The Encounter

Watching Jiang Yuanjie, Mu Qing smiled calmly and patted him on the shoulder. "You still underestimate your own abilities."

A glint of cold light flashed through Mu Qing's eyes.

"With your powerful perception, we can easily avoid every team from North Campus. But why should we keep dodging them?"

"We're not weak. Ling Fei has even reached Blood Qi Sixth Rank. As long as they're not in a large group, we can knock them unconscious without giving that bunch from North Campus a chance to call for help."

"People from North Campus can take points from students at the other campuses. We can take their points too!"

Jiang Yuanjie was clearly startled by Mu Qing's plan. His face filled with shock as he asked, "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure!"

It was Ling Fei who said this. His face was alight with excitement. "It's just a mock exam. Why are we acting so timid?"

"Exactly." Mu Qing nodded. "If we keep hiding and running around, our points will never increase. Even when the mock exam ends, we won't make the top ten or earn a reward."

Ling Fei chuckled. "So we'll strike first and snatch all the points from those punks at North Campus!"

Ling Fei was worked up. Now that he had broken through to Blood Qi Sixth Rank, he was strong enough to take on three or four Blood Qi Fifth Rank students at once.

"Let's go! We'll get closer and see what's happening!"

Mu Qing left them with that and darted toward the direction Jiang Yuanjie had pointed out earlier.

Ling Fei followed right behind him.

Jiang Yuanjie watched as Mu Qing and Ling Fei charged off without hesitation. His expression shifted several times, then he set off after them.

Despite his bulky frame, he was surprisingly fast as he sprinted. In just a few breaths, he caught up with the other two.

"Let's lie low first!"

When the three of them reached a spot not far from the team Jiang Yuanjie had mentioned, Mu Qing stopped and spoke.

He gestured for the other two to turn off the lights on their communication devices.

The three of them crawled into the grass and peered into the distance. In the darkness, they could see one light after another—the glow of communication devices.

"Luo Ya! What exactly are you people from North Campus trying to do?" A sharp shout rang out, and Mu Qing's face froze in the grass.

"It's Yang Shanshan!" Mu Qing's heart stirred as he realized that the people being hunted by North Campus were none other than Ji Jia's best friend, Yang Shanshan—also a top student, with formidable strength and an impressive background.

Rumor had it that Yang Shanshan was about as strong as Ji Jia. Mu Qing had never paid much attention to her before, though, so he didn't know exactly how strong she was.

However, Ling Fei had told him that Ji Jia had been among the first top students to break through to Blood Qi Fifth Rank. Now that Wang Haixuan and Ling Fei had both advanced, Ji Jia might have reached Sixth Rank too.

And Yang Shanshan might well be at Blood Qi Sixth Rank as well.

For a moment, Mu Qing felt a hint of pressure.

When he had awakened the Blood Spirit, he had thought he hadn't fallen behind. But now it seemed his cultivation was still in the second tier, while everyone in the first tier had already broken through to Blood Qi Sixth Rank.

Looks like I'll have to work even harder after the mock exam and try to keep up with Ling Fei and the others! Mu Qing thought to himself.

He looked toward Yang Shanshan and saw a graceful figure beside her. Her tousled crimson hair fell over her shoulders as she panted softly. It was Ji Jia.

Both Ji Jia and Yang Shanshan were in a sorry state. Their uniforms were torn to shreds, revealing skin as fair and lustrous as white jade.

The five students surrounding them were from North Campus. Their leader wore a short-sleeved shirt and had dyed his hair yellow. His aura was extremely strong—he had actually reached Blood Qi Sixth Rank too!

"I know this guy, Luo Ya!" Jiang Yuanjie suddenly spoke from where he was hiding, introducing him to the other two. "Luo Ya is eighteen. He was already well-known at North Campus and has exceptional talent. He was among the earliest to break through to Blood Qi Fifth Rank. His family lives..."

Once Jiang Yuanjie started, he was like a river in full flood, talking without pause. He knew everything about Luo Ya—not only his personality, but even some embarrassing stories from his childhood.

"Enough!" Mu Qing cut him off. Then he and Ling Fei gave him odd looks. "How do you know all this?"

"Of course I know!" Jiang Yuanjie said proudly. "I'm the head of the News Department, after all. The greatest paparazzi—cough, the greatest journalist. I know just about everything there is to know!"

"Luo Ya is at Blood Qi Sixth Rank. Could he be the one who rallied everyone at North Campus to unite against the other three campuses?" Ling Fei asked.

Mu Qing thought for a moment before answering. "I doubt it. Even at our East Campus, Wang Haixuan, who's at Blood Qi Sixth Rank, has only managed to rally more than twenty people—and that's with the Wang Family behind him!"

While Mu Qing and the others were discussing this, the situation on Ji Jia's side was grim.

Ji Jia and Yang Shanshan were surrounded. The students led by Luo Ya grinned viciously, their eyes glinting with menace.

"Too bad the teachers are watching Lake Heart Island every moment. Otherwise, we could have had a little fun." Luo Ya bared his teeth in a grin.

"Bullshit! Can you stop being so disgusting? Just wait until the mock exam is over. I'll show you!" Yang Shanshan roared. Her pretty face flushed pink as her aura surged. It was on par with Luo Ya's—she too was at Blood Qi Sixth Rank.

Nearby, the slightly battered Ji Jia released her aura as well. She too had reached Blood Qi Sixth Rank.

"Heh. You two can stop putting on a show." Luo Ya was the only one among his group at Blood Qi Sixth Rank, but he wasn't worried in the least. He burst into laughter.

His eyes gleamed as he looked at Ji Jia and Yang Shanshan's curvaceous figures.

"You two have been chased by Big Brother Liu Tianyu all day. Your Origin Force is completely spent. Everyone's searching for you two and that chubby Jiang."

"If I take you to Big Brother Liu Tianyu, I'll probably get a place in the top ten right away! You should know Big Brother Liu has been longing for you two for a long time!" Luo Ya cackled as he and the other four gradually closed in.

Yang Shanshan and Ji Jia went pale, fury blazing in their beautiful eyes.

The two of them were both campus beauties, and they were powerful enough to build a formidable team—one even stronger than Wang Haixuan's.

But even a team like theirs couldn't stand against the united students of an entire campus. Their team had been brutally crushed. Aside from a few who escaped, everyone else had already been eliminated!