Chapter Five: The Age!

If you imagine the five major districts of Ruxia City as concentric circles, then District A forms the center, followed by B, C, D, and E, radiating outward in rings. As for Nangong Yuchen’s current home, it lies at the boundary where the outer ring of District D meets the outskirts of District E.

After hurrying back from his workplace in District B, it was already past midnight when he arrived. Exhausted, he left the station and made his way home at a slow pace. To call it running would be an overstatement; walking was more accurate, for today had truly drained him.

His day had begun at seven in the morning, boarding the automated railcar to Star Academy in District A. In the afternoon, because the academy was preparing to receive Mu Ningxue, the task had fallen to his class. Once again, he took a car from District A, traversed the entire city to Crystal Wall Gate on the outskirts of District E. In the evening, he took the car from District E to his part-time job in District B, and after such a day of endless running about, he was finally back!

On ordinary days, the commute wasn’t so bad. Setting out from here in the morning, it took him an hour and a half to reach District A. Though the distance was considerable, he had grown accustomed to it. After school, it was convenient to head to the café in District B for his part-time job before returning home by car.

Such was his daily life.

It was a hard life. Aside from school and work, he had almost no time left for training.

“Phew!” Under the dim glow of the streetlights, Nangong Yuchen exhaled deeply as he glimpsed the rows of dilapidated residential buildings ahead. At last, home was in sight!

Here, there were no towering buildings, no dazzling lights, nor throngs of people. Even the path beneath his feet was riddled with potholes—a world apart from the bustling District B he had left just an hour earlier.

But this was the only place Nangong Yuchen could afford to live—he simply had no money.

The salary he had just received amounted to only 1000 units, of which 500 would go to rent.

After a few more minutes, he turned into the residential area, entered one of the buildings, climbed to the sixth floor, and finally arrived at his home.

His room was extremely bare. If not for the lightbulb hanging from the ceiling, it would be nothing but a basic cabinet and a modest wooden bed.

He took off his jacket and began his nightly training ritual before sleep.

A thousand squats, a thousand push-ups, a thousand sit-ups.

His body was so tired that after only three hundred push-ups, he was already gasping for breath, sweat pouring down his face as he collapsed to the floor.

The veins bulging on his forehead and arms revealed how much he was straining, yet Nangong Yuchen gritted his teeth and pushed on.

As for giving up—it had never crossed his mind. Though he had been called a failure for three months now, he dared not relax his physical training for a single moment, for it was his only path to strength, his only hope to save his parents!

He had to pause several times, his whole body shaking, and it took him multiple attempts to finish the routine. By the end, his muscles ached unbearably, and he lay sprawled on the floor, utterly spent, falling into a dreamless sleep…

The next morning.

District A, Star Academy.

As the only academy in Ruxia City dedicated to physical training, each year it sent a large number of graduates into the military. Its outstanding students—the so-called elite—were granted military rank upon graduation, becoming officers and leaders in the armed forces.

Furthermore, the children of all the city’s powerful families gathered here, making Star Academy a household name in Ruxia, known to all.

It stood like a colossus in the city’s most prosperous district.

As the sun climbed higher, the entrance to the academy grew lively. Students poured in from all districts, their numbers dense as a river, streaming into the school.

Their attire was uniform—boys in white-and-blue shirts with black trousers, girls in matching white-and-blue short sleeves paired with neat black skirts. Their young faces radiated energy, like the first light of dawn, embodying the hopes of Ruxia’s younger generation.

With the ringing of the bell, silence fell over the campus.

Class 12, Grade 10.

On the dais stood a middle-aged man in glasses, dressed in a well-fitted black suit. His hair was slick and shiny—a face otherwise unremarkable, yet refined and scholarly, making him stand out. This was their history teacher, Mr. Liu Wen.

His stern gaze swept the classroom, finally resting on an empty seat at the back by the wall. He asked, “Angel, who is absent today?”

At this, Angel, seated in the middle of the front row, stood up and replied crisply, “Mr. Liu, today Nangong Yuchen is not—”

“Present!”

Just then, a breathless voice called out from the doorway.

“Hm?” Mr. Liu turned to see Nangong Yuchen at the door, bent over and panting. His brows furrowed in displeasure. “Nangong Yuchen, do you know what time it is?”

“Sorry, Mr. Liu, I—” Nangong Yuchen wiped the sweat from his brow, full of apology. He had slept too deeply from exhaustion the night before and woke up late, arriving several minutes after class began.

“Hmph!” But Mr. Liu cut him off coldly, “Why are you even here? Lacking in physical ability and unable to follow even basic rules—I suppose you no longer care about your studies?”

The sharpness of his words made Nangong Yuchen’s face darken instantly. The next warning struck him like a lash, igniting a suppressed anger inside him.

“Hurry up and get in here! If you’re late again, I’ll report you to the academy for expulsion!”

It was blatant targeting. In this class, being a few minutes late was not unusual, but for him, it warranted such a threat. Such was the difference in treatment, all because of his poor physical performance.

Facing the scorn and disdain of his classmates, Nangong Yuchen returned to his seat. Only then did Mr. Liu begin the day’s history lesson.

“Nangong, are you alright?” At the same desk, Le Han noticed his sullen expression and asked in a low voice.

“I’m fine,” Nangong Yuchen replied, shaking his head as he sat down.

Fine? How could he be? With his current performance, he had no grounds to argue. All he could do was swallow his grievances and hide his frustration and anger deep within. One day, he vowed, he would return it all with interest!

At the same time, he became even more determined in his training. Only by growing stronger could he break free from his current predicament!

Just then, Mr. Liu adjusted his glasses and announced loudly, “You’ve all been at Star Academy for three months now. We’ve finished the basic courses. From today, we begin the real curriculum of human history!”

“The real curriculum of human history?”

At these words, dozens of students immediately perked up. Even Nangong Yuchen, weighed down as he was, lifted his head to look at Mr. Liu.

Seeing all eyes focused intently on him, Mr. Liu nodded in satisfaction and his voice deepened: “From today forward, our course is called ‘The Ages’!”

“The first chapter: The Age of Earth!”

“It is said that more than 2,500 years ago, in the year 2100 of the Earth era, humanity ruled this world, and the land beneath our feet was known as Earth!”

The moment the words fell, the hearts of every student in class tightened abruptly.