Suit Yourselves
Chen Fan stopped in his tracks, keenly catching that gaze.
He turned his head and met Zhou Ye's gaze.
"Um?"
Chen Fan naturally recognized Zhou Ye, but when he saw the way Zhou Ye looked at him, Chen Fan's expression became somewhat strange.
"Is this guy... targeting me?"
Chen Fan couldn't help but think of Zhou Ye's reaction when Gu Ci looked at him earlier.
"So, since you can't afford to offend the teacher, you're focusing your attention on me?"
Chen Fan smiled gently. Having lived two lives, he immediately understood Zhou Ye's thoughts.
However, Chen Fan didn't care. He simply shook his head and followed Gu Ci's footsteps, walking leisurely away.
She paid no attention to Zhou Ye's gaze.
Zhou Ye clenched his fists tightly; Chen Fan's nonchalant look made him very unhappy.
Why is a quasi- Martial Artist Quasi-Martial Artist isn't even a martial artist looking at him like that?
Gu Ci tucked his hands into the sleeves of his gray shirt and walked steadily. He led Chen Fan, Lu Qing, and Xiao Ran straight to the exclusive War Zone for Jiangnan No. 1 High School on the right side of the tarmac.
In the War Zone, the teams from the other top junior high schools in Tiannan City have already assembled.
As Gu Ci walked by, several teachers leading the group turned around at the same time.
Upon seeing the faded gray shirt, the group of people all took a half-step back.
"All of you, lower your heads!" The teacher leading the group from Third Middle School abruptly grabbed his top student's shoulder and hissed in a low voice, "Remember that man in the gray shirt. Once inside, if you encounter anyone from Jiangnan No. 1 High School, immediately take a detour!"
"Teacher, why?"
The students were puzzled.
"That's Gu Ci." Cold sweat beaded on the teacher's forehead. "Shut up if you don't want to die."
The same warnings spread rapidly throughout the various War Zones.
Teams that had originally planned to provoke Jiangnan No. 1 High School before the match have all fallen silent.
Gu Ci ignored the reactions around him.
He walked to the center of the War Zone, closed his eyes, and said nothing more.
Lu Qing and Xiao Ran noticed the awe shown by the surrounding crowd and straightened their backs.
Chen Fan stood quietly to the side, adjusting his breathing.
Ten minutes later.
Heavy footsteps echoed from the steel platform in front of the War Zone.
A middle-aged man wearing Military- style cloak strode onto the stage, his military boots making a dull thud on the Alloy floor.
Without him making any move, a terrifying Qi and Blood, as deep as the ocean, enveloped the entire area.
The hundreds of gifted students below fell silent instantly.
"Let me introduce myself, Lei Zhan, from the Tiannan Education General Office." The middle-aged man's deep voice echoed throughout the hall. "Enough with the small talk. The Tiannan City Junior High Martial Dao Exchange Tournament is now beginning."
He raised his hand, and a huge Holographic Light Screen was projected from the Terminal on his wrist.
"The rules are simple. Within the Quarantine Zone, hunt Anomalous Beasts to earn points. Stealing other players' point bracelets also counts. You are responsible for your own life and death."
The Light Screen shifted, revealing a crimson lotus flower engulfed in illusory flames. The air around the lotus was distorted.
"The prize for the overall individual champion is this top-grade rare and precious herb— the Crimson Flame Earthheart Lotus!"
The entire venue fell into a deathly silence.
Then, a frenzied uproar erupted.
Top-grade rare and precious materials!
Resources of this caliber are enough to transform any Martial Artist at the Qi-Blood Realm.
Just as this fervor reached its peak, a violent shockwave erupted from Tiannan Middle School's camp.
Zhou Ye took a step forward, releasing 124 calories of Qi and Blood energy without reservation. The scarlet Qi and Blood flowed across his body, forming visible ripples that swept outwards.
He stood proudly, his gaze sweeping over the entire audience.
The geniuses from other schools around them were swept by the oppressive aura of the Qi-Blood Realm, their faces turning pale, and they involuntarily took several steps back.
"I want this Crimson Flame Earthheart Lotus."
Zhou Ye spoke loudly, his gaze sweeping defiantly toward the direction of Jiangnan No. 1 High School.
Lu Qing and Xiao Ran stood behind Chen Fan, their expressions extremely solemn. The oppressive feeling brought by the Qi and Blood Projection far exceeded their expectations.
They felt short of breath and their muscles were tense.
"Captain, let's avoid him once we're inside," Lu Qing said through gritted teeth. "His Qi and Blood are of too high quality; we have no chance of winning in a head-on confrontation."
Chen Fan ignored Lu Qing and glanced at Zhou Ye casually.
"What breed of Jiahao is this?"
Chen Fan spoke softly, his voice not loud, but it clearly reached Lu Qing and Xiao Ran's ears.
The two of them paused for a moment, then couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Chen Fan's words made things worse, and the two of them suddenly realized that Zhou Ye was somewhat similar to Jiahao.
"Zhou Jiahao, haha!!"
As Lu Qing spoke, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.
The somewhat somber atmosphere in the War Zone dissipated instantly at that moment!
"Waaaaa!!"
At that very moment, the piercing air raid siren suddenly sounded.
Ahead, a massive Alloy Gate, hundreds of meters high, slowly rose amidst a mechanical roar, its thick chains pulling on gears and producing a chilling grinding sound.
A strong stench of rotting flesh and blood wafted towards us.
Quarantine Zone activated.
"Enter!"
Lei Zhan let out a sharp shout.
Students from various schools, filled with excitement and murderous intent, surged like a tide into the Wasteland enclosed by high black walls.
Chen Fan strode forward, walked through the Alloy Gate, and stepped onto the black earth. He took a deep breath of the cold air mixed with the smell of blood.
Lu Qing and Xiao Ran followed closely behind.
Lu Qing stepped forward, ready to discuss the next course of action.
"Captain, what's our next move?" he asked. "Should we find a place to hold our ground and safely hunt down any approaching Anomalous Beast to rack up points, or should we take the initiative and look for high-value targets?"
In Lu Qing's view, the safest way to deal with Qi and Blood Martial Artist like Zhou Ye, who possesses strong Qi and Blood, is to avoid his sharp edge, accumulate enough points first, and ensure the team's performance.
However, Chen Fan did not stop in his tracks.
"You guys do as you please, I'm going in first!"
"..."
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Lu Qing and Xiao Ran froze on the spot, their faces filled with astonishment, almost thinking they had misheard.
Lu Qing hurriedly took two steps to catch up, his face full of disbelief. "Captain, this is too dangerous! The Quarantine Zone is teeming with Anomalous Beasts, and other teams are also eyeing us covetously. If we split up, we can easily be picked off one by one! We..."
Before he could finish speaking, Chen Fan's figure had already stretched several meters away. The next moment, Chen Fan seemed like a fleeting shadow blending into the wind, silently gliding into a patch of jagged black rocks in front of him, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.
Lu Qing and Xiao Ran froze on the spot.
"He..."
Lu Qing's face instantly turned bright red, partly from the shock of Chen Fan's ghostly movements, and partly from the intense frustration and anger that welled up after being completely ignored.
"He just left like that?" he muttered incredulously, his fists clenching involuntarily. "What did he take us for? Burdens that needed to be thrown away?!"
As the undisputed number one student in the third year of junior high Jiangnan No. 1 High School, he had never been treated with such contempt!
Xiao Ran remained silent for a moment, gazing at the direction where Chen Fan had disappeared with a complicated expression, before finally letting out a bitter smile.
"Perhaps... in his eyes, we really are."
Xiao Ran sighed and continued, "Don't forget, that's Teacher Gu Ci's student. Do you think a madman could teach a normal, law-abiding person?"
"Gu Ci..."