Chapter 8: The Strength of a Strong Person

A young girl sat by the window, her posture impeccable. She wore a fitted white t-shirt and light-colored skinny jeans, her feet adorned with a pair of white canvas shoes. Her sitting posture was flawless, her back straight and her buttocks taut, accentuating her curvaceous figure.

Her hair was sleek black and flowed straight down, secured in a high ponytail with a white hair tie, reaching down to her waist. Her eyes, beneath her bangs, were calm and focused on the book she held, occasionally turning the pages gently with her neatly trimmed fingers.

Perhaps due to her intense concentration on the book, the girl didn't seem to notice Xuejing's arrival.

"A student of Qing University? Her age doesn't seem to fit, though," Xuejing thought to himself, glancing at the girl with a hint of surprise, his eyes lingering for a moment on her pretty eyes, which had a subtle hint of purple.

Not wearing a school uniform, she was likely a college student who looked younger than her age.

Without giving it much thought, Xuejing turned and walked towards the bookshelf area.

The seventh floor boasted an impressive collection of bookshelves—four rows of sixteen double-sided wooden shelves, along with wall-mounted shelves covering three walls, leaving only a resting area untouched. Every shelf was packed, even overflowing, with old books and documents, creating a dense and daunting library.

The sheer volume of books was astonishing.

Without a computer to search and locate specific titles, and with the books not even categorized, finding the desired information in this sea of knowledge seemed akin to climbing Mount Everest. It was no wonder that this place remained untouched most of the time.

Xuejing randomly chose a row of bookshelves and stood in the middle, feeling slightly overwhelmed as he surveyed the chaotic arrangement of ancient documents before him. He didn't know where to start his search.

He picked up a book that seemed relatively intact, wiping away the dust from its cover. It had a burgundy hardbound cover, devoid of any patterns. In the center was the title, typeset in Song typeface, with the author's name and publication date inscribed in smaller font at the bottom right corner.

"Speculations on the Inter-Realm Superposition Phenomenon," by Ning Furren, published in the 87th year of the New Era.

'An antique book from almost two hundred years ago,' he thought.

The Inter-Realm Superposition Phenomenon was a unique occurrence that took place on Earth after the 'death' of 'God.'

As the name suggested, it referred to the superposition of two realms, or in simpler terms, the collision of two worlds.

If one were to imagine the world as a car traveling on a road, then the Inter-Realm Superposition Phenomenon would be like two cars crashing into each other.

This phenomenon resulted in parts of the two worlds intertwining, with areas of overlap known as 'Borderlands.'

The commonly accepted explanation for this occurrence, recognized globally, was the absence of a 'driver'—the 'death' of 'God.'

Without 'God' at the wheel to steer the direction, the world went astray, colliding with other worlds that were similarly adrift without their divine drivers.

"...' Xuejing opened the book and skimmed through a couple of pages. The theories within, though groundbreaking at the time, were now riddled with errors. However, they had laid the indispensable foundation for modern research on the superposition phenomenon, and while the book's theoretical value had diminished, it remained a precious historical artifact.

Xuejing returned the book to its place and continued his arduous task of searching for clues related to the 'Divine Substance.'

After more than an hour...

Xuejing browsed through a few pages of the "Veritable Record of the Eternal Night War" that he had picked up and then put it back on the bookshelf.

He shook his head. As he had expected, there was nothing of value to be found here.

Having anticipated this outcome, he wasn't disappointed.

Xuejing took out his phone to check the time—it was already 7:30 pm, time for class.

As he prepared to leave, he noticed the same girl he had seen earlier in the resting area approaching him, her arms wrapped around a book.

Xuejing's gaze fell on the girl's well-developed figure, but not in a lecherous manner—he was more interested in the book she was holding.

It was a book of about three fingers' thickness, bound in black hardcovers. The cover featured a strange painting.

It depicted a figure with a halo over its head, countless wings extending from top to bottom, and a body radiating light. In its hands, it held a pale blue Earth, its faceless head tilted upward as if shouting. Light, resembling blood, flowed from its body, dripping from its feet into an abyss of unknown depths.

The meaning behind this cover was universally known—it represented the 'Death of God,' or more accurately and formally, the 'Death of the Divine.'

Xuejing had seen similar scenes countless times in paintings, movies, and video games.

He looked at the title: "What If God Had Not Died?"

He nodded politely and stepped aside to let the girl pass, taking the opportunity to observe her face up close. She had a delicate and clean beauty, not the type to leave a striking first impression, but one whose attractiveness grew on you the more you looked.

The young girl nodded at him and then tried to squeeze the book she was holding into the gap at the top of the bookshelf. However, due to her height, she had to stand on her tiptoes, and even then, it seemed a bit difficult.

Xuejing stepped forward and offered his help. "Let me help you with that."

He reached out his hand, indicating that she should hand him the book, and she obliged without hesitation.

Watching Xuejing easily place the book into the space above, the girl blinked her clear, slightly purple eyes and said, "Thank you."

"Mhm," Xuejing acknowledged with a nod, not thinking much of the minor favor.

Without lingering, he turned and left the library, making his way toward the junior high building.

...

When he entered his classroom, the morning reading session was just about to end, signaling the start of the first class.

All the students were present, and aside from a few whispered conversations, most were quietly flipping through books or practicing exam questions.

The atmosphere in the elite class was intense, with students feeling the weight of expectations.

Xuejing was well-liked in the class, and despite the quiet atmosphere, many of his classmates nodded at him in greeting as he walked in.

Xuejing returned the greetings and made his way to his seat. However, he paused as he reached his desk.

His table and chair had been vandalized.

The wooden fiberboard was covered in crisscrossing scratches, and the desktop was defaced with threatening messages like 'kill, kill, kill', 'you're dead', and 'be careful after school'.

"Tsk, what ugly handwriting," commented Li He, who had walked over to stand beside him.

"What happened?" Xuejing asked, his expression unchanged.

Being on the receiving end of such bullying could rattle anyone, whether a high schooler or an adult. Yet, Xuejing remained unperturbed, his curiosity solely focused on understanding the situation.

Just as someone who regularly works out tends to exude confidence, physical strength naturally breeds inner strength.

At that moment, facing this high school-level bullying, Xuejing felt like a lion unperturbed by a kitten's hisses.

"Not sure," Li He shrugged, leaning against the neighboring desk. "It was like this when I arrived this morning."

"There were also dead mice and cockroaches stuffed in the drawers. I cleaned them out for you, but these words are written with oil-based markers, so they won't come off easily."

Xuejing patted his friend's shoulder gratefully. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it, we're bros," Li He replied, then continued, "The priority now is to find out who did this. Otherwise, we'll have to deal with this nonsense every day, and it'll get old fast."

"Have you offended anyone lately?" Xuejing asked.

He thought back, but he didn't recall doing anything that would warrant such retaliation.

"I don't know, but it doesn't matter," Li He replied. "From the messages on the desk, it seems less like a cowardly prank and more like a threat. They intend to confront you directly."

Xuejing ran his fingers over the scratches on the table, his index finger lingering on the words 'be careful after school'.

"They'll probably show themselves during lunch break or after school. Let's just wait and see."

When one becomes truly excellent, they will inevitably stand in someone's way and invite resentment, whether they've done anything or not. Xuejing had experienced this in both his previous and current lives.

There was no point in reflecting on one's own actions; it was pointless to dwell on it. The best course of action was to face the problem head-on.

Xuejing sat down, intending to put his bag in the drawer, but he hesitated midway, feeling a sense of disgust. After all, the drawers had previously held dead rodents and insects. Instead, he hung his bag on the hook attached to the side of the desk.

Then, he crossed his arms and closed his eyes, preparing to rest before the lesson began.

Seeing Xuejing's nonchalant attitude, Li He couldn't help but admire, "So carefree, Xuejing."

"Why don't we just tell the teacher about this?" Li He asked, his confusion evident.

With his eyes still closed, Xuejing replied casually, "Just like calling the police isn't always the solution, teachers can't fix everything either. Telling them might resolve the issue, but it will likely be a complicated and tedious process, and there might be repercussions afterward."

"I have a simpler way to deal with this without involving the teachers."

Li He nodded, falling silent for a moment before adding, "You know, you have this strange air about you, like a mature adult... or the confidence of a strong person. The way you handled this, it's like you're exuding a subtle sense of dominance..."

As the two chatted, a voice called out from the classroom entrance, "Xuejing, someone's looking for you!"

Xuejing turned to see a pretty female student standing at the door, wearing the school's uniform skirt.

It was the same junior student who had brought him a towel during the physical test yesterday.

...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end