Chapter 54: University Admissions

Hu Ning was again wearing a pink tracksuit with a cute teddy bear printed on its front. Her adorable smile widened, and her luminescent brown eyes twinkled after Tang Mu opened the door.

She gave him a once over and asked, "Big brother, Tang Mu! Why is your skin becoming more tender every passing day? Could you be relying on a new beauty product I don't know about?"

Tang Mu shook his head. "Are you here to make fun of me? All this is the result of my powers breaking through to pseudo-rank-one. After sensing my first chakra, the psionic energy baptisms have constantly refined my body and skin. That's why it is like this." He pointed at himself.

"Liar!" Ning'er said right away. "We train in the same war-at-arms military technique, and I have also already sensed my base chakra. I have also undergone the psionic energy baptism while training, but how come my skin is still not as tender as yours?"

Tang Mu shrugged. "Maybe it's because I'm a bit special. I was born with good genes that gave me a good skin complexion."

"You're such a narcissist!" Ning'er scoffed.

Tang Mu shrugged again. "That's the voice of jealousy speaking. Why are you here?"

Ning'er frowned. "Aren't you going to let me in? Do you want us to keep talking here in the hallway? Do you fear I will eat you when you let me inside your room?"

Tang Mu's lips twitched at the corners. He sighed and said, "Okay, come in."

"Thanks." Ning'er beamed and did a small courtesy bow. She then walked past Tang Mu and entered the room as if walking into her own residence.

Tang Mu shook his head and closed the door. He then turned to the small girl and asked, "Ning'er! You disturbed my training. What are you doing here?"

Ning'er settled on the bed before replying with a question of her own. "Have you checked your email today?"

"Nope, I was busy the whole day..." Tang Mu started to answer but then thought of a possibility. "Did the universities finally send the admission letters?"

"Aha!" Ning'er nodded. "I received mine at around four in the evening. I tried to contact you to tell you the news and inquire whether you had gotten yours. But you were offline, and your number was off."

"Sorry, my smartwatch was off since I was busy training the whole afternoon," Tang Mu said. "Let me check now and see if I have also received mine."

Without further ado, he tapped his smartwatch and eagerly brought up a holographic projection of his X-Global email interface. But the next moment, he frowned when he saw that he had received a new email with the subject being his admission on Federal Government sponsorship to the Flaming Phoenix Military College.

"What's wrong?" Ning'er, who had already made herself comfortable on the bed, asked after noticing his expression.

"I received a scholarship and an admission letter from a college I didn't apply to," Tang Mu answered while opening the email. "It's weird! Could it be a mistake?"

Ning'er rose from the bed and approached to glance at the holographic projection from Tang Mu's watch. "Which university is it?"

"The Flaming Phoenix Military College," Tang Mu answered as he started perusing the details of his admission letter. "Its main campus is located on one of the newly discovered planets in the Raging Kepler Star Cluster."

"Isn't that the same secretive military academy that trains future recruits for the Flaming Phoenix Special Ops Regiment? The very one rumored to have a hellish training program for all its students!" Ning'er asked and stood on tiptoes to glance at the hologram.

"I think it's the one," Tang Mu said and continued reading the admission document. "The admissions officer cited that they selected me to join their prestigious school because of my exceptional performance during the Psionic Society's exam!"

"But that doesn't make sense since I only applied to the three universities I previously told you about. The first was the Mars Military Academy, the second was the Axel School of Intergalactic Exploration, and I chose the Hong Kong University of Psionic Arts as my third option."

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"I don't think there's a mistake," Hu Ning hinted as she read through Tang Mu's admission package. "Maybe someone recommended you. I have previously heard that a few VIPs can directly endorse talented students for admission in some top universities."

"Who could that be?" Tang Mu asked with a frown. "And why would a VIP go out of their way and select me among all the millions of high school graduates on Mother Earth? It's not like I'm Xia Na or the other geniuses with known accomplishments!"

"All that doesn't matter since you've already received the admission letter," Hu Ning said with a smile. "What will you do now?"

Tang Mu sighed. "There is nothing else I can do but grit my teeth and accept the admission. It's so late, and the university semester will start in a few weeks. I cannot make a new application to another University."

"The admissions officer has also cautioned me to arrive at the Flaming Phoenix Military College by the end of August or risk voiding my scholarship and placement. To meet this deadline, I must start organizing to travel from Mother Earth to the Raging Kepler Star Cluster as soon as possible."

"How will you travel?" Ning'er asked. "Did the admissions officer send you a spaceship ticket?"

"Nope," Tang Mu answered and glanced at the admission document again. "The admissions officer said I should contact my former high school's principal. That he'll be the one to organize my transportation from Mother Earth to the Flaming Phoenix Military College."

"Then, you have nothing to worry about," Ning'er said with a smile. "Just pack your bags and contact your old principal. He should have the means to send you to the Raging Kepler Star Cluster in three weeks at no cost."

Tang Mu nodded. He then glanced at Ning'er and asked, "By the way, which university were you admitted to?"

"Of course, it's the Mars Military Academy," she replied and pouted. "I hoped that we would attend college together. But some busybody has shipped you away to the Raging Kepler Star Cluster! I can already foresee my university life becoming so boring."

"Boring is always good," Tang Mu reminded. "You'll be safe at the Mars Military Academy and won't have to worry about sudden Vegroid attacks throughout your university years. On the other hand, I'll be going through the exact opposite at the Flaming Phoenix Military College located in the outer reaches of the Milky Way. I could be sleeping one moment, and the aliens could attack the next minute."

"That's where you're wrong, Brother Tang Mu," Ning'er said, shaking her head. "Shit can happen anywhere, even in the safest zones of the Greater Earth Federation. Take mine and Gong Qing's cases, for example. We were on Mother Earth, the headquarters of the Federation renowned for its safety. But wasn't Gong Qing murdered? And wasn't I almost kidnapped by the Crimson Brotherhood?"

"I guess you have a point." Tang Mu sighed as scenes from six weeks ago emerged in his mind. He glanced at Ning'er with worry and asked, "How are you doing, by the way? Are you coping well after the incident?"

Hu Ning's brown eyes glistened abruptly, and her lower lip trembled. "Honestly," she said, "I'm always terrified when I recall the attempted kidnap and Gong Qing's murder."

"But I have to admit that I got off easy. I slept throughout the incident, and by the time I woke up, I was already in the safe custody of the police. I didn't catch a glimpse of the men who tried to kidnap me or the hero who saved me. I was out cold the entire time."

Tang Mu nodded. "I get all that. But are you fine?"

Hu Ning's small body trembled visibly, and a teardrop appeared at the corner of her eye. She glanced at Tang Mu and shook her head. "I'm just scared and haven't managed to find sleep at night like forever. I'm always afraid that someone will try to kidnap me while I'm out cold like the last time. I don't know what's wrong with me!" She broke down in tears.

Tang Mu felt awkward and sorry for the girl at the same time. He had always been weak against female tears. He didn't know how to handle the situation before him. "Do you want a hug?" He asked after a moment.

Ning'er glanced at him with surprise for a moment. But she didn't say anything else and just dove into his embrace while sobbing quietly.

"No one can try to harm you again," Tang Mu said while gently patting her back. "The combat detectives are keeping watch around the hostel. They will keep away all enemies."

Hu Ning grunted a response but didn't get out of Tang Mu's embrace. It was only after what seemed like forever that she stepped away and mumbled a silent thanks. However, her face had turned red, and it was as if she was already feeling shy about throwing herself in Tang Mu's arms.

Tang Mu consoled her with a few more words until he noticed her feelings had stabilized. She mentioned in passing that she was staying at her aunt's residence and then said that she would be leaving since it was getting late. He advised her to talk to a counselor about her troubles before walking her to the door.

At the door, she paused and turned to glance at his face. "Brother Tang Mu! We've already known each other for three years. You're one of my closest friends. Please promise me that you will keep in touch after you travel to the Raging Kepler Star Cluster for your university education."

"I will," Tang Mu promised. "Be prepared to receive a hologram call from me at least every week."

"You said it yourself," she said with a sigh. "I hope you don't forget."

"I won't forget," Tang Mu promised again.

Ning'er smiled and said her goodbyes before exiting the room.

Tang Mu closed the door behind her and sighed again. He had always suspected that Ning'er had feelings for him. But as a person who had lived two lives, his total mental age was already over forty years. He just couldn't bring himself to exploit the feelings of a sixteen-year-old girl when he wasn't ready to commit.

I hope she gets over the kidnapping incident and lives a good life at university.

He wished his friend the best before pushing thoughts about her to the back of his mind.

Since it was another Friday night, he planned to return to the painting world to continue harvesting psionic crystals and origin essences. But before that, he had to go through his usual night routine of meditating with the Star God visualization techniques.