Zhu Zhuqing hadn't expected to see that vixen again so soon—and this time, she was openly seducing her man in front of everyone!
A strong sense of crisis welled up inside her, and she no longer had time to think things through.
After more than a year together, Mu Qian had long since become impossible to ignore. His place in her heart had even surpassed her own.
"Zhuqing..." Mu Qian's gaze was resolute. He knocked Hu Liena's fingers away, turned, and took Zhu Zhuqing's small hand.
Seeing his calm expression, Zhu Zhuqing's furrowed brows relaxed at once, and she felt more certain in her heart.
I have to trust him...
Mu Qian stepped back, instinctively putting some distance between himself and Hu Liena, then turned his gaze back to her.
There was no denying it: this girl was incredibly bold. If Zhu Zhuqing were in her place, she'd never dare make such an intimate gesture in front of so many people.
She loved and hated without holding back. There was nothing wrong with that; it was one of the things Mu Qian admired about her.
It wasn't that Mu Qian had no interest in Hu Liena at all, but he wasn't going to fall for her after only seeing her a handful of times.
By comparison, he still preferred Zhuqing's kind of personality.
Who could say what the future held? It was best to let things take their course.
"Senior, shall we carry on?" Mu Qian put his jumbled thoughts aside and spoke calmly.
"Of course, of course. What a cute and handsome little brother."
Hu Liena's eyes brimmed with allure, and even her voice and manner carried a bewitching charm.
As she spoke, her nimble fingers lightly brushed Mu Qian's collar again.
The onlookers were dumbstruck, looking utterly hopeless, yet none of them dared say a word.
The gap in status between them was like a chasm in their hearts, impossible to cross.
Mu Qian's mouth twitched a few times. He was just about to say something.
To his surprise, Hu Liena returned to the topic on her own. "So... how old are you, little brother?"
"Eleven years and four months. Senior, could you please act normal? There are lots of people waiting in line behind us." Mu Qian sighed.
Zhu Zhuqing had long since turned her gaze elsewhere. What she couldn't see couldn't upset her; looking would only make her angry.
Fortunately, Mu Qian's behavior had put her more at ease.
"Okay, okay. Only eleven, three years younger than me. That's not too much of a difference..."
Mu Qian had only just called her out, and she was already about to get sidetracked again.
With no other choice, Mu Qian simply snatched the pen and paper from her hands and filled out the form himself.
He filled out Zhu Zhuqing's information as well, then shoved both forms into Hu Liena's hands.
Phew, Zhuqing was right. She really is a vixen, Mu Qian couldn't help thinking.
Hu Liena had originally wanted to tease Mu Qian some more, but when she saw the information on the forms, her eyes trembled. She could no longer contain her shock.
"Martial Soul: Yinglong."
"Soul Power Level: forty-two!"
Forty-two—higher than even her own level as the Saintess of Martial Soul Hall!
And the other party was only eleven!
Hu Liena had already ignored the rest of Mu Qian's information, such as the hometown he'd made up. Her eyes were fixed on those two lines.
She didn't know what kind of Martial Soul Yinglong was, but dragon-type Martial Souls were naturally among the very best Beast Martial Souls. In terms of Martial Soul talent, it was even stronger than her Demon Fox Martial Soul!
She'd known Mu Qian was powerful yesterday, but she'd never imagined he could be this absurdly strong.
What kind of talent did it take for a Spirit Master to surpass level forty at the age of eleven?
Hu Liena couldn't even imagine it. The hand holding the form trembled slightly, and her beautiful eyes shone more brightly as she looked at Mu Qian.
A man like Mu Qian was almost irresistibly alluring to her.
"Senior, can we register?" Seeing her lost in thought, Mu Qian waved a hand to remind her.
"Oh, yes. Of course." Hu Liena's mind was a little blank.
She'd glanced over Zhu Zhuqing's information too. Though it wasn't as absurd as Mu Qian's, Zhu Zhuqing was still a monster among her peers.
Mu Qian and Zhu Zhuqing were probably the most monstrously talented geniuses among this year's new students.
At the registration desk, the black-clad teacher, students from other grades, and even the parents and new students who had come to register all looked dazed.
They had no idea what had just happened. For a moment, they could only see Hu Liena's lips moving, but couldn't hear a thing.
That was, of course, Mu Qian's doing. He had used his Spiritual Power to create a barrier that blocked out sound.
Earlier, he'd planned to hide his strength from Spirit Hall because he hadn't decided which side to take and naturally didn't want to reveal too much too soon.
But things were different now. Since he'd decided to join Spirit Hall, he would naturally show off his talent and earn better instruction and a greater share of resources.
He had no interest in pretending to be weak and then surprising everyone. Wasn't it better to use his overwhelming strength to dominate the geniuses of his generation?
Still, it was enough for the higher-ups of Spirit Hall to know. There was no need for irrelevant passersby to learn how strong he was.
Besides, Mu Qian still had his greatest trump card: he hadn't revealed his Second Martial Soul.
But this was enough. All he wanted was to make Spirit Hall take notice of him...
Geniuses always enjoyed privileges.
Led by Hu Liena, Mu Qian and Zhu Zhuqing entered Spirit Hall Academy hand in hand.
The academy grounds were nothing like the grand, solemn place Mu Qian had imagined. They were beautiful and quiet, rich with lush vegetation. Trees lined the broad main road, and now and then, a few melodious birdsongs drifted through the woods.
A sizable artificial lake lay in the distance. The breeze carried a cool mist from its surface, easing the irritation Mu Qian had felt while waiting in line.
A hundred meters ahead, a huge plaza stretched out. An Angel Statue carved from granite blocked the view into the distance.
It was class time, so there weren't many students around. Most were inside, closer to the Teaching Building.
As Hu Liena explained the academy to them, she kept edging closer to Mu Qian, seemingly without meaning to.
"Humph, you vixen. Have you never seen a man before?"
Her voice was icy. With no one else around now, Zhu Zhuqing could no longer hold back as Hu Liena grew more and more brazen.
She was usually a girl who wanted no trouble with anyone. She didn't like talking to strangers, much less getting involved with them, unless... she really couldn't help herself.
Hu Liena wasn't offended. Instead, she teased, "What's wrong, little sister? Jealous?"
There was no denying that Hu Liena had the advantage when it came to age. She had a mature, alluring charm that Zhu Zhuqing lacked.
Zhu Zhuqing gave a cold snort. "That's none of your business."
Mu Qian felt helpless. He truly had no idea how to handle a situation like this.
He wanted to stand up for Zhuqing, but Hu Liena hadn't actually done anything too outrageous...
At least, it wasn't outrageous to him. It was another matter for Zhu Zhuqing.
"Excellent men always have admirers. I'm simply expressing my admiration for Mu Qian."
"Fine, then we can share him..." Hu Liena wore a faintly sorrowful expression, but Mu Qian could tell at a glance that she was faking it.
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