Chapter 146
Chapter 146
“Professor Lu is such a fine person. Generous, approachable, and free of pretension. A first-rate friend.”
Looking at the spoils inside his storage bracelet, Qin Lan couldn’t help sighing with emotion.
How could someone be so kindhearted?
He even brought gifts when he visited.
“Three Pure Hearts. As expected of Skyfeather Academy–now that’s generosity.”
Qin Lan was thoroughly satisfied.
Despite the word “Heart” in its name, a Pure Heart resembled a fruit.
Dark red patterns covered its skin, while the whole thing possessed the crystalline transparency of crystal and emitted a faint glow.
It had to be stored inside a special alloy container. Otherwise, exposure to air rapidly stripped away its effects until only an empty shell remained, useful as nothing more than a collectible.
Qin Lan opened the case for a quick glance, then closed it again.
He could wait until returning to Clear Spring Academy before attempting to awaken Yin Manqing’s consciousness.
Next, Qin Lan took out a finely made, highly technological pair of black glasses and put them on.
A live broadcast of the Nine Academies Tournament immediately appeared before his eyes.
The glasses were a gift from Xu Minghu. They directly converted electrical signals into neural signals and transmitted them into Qin Lan’s mind. Even the live sound was perfectly clear, making him feel as if he were there.
They were extremely expensive. But after Qin Lan savagely swindled Skyfeather Academy, Xu Minghu was so delighted that he didn’t care about the cost.
“Their first match was randomly assigned to the rainforest? Qian Yang got lucky. Her vines can play a major role there.”
Qin Lan was surprised by Clear Spring Academy’s battlefield.
Thick trees filled the rainforest zone. Branches and leaves concealed the sky while mist hung in the air.
Clear Spring Academy’s first opponent was Crescent Moon Academy, home of the “Golden Core cultivator” Li Jianxing, who had appeared during the exhibition.
The moment the match began, Li Jianxing flew upward on his sword.
He rose above the rainforest with an elegant figure. He truly did look handsome, which explained his many fans.
“Smart. His telekinetic object control isn’t suited to complex terrain. The sky is his true battlefield.”
“But how long can he maintain flight?”
Qin Lan shook his head. He didn’t think highly of Li Jianxing’s chances.
Crescent Moon Academy’s members divided their roles clearly: intelligence controlled the field, damage dealers gathered together, and controllers patrolled the surroundings.
Above them, Li Jianxing flew back and forth, searching for Su Xiaoyue and the others.
Yet after a long time, the forest remained silent.
Li Jianxing looked composed and full of stamina as he swept repeatedly across the sky without the slightest sign of fatigue.
Suddenly, a mass of dense darkness erupted from the forest below, taking the form of an ink-black monstrous bird!
The creature spread its wings and took flight. Its wingspan measured seven or eight meters.
Before it, Li Jianxing resembled a sparrow waiting to be hunted.
“So fast!”
His expression changed. He swiftly dodged the shadow bird’s diving attack, but its assault forced his flight path lower.
“Careful! They’re below!”
Crescent Moon Academy’s intelligence specialist shouted. White light shone from his eyes as he locked onto curse energy fluctuations nearby.
But it was too late.
Li Jianxing had flown too low and now skimmed the trees. Several dark blue vines shot out with lightning speed!
Qian Yang might have been helpless before Qin Lan… but she was a genuine member of the Elite Program.
Even Su Xiaoyue had suffered at her hands.
Still, Li Jianxing was famous for a reason. He wasn’t weak.
Despite the ambush, Li Jianxing reacted with extraordinary speed and raised an arm to block the vine’s lash.
He used the force to leap upward. The flying sword rushed beneath his feet and lifted him again, opening distance from the ground.
“Hmph. I wondered how long you could hide.”
Li Jianxing’s gaze darkened. He sneered and swiftly flew toward his teammates on the sword.
Now that they knew the enemy’s approximate location, a direct battle came next.
But as Li Jianxing landed, his body suddenly swayed. He nearly fell when jumping from the blade.
“Jianxing! What’s wrong?!”
A teammate hurriedly caught him and asked anxiously.
Li Jianxing frowned and tore open his sleeve. Besides the wound where the vine had struck his arm, a patch of dark blue now stained his skin.
“Poison! Qian Yang’s vines are poisonous!”
Someone shouted angrily.
Li Jianxing curled his lip and spoke calmly. “What is there to fear? I’ve already neutralized the curse energy attached to it. Only the vine’s natural paralytic toxin remains.”
“But I hear Qian Yang’s paralytic toxin is extremely powerful. An ordinary person loses the ability to move within three minutes!”
Li Jianxing barked, “Nonsense!”
“I cultivated my Core before learning to walk. Why would I fear a measly paralytic toxin?”
His teammate looked delighted. “Then you’re fine?”
Li Jianxing smiled confidently. “Heh… I can last at least six minutes.”
Watching this, Qin Lan’s mouth twitched.
“Only six minutes? Then what the hell are you acting cool for?!”
Someone actually showed off more than me… Intolerable!
Crescent Moon Academy’s overall strength wasn’t remarkable. Aside from his flair for showing off, Li Jianxing was only an empty display without anything special.
Especially after he fell into the joint ambush by Su Xiaoyue and Qian Yang, the remaining battle held almost no suspense.
Against these opponents, Su Xiaoyue barely needed to act before Crescent Moon Academy rapidly collapsed.
[Let us congratulate Clear Spring Academy on winning the first match!]
Only when the host’s announcement sounded did Clear Spring Academy’s members return to their senses.
“We won?”
Transformed into a white werewolf, Duan Tianpeng scratched his dog head–no, wolf head.
“That didn’t feel difficult… I thought it’d be much harder.”
Li Qing looked equally dazed.
“That’s right. Were they too weak, or are we too strong?”
Su Xiaoyue couldn’t help laughing at them.
“We were always strong.”
“The special training over the past two days created too much contrast… Not everyone is as terrifying as Qin Lan.”
Only after Su Xiaoyue reminded them did the others realize it.
Right. We were geniuses too.
Pick anyone from the team and they had been a top student at their respective high school. Even after reaching the Central Region, they had surpassed countless peers.
Qin Lan had only beaten them senseless for two days, causing them to forget.
When the match began, everyone had tensed every muscle and refused to reveal the slightest opening, afraid the opponent might seize one chance and decide the battle in a single wave.
But once they started fighting…
Why were the attacks so weak?
Why were the movements so slow?
Sometimes they made a mistake and their hearts tightened, only to discover the opponent hadn’t noticed at all.
Was the gap truly this enormous?
During training, the slightest lapse in concentration let Qin Lan close in and instantly defeat them with one move… That was a lie. He instantly defeated them even when they remained focused.
By comparison, the Nine Academies Tournament somehow felt easier.