First Encounter: Old Man Yi Appears

"Knock, knock, knock—"

That evening, Su Qing's door was knocked upon once more. Before seeing that elegant, beautiful face, he had assumed it was Bei Bei, as he had been the one delivering Su Qing's meals for days.

"Sister Lexuan!"

Su Qing's face lit up. He remembered clearly that Zhang Lexuan had promised to be with him if he took the championship. Although the finals hadn't started yet, winning the tournament was a breeze for him.

Seeing him enthusiastically rushing toward her, Zhang Lexuan didn't push him away, letting him bury himself in her embrace. Su Qing was still slightly shorter than her, and by bowing his head, he could bury his entire face against her chest. Without blocking his nose, he could even catch a faint scent of magnolia lingering on her.

Hearing Su Qing take a deep breath against her, Zhang Lexuan's pretty face flushed. She pinched his waist and chided, "I never realized you were such a little pervert before!"

"Only just realized? Too late! Surrender to This Seat obediently, hehehe..."

Stung by the pinch, Su Qing felt even more excited. He began spouting nonsense and let out strange, cackling laughs.

Zhang Lexuan was torn between laughter and annoyance. Where did this brat learn such things? Still, considering the door was wide open, she pulled him into the dorm and kicked the door shut behind her.

"You brat, where did you learn that? Who's going to surrender to you? You haven't even won the championship yet. And no more of that weird laughing, you hear me!"

She began to lecture him, though their posture made it look more like flirting. Su Qing was pushed onto the bed, bracing himself with his hands to keep from falling back, while Zhang Lexuan leaned forward. One leg was braced against the floor, the other bent and pressed against the bed frame between his legs. Her left hand was against the wall, and her right hand tugged at the tie of his freshman uniform.

The position made Su Qing feel lightheaded. Gazing at Zhang Lexuan's alluring, watery eyes, a sudden impulse surged within him: Kiss her!!!

The thought spread through his mind like ink dropping into a lotus pond. With a rush of blood to his head, he lunged forward with lightning speed. Zhang Lexuan only felt a warm, fragrant touch brush across her lips. When she regained her senses, she met Su Qing's violet eyes, which swirled like burning flames. Perhaps it was just an illusion, but she felt his pupils had turned into heart shapes.

But that didn't matter anymore. Such a fleeting, tentative touch clearly couldn't satisfy her restless heart. Those expressive eyes of his seemed to be dancing on the edge of danger. She stopped pretending to be reserved and leaned in further. The warm sensation returned, and a sense of triumph—like returning from a victorious battle with spoils in hand—quickly scattered her reason. They no longer stopped at superficial contact, instead embracing tightly to savor each other's softness.

"Mmph..."

A moment later, Su Qing let out a soft hum, and Zhang Lexuan finally pulled away. Su Qing, who had been accidentally deprived of air, greedily inhaled the air mixed with their scents. That was close; he almost suffocated...

"Le... Sister Lexuan, next time you could tilt your head a little, otherwise I'll have trouble breathing..."

Su Qing looked at her with pleading eyes. To his surprise, Zhang Lexuan tilted her head, her eyes unfocused, feigning ignorance.

"Sister Lexuan, if you do that, I'll... Mmph!"

Facing Zhang Lexuan's sneak attack after playing innocent, Su Qing's eyes widened. The youth today have no sense of martial virtue... But soon, he was immersed again. This time, Zhang Lexuan took his advice, tilting her head slightly to grant him the right to breathe...

"Teacher, if I let Xiaotao go and compete for him against Lexuan, would Lexuan kill Xiaotao?"

Downstairs at the freshman dormitory, Mu En, who had just finished greeting Zhang Lexuan, was met with this probing question from Yan Shaozhe.

Hearing such an absurd question, Mu En lifted his heavy eyelids with effort, glanced at him, and spoke slowly: "How would I know the affairs of children? Why don't you ask Lexuan yourself?"

"Teacher, I am not joking."

The dismissive reply made Yan Shaozhe feel awkward. Unable to gauge Mu En's attitude, he had to emphasize his seriousness. Asking Zhang Lexuan himself? That was practically asking to hit a wall. Would she ever agree?

"I believe that child can only accept affection that isn't tainted by schemes. If you blatantly order Xiaotao to be with him, you will never be able to move his heart."

Seeing Yan Shaozhe still in this state, Mu En sighed. He was a veteran of the heart, after all. Such a blatant, goal-oriented approach wouldn't just fail to stir emotions; it would trigger the other party's vigilance, especially since Ma Xiaotao's personality wasn't as balanced between strength and gentleness as Zhang Lexuan's.

"But Xiaotao's evil fire problem is getting worse. I'm afraid that one day she will lose her mind and become an Evil Soul Master..."

Thinking of Ma Xiaotao's condition, Yan Shaozhe was frantic. But Mu En didn't respond, vanishing from his chair instead. This left Yan Shaozhe filled with confusion, ultimately forcing him to choose between the Dean's face and his disciple's life...

Two days later, the finals of the freshman assessment arrived. This time, Su Qing didn't bring his teammates. He Bin and Luo Luo knew their own limits and, to avoid becoming liabilities, chose to let Su Qing fight a "one man eats, the whole family is full" style battle.

The final arena had no spectator stands; teachers could only watch from the open ground outside. However, compared to the semifinals, the crowd now included Yan Shaozhe and Zhang Lexuan.

"Xiao Qing, we will definitely win!"

Standing across from Su Qing, Xiao Xiao waved her small fist. Originally, she hadn't held much hope, but Huo Yuhao had claimed he had a secret weapon. Recalling the battle against Dai Huabin's team, Xiao Xiao felt reassured. Huo Yuhao wouldn't just spout nonsense, right?

"Mm, I look forward to seeing your progress."

Facing Xiao Xiao's bravado, Su Qing didn't dampen her spirits; instead, he encouraged them. As for why the opposing side was so confident, he could guess. By now, Electrolux had likely awakened, and he would probably take over the controls as soon as the fight started.

Truth be told, while Su Qing's mental power was lower in quantity than Huo Yuhao's, its quality was that of a true First-Class God.

Huo Yuhao's attempt to attack his mental sea by letting Electrolux take over was doomed to fail, so he wasn't worried at all.

"Wind-Gathering Wing-Weaving!"

After the referee announced the start, Su Qing's first soul ring lit up. He instantly teleported behind Huo Yuhao, his right hand gripping the tail of his spear. He swept the weapon horizontally, intending to knock him out of bounds. However, Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong wouldn't just watch. Soon, the Wing Blade and the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron attacked from his left, right, and rear.

He first used his spear to swat Wang Dong away, then leaped, following him to knock him out of the ring. Unexpectedly, he felt himself being locked on.

A strange feeling surged in his heart. Su Qing looked back and met Huo Yuhao's gray, misty eyes.

"Little friend, why is it that I cannot see a trace of surprise in your eyes?"