Teacher Zhuang stood on the podium and said to the whole class, "In a month's time, the annual martial arts competition of the whole college will be held. In this last month, I hope all of you can study and practice hard and take your cultivation to the next level. I will select the two strongest students from the whole class to represent our class in the competition."
Mars asked, "Teacher, is there any reward if we get a ranking?"
Teacher Zhuang smiled and said, "Of course there is. The top three students in the grade will all be rewarded with a good piece of equipment by the college. The higher the ranking, the better the equipment. At the same time, if any of you win the championship, I will also give an award in the class. Only the champion will get the class reward. As for what the reward is, it's a secret for now. Anyway, it won't be bad. I have high expectations of you, so don't let the teacher down, students!"
Teacher Zhuang's words immediately piqued the interest of all the students, and everyone rushed to say that they would definitely work hard.
I really saw a glimmer of eagerness in Mars' eyes. However, what he didn't know was that Teacher Zhuang had already pre-determined the candidates, and the possibility of him getting the equipment was almost zero.
Feng Juan stood up and said haughtily, "Teacher, don't worry. As long as you send me to compete, I will definitely bring back the first place in the whole grade." Looking at her chubby and proud appearance, I couldn't help but find it a bit funny. This chubby girl was really competitive.
After class, Feng Wen came to find me. He said to me, "Lei Xiang, why do I feel that you've changed a lot since you came back from this confinement?"
I looked at him in surprise. He really lived up to his status as someone with the same strength as me. He had actually noticed the improvement in my abilities. I said indifferently, "Oh? What changes? I don't feel any change myself."
Feng Wen said, "There is, there must be. Although I can't put my finger on it, I feel that you're not as cold as you used to be. Instead, there is an imposing and composed aura about you. Now I'm afraid I'm no match for you."
I smiled slightly and said, "Maybe you're just being too sensitive. I don't think I've changed at all."
Looking at my smile, Feng Wen stared blankly and said, "You still say there's no change. Did you ever smile like this before?"
I subconsciously touched my face. Yes, why did I like to smile so much now? Zixue really had a great influence on me. I patted him on the shoulder and said, "Work hard on your cultivation. I hope to meet you in the grade finals (students from the same class who participate in the competition are divided into two semi-finals, and they can only meet in the finals)."
Feng Wen said, "Lei Xiang, are you really that confident that you can make it to the finals? You should know that our Magic Warrior class has always been at the bottom every time we participate in the competition. Students who specialize in martial arts or magic, because they focus more on one area, improve faster than us."
I gave him a sideways glance and said, "Confidence is the best weapon. You'll know when you're on the competition field." These three months of confinement had brought about a qualitative improvement in my strength and also enhanced my confidence even more. In my heart, I only had one opponent, and that was Rivera from the fifth grade. Only he could truly arouse my fighting spirit. Maybe I'm not his match, but I definitely want to see how big the gap is between us.
Feng Wen said, "You're back to your arrogant self again. Come on, let's go have a meal together."
I shook my head and said, "No, I've made an appointment with someone else."
Feng Wen suddenly had an epiphany and said, "Ah, right. You're the first one in the whole college to pursue a girl so openly. I really admire you. If there's a chance, introduce an outstanding girl to your brother too. Hehe, I won't bother you. I'll go find Feng Yun for a meal." It's all because of Feng Yun's big mouth. I can't let him know anything in the future.
I walked to the cafeteria. Zixue was already waiting for me under the tree outside the cafeteria. Standing beside the tree, she was like a pure lily set off by the green leaves. I quickened my pace and said apologetically, "A classmate stopped me to talk for a while just now. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
Zixue gave me a sweet smile and said, "It doesn't matter. Let's go."
I reached out my hand to hold Zixue, but Zixue blushed and dodged. She whispered, "There are so many people here. Don't do this, okay? Besides, the college doesn't allow..."
I frowned and looked at her. Then I let out a helpless sigh and said, "Well, I respect your choice."
Zixue smiled and said, "Let's go in and have a meal."
The cafeteria was as lively as ever. I've now become a well-known figure in the college (it's no wonder I'm famous for daring to accept the challenge from the top expert, not to mention my relationship with Zixue). As soon as I entered the cafeteria, many people immediately turned their eyes towards me. I didn't care at all and went directly to get the food. I bought the best dishes for Zixue and two servings of medium-quality food for myself.
Watching Zixue take small bites of her food, I frowned and said, "You eat too little. Eat more. Otherwise, how can you have a good body? Look at me. One meal of mine is almost enough for you to eat for a week." As I said this, I also pointed at the mountain of food in front of me.
Zixue covered her mouth and laughed, saying, "If I ate as much as you, it would be terrible. You're tall, so of course you need to eat more. I'm a girl. If I eat too much and get fat, you'll stop liking me."
My expression changed, and I said, "What kind of person do you think I, Lei Xiang, am?"
Seeing that I was unhappy, Zixue quickly said, "I take it back. I'll eat a little more, okay?"
Hearing her say that, my expression softened. I asked, "By the way, what about that bossy girl who always follows you?"
Zixue looked around and whispered, "Keep your voice down. She went home for a meal. If she knew you said that about her, she'd throw a tantrum again. I don't know how hard I had to comfort her yesterday. Also, why are you acting like a child? You even need me to coax you. Heehee."
I smiled faintly and said, "You're actually older than me. What's wrong with you coaxing me? What's her name, Jin... She's naturally bossy. Can't people even talk about it? She's been spoiled since she was a child. Why do you always go home for a meal? Don't you like the food here? I think it's quite good."
Zixue wrinkled her cute little nose and said, "The food at home is indeed better than that here. But more importantly, we don't want to show ourselves in public too much. As soon as we come here, many people will stare at us, so naturally we can't enjoy our meal properly."
I gave a cold snort and said, "Whoever dares to stare at you, I'll deal with them."
Zixue pressed my hand and said anxiously, "What are you doing? Your recklessness is flaring up again. You can't control everyone's eyes. My sister originally asked me to go home with her for lunch, but you made an appointment with me."
I asked in confusion, "Sister? Which sister?"
Zixue looked at me as if I were a monster. After a while, she said, "You don't even know my sister's famous name? You're so ignorant."
I smiled indifferently and said, "Is your sister really that famous? The top expert in the college doesn't seem to be her, right?"
Zixue said proudly, "My sister is of course very famous. Although she's not the top expert, she is the most beautiful girl in the college."
I was stunned. The most beautiful girl in the college? That's a bit exaggerated. This duke really knows how to have children. Both of his daughters are beautiful. I asked, "How many children are there in your family? Don't tell me there's another beauty with some ranking."
Zixue hit me lightly and said with a giggle, "No, there are only my sister and me. There are a lot of people chasing after my sister. Many people don't care about the college's regulations and launch their pursuit of her right here in the college. Especially that Rivera, who is the most persistent."
I suddenly understood and said, "No wonder he was so polite to you yesterday. It turns out it's related to your sister. By the way, what's your sister's name?"
Zixue said, "My sister's name is Ziyan. She's a student in the third grade, practicing Light Magic, and she's the favorite disciple of the vice-principal."
I was stunned. Light Magic. It sounds so strange to me. I guess it's related to my practice of Dark Magic. Who asked them to be naturally incompatible?
It was really nice. I didn't encounter any trouble in the cafeteria today, and I successfully had a sweet meal with Zixue.
There were no classes in the afternoon, so I went back to my dormitory and started practicing my Berserk God Art. Since I broke through the first level, the speed of my cultivation has been quite fast. Although there's still some distance to the second level, I'm confident that I can complete it before the competition. What makes me the happiest is the progress of the Heaven Demon Art. Compared with before, it can only be described as extremely fast. The third level should be much more difficult to cultivate than the second level, but my current cultivation speed is even faster than when I was cultivating the second level before. If it goes on like this, I'll be able to transform into a Fallen Angel soon. Who cares about Rivera? I'm not afraid of him at all. (It's a pity that I can't use it easily.)
Early the next morning, as I was about to take the Black Dragon out of the college for a run, I met Zixue. I said in surprise, "Great! You came to find me so early in the morning. Come on, let's take the Black Dragon for a walk together."
Zixue walked over and gently stroked the Black Dragon's big head. There was an undeniable look of seriousness on her face. I immediately felt that something was wrong and quickly asked, "What's wrong? What happened?"
Suddenly, Zixue threw herself into my arms and burst into tears. I hugged her soft and delicate body and asked, "Tell me quickly. What happened? Did someone bully you? I'll tear them to pieces." As I spoke, a chilling murderous aura emanated from my whole body.
Zixue held onto my clothes tightly and shook her head, saying, "It's not that someone bullied me."
I said in surprise, "Then why are you like this?"
Zixue let go of me, lowered her head, and said, "My father found out about us."
I let out a sigh of relief. I thought it was something serious. I said, "Is that all? Miss, you almost scared me to death."
Zixue widened her eyes and looked at me, saying, "Isn't this serious?"
I said indifferently, "What's the big deal? Anyway, your parents will find out sooner or later. How did your father find out?"
Zixue shook her head dejectedly and said, "I guess he has informants in the college. And you made such a big fuss... You don't know, my father is very stubborn. If he thinks you're not good enough, no matter what you say or do, it won't be of any use. When I went back last night, he said to me with a dark face that he wanted me to bring you to my home tonight."
After hearing Zixue's words, I smiled and said, "Don't worry. It'll be okay. With my conditions, how could your father disagree? I didn't expect to meet the parents so soon."
Zixue said, "Aren't you worried at all? My father has a well-known bad temper."
I gave a cold snort and said, "You should know that I'm not exactly known for my good temper either."
Zixue was so angry that she almost fainted. For the first time, she lost her temper. Like a little lion, she roared, "Is this the attitude you're going to have when meeting my parents? It's more like you're going for a duel. That's my father over there. Do you really think you can get into a fight with him? With this attitude of yours, how can I be at ease?"
Zixue's little face turned bright red. She was really cute. I pulled her into my arms and kissed her lips firmly. Zixue struggled in dissatisfaction but was soon overwhelmed by my intense passion.
After a long time, I finally let go of Zixue, whose face was flushed. I said softly to her, "I promise I won't have a conflict with your father. Is that okay? Don't be angry anymore."
Zixue lay on my chest and said, "Then you must keep your promise. This is related to our future."
I nodded and said, "Don't worry. I promise to complete the task."
...
Sitting in the classroom, I was absent-minded, thinking about the opponent I would face tonight - the Duke, a powerful official in the Dragon God Empire who could be on a par with a prince. Mars beside me suddenly poked me. I turned my head to look at him, and Mars whispered, "Lei Xiang, concentrate. Teacher Zhuang has looked at you several times."
I then came back to my senses. Sure enough, when I looked at Teacher Zhuang, she gave me a reproachful look. I quickly responded with an apologetic smile.
Soon, school was over at noon. In the morning, Zixue told me that she wouldn't have lunch with me. She said she had to go home first to make some arrangements. I didn't know what arrangements she needed to make. I guessed she was probably trying to build an alliance.
After having lunch, I went back to the dormitory and continued to practice my Berserk God Art. Cultivation was the most important thing for me because everything had to be based on powerful strength.
I didn't know how much time had passed when Feng Yun rushed back and shouted at me, "Lei Xiang, hurry up. Zixue is looking for you."
I circulated the Berserk God Art once, took a deep breath, retracted my fighting spirit into my dantian, opened my eyes, and said, "What time is it now?"
Feng Yun said, "Look for yourself. It's almost dark. Hurry up. Zixue asked me to come and get you. She seemed to be in a hurry."
Sure enough, the sky outside had darkened. Only some dim light remained in the distant horizon. It was already evening. I nodded and said, "Thanks." I changed into what I thought was my best set of clothes and rushed out of the dormitory. As soon as I got out of the door, I saw Zixue with a worried expression on her face.
Zixue said, "Hurry up. My father hates people who are late the most." She grabbed my hand and ran outside.
On the way, Zixue said to me, "When you meet my father later, you must be nicer in your attitude."
I smiled and said, "Don't worry. I'll pay attention and tone it down."
Zixue said, "Also, my father might test your martial arts. You should be prepared."
I asked in surprise, "What level is your father?"
Zixue glanced at me and said, "He should be a middle-ranked Light Knight. I haven't seen him fight for a long time."
I was greatly shocked and said, "Then your father is almost at the level of an ordinary Dragon Knight."
Zixue said proudly, "Of course. Do you think it's that easy for my father to become a Duke? Although he is a civil official, to reach his current position, he naturally needs to have martial arts skills for self-defense. Although he can't compare with the three great marshals, he is also a well-known master in the imperial capital."
I frowned and said, "Then how can I compare with him? I'm just at the level of a Swordmaster." Although I was confident in myself, I wasn't stupid enough to think that I could compete with a Light Knight.
Zixue smiled and said, "So you can be scared too. Don't worry. At most, my father will just test you a bit. He won't really fight with you. We're here. Let's go in quickly."
I looked up and realized that we had already arrived at the Duke's mansion. I composed myself and followed Zixue inside.
As expected of the residence of a Duke, it was impossible to tell at a glance how large the whole courtyard was. The courtyard wall was about twelve feet high. After walking through the main gate, there were many patrolling guards inside. The layout of the courtyard was not magnificent but rather elegant. One could tell at a glance that the person who arranged it was no ordinary individual.
Zixue said proudly, "My family's courtyard is nice, isn't it? My sister arranged it all by herself." After hearing Zixue's words, I couldn't help but feel a bit of anticipation for that College's Most Beautiful Girl whom I had never met. After all, women who possess both wisdom and beauty are not commonly seen.
Zixue stopped a servant and asked, "Where is my father?"
The servant said respectfully, "His Grace the Duke is in the living room. He gave orders that as soon as you returned, you should go and see him immediately."
Zixue replied, "I see. You can go about your business. Lei Xiang, my father is waiting for us." I could feel that her little hand was oozing with cold sweat. Obviously, she was very nervous.
I squeezed her hand tightly and said, "Don't worry. I will definitely make him approve of me."
When we entered the living room, the first thing I saw was the spacious hall. As I estimated, it was about 300 square meters. At the main seat at the front end of the hall sat a man who looked to be in his forties. He had an imposing appearance. One could imagine that he must have been very handsome when he was young. On the wall behind him hung a huge painting of Nine Dragons. He should be Zixue's father.
To the left and in a lower position of the middle-aged man sat a beautiful woman. It was impossible to tell her age from her appearance. If someone had told me that she was Zixue's sister, I might have believed it. I could tell her status as a married woman from her headdress. Could it be that she was Zixue's mother? If so, it would well explain why Zixue and her sister were among the top eight beauties in the college.
When I looked to the right and in the lower position, I couldn't help but be stunned. She was so beautiful! A beauty in a light blue long dress was sitting there. She should be about my age. Her features were somewhat similar to Zixue's, but she was even more beautiful than Zixue. She was probably a bit taller than Zixue. When she saw Zixue and me enter, she smiled at Zixue and didn't even look at me. As expected of the College's Most Beautiful Girl, she was indeed haughty. What caught my attention the most about her was the divine aura around her, which was definitely the result of years of practicing Light Magic. She should be Ziyan.
All these were what I saw in an instant. Zixue had already run forward and said to the middle-aged man, "Dad, I'm back. This is Lei Xiang."
I quickly stepped forward and bowed to salute, saying, "Hello, Your Grace the Duke. I'm Lei Xiang, a humble commoner."
The Duke nodded. It was impossible to tell his emotions from his expression. He said indifferently, "Raise your head."
I straightened up and looked the Duke in the eyes. Two sharp rays of light shot out from the Duke's eyes as he carefully sized me up from head to toe. Zixue secretly winked at her mother. The Duchess said, "My lord, look at this young man. He has such a good figure. It's rare to see someone as tall as him."
It seemed that the Duchess didn't have much status in the family. The Duke just grunted noncommittally and said to me, "Lei Xiang, I heard that you claimed in Tiandu College that you were going to pursue my daughter. Is that true?"
I nodded and said, "Yes."
The Duke frowned and said, "Then you should know that Tiandu College prohibits students from developing romantic relationships."
I nodded again and said, "I know."
The Duke stood up suddenly and said with a hint of anger, "Since you know, I hope you won't pester my daughter anymore in the future."
I glanced at the Duke and replied, "Sorry, I can't do that." A cold and intense aura emanated from my body. Let me leave Zixue? Even if you are her father, it's not going to happen. My change immediately caught everyone's attention. Zixue kept pulling at my clothes from behind.
The Duke immediately flew into a rage and said, "Who do you think you are? Are you worthy of my daughter?"
I smiled faintly and said, "As for whether I'm worthy or not, that should be judged by Zixue herself. Since you are a Duke, I believe you won't look down on me just because of my status. If you were to go back thirty years and you fell in love with a woman from a powerful family, what would you do? Would you give up just because of a few words from her father? Status can change as a person changes. Maybe, in ten or twenty years, the position I hold won't be lower than yours." My tone was neither servile nor overbearing. Everyone present was stunned. No one would have expected that I would dare to go against the Duke.
Zixue exclaimed, "Lei Xiang, you promised me."
I thought to myself, Zixue, how could you understand your father's mentality? If I were to grovel, it would only arouse his contempt. Although what I'm doing now is a bit risky, there's still some hope.
The Duke stretched out his hand to stop Zixue from saying any more. It was as if I had hit the nail on the head. He lowered his head and seemed to be thinking about something. After a while, the Duke raised his head and said, "Well, you've spoken well. Since you're so ambitious, I want to see what strength you have to speak like this. Take this."
First, he waved his robe sleeve, sending Zixue away from my side. Then he lightly slapped his palm towards me. A powerful fighting spirit enveloped an area within a zhang (about 3.3 meters). He was forcing me to engage in a head - on fight. Instead of being alarmed, I was delighted. I had long expected that he would test me. With his status as a Duke, of course, he couldn't just fight me all over the place. Now that the Duke had launched an attack, my chance had come.
I concentrated my spirit and gathered my qi, channeling the fighting energy of the Berserk God Art into my right fist. I took a small step to the left with my left leg, lowered my waist, and assumed a stable stance. Then I let out a loud shout, "Hey!" and threw a punch forward.
The fighting energy surged out from my right fist, forming a pale yellow column of fighting energy that met the Duke's right palm.
When our fist and palm made contact, I realized something was wrong. The Duke's fighting energy wasn't released outward but was contained within. When my fighting energy touched his palm, it couldn't cause him any harm at all. When our fist and palm fully connected, I felt that the Duke's fighting energy was calm and even. Seven successive surges of it came from his palm, each one stronger than the previous. With a loud boom, a violent current of air swept out centered around us.
Ziyan showed extraordinary calmness at this moment. She let out a soft shout and cast a Light Magic barrier, enclosing the Duke and me within it. Although the scattered fighting energy made the barrier sway precariously, not a single bit of it leaked out.
I took seven consecutive steps backward, staggering, until I hit the barrier cast by Ziyan and finally stopped.
A hint of surprise flashed in the Duke's eyes. He let out a long laugh and quickly moved forward, throwing another palm strike. As expected, his strength as a Light Knight was truly formidable. While rapidly casting first - level offensive spells of various elements (since the magic level was low, they could be cast quickly) in an attempt to disrupt the Duke, I once again gathered the Berserk God Art. With a loud shout, I said, "Raging Storm." This time, instead of meeting the Duke's attack head - on, I threw a heavy punch at the ground. In this moment of danger, I didn't care about damaging things anymore. Finally, I used the first form of the Berserk God Fist for the first time - Raging Storm, and it was also the only form I could use at the moment.
The Duke released his fighting energy outward and easily blocked the magic spells I cast. When he found that I didn't meet his attack, fearing that he might really kill me, his momentum weakened involuntarily, and the force in his palm decreased by three - tenths. Just then, the floor in front of him suddenly exploded. A powerful surge of fighting energy, carrying debris, shot into the air and happened to hit his palm. It wasn't that I didn't want to cause the explosion directly below him or attack him from behind. But if I did that, with his strength, I might not be able to harm him, and it would instead anger the Duke. By directly attacking his hand head - on like this, not only could I resolve the immediate crisis, but I could also leave a good impression on the Duke. He would surely understand that I wanted to have a fair fight with him.
When the floor exploded, the Duke sensed something was wrong and immediately changed his forward palm strike to a downward one to meet the Raging Storm.
The powerful recoil made my whole body ache as if it were about to split apart. If it weren't for my extraordinary physical defense, I'm afraid I would have already spat out a mouthful of blood.
This time, caught off guard, the Duke was also forced to take a step backward. The violent current of air and debris successfully broke through the barrier set up by Ziyan, and the entire living room suddenly became filled with a thick cloud of dust and chaos.
I was fully on guard, in case he launched another attack. If he did, I was afraid I would have to use the Heaven Demon Art, otherwise it would be extremely difficult to withstand. This was a situation I didn't want to see.
The Duke stood where he was, and a thick layer of fighting energy emanated from his body, forming a protective film that isolated him from the surrounding dust and smoke.
Ziyan quickly cast a defensive spell to enclose herself and Zixue within it. A hint of wonder flashed in her eyes as she looked at me. The Duchess used fighting energy. A circle of light blue fighting energy protected her.
The Duke nodded at me and said, "Not bad. Being able to withstand two strikes from me when I used 50% of my power makes you one of the outstanding ones among the younger generation. You should be one grade lower than Zixue, right? I estimate that your future potential should be no less than Rivera's."
Damn it, it's that guy Rivera again. Why compare me with him?
I said, "Thank you for your compliment. Can you entrust Zixue to me now?"
The Duke let out a hearty laugh and said, "When did I say I would entrust Zixue to you? You're thinking too simply, aren't you?"
I said angrily, "You, weren't you just testing me?"
The Duke said, "That was just to test your martial arts skills. If you want to have a relationship with my daughter, you have to pass the test I just gave you first. Now you've barely passed. However, my daughter is still young, and Tiandu College doesn't allow students to have romantic relationships. So, in the future, you're not allowed to get too close to my daughter. Do you hear me?"
Hearing that I had barely passed, I couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief. At least he wasn't opposed anymore, and that was enough.
I bowed and saluted, saying, "Then thank you. I won't get 'too close' to Zixue in the future."
The Duke nodded in satisfaction and said, "I'm only tentatively approving of you. Don't be too happy too soon. Your future development depends on you. If you can't meet my requirements, I'll ask Zixue to cut off all contact with you at any time."
I was stunned and asked stupidly, "What requirements do I need to meet?"
The Duke let out a sneer and said, "It's not that easy to be my son - in - law. Although you have good talent and a solid foundation, there's still a big gap in your strength. What happens in the future depends on your own efforts. Also, you don't expect me to marry my daughter to a commoner, do you? Well, I won't entertain you any longer. Someone, show our guest out."
I was shown out of the Duke's mansion by the servant. I kept thinking about what the Duke had said just now. It took me a long time to realize that I had been tricked by him.
Damn it! What kind of a Duke is he? He's just a wily old fox. What does he mean by tentatively approving of me? It's no different from not approving at all. He wants me to improve my strength and also become an official. I'm so confused. Who knows what his standards are? He wouldn't ask me to become a Dragon Knight General, would he?
I returned to the dormitory feeling extremely depressed. To make myself feel better, I practiced the Heaven Demon Art as I usually did. The icy and penetrating pain immediately calmed my heart.
At noon the next day, I met Zixue in the cafeteria and complained to her, "Your father is so cunning. Yesterday, he clearly tested me. Why did he add so many conditions?"
Zixue smiled and said, "Do you think it's that easy to become an official? My father has put in so much effort to reach his current position. When he plays tricks on you, you have no way to fight back. But don't be angry. After you left yesterday, my father said that he still appreciates you a lot."
I gave a cold snort and said, "I don't care whether he appreciates me or not. As long as you appreciate me, that's enough. If he doesn't agree to our relationship then, I'll take you and elope."
Zixue's little face turned red and she said, "You're so annoying."