This grand procession of dozens of people—
truly dazzling and ostentatious to the extreme.
Blazing, Elephant Armored, and Godwind Academies, plus disciples of the Wind Sword Sect.
Even without unfurling their banners, merely the differently colored uniforms and those spirited young faces were enough to stir both envy and awe.
And at the very center of these brilliant uniforms—
That single figure in white stood out all the more.
A youth, tall and graceful, eyes like starry points of light, every gesture brimming with unrestrained elegance.
From time to time, laughter and teasing curses burst out among them.
The spirit of youth is the most precious thing in the world.
Children still carry innocence, adults are bound by endless calculations of gain and loss.
Only youths in their prime—blood still running hot—
Act on their hearts alone, bold and unrestrained.
But youth is fleeting.
Who can remain forever young?
These few short years, gone in a blink, are to be treasured beyond measure.
Li Zhexian listened to the boisterous laughter of his companions.
And felt a rush of contentment surge through him.
"Brother Zhexian…"
Feng Xiaotian looked at him, eyes blazing with undisguised battle intent.
"To have you personally welcome me, Xiaotian is truly moved!"
"But if we meet in the Spirit Master Tournament, I will not show any mercy!"
"These past six months of bitter cultivation were all for the sake of washing away my past defeat!"
Huo Wushuang laughed heartily, picking up the thread: "No wonder Brother Xiaotian sets Brother Zhexian as his target!"
"The tale of 'Warm Wine Nailing Xiaotian' has already spread to Blazing City!"
"Your fame truly precedes you!"
Feng Xiaotian, who had just been in high spirits, instantly turned as black as the bottom of a wok.
Feng Buyu, who was hearing about this for the first time, couldn't help but laugh, and he punched Li Zhexian in the chest.
Hu Yanli roared with laughter as well, throwing an arm around Feng Xiaotian's shoulders.
Huo Wu poked Li Zhexian with her elbow.
"If we end up meeting on the tournament arena, you'd better not use that sword to nail me."
"Hmph! Not that I'd necessarily lose, but I've got to say it first—I can't afford that humiliation!"
Li Zhexian only smiled faintly.
"We're talking and laughing cheerfully here."
"But let us not forget—this Spirit Master Tournament is not only the Heaven Dou City division, nor just the few teams before our eyes."
"Never mind the various divisions of the Star Luo Empire—there's also the Spirit Hall team. That one, I imagine, will be even harder to deal with."
At his words, the smiles on everyone's faces slightly restrained, and their expressions became a little more serious as they all nodded their heads.
Feng Xiaotian sighed. "The Heaven Dou Empire, the Star Luo Empire, and the Spirit Hall—each has a seeded team already assured of a place in the finals."
"Beyond those three, of the hundreds of teams fighting through preliminaries, only thirty will advance to the final rounds."
"As long as we secure a spot among those thirty, that will be enough."
He paused, glancing toward Li Zhexian, his tone easing a little.
"Fortunately…"
"In the preliminaries we won't encounter Brother Zhexian's Heaven Dou Imperial Battle Team."
"As long as we play steadily, passing the prelims will not be difficult."
As everyone discussed the tournament system,
Li Zhexian said nothing of the fact that he himself would not be competing.
The mood was so lively now—
To pour such cold water would be far too disheartening.
The group, in lively chatter, crossed the long street, heading toward the lodgings prepared for the Godwind Academy.
Just then—
At the entrance of a side alley,
Yu Xiaogang and the Shrek Seven Monters appeared.
They watched the backs of the three major academy teams receding into the distance.
From their angle—
They could not see the white-robed youth being surrounded like a star among moons.
They only heard passersby whisper of him.
Oscar's face was filled with envy. "Look at their uniforms, that presence… so cool!"
"I heard the passersby say they're surrounding a young man. I wonder what kind of person he is to have a presence like that!"
Dai Mubai pursed his lips. Although he was indignant, he had to admit, "To be able to so closely unite the geniuses of the three great element academies, and be so showy about it..."
"This person definitely has some skill."
Yu Xiaogang's gaze lingered on the retreating group of youths.
Somehow—
A scene from half a year ago flashed unbidden in his mind.
It seemed much the same back then as well.
"Let's go."
Tang San's face was calm. He was the first to turn and leave. Dai Mubai and Oscar quickly followed.
Shrek Academy was nameless and unknown.
Even merged with Liu Erlong's Blue Tyrant Academy, its reputation was still dim.
Their lodgings were nothing more than an ordinary inn.
At this time—
Inside Zhu Zhuqing's room.
Ning Rongrong stretched out her slender, jade-like finger and lightly poked Zhu Zhuqing's forehead with the feeling of disappointment that she wasn't living up to her potential.
"Zhuqing."
"We've been in Heaven Dou City for two days now."
"And you still haven't gone to see your Sword Wine?"
"You promised to let me and Xiao Wu meet him!"
Xiao Wu, chewing on half a carrot, nodded repeatedly.
"Exactly, exactly!"
Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head, and her pretty face was flushed.
Of course she wanted to go see Li Zhexian? But... but every time she remembered what she had blurted out when they last parted—
—"What Dugu Yan said, take it as my words. Next time we meet, I'll make it real."
And what had Dugu Yan said to Li Zhexian?
Wasn't it that line: "Next time we meet, I'll kiss you"?!
Zhu Zhuqing unconsciously gripped the Yearning Heartbroken Red hidden in her clothes.
Her amber-colored eyes were watery and shimmering, a mixture of shyness and nervousness.
"Ahhh!"
Ning Rongrong stamped her foot impatiently.
She truly wanted to see for herself just what kind of man this Sword Wine was—
Who had crippled Ma Hongjun, and at the same time, captured Zhu Zhuqing's heart so deeply.
"Zhuqing, you're my dearest sister. Tonight, I'll make the decision for you—"
Ning Rongrong put her hands on her hips and said with a firm and decisive tone, "Tonight, you're going to go find him."
"And then you'll meet him by Jinxi Bridge."
"Hehe, that's the most secluded and quiet place. Xiao Wu and I will also go to take a look for you."
As she spoke, she looked at Xiao Wu, who was gnawing on a carrot. "Xiao Wu, what do you say?"
Xiao Wu quickly raised her hand. "I say yes! It's a great idea!"
"Aiya… you two… haven't even asked me yet!" Zhu Zhuqing covered her burning face with her slender hands.
Even her delicate earlobes had flushed bright red.
"Hmph! If we don't push you, you'll drag this out till the end of time." The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile bracelet on Ning Rongrong's wrist flashed with brilliant light, and a small mountain of gorgeous dresses piled up on the bed.
"Zhuqing, all your clothes are too cold and aloof. They're either tight-fitting clothes or long-sleeved pants."
Ning Rongrong buried her head in the pile of clothes and rummaged through them. "Your sister is going to personally pick out an outfit for your date tonight."
"I guarantee I'll dress you up to be breathtakingly beautiful, so that Sword Wine will be completely infatuated with you."
She suddenly remembered something and looked up, asking teasingly, "Oh, right, that Sword Wine..."
"What color does he like?"
Zhu Zhuqing's voice was as thin as a mosquito's. "P-purple."
"Purple?"
Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu exchanged glances. A sly look flashed in both of their beautiful eyes, and they drew out the sound of their "Oh" in unison.
"Oooooh~~~~"
Their "oh" was drawn out in a winding manner, and it embarrassed Zhu Zhuqing so much that she couldn't take it anymore.
Her pretty face flushed, and she stretched out her slender hands, pretending to pinch her two good sisters' waists...