Chapter 6: Total Breakthrough

"Picture your former human appearance carefully—your eyes, your face, your arms, your body, your wings..."

"My previous appearance? It's really that simple?" Nangong Yuchen asked, somewhat doubtfully.

"Hmph! If you don't want to become a human again, then don't believe it and keep this body instead!" Angel pouted, feigning anger, though her narrowed, beautiful eyes revealed just how happy she was inside, because Nangong Yuchen had just agreed to their deal a moment ago!

"Uh..." Nangong Yuchen offered an embarrassed chuckle, then closed his eyes, deciding to give it a try.

"My eyes..." Nangong Yuchen tried his utmost to recall his once-deep pupils, followed by his face, his arms...

Two minutes later, he opened his eyes. Looking at the smiling Angel within his line of sight, he said to himself, "Congratulations, Nangong Yuchen, you're human again!"

"Thump, thump!"

At that very moment, Nangong Yuchen felt his heartbeat suddenly accelerate, and he hurriedly lowered his head to look at his own hands.

The crimson, sharp claws had completely vanished, replaced by the wheat-toned, slender fingers of his memory!

"I've really turned back into a human!" Nangong Yuchen murmured in disbelief, trembling with excitement, before quickly reaching back to touch his shoulders.

The bat-like wings were gone, too!

"I've really turned back into a human!" Nangong Yuchen repeated excitedly once more, rushing into the restroom like a child.

In the vanity mirror, there they were—the messy black hair, the wheat-toned complexion, the handsome face, and the profound pupils!

"I... I've really turned back into a human!" At this moment, Nangong Yuchen's eyes grew slightly moist, and he smiled through trembling lips. All the sorrow and loneliness in his heart evaporated into thin air, and true hope was reignited within him!

Overwhelmed with excitement and joy, he rushed out of the restroom, scooped Angel up into his arms, and spun around in circles. "Angel, thank you!"

"Nan—" Angel's face flushed crimson, and just as she was about to struggle free, a hurried sound of footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the living room. Then, with a loud *bang*, the front door was pushed wide open.

"Yuchen, I actually broke through to the First Tier—" The excitement on Nangong Kexin's face instantly froze. Before she even had time to be shocked by Nangong Yuchen's restored human form, the scene before her pierced her heart with a twinge of jealousy.

She had run out earlier because she was too hungry, intending to buy some food. She never expected to suddenly discover her surging speed along the way, and upon closer inspection, she realized she had broken through to the First Tier. Overjoyed, she hurriedly bought some snacks and rushed back to share the news with Nangong Yuchen, only to walk in on this exact scene.

"Ah... Kexin, you're back? Look, I've turned back into a human!" Seeing his older sister carrying a large bag of food in both hands, Nangong Yuchen stopped spinning, and Angel gently slid down into his arms.

"Nangong Yuchen, what... what are you doing holding Angel!" Nangong Kexin's eyebrows twitched. Unconsciously feeling both angry and resentful, she felt as though something uniquely hers had been shared with someone else.

"..." Nangong Yuchen hurriedly released Angel from his embrace, saying awkwardly, "Kexin, Angel helped me restore my human body!"

"Oh..." Nangong Kexin drew out the syllable, her tone dripping with heavy jealousy.

This left Angel extremely embarrassed, so she quickly changed the subject. "Didn't you say earlier that you broke through to the First Tier, Kexin?"

"Right, Kexin, you—wait, it seems I've also broken through to the First Tier!" Realizing he could use this to change the subject as well, Nangong Yuchen suddenly sensed the surging power within his body and exclaimed in pleasant surprise.

Knowing that both she and Nangong Yuchen had broken through to the First Tier overnight, the ache in Nangong Kexin's heart was instantly diluted quite a bit, and she quickly returned to her initial excitement. "Nangong Yuchen, does this mean we can go save Mom and Dad now?"

"Yeah!" Nangong Yuchen nodded heavily!

"That's wonderful!"

Beside them, Angel let out a soft breath of relief. Looking at the excited pair, a touching smile bloomed across her face...

One hour later, the three of them arrived at Star Academy. Seeing the students and teachers dressed in uniform black attire throughout the campus, they felt a heavy, solemn oppressive air.

The collapsed buildings, the vandalized campus, and the long-dried bloodstains all bore the scars of yesterday. Although they did not deliberately dwell on it, the moods of the three inevitably grew gloomy. Especially for Nangong Yuchen, who once again thought of the girl who would crane her neck every single day, waiting for him at the school gates.

She cared about him so much, yet he had never been able to give her anything in return. If his strength back then had been just a fraction greater, would all of this have been avoided?

"Nangong Yuchen, let's go!" At that moment, Nangong Kexin tugged at Nangong Yuchen's sleeve, pulling him out of his sorrow. The three walked in silence all the way through the teaching district, finally arriving at the elite department.

Just as they pushed open the doors of the villa, they saw seven elite students—including Shangguan Yueling, Yi An, and Mu Ling—hurrying out with anxious expressions on their faces.

"What's going on?" The three of them stepped aside to clear the path and asked.

"Feral beasts have appeared in Districts C and D again!" Yi An said without a moment's pause, immediately following the six people in front of him and hurrying away.

It wasn't until all of them vanished from sight that Nangong Yuchen snapped back to reality, saying in disbelief, "Feral beasts have appeared again?" The three of them had just arrived at the school from District C less than half an hour ago, yet who would have thought another wave of feral beasts would emerge!

"How much longer do you three plan on standing at the doorway?" At this moment, Shangguan Muchong walked out from inside with a stern expression.

"Instructor!" Nangong Yuchen, Angel, and Nangong Kexin called out together.

"Come inside quickly!" Shangguan Muchong finished speaking, then turned around and walked toward the classroom.

When the three followed him into the classroom and saw the images flickering across the surrounding walls, they were instantly shocked. From the displays, it was clear that the number of feral beasts in Districts C and D this time was more than double that at Star Academy. Furthermore, they had appeared in densely populated residential areas within Districts C and D, meaning the casualties this time would likely be far more terrifying than yesterday's!

"Do the four of you still remember the scenes you saw when you first entered the villa? The war has already begun now, and you don't have much time for cultivation. Before the crisis in Xiashia City truly erupts, I hope all of you can reach the First Tier, because only then will you possess the minimum qualifications to survive on this land!"

Shangguan Muchong continued, "Go to the virtual battlefield together and cultivate. This is the only help I can offer you!"

With that, a pitch-black rift split open on the classroom floor. Just as Shangguan Muchong finished sending Gao Xingyu down and prepared to send the other three in one by one, Nangong Yuchen spoke up.

"Instructor, wait a moment. There are two things I'd like to ask for your help with!"

"Oh?" Shangguan Muchong looked at him with some confusion.

"First, I'd like to ask you to contact Principal Yang, in the hope that he can release our parents as promised!" Nangong Yuchen said.

After hearing this, Shangguan Muchong nodded and said, "Once the principal returns from the City of Technology, I will speak with him about this matter!"

Nangong Yuchen and Nangong Kexin exchanged a smile, and then Nangong Yuchen continued, "Second, I hope you can assign me and Kexin to join the battle in Districts C and D, because... we have already broken through to the First Tier!"

"What did you say?" Shangguan Muchong felt as though he had misheard, and repeated in disbelief, "The two of you have broken through to the First Tier?"

He clearly remembered that during Monday's test, aside from Nangong Yuchen being on the verge of stepping into the First Tier, Nangong Kexin was still very far behind!

Right at that moment, however, Angel suddenly interrupted, "Instructor, you're wrong. It's not just the two of them—it's all three of us!"