Both Jasper and Liam entered the high school grounds with Liam at the lead.
"This is their destination?"
Sophie murmured behind a pole while Katie was getting worried.
"Shit, I think they are just friends. If Liam find out how we are stalking him, he'll be pissed! Let's just go back!"
But Sophie was stubborn.
"I don't think so… call it a woman's intuition. Something here is amiss."
"Gahh…" Katie gave up.
'What woman's intuition, we all feel the same way,' Nate thought. They are curious, and that's why they agree with Sophie, but if they get caught by Liam, that would mean trouble. The guy has some anger issues.
Fear is increasing and outweighing their curiosity as time goes by.
Meanwhile, Jasper didn't mind them. It was fun seeing Liam seethe in anger and anxiety while he couldn't do anything about it.
Since the rest of Sophie's group were incoming freshmen, they freely entered the school grounds.
Brukmere Public High.
The most prestigious public high school in the Elshed Province is situated in the capital city of Brukmere. It holds about five thousand students from the first to the third year. It is famous for attracting the best students in the whole province, as this high school is tied to the local government and with the governor and Brukmere's mayor being the biggest shareholders.
This high school also prides itself in prioritizing performance over background, unlike private schools that would prioritize one's background and wealth, mixing rich yet untalented cultivators with the talented ones. That is why non-cultivators like Jasper before could get in with his top grades. After all, the world still needs experts in other fields like math and science. You can't expect cultivators who focus on, obviously, cultivation to also invest a lot of time in other mundane fields.
The school facilities were great and maintained the highest standard, competing with nationally recognized schools.
Jasper also wanted to familiarize himself with the school. As a non-cultivator back then, he was limited to studying alone and was not introduced to the side of the school that is meant for cultivators. Now, the story is different, he would have to learn about the school system and facilities. This is another reason why he came here in person with a guide.
Thus, with Jasper's orders, Liam guided Jasper around the school. It took them more than an hour as the school grounds are huge.
In the middle of it, Sophie's group found nothing else suspicious and gave up on secretly following the two. Meanwhile, Katie was excited at the thought of Jasper being a classmate.
"My spring has arrived!"
Meanwhile, Jasper learned a lot and found the school exciting.
Brukmere Public High really loves fighting! That was his initial thought.
A third of the school grounds are dedicated to arena-like podiums of differing sizes. The school frequently holds competitions between cultivators and sometimes school-wide tournaments for grading and rewards.
"This is fun," Jasper commented, but unfortunately, he will rarely get a chance to participate. If he does, he will participate as Liam. That would suck, he didn't want to give this man a good image.
'We'll see in the future.'
Afterward, they went to the teacher's faculty, and Liam requested some information about the two top senior students.
"They are quite the public figures, so I guess there's no harm in sharing some basic information. You could search them up on the internet if you look hard enough, after all."
The teacher easily relented. But as they were about to turn around and leave, the teacher added, "I love that you are already gathering information before even the school starts. Competition doesn't rely only on strength. Wits and use of information are as important."
"Thanks for the praise, Sir."
The teacher then sneakily glanced around and bent forward to whisper, attempting to be secretive, "Between just you and me, I received news that a very strong freshman sponsored by the empire has applied for the upcoming school year."
Jasper was immediately intrigued.
The empire, the central nation, or the ancestor's home are just a few of the many nicknames given to the strongest organization of the world with its own nation, the United Ancestry!
The United Ancestry is composed of the strongest cultivators on Earth. Only prodigies and powerhouses could enter the nation, and it is led by none other than the legend who sparked the Enlightenment Era, the Ancestor.
In other words, anyone from the empire is a potential enemy for Jasper.
'Interesting that they enrolled this late…'
It's definitely no coincidence.
"May we know more about this person, Sir?"
"Hmm, I don't know much myself, but from the rumors, it seemed that this prodigy is already at the Qi Refining Realm."
"Qi Refi-!?"
"Sh!" the male teacher interrupted Liam's loud reaction, "Don't make such a loud noise. It's still not public. I'm just telling you because you seemed to be good students. Anyway, shoo, that's all I have to say. You didn't hear it from me."
Liam turned serious and nodded, "Thank you, Sir!"
They then left with Liam still having a dumbfounded expression.
"That new student is the same age as us… and already at the Qi Refining Realm- a real prodigy…" Liam's ego was struck hard.
He was already considered the strongest back in middle school, but even he just barely reached the third stage of the Body Tempering Realm.
Everyone is aware of the horrifying talents of prodigies in the empire, however, they are about to meet one personally.
Snapping back to his senses, Liam threw a curious glance at Jasper.
Jasper didn't show any shock, but his usual light smile instead. It was as if he didn't hear the news earlier.
"What will you do with this information?"
This is the first time Liam has asked about Jasper's intentions.
"Nothing… just curious," but Jasper dishonestly just shrugged his shoulders.
"I just hope you don't make me look like a fool."
While it is harsh, reality is reality, and reality is that his body follows Jasper's every command. Liam has unwillingly accepted his fate. He couldn't do anything about Jasper's plan to take his identity and enter the school in his stead. Liam could only hope that nothing bad would happen and Jasper would get by without attracting any attention.
After thinking for a while, Liam then asked.
"Could I at least tell this to my friends?"
"..."
Liam looked at Jasper's eyes and attempted to persuade him, "Will they not bug you if they notice my personality suddenly changes? Wouldn't it be easier if they acted accordingly?"
"It's surprising to find you value friendship."
Liam stayed silent for a while before continuing as he looked away, "I'm not doing this for them."
"Hmm, I'll think about it. For now, don't tell them anything."
Jasper said, which made Liam's chest feel slightly lighter. It seemed that Jasper was not totally unreasonable, Liam thought.
After a short while, they separated, and Jasper went home for lunch prepared by Janice.
Although Janice is free to do whatever she wants, she still has these sorts of tasks ordered by her master, which annoy her greatly. She had been tempted to poison these dishes each time, but restrained herself as she was not confident in going against Jasper.
"It's not bad, but focus on improving your cooking skills from now on," Jasper finished lunch, and that's when Janice brought out slices of watermelon for dessert.
"Here's what you requested earlier. Your message was out of nowhere."
"Yeah… I'm craving for something, and this will compensate for a while."