The three of them walked along the tree-lined path of the Eastsea Academy.
The last rays of the setting sun filtered through the gaps in the tree canopy, casting dappled shadows on the ground. Zhong Shenxiu walked in the middle, Gu Yue on the left, and Xu Xiaoyan on the right. None of the three spoke; only the sound of their footsteps echoed along the tree-lined path.
Students passing by couldn't help but take a second look at this scene.
It wasn't because of Zhong Shenxiu, but because of Gu Yue and Xu Xiaoyan.
Gu Yue and Xu Xiaoyan are recognized as the two beauties of the Eastsea Academy. One is aloof and noble, while the other is soft and cute. They attract countless eyes whenever they walk down the street. But now, these two are actually walking next to Zhong Shenxiu at the same time, and they even look like they are vying for his attention.
This was even more exciting than the Skysea Alliance Grand Competition.
Xie Xie had already made his escape.
The moment Gu Yue and Xu Xiaoyan simultaneously grabbed Zhong Shenxiu's arms, he sensed the tension in the air. His intuition told him that if he didn't leave quickly, he might be drawn into an uncontrollable disaster.
So when Gu Yue uttered the words "first come, first served," he had already turned and run. His speed surprised even himself. Neither the Light Dragon Dagger nor the Shadow Dragon Dagger had ever made him run that fast.
At this moment, Xie Xie was hiding behind a window on the second floor of the teaching building, secretly watching the three people on the tree-lined path. His dark green eyes were full of gossip, and a gloating smile was on his lips.
"Tsk tsk Zhong Shenxiu, Zhong Shenxiu, you've finally met your match." Xie Xie muttered under his breath, unable to suppress the smile on his face.
A voice came from the side. "What are you looking at?"
Xie Xie was startled and turned around to see Tang Wulin walking towards him from the direction of the training room. There were still beads of sweat on his forehead and some dust on his clothes, indicating that he had just finished talking with Wu Zhangkong.
"Shh!" Xie Xie put his index finger to his lips, making a shushing gesture, then pointed out the window, "Look."
Tang Wulin walked to the window and looked in the direction Xie Xie pointing. He saw Zhong Shenxiu, Gu Yue, and Xu Xiaoyan walking along the tree-lined path.
"What's wrong?" Tang Wulin asked, puzzled.
Xie Xie looked at Tang Wulin with a "Are you an idiot?" look. "Can't you see? Gu Yue and Xu Xiaoyan are vying for Zhong Shenxiu."
Tang Wulin glanced at them again, then shook his head. "No, they were just walking together."
Xie Xie almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
Are you blind?
Xie Xie lowered his voice, but his tone was full of disbelief, "Just now at the training room door, Xu Xiaoyan was holding Zhong Shenxiu's arm, and Gu Yue was also holding Zhong Shenxiu's arm. The two of them almost got into a fight over whose house Zhong Shenxiu was going to for dinner tonight. Didn't you see it?"
Tang Wulin shook his head. "They were already gone when I came out."
Xie Xie a deep breath and patted Tang Wulin on the shoulder. "Brother, your observation skills need improvement. If it were me, I would have seen it a long time ago."
Tang Wulin smiled helplessly, "So what if they figured it out? That's their business, it has nothing to do with us."
"How can it not be a problem?" Xie Xie's eyes lit up. "Think about it, if Gu Yue and Xu Xiaoyan both go after Zhong Shenxiu, wouldn't we have some peace and quiet? They won't be staring at Zhong Shenxiu all day during training."
Tang Wulin thought about it and felt that Xie Xie's words seemed to make some sense, but something still felt off. He shook his head, didn't continue thinking about it, and turned to walk towards the dormitory.
Xie Xie glanced at the three people outside the window again, his smile deepening.
" Zhong Shenxiu Zhong Shenxiu, you're good at fighting, but in this aspect, you're not even as good as Tang Wulin."
He shook his head, turned around, and caught up with Tang Wulin.
Because of Gu Yue's interference, Xu Xiaoyan's plan fell through, and the dinner arrangement was dropped.
Early the next morning, Wu Zhangkong led the five students from Class Zero out of the academy and headed straight for East Sea Square in the center of Eastsea City.
All five were wearing Eastsea Academy's school uniforms. This time, Wu Zhangkong was leading the team, along with the Dean of Students Long Hengxu.
Their group wasn't the only one representing the academy; the Advanced Division also participated.
The Advanced Division are participating in the youth group competition for those aged fifteen to twenty.
Among them, Tang Wulin saw familiar figures. One of them was Xu Xiaoyan's brother Xu Xiaoyu. The other was none other than Liu Yuxin, the beautiful senior student sent by the academy to pick up the new students when he first arrived in Eastsea City.
However, Liu Yuxin's attention was clearly not on him; her beautiful eyes kept falling on the face of the man in white, her eyes almost turning into hearts.
" Xiaoyan, if they bully you, tell me."
As Xu Xiaoyu passed by the five members of Class Zero, she glanced at Zhong Shenxiu and the others with a somewhat defiant look, and said to her younger sister.
Especially Zhong Shenxiu, Xu Xiaoyu couldn't help but glare at this boy who was already almost as tall as her. He was clearly just a first-year student in the Intermediate Division, yet he had already captured her younger sister's heart right from the start of the school year.
Although Xu Xiaoyu knew what the Martial Soul Fusion Skill meant for her younger sister, it meant that Xu Xiaoyan was no longer just a genius Soul Master with a benign Martial Soul mutation. With Soul Master who could Martial Soul Fusion, both her cultivation speed and strategic and tactical value would be greatly improved.
But as the older brother, the resentment stemming from blood ties still made Xu Xiaoyu somewhat unable to hold back.
His gaze lingered on Zhong Shenxiu for several seconds, from top to bottom and then from bottom to top, as if he were scrutinizing a suspect who had abducted his own sister.
Zhong Shenxiu ignored Xu Xiaoyu.
He didn't even glance at Xu Xiaoyu. His light golden vertical pupils were fixed on the square in front of him, his eyes devoid of any emotion, as if Xu Xiaoyu's existence was no different from the stones on the roadside.
This disregard made Xu Xiaoyu's expression even more unpleasant.
Before Xu Xiaoyu could say anything, Xu Xiaoyan couldn't hold back any longer. She rolled her eyes, her two light blue braids swaying behind her, her tone clearly showing disdain.
"Mind your own business. Don't let yourselves fail to even make it past the preliminaries again."
Xu Xiaoyu's face stiffened, as if she had been stabbed.
"Impossible."
Xu Xiaoyu raised her voice slightly, her tone filled with an eagerness to prove herself, "All of us participating this time are at least three rings, we're sure to achieve good results."
They were also participating in the team competition, and the most prestigious seven-person team competition at that. The Advanced Division teams had been training intensively for three months for this competition, and each member was an elite selected through careful planning.
But Xu Xiaoyan didn't care about any of that.
Under Xu Xiaoyu's sorrowful gaze, Xu Xiaoyan unabashedly wrapped her arms around Zhong Shenxiu's right arm in front of everyone, pressing her whole body against him, her little face beaming with a happy smile.
"Let's go, Shenxiu, let's get in the car."