly crushed beneath the bright moon.

Everyone had seen how hard Lu Qingqian worked in both her studies and martial arts.

One hundred percent effort, combined with an S-rank martial talent, meant she would absolutely soar into the sky.

Even if Lin Wanxing exhausted herself, she might still not be able to catch up to her.

Not to mention the terrifying power of an S-rank talent!

The moment she thought of all the things she had just said, she wished she could crawl into a crack in the ground.

When she saw Lu Qingqian on the stage turning around, she hurriedly lowered her head.

She was too ashamed to look at her again.

This sky full of golden light had not only pierced the heavens, but had also torn the last veil over her heart into shreds!

Then, when she thought again of the way Fang Qingchen had treated Lu Qingqian just now, a sudden panic rose in Lin Wanxing’s heart.

She was truly starting to panic!

On the stage, Lu Qingqian slowly opened her eyes.

Somewhat at a loss, she looked at the golden light shrouding her body.

She raised those soft, delicate hands of hers and watched the golden radiance flow across her fingertips.

Her long ponytail, unchanged for years, swayed gently in the golden light.

Even her lively, limpid eyes had been dyed with a trace of gold.

The strange power surging through her body made her, who had always deliberately hunched her shoulders and drawn herself inward, unconsciously straighten her chest.

Her figure, slightly taller than even Lin Wanxing’s, was now fully revealed.

At that moment, all the inferiority and timidity on her body vanished.

She was radiant, sacred, yet still touched with a hint of innocence.

From head to toe, she overflowed with youthful vitality.

She was practically the embodiment of the pure first-love ideal every boy dreamed of.

All the boys were staring dumbfounded.

Even the boys from Class Seven themselves could hardly believe it.

Was this really the same Lu Qingqian they knew?

The change was simply too great!

Fang Qingchen was also filled with emotion.

“From afar, she shone like the morning sun rising through rosy dawn; up close, she glowed like a lotus blooming from clear green waves.”

“In my previous life, my eyes must have been stuck to the soles of my feet.”

“If I’d chased someone else instead, would my ending have been less miserable?”

He shook his head.

Then, when he looked back toward the Awakening Platform, the golden pillar of light erupting from it had already begun to dissipate.

“Extraordinary announcement!”

“Congratulations to Lu Qingqian of Class Seven for awakening an S-rank combat-type martial talent: Master of Arms!”

“Let us congratulate her with the warmest applause!”

Accompanied by Headmaster Chen Guorong personally stepping forward and shouting himself hoarse, Lu Qingqian clutched her schoolbag and walked down from the stage, stepping through the scattered fragments of golden light all over the ground.

This time, she did not lower her head. Instead, she looked straight into Fang Qingchen’s eyes.

She ignored the other classmates crowding around to congratulate her and walked directly to Fang Qingchen.

Those watery, bright eyes stared unblinkingly into his clear gaze.

She did not say a single word.

On her face, smooth and fair as cream , her expression remained as faint as ever.

But her constantly trembling lips clearly showed that she was suppressing her emotions with all her strength.

Fang Qingchen knew very well that in his previous life, after awakening her talent, she had burst into tears right there on the Awakening Platform.

She had cried her heart out, releasing all the pressure and grievance that had weighed on her for so many years.

“See? I told you so, didn’t I?”

“There’s a reason my breakfast and milk tea are special.”

“You’re a big shot with an S-rank talent now. Remember to look after me from now on.”

Fang Qingchen raised a hand and waved it lightly in front of her, his tone extremely relaxed.

He wanted to help her let off some pressure.

But—it would have been better if he had said nothing.

Looking at Fang Qingchen’s sunlit face, hearing those same warm words from him again, Lu Qingqian could no longer hold her emotions together.

Her soft, plump lips quickly pressed into a trembling wave.

Then, tears burst from the corners of her eyes like a mountain flood breaking loose.

Along with them came her sobbing, suppressed to the very limit and now exploding out with fierce force.

“Wuu... wuu...”

“Thank you... thank you...”

“Thank you... Fang Qingchen...”

“You really didn’t lie to me!”

“Only you... only you didn’t lie to me...”

“If I hadn’t awakened a talent, I really don’t know what I would have done...”

“Wuuuu...”

“Thank you...”

This girl, who had been almost crushed beneath the weight of pressure, simply stood there in front of Fang Qingchen, crying and smiling at the same time.

To the other students, it looked absurdly comical.

But Fang Qingchen did not laugh.

In his previous life, as a spoiled, worthless second-generation heir, he had been incapable of empathizing with such emotions.

It was only later, after he had fought in every direction and traveled across all of Great Xia, bleeding in battle for the nation and its people, that his mentality had undergone a complete transformation.

He had also seen, in this high-martial world plagued by mutated beast invasions, the desperate struggles of many families living lives of hardship.

And yet, even so, they still possessed the will to rise.

They did not complain. Instead, they staked everything and struggled with all their might just to live.

Faced with nearly invincible mutated beasts, they did not shrink back and say that others should go first.

Instead, they actively enlisted in the military.

With their frail flesh and meager blood, they became lamps in the darkness!

Together with countless martial arts powerhouses, they built a Great Wall of flesh and blood to protect Great Xia!

Their status might have been humble.

But compared to them, that Fang Simp from his previous life truly was not even worthy of being called dregs.

After a long while—

“Done crying your fill?”

“Mmm...”

Without changing his expression, Fang Qingchen withdrew the sleeve of his school uniform.

It was a complete mess of snot and tears.

Then he looked at the tissue packet in his other hand, which was already empty.

“Even if you’re not done, don’t cry anymore. I’m out of tissues.”

Pfft.

Lu Qingqian broke into laughter through her tears, radiant as blooming peach blossoms.