Inside the illusion~~
Fantasy Forest. Towering ancient trees blocked most of the sky, and only scattered rays of light slipped through gaps in the canopy, falling across the ground in shifting patches of brightness and shadow.
A clear little stream flowed out from deep within the forest, reflecting the shadows of the trees. Dark green moss grew on the pebbles along the bank, soft and damp beneath the feet.
Zhu Zhuqing stood beside the stream.
She wore her training clothes, with mud streaks still on her arms from the fight. Her guard had dropped to its lowest point. The impact of being blasted away by the palm strike still lingered in her sea of consciousness, rippling faintly like waves that had yet to settle.
Qin Chuan stepped out from the shadows of the trees.
"Zhu Zhuqing. Who do you love most?"
"No one."
Qin Chuan nodded. Just as he'd expected.
That was simply Zhu Zhuqing's nature. Cold and aloof, sparing with words, she wrapped herself up tight. She was engaged to Dai Mubai, but that was a match arranged by the Star Luo Royal Family, not one she'd chosen herself. To put it plainly, she'd come to study in Suotuo City to escape a future she didn't want.
"Then do you like Dai Mubai?"
"A little."
"Good. Listen. Imagine there's a vase in your mind."
"A vase... in my mind." Zhu Zhuqing repeated after him in a hollow voice, as if reciting a lesson.
"This vase represents your love for Dai Mubai."
"The vase... Dai Mubai... love..."
"How big is the vase?"
"About the size of my palm."
"Now pick it up with one hand."
"Pick it up with one hand." Zhu Zhuqing's right hand closed around empty air, as though she were really holding something.
"Crack! You smash it to pieces. Your love for Dai Mubai disappears too."
Crack! Zhu Zhuqing flung her hand downward.
A clear, crisp shattering sound rang through the dream. The vase broke against the pebbles by the stream, its shards mingling with moss and muddy water as they flew everywhere.
Zhu Zhuqing looked down at the scattered fragments, her expression faint. She seemed a little regretful, but hardly heartbroken.
After all, it had only been a palm-sized vase.
Qin Chuan waited a few seconds, making sure her mental state was stable and that she showed no signs of resistance.
"Do you like Dai Mubai?"
"I don't."
"Good. From now on, the person you love most is Qin Chuan."
"Love... Qin Chuan."
Qin Chuan let out a long breath.
Three down! Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing. He'd won them all over.
Just then, the system spoke: [Congratulations, Host. You successfully stole Zhu Zhuqing away. Heavenly Dao Power +2. Current total: 6/10. Accumulate 10 points to unlock the divine-level eye technique—Six Paths Reincarnation Eye.]
[New mission: Find the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well and cultivate in seclusion within it.]
The dream faded, and Zhu Zhuqing's slit pupils refocused.
She realized she was leaning in Qin Chuan's arms, her back against his chest. She could hear his heartbeat in her ear, steady and regular, like a metronome.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't push Qin Chuan away right away.
She was usually the last person to tolerate physical contact with a man. Even when Dai Mubai brushed her fingers, she would pull away. But now, for some reason, she didn't want to move.
That heartbeat was reassuring.
Then she spoke. "Thank you, Qin Chuan."
Her voice was so soft that the wind could almost have carried it away. But everyone nearby heard her.
Dai Mubai heard it. His face turned from ashen with rage to deathly pale.
Tang San glanced at Dai Mubai, then at Zhu Zhuqing in Qin Chuan's arms. It was hard to read his expression, but a flicker of wariness passed through his eyes.
[Qin Chuan is no ordinary person. How did Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing all suddenly end up orbiting around him?]
Zhao Wuji's voice interrupted everyone's thoughts. "The fight isn't over yet. Keep going!"
Zhu Zhuqing rose from Qin Chuan's arms, dusted the grit off her clothes, and returned to the battlefield.
Zhao Wuji paid no mind to the young people's tangled affairs. He drove one palm into the ground, blasting open the sand and forcing Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing, who were at the front, to retreat at the same time.
"Ma Hongjun, lay down fire! Tang San, flank from the right with your Blue Silver Grass!" Zhao Wuji barked orders as he fought, treating the whole thing as part of the lesson.
Ma Hongjun, still fuming, thrust both hands forward and unleashed a column of fire even thicker than before. It swept across the field. Zhao Wuji dodged to the side, and the heat made the sand crackle.
Tang San's Blue Silver Grass reached out from the right. This time, he tried Zhao Wuji's suggested method, braiding three strands together. They ended up more than twice as thick. The Blue Silver Grass circled Zhao Wuji's left foot and tightened.
Zhao Wuji lowered his eyes to look at the braided Blue Silver Grass, raised an eyebrow, then planted his foot and kicked hard.
The Blue Silver Grass stretched taut with a creaking groan, but this time it didn't break. It left a white mark around Zhao Wuji's ankle, clinging to him like a stubborn bite.
"That's more like it." Zhao Wuji nodded.
Xiao Wu seized the opening and unleashed her second Soul Skill. Charm.
Her eyes suddenly turned pink, and a gentle wave of mental energy spread out, heading straight for Zhao Wuji's sea of consciousness.
Zhao Wuji narrowed his eyes.
"Useless. The gap between a level seventy-six and a level twenty-nine mental force is too great." He didn't even need to blink. The barrier naturally formed by his mental strength bounced Xiao Wu's Charm right back.
Xiao Wu staggered, struck by the backlash from her own Charm. Her mind rang.
"Control-type skills are meaningless against opponents far stronger than you. Remember that." As he spoke, Zhao Wuji slapped Xiao Wu on the shoulder and sent her three meters away.
Ning Rongrong kept releasing boosts from the rear. She switched between giving Dai Mubai more strength and Zhu Zhuqing more speed. Her Soul Power was draining fast. A fine sheen of sweat covered her forehead, and her fingers were trembling.
Oscar sent out Recovery Sausages like a production line. One went to Dai Mubai, then another to Ma Hongjun. He kept reciting his chant, his voice growing weaker and weaker until he was nearly hoarse.
After another dozen or so exchanges, Zhao Wuji called a halt.
"That's enough. We'll stop here for today."
The seven of them collapsed onto the sand.
Zhu Zhuqing sat against the low wall at the edge of the field. The wound on her knee had started bleeding again. She kept her head down and looked at no one. But from the corner of her eye, she kept glancing toward Qin Chuan.
Xiao Wu wiped the sweat from her face and immediately ran over to Qin Chuan.
"Brother Chuan! Are you all right? I saw you catch Zhu Zhuqing just now. Did your back hit the wall?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine. I just bumped it a little."
"Let me see!" Without waiting for an answer, Xiao Wu went around behind Qin Chuan and lifted the back of his shirt.
Ning Rongrong came over too. When she saw the bruise on Qin Chuan's back, her eyes instantly reddened. "Brother Chuan, you're so foolish. Why did you rush out to catch her? What if you'd injured your spine..."
"Enough, enough, you two young ladies. I really am fine." Qin Chuan waved his hand and changed the subject.
Zhao Wuji walked over.
He stopped in front of Qin Chuan and looked him up and down.
"Why did you rush out to catch her just now?"
Qin Chuan froze for a moment. "Zhu Zhuqing was flying toward me. I couldn't just watch her hit the ground, could I?"
The morning's class ended...
Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong supported Qin Chuan from either side as they headed back.
"Brother Chuan, what do you want for lunch? I'll get you something from the cafeteria," Xiao Wu asked.
"I'll go too," Ning Rongrong said.
"Wait. I'm coming too." Zhu Zhuqing walked over.
Surrounded by the three of them, Qin Chuan felt a strange warmth rise in his heart.
But he didn't show much on his face. He simply looked up at the road ahead.
Tang San walked at the very front, striding quickly without looking back.
Dai Mubai walked behind him, occasionally glancing back. His gaze fell on Zhu Zhuqing, but she wasn't looking at him.
Qin Chuan took it all in. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly, then quickly settled.
The three girls surrounded Qin Chuan as they made their way toward the cafeteria.