Hearing Li Xun's parting words, Ning Rongrong, who was lying on the bed, pouted and her eyes flickered with a hint of mischief. "Hmph! Let's see if Zhu Zhuqing will pamper you then."
Li Xun hummed a tune, exuding the air of a young master. Spotting Zhu Zhuqing's tent, he darted inside in a flash. Amid her startled gasp, he pounced on her, pinning her down with the blanket.
This move was something he had learned from Ning Rongrong, and it never failed.
"Why did you come here? Didn't Ning Rongrong go to your place?" Feeling Li Xun's weight, Zhu Zhuqing shifted uneasily and blinked her eyes.
"She took over my room and made me sleep on the floor. Now I have nowhere to go, so I had to come find you." Feeling the softness beneath the thin blanket, Li Xun's heart stirred, and he closed his eyes in contentment.
Sensing Li Xun's growing restlessness, Zhu Zhuqing's fair earlobes instantly turned crimson, and her gaze became evasive. She whispered, "Then... Rongrong's tent is empty now, isn't it?"
"Wow! Even you're trying to kick me out." Li Xun feigned despair, burying his face and pretending to cry. But perhaps his emotions weren't well-rehearsed, as he soon burst into laughter.
Feeling Li Xun's increasingly unruly movements, Zhu Zhuqing's face flushed deeply, and her body trembled. Instinctively, she curled up, trying to appeal to his conscience with a serious matter. "Li Xun... the competition starts tomorrow. I'll help you tidy up your room later."
"..."
Though Li Xun's conscience was limited, after twenty minutes of continuous appeals, it finally had some effect.
Bang—
Pushed out of the room by Zhu Zhuqing, Li Xun listened to the sound of the door closing behind him, feeling deeply dissatisfied. "Oh, Zhu Zhuqing, how dare you bully me for being young and weak? With my sturdy frame and robust build, how can age be a measure? I'll count to three, and you'd better open the door."
After finishing his words, Li Xun heard no sign of the door opening behind him. He snorted lightly, "Zhu Zhuqing, you better think about the consequences of this. Just wait, I'll endure you for a few more years..."
"Oh! Who do we have here? Got kicked out, huh~?"
Just as Li Xun was lingering outside Zhu Zhuqing's door, a melodious voice came from the side.
Li Xun cleared his throat and straightened his collar. "Sister Yan, it's not about being kicked out. It's just that there's a competition tomorrow, and I didn't want to disturb her rest."
"I heard everything, and you're still pretending." Dugu Yan chuckled, deciding to tease Li Xun.
She then gracefully walked up to Li Xun and blew a warm breath into his ear. "Sister won't kick you out. Want to come in and sit for a while?"
The warm airflow entered his ear, but it felt like it surged into his heart. Li Xun was momentarily tempted, but thinking of Ning Rongrong's jealousy and Zhu Zhuqing, he suppressed the rising heat within him.
Tackle the hardest first; never lose the big for the small.
Among the three, Ning Rongrong was the most challenging. Having grown up with her, Li Xun had long understood her personality. Though she often seemed like a pushover, she was quite resolute in her heart. If he didn't handle Ning Rongrong first, he might very well capsize.
Steadying his mind, Li Xun spoke earnestly, "Sister Yan, it's getting late, and there's a competition tomorrow. I won't come in to sit. You should rest early too."
"What's the matter? You were just teasing Zhu Zhuqing, and now you're acting all proper with me? What do you mean by that?"
Dugu Yan raised an eyebrow, one arm wrapping around Li Xun's left arm while the other pinched his waist. She had only meant to tease him as usual, but she didn't expect Li Xun to reject her so firmly today.
Feeling the soft touch on his arm, the heat Li Xun had just suppressed surged back instantly. However, the pain that followed from his waist shattered the lingering warmth.
Li Xun grimaced in pain, turning his body to pull Dugu Yan into his embrace. With his right hand, he gave her bottom a firm squeeze: "It's not the right time yet. I'll remember this, and I'll make sure to teach you a lesson later."
Dugu Yan was taken aback by Li Xun's sudden boldness, momentarily frozen in place. It wasn't until she felt the searing pain from the large hand covering her bottom that she snapped out of it.
Her cheeks flushed, and her eyes grew moist. Seeing this, Li Xun knew he had to make a quick escape. He immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to dart back to his room, locking the door behind him.
That was close.
The next morning.
Under the watchful eyes of nearly twenty thousand Royal Knights, fifteen teams slowly entered the academy's grand field.
Seeing the knights clad in shining silver armor, forming a dazzling wall that encircled them, the continent's once-arrogant geniuses couldn't help but feel the pressure.
A crowd of ten thousand is overwhelming. Even for Soul Masters, unless their cultivation had reached a certain level, escaping such a dense encirclement would be impossible, let alone the fact that the Royal Knights were a semi-Soul Master army.
"The rules of the competition are as follows: teams will draw lots to determine their opponents. Each team can send one member to the stage, and the match continues until one team defeats the entire opposing team or concedes. Each team will compete once a day until all fourteen rounds are completed."
After reading the rules, Chrysanthemum Douluo turned to signal Bibidong.
Bibidong's gaze swept across the teams, pausing briefly when she saw Yu Xiaogang before withdrawing her eyes: "Let the drawing of lots begin."
With that, Bibidong closed her eyes, sighing inwardly.
Xiaogang had aged. She didn't know what had happened to him, but he now looked haggard and disheveled, a far cry from the proud man she remembered. An air of weariness surrounded him.
As the drawing of lots concluded, the team captains returned to their designated areas. Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, the current empire's sole decision-maker, stood up: "The competition officially begins now. I hope everyone can fully showcase their potential in the upcoming matches. After the event, the Heavenly Dou royal family will offer additional rewards to the outstanding teams, and they may also join the Royal Knights without further assessment."
"Long live, long live, long live..." As his words ended, the nearly twenty thousand Royal Knights in the field erupted into a unified roar, like a landslide or a tidal wave, impacting everyone present.
Under such immense pressure, some of the less resolute students turned pale, their legs giving way as they knelt on the ground.
"The first match: Shrek Academy versus Heavenly Dou Royal Academy. Please send your members to the field," Chrysanthemum Douluo announced, glancing at the match list in his hand, his lips twitching.
What a coincidence. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School must have cheated again. But they drew the lots right in front of me.
Upon hearing that they were once again set to face the Heavenly Dou Team at the start, a cold glint flashed in Tang San's eyes. It was only now that he realized they had been played.
"Grandmaster, what's the plan?" Dai Mubai frowned, turning to ask Yu Xiaogang.
"Let's concede this match. The qualifiers don't involve elimination, so we should conserve our strength for the finals," Yu Xiaogang pondered for a moment before speaking in a hoarse voice. "The main purpose of these qualifiers is to select talents and showcase strength. Losing one or two matches doesn't matter much for us."
"No, we will fight this match," Tang San said with unwavering determination.
(End of Chapter)