Chapter 139
Chapter 139
“So that’s Skyfeather Academy? Doesn’t seem like much.”
Qin Lan glanced at the young man named Li Fengyun. For some reason, the latter swiftly pulled the bus curtain shut as though he’d seen a ghost in broad daylight.
Su Xiaoyue frowned slightly.
“He truly is very strong. He ranks first on the Nine Academies’ list of rising stars.”
“His Talent is exceptionally well suited to combat, and both his battle instincts and experience are extremely rich. You could call him a textbook genius.”
Curious, Qin Lan turned toward her.
“What about you?”
Su Xiaoyue shook her head slightly. “I’m only an ordinary person with a little Talent.”
What absolute bullshit.
Su Xiaoyue had displayed the same modesty back in high school, and she still did now.
Could anyone Xu Minghu valued enough to name the Elite Program’s top prospect possibly be harmless?
“Too bad four-star cursed artifacts are tightly controlled and can’t be brought into the tournament. Otherwise, I could give her the Mistake Notebook, and crushing these small fries wouldn’t be a problem.”
Qin Lan shook his head regretfully.
It made sense, though. If the restriction on four-star cursed artifacts were lifted, the other competitors would certainly bring them too. Once a fight broke out, the situation would spiral completely out of control…
“What about Death’s Curse?”
An idea struck Qin Lan, and it seemed feasible. “If I secretly put a curse on him and make him go limp during the fight…”
“What nasty scheme are you plotting now?”
Su Xiaoyue glanced at Qin Lan and immediately guessed what he was thinking.
“Nothing. What nasty scheme could I possibly have…? Don’t look at me through tinted glasses.”
Qin Lan was deeply guilty, but his mouth remained stubborn.
Su Xiaoyue was speechless. “Stop thinking about underhanded tricks… This tournament has people from both the Anomaly Hunter Bureau and the United Government. Oversight is extremely strict. No one can interfere with the outcome.”
“Don’t cause trouble.”
Qin Lan immediately looked righteous. “What are you talking about? Am I that kind of person?!”
“In high school, I was famously kindhearted and incorruptibly upright…”
Su Xiaoyue raised an eyebrow.
“Really? Who waited on someone’s route home, pulled a sack over his head, and beat him after he mocked you for having no parents?”
Qin Lan’s smile stiffened.
“He offended someone outside. It had nothing to do with me…”
Wait. How did she know that?
Su Xiaoyue nodded and continued teasing him. “Then who stuffed five rotten eggs into the air vents of Principal Wu’s new car after being mocked for possessing ‘the worst useless Talent in a century’?”
Qin Lan was aghast.
“What?! You know that too?! Were you spying on me?!”
He had been so careful back then!
Neither of them controlled their volume, and several people nearby heard every word clearly.
But no one dared speak. Everyone held their face rigid, afraid a laugh might provoke the calamity that was Qin Lan.
Duan Tianpeng shrank even lower in his seat.
Terrifying.
He had been this sinister and vicious while young. How much more demonic had he become now?
Best not to court disaster…
“We’re here.”
Xu Minghu stood and stretched, then began wailing. “Ow, ow, ow! Aah, my poor old back… Little Song, come help me…”
Song Lingyan was also on the bus. She wasn’t competing, but had accompanied them as part of the staff.
Long accustomed to Professor Xu’s unreliability, she merely sighed, took Xu Minghu’s arm, and helped him limp off the bus.
The tournament venue was enormous.
Besides several large arenas used for combat, it contained competitor lounges, entertainment areas, and commercial districts.
While waiting between matches, spectators could browse the internet, get a massage, soak their feet, or take a bath… Every amenity was available.
Anyone who didn’t want to attend in person could watch the holographic broadcast from their room.
No wonder the tickets were expensive.
“Teachers and students of Clear Spring Academy, please follow me.”
“Your lounge is this way.”
The reception staff were professionally trained United Government employees.
The exact right smile. The exact right bow. The exact right volume.
Every detail reflected professionalism.
Whether man or woman, each controlled their voice so it was perfectly audible without becoming uncomfortable. There was no trace of an accent, only flawless standard speech.
As everyone followed the reception staff through a corridor, another group approached from the opposite direction.
Their school uniform emblem depicted a white wing.
“Skyfeather Academy…” Xu Minghu narrowed his eyes and muttered unhappily.
The other party also spotted Xu Minghu and immediately greeted him with enthusiasm.
Though that enthusiasm was more than a little fake.
“Well, if it isn’t Old Xu. Leading the team personally again?”
The speaker was an old man about Xu Minghu’s age. He approached with a broad smile. “Planning to hand us the championship again this year? That’s far too polite of you…”
Xu Minghu’s beard trembled faintly with rage. “You old bastard…”
“Don’t make me beat you…”
In the previous Nine Academies Tournament, Professor Xu’s carefully trained ace, Song Lingyan, had aimed for the individual championship.
Unexpectedly, Skyfeather Academy had played dirty.
During the team stage, several opponents whose Talents specifically countered hers focused entirely on suppressing her. Song Lingyan was eliminated before she could display her strength, keeping her individual score far from the top.
Normally, no one would target a single student this way without a major grudge. It was deeply unethical and affected a young person’s future.
Yet Skyfeather Academy had done exactly that to ensure one of its students won the championship.
At the time, Song Lingyan had actually been stronger than that student.
The incident became a thorn buried in both Professor Xu’s and Song Lingyan’s hearts.
“A flock of worthless chickens and dogs. You only placed so highly through dirty tricks, yet you still have the nerve to strut around.”
Song Lingyan’s expression was icy as she attacked without restraint.
She still brooded over the incident. Even after so long, she couldn’t swallow her anger.
“And this is?”
The old man from Skyfeather Academy adjusted his glasses, deliberately looked confused, then acted as if realization had struck.
“Oh! Song Lingyan from the last tournament, right? My apologies. My memory isn’t what it used to be…”
“Or perhaps your appearance was so brief that you left no impression. I couldn’t recognize you at first.”
Several Skyfeather Academy students snickered contemptuously, making no effort to hide their arrogance.
The insult delivered directly to her face darkened Song Lingyan’s expression further.
“You old–”
“Old geezer, mind moving? You’re blocking the path.”
Qin Lan’s lazy voice instantly brought the tense atmosphere to a halt.
He strolled up to Skyfeather Academy’s elderly professor and spoke with a cheerful smile. “A good dog knows not to block the road. A dog as old as you should understand that even better.”
The moment he finished, a boy in Skyfeather Academy’s group shouted a rebuke.
“Shut up! Who are you to disrespect Professor Lu like that? Hurry and–”
Qin Lan merely glanced at him, the corner of his mouth curling upward.
“Children shouldn’t interrupt when adults are speaking.”
[Go slap yourself. Don’t stop until I tell you.]
With that sentence, Qin Lan directly activated Verbal Condemnation.
The boy raised his hand without hesitation and began slapping himself across the face, sobbing as he struck.
“I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have spoken!”
“I have no manners! I’m not human! I deserve it!”
The crushing force of superior mental power was that plain, simple, and entertaining.
“What did you do?!”
The eyes of the old man called Professor Lu changed drastically. “Mental intimidation?! What Curse Codex do you cultivate?!”
Chaos had already broken out behind him. The other students tried to restrain the boy, but he seemed possessed of endless strength. Even with three or four people holding him, he continued slapping himself and wailing.
“Don’t stop me!”
“He hasn’t told me to stop. I can’t stop…”
Watching the commotion opposite him, Qin Lan yawned.
Under Professor Lu’s wary gaze, he stepped closer. A smile hung on his face, but his voice was ice-cold.
“Professor Lu? Good surname. Shame about the man.”
“Say one more unpleasant thing and I’ll make you slap yourself too.”
“Now get out of the way. Quickly.”