Mythical Era: My Evolution into a Celestial Beast-Chapter 706: Long Time No See (III)

After clearing the dining table, the brothers stepped out of the courtyard. Chen Hu, towering at nearly two meters with a broad, powerful frame, called out, "Mom, I’m heading to school!"

As soon as Chen Hu spoke, the women chatting with Zhang Xiaolan instinctively took a step back. An inexplicable pressure washed over them, as if a ferocious tiger had just drawn near.

Ever since his gigantification ability had fully activated his Innate Tyrant Body, Chen Hu’s presence alone was enough to rival a high-level cultivator. The sheer weight of his aura exuded a heavy, oppressive force.

Right then, Chen Chu stepped forward with a faint smile. "Aunt Zhang, Aunt Li, everyone, good morning."

As he spoke, Chen Chu casually patted Chen Hu’s back. A formless wave spread out, instantly sealing Chen Hu's overwhelming aura, and the neighbors instinctively let out a breath of relief.

Zhang Xiaolan smiled. "Alright, go on. Remember to come back for lunch, Ah Chu."

"Got it." Chen Chu nodded before walking past the crowd with Chen Hu, heading toward school.

Once the brothers had walked far down the road, the women finally resumed their lively chatter. One well-dressed woman couldn't help but exclaim, "Xiaolan, your Chen Chu keeps getting more and more handsome."

"Exactly! He’s only been gone for a few months, but he looks like a completely different person. There’s this aura about him... dignified, noble, almost untouchable."

Zhang Xiaolan waved a hand modestly. "Oh, stop exaggerating. Ah Chu hasn’t changed that much."

While she basked in the admiration and envy of her neighbors, Chen Chu and Chen Hu walked along the sidewalk, drawing just as much attention from passersby—especially from the opposite sex.

Of course, all the attention was on Chen Chu. Standing at 1.9 meters, he carried himself with unwavering confidence. His white T-shirt subtly outlined the sculpted muscles beneath, exuding a powerful yet refined strength.

His already strikingly handsome features had been refined to perfection through countless evolutions and breakthroughs. His jet-black hair flowed past his shoulders, and his aura carried an air of nobility and detachment, as if a divine being had descended.

To ordinary people, he looked as though he had stepped right out of a manhua—an embodiment of perfection. Yet, because he was too perfect, the women who stole a glance at him would instinctively look away, overcome by an inexplicable sense of inferiority.

Chen Hu sighed enviously. "Bro, you look so cool now. I swear, if you became a celebrity, you'd be an international superstar in no time."

Chen Chu shot him a sideways glance. "Have you ever seen a king become a celebrity?"

A mythical-level king, standing above billions and holding the power to destroy worlds, becoming a celebrity? Only Chen Hu could come up with something that absurd.

Chen Hu scratched the back of his head and grinned. "I don’t see why being a celebrity and being a king have to be mutually exclusive."

Chen Chu’s expression turned a little strange. "Don’t tell me... your dream is to be a celebrity?"

Chen Hu chuckled. "Nah, that’s just my second dream. My first dream is to cultivate true martial arts and become a king like you."

"Do whatever you want, as long as you don’t mess around too much." Chen Chu had no intention of interfering with his brother’s ambitions; everyone had their own interests. After all, cultivators were still human. Just like Li Daoyi, who loved chatting with beautiful women despite lacking the courage to take things further.

By now, the two had reached a crosswalk at a busy intersection. On the other side of the street, three lively schoolgirls in uniforms spotted them. One of them, Li Yiyi, waved and called out, "Chen Hu, over here!"

"Coming!"

Seeing Li Yiyi and the other two, Chen Hu immediately brightened up. He turned to Chen Chu. "Bro, I’m heading to school with my classmates."

Chen Chu waved a hand casually. "Go ahead. Oh, and think about what I said regarding your cultivation, then I can help you make arrangements."

"Got it, bro."

Just as they finished speaking, the pedestrian light turned green. Chen Hu waved at Chen Chu before jogging across the street to join his classmates. The four quickly walked off in another direction, chatting as they went.

Seeing Chen Hu surrounded by three petite and adorable girls, Chen Chu’s expression turned strange. Since when did his little brother have such good luck with women? More importantly, there was something off about the way those three girls looked at him...

"No way." Chen Chu said, as a terrifying thought popped into his head.

Then he coughed lightly and shook his head. "Nah, that’s ridiculous. They’re just in middle school." Pushing the absurd idea aside, he turned and continued toward Nantian.

On the other side of the street, the petite and sweet-looking Li Yiyi adjusted her backpack and glanced at Chen Hu with curiosity. “Chen Hu, that was your big brother, wasn’t it?”

She had seen Chen Chu a few times before, but after just a few months, his aura had changed so drastically, and his hair had grown longer. For a moment, she wasn’t sure if it was really him.

Chen Hu nodded. "Yeah, that’s my brother."

The second girl, who had never met Chen Chu, blinked in surprise. "Wait, that guy was your big brother?"

Chen Hu scratched the back of his head. "I know what you're all wondering. Yeah, I’m not as good-looking as my brother, but we’re real brothers. One of us takes after our mom, the other after our dad."

The third girl, barely 1.5 meters but already surprisingly well-developed for her age, patted her chest. "Oh, that makes sense. But still, your brother isn't just handsome. He's kind of intimidating. Just looking at him made my heart race."

Chen Hu grinned proudly. "That’s because my brother is insanely strong. He’s already reached the king level and become a god among men. Normal people can’t help but feel intimidated in his presence, even though he’s already suppressing his aura."

With Chen Chu no longer needing to hide his identity, Chen Hu didn't hesitate to talk about his brother's strength.

"What? Your brother’s already broken through to king level?" Li Yiyi's eyes widened in shock, her face full of disbelief.

As the younger sister of Li Meng, she was well aware that Chen Hu’s brother was a talented freak. But no matter how much of a freak he was, breaking through to the king level in just a year was simply impossible.

Chen Hu nodded. “Yep, he’s already in the king level. And he’s come back as a Federation General. He’s commanding the eastern hemisphere of the Blue Planet and overseeing military forces of multiple nations, including East Xia."

King level, general, and Commander of the Eastern Hemisphere? Even middle school girls understood just how astonishing those titles were. They represented authority at the very peak of the world’s power structure. For a brief moment, the way the three girls looked at Chen Hu subtly changed.

This was the power of status. Even though Chen Hu had yet to start cultivating, Chen Chu's achievements had already reshaped how others saw him and Zhang Xiaolan. Their social standing and the way people treated them had shifted because of Chen Chu's position.

***

Today was the opening ceremony for the new semester at Nantian, and all of the students had gathered inside the stadium.

The old competition platforms had been removed, making space for the freshmen class. Nearly two thousand students stood in neat formations, arranged into fifty groups across four rows. The air buzzed with quiet conversations.

On the left and right sides of the stadium sat the upperclassmen, split between academics and martial artists.

However, while the academic upperclassmen numbered over two thousand, the total number of martial arts students in both the sophomore and junior years combined barely reached a thousand.

Yet at this moment, whether it was the freshmen or the academic students, all eyes were fixed on the martial arts students, filled with admiration and longing.

As knowledge about true martial arts became more accessible, ordinary people gained a deeper understanding of cultivation, fueling their desire for transcendent strength. Even academic students who had completed Foundation Building but ultimately chose the scholarly path had become increasingly dedicated to cultivation over the past few months.

In the second-year seating area, a familiar group sat together: Xia Youhui, Liu Feng, Bai Mu, Li Meng, and Yi Rui. Sitting in front of them were more familiar faces, including Lin Xue, Lin Yu, Li Wenwen, and Jiang Jiameng.

As the teachers took their seats on the main stage, two third-year students stepped up to host the event. The new semester ceremony was about to begin.

Liu Feng glanced at the main stage and muttered with envy, "Li Hao really got to sit in the teacher’s section just for smacking that level 8 beast with a stick? Damn, what a lucky bastard."

Bai Mu frowned. "Seriously. He only broke through the Eighth Heavenly Realm a little earlier than us, and now he’s acting all high and mighty, constantly showing off when we hang out."

Li Meng sighed. "Can’t do anything about it. Eighth Heavenly Realm is a big deal. Plus, let’s be honest, if any of us broke through that fast in just one year, we wouldn’t be much better than him."

Liu Feng scoffed. "Damn it, Li Meng, why do you have to be so brutally honest?"

The group burst into laughter.

Li Meng turned to Xia Youhui, his expression skeptical. "Old Xia, you've been grinning like a scheming fox ever since we sat down. Be honest, what are you hiding from us?"

Xia Youhui let out a dry cough. "What do you mean scheming fox? I'm just in a good mood. Can't I smile?"

"You really think we'd believe that?"

Having fought side by side, Li Meng, Bai Mu, and the others knew Xia Youhui too well. He was definitely up to something.

Just as they wanted to force the truth out of him, Xia Youhui suddenly beamed and glanced toward the back entrance of the seating area. "Well, it's nothing big. Just that Ah Chu is back. Look."

"What? Chen Chu is back?" Everyone froze. Even Lin Xue and the others in the front row instinctively turned toward the back.

There, a young man stepped inside, with long black hair cascading over his shoulders. With a flicker of his figure, he instantly appeared right before them, smiling gently as he greeted the group. “Long time no see. How's everyone been?"