Chapter 266: League Opening Ceremony! Eyes of the Nation!

Whether from the gifts given or the references to the residence in their words.

It was clear that Xu Jingming's girlfriend came from an extraordinary background.

Under these circumstances, refusing would seem overly pretentious.

So Tang Qi smiled and nodded, saying, "Then I'll be in your debt."

"Xu Jingming's cousin is my cousin too—it's no trouble at all."

Song Qiuyun smiled sweetly.

Then she pulled out her phone, dialed a number, and spoke softly:

"Uncle Hua, come over."

Just as Tang Qi and the others wondered what was happening, a low engine roar echoed.

Four sleek, low-profile luxury sports cars drove up from a distance and stopped beside them.

Immediately, four drivers in black suits stepped out, their aura formidable.

The lead driver, a burly middle-aged man with the strongest aura, bowed respectfully to Song Qiuyun:

"Miss, we've arrived."

"This..."

Knowing Song Qiuyun's background was no ordinary one, a few sports cars seemed unremarkable.

But what shocked Tang Qi and the others were these four drivers!

The faint pressure radiating from each one was even stronger than that of Ke Liang just now.

The lead middle-aged man's aura was unfathomably deep—terrifyingly powerful!

"Even the drivers are at least Peak Third Stage Ability Users? That's insane?"

Zhou Mingyang couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath.

"Any one of these four Ability Users could rule Jiangcheng, right?"

"Yet now they're just drivers..."

Meng Di was equally stunned.

If the gifts and villa could still be explained as Song Qiuyun merely coming from a wealthy family,

the appearance of these four drivers made it undeniable: she was more than just rich.

She likely came from a powerful Ability User clan!

"Qi-jie, get in—their drivers will take us straight there."

Song Qiuyun warmly ushered the still bewildered Tang Qi and the others into the cars.

Then she pulled Xu Jingming into the backseat of the first car.

"Uncle Hua, let's go."

"Yes."

A low voice responded, and the sports cars started.

The curtains slowly closed, creating two separate, enclosed spaces between front and rear seats.

"How was I? Did I do well just now?"

Song Qiuyun looked at Xu Jingming with a bright smile, leaning forward slightly.

Like a little girl who'd accomplished something big and awaited praise.

"Good."

Xu Jingming couldn't help but smile, ruffling Song Qiuyun's hair.

She responded like a well-behaved kitten, eyes half-closing in comfort.

"But sending people all the way from Sichuan is too much trouble—next time, don't do this."

Xu Jingming added quickly.

He believed Song Qiuyun's own charm alone would win Tang Qi's favor.

"From Sichuan?"

Song Qiuyun realized Xu Jingming had misunderstood and shook her head slightly:

"These are all our family's personnel stationed in Qingxu City—I just asked them to come pick us up."

"Oh?" Xu Jingming raised an eyebrow. "Isn't your family's main base at Magic Cave #7?"

He remembered Song Qiuyun's aunt, Zhou Ying, was the chief administrator of Magic Cave #7's supply base.

"Magic Cave #7 is just our primary sphere of influence—we have interests in all major magic caves."

Song Qiuyun explained with a smile.

"Oh... right." Xu Jingming finally understood.

He couldn't help but marvel inwardly: no wonder they were an ancient Eighth-Stage Grand Master clan—their influence was terrifyingly vast...

The villa Song Qiuyun mentioned was indeed close to the stadium—just a two-minute walk away.

And it wasn't just two or three villas—it was an entire residential complex of dozens, all owned by the Song family!

Eventually, everyone including Tang Qi moved in.

Since her aunt and uncle would arrive that night, Tang Qi had her own separate villa.

Bai Xixia, Zhou Mingyang, and Meng Di shared one villa.

Each villa covered over four hundred square meters.

With three floors and four bedrooms, even three people living together wouldn't feel cramped.

Song Qiuyun lived alone in another villa, making it convenient for Jiang Chu to visit later.

At six p. ., Xu Jingming went to the high-speed rail station to pick up his aunt Xu Qingwan and uncle Tang Daolin.

That evening, everyone had dinner together.

Xu Jingming's aunt and uncle were thoroughly pleased with his girlfriend.

Laughter and chatter flowed freely throughout dinner; the atmosphere was harmonious.

After dinner, Xu Jingming spent a little time tenderly with Song Qiuyun in the villa before returning to the competition dormitory.

The competition dormitory also consisted of row houses, housing all ten participating schools' teams.

Figures like vice principals naturally had their own separate villas.

Other instructors were also given spacious accommodations.

Xu Jingming and his seven teammates were assigned two villas.

Each villa had four bedrooms—one per person.

Thus, the first day of the Magic University team's arrival in Qingxu City passed quickly.

On March 10th, the second day, the second stage of the National University League officially began.

Under Vice Principal Ling Shuang's lead, everyone changed into low-key black combat uniforms early that morning and entered the stadium...

The first stage of the National University League had already started on February 25th.

But for most people, the competition and battles among the ten strongest universities in the second stage were what they truly awaited!

The National Education Bureau, as organizer, knew this well and had begun extensive promotion early.

Anyone who browsed the internet during this time would notice league-related ads on every page!

Online streaming companies that bought broadcast rights were practically running league promotions 24/7!

Even some Ability User universities had postponed classes and organized students to watch the live broadcast together.

In short, the entire Xia Dynasty was preparing to watch this national spectacle!

And the stadium itself was electric with energy.

Before nine a. ., all sixty thousand spectator seats were filled!

The front rows of the stands were designated areas for students from the ten universities.

Each university zone, including Magic University, displayed its official emblem!

The prime viewing area inside the stadium featured banners for the most famous academies: Thunder Martial Arts Hall, Furious Bear Martial Arts Hall, Radiant Legion, Polar Day Guild...

The most renowned martial arts halls, legions, and guilds in the Xia Dynasty had sent teams led by at least Seventh-Stage Grand Master Ability Users.

After the league ended, they would all offer generous recruitment deals.

To these promising, soon-to-graduate university students!

The entire stadium buzzed with excitement and anticipation.

Anticipation for the coming battles, for who would claim the championship and become the peerless prodigy overshadowing all other talents!

And so, in this atmosphere of anticipation, the clock struck nine.

Boom! Boom! Boom!...

Beautiful fireworks exploded above the stadium.

A host in a suit stepped onto the main stage at the front of the stadium, microphone in hand.

Thanks to speakers placed throughout the stadium, his voice rang clearly in every spectator's ears:

"Welcome to this year's National University Exchange Competition. I'm host Feng Le.

The National University League is held once a year—this is the 105th edition. I'm honored to host such a national spectacle.

Before the competition begins, let me introduce the ten universities advancing to the second stage!

First, the champion of last year's league: Qingjing Ability University—let's welcome them with applause!"

Amid the host's magnetic voice,

the holographic projection above the stadium lit up with Qingjing University's promotional image.

Led by Wang Qi, the Jingda representative team, dressed in ink-wash-style uniforms, emerged from the backstage corridor.

"Jingda!"

"Jingda!"

"......"

The arena erupted in wild cheers and shouts, only gradually subsiding after more than a minute.

"Next up, the runner-up from last year's league—Mocu University of Esoteric Abilities! Let's welcome them!"

The host's high-pitched voice rang out again, and the holographic projection above switched from Jingda's promotional image to Mocu's.

This was the group photo taken by Xu Jingming and the others after receiving their team uniforms.

There, Xu Jingming, tall and powerfully built, stood at the center, his back bearing a thick, dark-gold spear.

The spearhead glowed with a cold, razor-sharp light; the twin blood grooves along its length added a fierce, menacing edge.

Xu Jingming's piercing, black-and-white eyes gleamed like lightning, striking fear into the soul.

To his left, Iron Bear Kong Shi gripped a great blade, his aura wild and unrestrained.

To his right, the statuesque and voluptuous Blood Hand Shen Dongling stood tall, dagger in hand, proud and unyielding.

Behind them, Bingshan Yao Fang and Gu Wan, the assistant with black-rimmed glasses, each wore distinct outfits, radiating their own unique styles.

As the promotional image appeared,

Under Xu Jingming's lead, the Mocu team stepped forward into the center of the stadium.

"Mocu!"

"Mocu!"

"Mocu!"

"......"

As longtime league champions, the moment Xu Jingming's team appeared,

The surrounding spectator seats burst into a deafening, overwhelming wave of excited shouts.

This roar of cheers was even louder than the one that had greeted Jingda moments earlier!