Chapter 18: Initial Display of Talent

The news that the First and Second Academies were about to compete for the five Golden Leaves spread almost instantly. In a moment, the high-rise-like Resonance Power Tree was packed with people, as students from all academies of the Nanfeng Academy ran over to join the excitement.

Nanfeng Academy has four academies in total. The First Academy consists of the elite, the Second Academy is considered the reserve team, and as for the Third and Fourth Academies, it would be a bit harsh to say they are just there to make up the numbers, but their standards are indeed relatively poor.

Therefore, the Golden Leaf cultivation platforms on the Resonance Power Tree are things they can only look at but never reach. Being able to watch the First and Second Academies compete right now is a rare and good show.

Although almost no one thinks the Second Academy can actually snatch anything from the First Academy.

On the east side of the Resonance Power Tree, there is a patch of thick branches, tangled together like giant pythons, eventually forming a wooden platform about several tens of meters in length and width. In the past, this place was used for sparring and competitions after students finished their training.

And at this moment, the area around the platform was packed with people.

The First and Second Academies each occupied the east and west sides, but the atmosphere on both sides was not the same. On the First Academy side, most students wore playful smiles; clearly, they did not really take this competition too seriously. This was normal, as the competition had a restriction on the Resonance Power level—the Sixth Seal level—which wouldn't even rank in the top ten within the First Academy.

This meant that the truly powerful people in the First Academy would not be taking action.

In contrast to the playful and relaxed First Academy, the atmosphere on the Second Academy side was filled with indignation mixed with anxiety. After all, they were in the same academy, and they knew the First Academy's strength inside and out. If they were to say that their Second Academy had a high probability of winning this kind of competition, they probably wouldn't even believe it themselves. Right now, they just hoped they wouldn't lose too miserably.

"How boring. This kind of competition is meaningless." On the viewing platform, Tifa Qing stretched, the curves outlined by her school uniform making even the nearby young girls look on with envy, while some hot-blooded young boys felt their faces flush slightly.

There was clearly a reason why this Tifa Qing could become one of the golden flowers of Nanfeng Academy.

"It can at least kill some time." A soft laugh sounded from the side. Tifa Qing turned her head to see Lu Qinger, who had long, flowing hair, an extremely beautiful and moving appearance, and skin as fair as ice and jade.

"Sister Qinger." Tifa Qing’s beautiful eyes lit up, and she hurriedly greeted her. Lu Qinger’s fame in Nanfeng Academy was even greater than her own, and most importantly, she didn't just rely on her looks; her strength firmly suppressed many of the outstanding students in the First Academy.

She was a living, breathing golden signboard for Nanfeng Academy.

If it weren't for the fact that Jiang Qing’e was such a dazzling pearl, everyone would have felt that Lu Qinger would become the legend of Nanfeng Academy.

Therefore, if Tifa Qing’s number one object of admiration was Jiang Qing’e, then Lu Qinger ranked second.

As the two women with the most outstanding looks and temperament in Nanfeng Academy today, standing together, they immediately became a beautiful landscape, slowly attracting everyone else over.

"Sister Qinger, don't you usually dislike joining in on this kind of excitement?" Tifa Qing asked with some curiosity.

Lu Qinger smiled lightly: "Just taking a look."

Her beautiful eyes stared in the direction of the Second Academy, and she said: "Which three do you think the Second Academy will send out?"

Tifa Qing said indifferently: "The Second Academy only has Zhao Kuo and one Yuan Qiu who have reached the Sixth Seal realm, and both only just promoted recently."

"And the third?" Lu Qinger asked.

Tifa Qing paused, and someone from the side chimed in with a smile: "It will most likely be Li Luo. Although he has an empty resonance, he is still extremely talented in the practice of Resonance Arts, and he can barely manage to trade blows with those at the Fifth Seal level."

Following Lu Qinger’s arrival to watch the battle, the top students from the First Academy who originally had no interest in this competition also crowded over. The one speaking now was a tall, handsome young man.

Tifa Qing glanced at him and teased: "Song Yunfeng, you actually ran over to watch the fun too? You really have ulterior motives."

This Song Yunfeng was also extremely famous in Nanfeng Academy. In terms of strength, he was second only to Lu Qinger. Additionally, he came from the Song family, so his background was not weak either.

And the fact that Song Yunfeng liked Lu Qinger was not a secret in Nanfeng Academy; after all, he had never deliberately hidden it.

Facing Tifa Qing’s teasing, Song Yunfeng showed a gentle smile and did not refute it, instead keeping his gaze fixed on Lu Qinger’s beautiful face.

Facing his direct and fiery gaze, Lu Qinger’s expression remained calm, as if she hadn't heard, only returning a polite, distant, and subtle smile.

Seeing Lu Qinger’s demeanor, Tifa Qing immediately pulled the topic back: "If the Second Academy really sends Li Luo out, that would be asking for humiliation. After all, the three Sixth Seals we send from the First Academy will definitely be the best among the Sixth Seals."

Song Yunfeng smiled and said pointedly: "Do you really think the Second Academy is thinking about winning? It’s nothing more than going through the motions."

"That’s true," Tifa Qing laughed.

Lu Qinger’s gaze was fixed on the field. She looked at Li Luo’s figure, and for some reason, she felt that today’s Li Luo seemed a bit different.

So she smiled slightly and said: "I don't think that's necessarily the case."

As soon as she said this, it immediately caused Tifa Qing, Song Yunfeng, and other excellent students of the First Academy to be somewhat astonished.

Song Yunfeng followed Lu Qinger’s gaze and also saw Li Luo, and the faint smile on Lu Qinger’s face made him feel uncomfortable.

"Qinger, things aren't what they used to be," Song Yunfeng said with a faint, pointed smile.

Lu Qinger did not answer upon hearing this, only smiling noncommittally. For some reason, Song Yunfeng felt a fire burning in his heart at her smile, and the gaze he cast toward Li Luo became colder.

This bastard, he had already fallen into the mud, so why was he still haunting them like a ghost?

As the atmosphere in the arena rose, three figures finally walked out from the Second Academy side. As expected, they were Li Luo, Zhao Kuo, and Yuan Qiu.

And on the First Academy side, three people also walked out.

The one in the middle was Bei Kun, whom they had just met, and the other two were also two well-known Sixth Seal realm students in the First Academy.

"Li Luo, what do you plan to do this time? Continue using the threats from earlier?" Bei Kun locked his gaze on Li Luo, a mocking smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.

Previously, he had led people to deliberately cause trouble for Li Luo, and Li Luo had used underhanded tactics to fight back. This couldn't really be called breaking the rules, but now it was a formal competition. If Li Luo still wanted to use that kind of threatening method, he would truly be a laughingstock, and even the academy would punish him.

Li Luo ignored him, instead waving at Zhao Kuo and Yuan Qiu: "I'll go first then."

Zhao Kuo hurriedly said: "Be careful. If you can't hold on, just admit defeat and step down. It would be a huge loss if a face as handsome as yours got beaten up."

Li Luo gave a thumbs up: "Good brother, you have an eye for talent."

Yuan Qiu sighed softly, his listless appearance clearly showing he had no confidence in the upcoming match either.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Li Luo stepped into the arena and casually pulled an iron rod from the weapon rack. He dragged it along, the iron rod making a harsh sound as it scraped against the ground.

Outside the arena, the many gazes seeing Li Luo take the lead also caused a faint stir.

"The Second Academy actually let Li Luo lead the charge..."

"This means he's being used as cannon fodder."

"Haha, it’s interesting. Li Luo, who was kicked out of the First Academy, is now coming to fight the First Academy... If he wins, that would really be interesting."

"What are you thinking? He was born with an empty resonance. No matter how exquisite his Resonance Arts are, it's very hard to beat a Sixth Seal realm."

"Haha, just a joke, livening up the atmosphere."

"..."

Li Luo’s appearance piqued the interest of many students; after all, in this Nanfeng Academy, Li Luo was also equivalent to an alternative legend.

And most importantly, it was said that Senior Sister Jiang Qing’e had returned to Nanfeng City last week and even came to the academy gate to pick up Li Luo, which was simply enviable and hateful.

With this mindset, many people still wanted to see Li Luo get beaten up today.

Bei Kun crossed his arms, looking at Li Luo with a playful gaze, then turned his head to the other two: "Liu Yang, you go play with him."

Although he wanted to beat Li Luo up directly, he felt that this kind of entrance wasn't cool enough, so he planned to let someone else warm up the atmosphere first.

The young man called Liu Yang was quite tall. Hearing Bei Kun’s words, he was somewhat dissatisfied. With so many people watching, this was the time to have a good fight and show off. Being asked to beat up some cannon fodder first was really beneath him.

"If you take care of Li Luo in two moves, won't you be able to fight the others? If you have the ability, just defeat all three of them directly," Bei Kun said.

"That's true."

Liu Yang nodded, took an iron spear, and walked into the arena with a lazy gait, smiling at Li Luo: "Li Luo, you have to go easy on me."

His words were clearly tinged with mockery.

Li Luo gripped the iron rod, his expression noncommittal.

At this moment, on the high platform, the old Dean nodded, and Xu Shanyue and Lin Feng, the two heads of the academies, shouted simultaneously: "Begin!"

The moment the shout fell, Li Luo and Liu Yang shot out almost simultaneously.

Liu Yang looked at the figure opposite him and couldn't help but smile: "Your speed is a bit..."

Bang!

The moment his voice fell, Li Luo, who was in front, suddenly tapped the ground with his toe, his entire body accelerating like a flying eagle. In that instant, a faint, sharp sound of wind breaking rang out.

The laughter in Liu Yang’s mouth hadn't even fully emerged when his vision blurred, and Li Luo’s figure had actually appeared right in front of him.

But following Li Luo’s figure was a shadow of a rod breaking through the air. The rod shadow emitted a sharp whistle, and the speed was so fast that Liu Yang didn't even have a moment to react. However, at the critical moment, he reflexively channeled some Resonance Power to protect his chest.

Although Li Luo’s sudden speed was astonishing, he had no Resonance Power, so his attack power was limited. As long as he defended with his Resonance Power, he could make Li Luo pay the price next.

Just as Liu Yang thought this, the rod shadow struck his chest like a black python.

Bang!

A low, muffled sound rang out, and then, sharp pain radiated from Liu Yang’s chest. In that instant, shock surged in his heart, because the Resonance Power he had covered his chest with was torn apart like dry wood in the instant it touched Li Luo’s rod shadow.

At the same time, Liu Yang’s body flew backward, slamming heavily outside the arena and sliding several meters on the ground.

At this time, the many jeers and laughter from the students outside the arena hadn't fully faded, and then the sound just stopped abruptly like that.

The students of the First Academy stared blankly at Liu Yang, who had flown out of the arena and was rolling on the ground in pain, their eyes full of confusion.

Just now, what happened?

Why wasn't it Li Luo who flew out?

Their somewhat puzzled gazes turned to the arena. At this moment, Li Luo held the iron rod in a horizontal striking posture. Facing those gazes, he looked at Liu Yang, a brilliant smile appearing on his face, which was handsome enough to make the other party feel ashamed.

"You said... a bit what?"

(End of chapter)