Chapter 720: Public Opinion! Old Biden Hu Jinyu!

"What? You still want an autograph?"

Seeing no one nearby needed guidance, Lin Hui smiled and teased.

Mu Bing, a girl who passed the assessment a month ago and joined the Thunder Martial Arts Gym's Elite Training Camp.

She possesses a pseudo-S-class Lightning affinity, and at only 23, she's already a Rank Four peak adept.

Exceptionally gifted, she was also selected as a volunteer for this Director's Meeting.

Moreover, this girl is Xu Jingming's die-hard fangirl.

She loves coming here to ask for news about Xu Jingming.

"Of course!" Mu Bing puffed out her chest, "I even brought a photo."

She pulled out a photograph from her space ring.

In the photo, Xu Jingming in Thunderstorm Mode had a phantom image of Lei Shen hovering above his head, with a rotating halo behind him.

A long spear shattered the skull of Catharine, the twelve-winged angel in Divine Presence state.

Clearly, this photo was taken during the Genius Tournament finals.

In the photo, Xu Jingming's Thunder Dragon Eyes glowed, his towering frame radiating an aura of dominance.

Even Lin Hui, a man, couldn't help silently marveling: so handsome.

"If Lin Ge says so, then Lei Di must really be back."

Mu Bing's face lit up with anticipation as she scanned around:

"I wonder when he'll show up—will he be as handsome in person as in the photo?"

"Can't believe it's been half a year already, yet Xu Jingming's influence is still this strong."

Seeing this, Lin Hui couldn't help feeling a quiet pang of emotion.

Since the Genius Tournament ended, Xu Jingming went to the distant Dayangzhou.

Dayangzhou is too far from Daxia; over these past half-years, almost no news about Xu Jingming returned.

Add to that the new Peak Rankings in the virtual world, which allowed every person on Blue Planet to rank on the same list.

As a result, geniuses surged worldwide, all racing to climb the rankings.

Almost every day, a dazzling new genius emerged, leaving people dazzled and unable to keep up.

With no news for so long and no appearance on the Peak Rankings, Xu Jingming naturally faded into obscurity.

Thus, most who once idolized Xu Jingming shifted their support to other geniuses.

Only die-hard fans like Mu Bing still remembered Xu Jingming, even carrying his photo everywhere.

"Lei Di! Lei Di's here!"

At that moment, Mu Bing suddenly pointed in one direction, excitedly shouting.

Lin Hui looked up and saw, about a hundred meters ahead to the right, a young man walking toward them.

The young man had a tall, slender frame, dressed in black, his entire presence like a sharp blade, radiating a faint pressure and dangerous aura.

It was Xu Jingming, whom no one had seen for over four months.

Beside Xu Jingming stood Ling Shuang, half a head shorter.

She wore a red dress that accentuated her curvaceous figure.

Her face, with a tear mole beneath her eye, was lightly made up, enhancing her maturity and beauty.

"It's Ling Shuang and Xu Jingming! They've returned from Dayangzhou too!"

As the number one genius on Blue Planet and a major figure half a year ago,

Xu Jingming's arrival immediately drew many glances; several branch directors whispered among themselves.

"It's been half a year—Xu Jingming seems even stronger."

"Not necessarily—if he really got stronger, why hasn't he climbed the Peak Rankings?"

"True, I heard he's been holed up in a villa in Dayangzhou, rarely training outside, and they even assigned him a woman inside the villa!"

"No way! Seriously? Then isn't he ruined?"

"Not ruined exactly, but in terms of cultivation progress, he's definitely behind Catharine and Su Yu."

"......"

Because Xu Jingming had always used a disguised identity when entering the Wild Zones and frontline battlefields,

rumors had long circulated within the gym that he was indulging in pleasure.

Now that they saw him in person, it was inevitable the topic came up.

Of course, this rumor had inevitably been fueled by Deputy Director Hu Jinyu.

"These guys..."

Mu Bing's face flushed visibly with anger, her teeth clenched tightly on her red lips, purple lightning arcs flickering around her body.

Seeing this, Lin Hui's heart tightened—he quickly said, "You've always wanted an autograph, right? I'll take you over now."

All directors present were at least Rank Six adepts—he couldn't let Mu Bing act recklessly.

"It seems they have serious misunderstandings about you."

Hearing the faint murmurs around them, Ling Shuang's face grew cold.

She silently noted down the names of the directors who spoke ill.

"The issue isn't them—it's Hu Jinyu."

Xu Jingming had long seen through the truth: "Hu Jinyu's roots in the Thunder Martial Arts Gym run too deep.

As long as he isn't removed, this kind of talk won't disappear."

"You see deeper than I expected," Ling Shuang said, surprised.

"Of course."

Xu Jingming's gaze turned icy. "That old bastard—wait till my strength rises, he'll be the first one I settle the score with!"

A smear campaign won't kill you, but its whole point is to disgust you.

The only way people like him understand pain is when you grind a shoe into his face.

"Old bastard?"

Hearing Ling Shuang blinked, then burst into a silvery-bell laugh, shaking all over, and it took her quite a while to recover:

"If Hu Jinyu ever heard you calling him that, he'd probably be furious enough to drop dead."

"Better if he drops dead on the spot," Xu Jingming said, unconcerned.

"Teacher Ling. Jingming."

At that moment, Lin Hui arrived with Mu Bing. He first bowed respectfully to Ling Shuang, then said to Xu Jingming:

"Welcome back. How was it—did Dayangzhou suit you?"

"Not bad at all," Xu Jingming said with a smile.

"Glad to hear it." Lin Hui smiled faintly, then introduced:

"Oh right, this is Mu Bing, a new member of our Prodigy Training Camp."

"L-Lei Di, hello, c-could you give me an autograph?"

Meeting the real person in reality, Mu Bing was so nervous he could barely speak.

"An autograph? Sure."

Xu Jingming had long grown used to this sort of thing back at Magic University.

He signed the photo with practiced ease.

After telling Lin Hui he'd meet him for lunch, he headed toward the conference hall with Ling Shuang.

"Phew, worthy of Lei Di—his aura in reality is far stronger than in the virtual world."

Only after Xu Jingming had left did Mu Bing finally let out a breath.

But Lin Hui beside him scratched his head, looking faintly puzzled.

Why does it feel like Xu Jingming and Teacher Ling Shuang are closer than before?

Meanwhile, Xu Jingming and Ling Shuang, who had only walked a dozen or so meters, heard a delighted voice ring out from ahead:

"Ling Shuang, you've finally come."

Up ahead, Li Hao strode toward them, a bouquet of vivid phoenix-tail-like blossoms in his arms.

"Li Hao?"

Ling Shuang's expression shifted slightly. She sent a mental message to Xu Jingming, instructing:

"I'll handle him. Don't get involved with Li Hao."