At that moment, Huang Rui felt the heavens and earth spinning around him. The light drew in, and the world sank into darkness. Only Huang Tian's faintly smiling face kept growing larger before his eyes, larger and larger!
Time seemed to stand still.
He parted his lips, wanting to say something, but only a little air escaped his throat, making a faint "huh, huh" sound, as if someone had clamped a hand around his neck.
It felt as though a long, long time passed. Then, in a certain instant, Huang Rui instinctively took a step back. The world shattered like a mirror, turning into silvery-white points of light. The heavens and earth swiftly returned to normal, and light of every color shone into his eyes again.
Only that smiling face, which filled him with both disgust and fear, remained unchanged.
He swallowed twice. His voice a little hoarse, Huang Rui asked uncertainly, "Y-you've reached the ninth rank?"
"As you can see."
"When?"
"This morning."
The simple answer sent his heart plunging to the bottom of the sea. He hesitated, intending to say more, but Huang Tian had already finished his meal. Rising to his feet, he smiled faintly. "I hope you enjoy your meal."
With that, he brushed past Huang Rui and walked away unhurriedly, leaving him standing there in a daze.
At some point, Huang Rui suddenly turned around and looked at Huang Tian, who was walking farther and farther away. He couldn't say what he was feeling: apprehension, fear, worry... All kinds of emotions churned inside him.
Like a puppet on strings, he stiffly collected his meal and medicinal broth. But his stifled mood left him with little appetite. He forced down a bowl of broth, then couldn't eat another bite. Somewhat dazed, he returned to the Jia-Class