Intercept Zhu Zhuqing

Within the illusion...

Fantasy Forest. Towering ancient trees obscured most of the sky, with only sporadic light leaking through the gaps in the canopy, casting patches of light and shadow upon the ground.

A transparent stream flowed from the depths of the forest, the water reflecting the silhouettes of the trees. The pebbles along the bank were covered in dark green moss, feeling damp and soft underfoot.

Zhu Zhuqing stood by the riverbank.

She was wearing her training gear, her arms still marked with mud from the recent sparring. Her alertness had dropped to its lowest point; the impact of the palm strike that had sent her flying still lingered in her mental sea, rippling faintly like waves that had yet to settle on the water's surface.

Qin Chuan stepped out from the shadows of the trees.

"Zhu Zhuqing. Who is the person you love most?"

"None."

Qin Chuan nodded; it was as expected.

Zhu Zhuqing's personality was just like this. Aloof, taciturn, and tightly guarded. She had an engagement with Dai Mubai, but that had been decided by the Star Luo Royal Family, not by her own choice. Her coming to Soto City to enroll was, to put it bluntly, simply to escape a future she did not want.

"Then, do you like Dai Mubai?"

"A little bit."

"Hmm, listen. Imagine there is a vase in your mind."

"In my mind... there is a vase." Zhu Zhuqing repeated, her voice hollow, as if reciting a text.

"This vase represents your love for Dai Mubai."

"Vase... Dai Mubai... love..."

"How big is the vase?"

"The size of a palm."

"Now, pick it up with one hand."

"Pick it up with one hand." Zhu Zhuqing's right hand closed in the air, as if she were truly gripping something.

"Bang. You shattered it. Your love for Dai Mubai has also vanished."

Bang! Zhu Zhuqing flicked her hand downward.

A crisp, shattering sound echoed through the dream. The vase smashed against the pebbles by the river, shards scattering amidst the moss and muddy water.

Zhu Zhuqing looked down at the fragments on the ground, her expression indifferent. There was a hint of regret, but it could hardly be called heartache.

After all, it was only a palm-sized vase.

Qin Chuan waited a few seconds, confirming her mental state was stable and that there were no signs of rejection.

"Do you like Dai Mubai?"

"I do not."

"Good. From now on, the person you love most is Qin Chuan."

"Love... Qin Chuan."

Qin Chuan let out a long breath.

Three people! Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing—all captured.

At this moment, the system's voice rang out: [Congratulations to the Host for successfully intercepting Zhu Zhuqing. Heavenly Dao Power +2, currently 6/10. Accumulate 10 points to unlock the God-level ocular technique—Six Paths Reincarnation Eye.]

[New Task: Locate the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well and cultivate within it.]

The dream dissipated, and the vertical pupils in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes refocused.

She found herself leaning in Qin Chuan's arms, her back pressed against his chest. She could hear the sound of Qin Chuan's heartbeat in her ears; it was steady, pulsing with the rhythmic precision of a metronome.

Zhu Zhuqing did not immediately push Qin Chuan away.

She was usually the type of person who most resisted physical contact with the opposite sex; even if Dai Mubai touched her finger, she would shake him off. But at this moment, for some reason, she did not want to move.

That heartbeat was very comforting.

Then, she spoke: "Thank you, Qin Chuan."

Her voice was soft, so light it was almost blown away by the wind. But everyone nearby heard it.

Dai Mubai heard it, and his complexion shifted from livid to ashen.

Tang San glanced at Dai Mubai, then at Zhu Zhuqing in Qin Chuan's arms. His expression was unreadable, but a subtle flicker of vigilance crossed his eyes.

This Qin Chuan is not simple. How did Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing all start revolving around him so suddenly?

Zhao Wuji's voice interrupted everyone's thoughts: "The battle isn't over yet. Continue!"

Zhu Zhuqing stood up from Qin Chuan's arms, brushed the sand and dirt off her body, and walked back onto the battlefield.

Zhao Wuji paid no mind to the entanglements of these youngsters. He pressed a palm against the ground, causing the sandy earth to explode upward, forcing Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing in the front row to retreat simultaneously.

"Ma Hongjun, suppress them with firepower! Tang San, flank from the right with your Blue Silver Grass!" Zhao Wuji commanded as he fought; he was treating this as part of the lesson.

Ma Hongjun held his breath and pushed his hands forward, unleashing a pillar of fire thicker than the previous one. As the fire swept across, Zhao Wuji dodged to the side, the heat causing the sandy ground to crackle.

Tang San's Blue Silver Grass emerged from the right. This time, he attempted the method Zhao Wuji had mentioned, braiding three strands of Blue Silver Grass together. The thickness increased by more than double. The Blue Silver Grass wrapped around Zhao Wuji's left leg and tightened.

Zhao Wuji looked down at the braided Blue Silver Grass, raised an eyebrow, and then exerted force through the soles of his feet, lunging forward with a violent stomp.

The Blue Silver Grass pulled taut, emitting a creaking groan, but this time it did not snap. It left a white mark around Zhao Wuji's ankle, biting into his skin with a death grip.

"That's more like it." Zhao Wuji nodded.

Xiao Wu seized the opening to activate her second soul skill: Charm.

Her eyes suddenly turned pink, and a gentle wave of mental energy rippled outward, heading straight for Zhao Wuji's sea of consciousness.

Zhao Wuji narrowed his eyes.

"Useless. The gap in mental strength between level seventy-six and level twenty-nine is simply too vast." He didn't even need to blink; a barrier naturally formed by his mental energy deflected Xiao Wu's Charm right back at her.

Xiao Wu stumbled, reeling from the backlash of her own skill as a buzzing sound filled her brain.

"Control-type skills are meaningless against opponents whose strength far exceeds your own. Remember that." As Zhao Wuji spoke, he slapped Xiao Wu on the shoulder, pushing her three meters away.

In the back, Ning Rongrong was continuously casting buffs. Strength for Dai Mubai, speed for Zhu Zhuqing, switching back and forth. Her soul power was depleting rapidly; a fine layer of sweat beaded on her forehead, and her fingers were trembling.

Oscar was churning out Recovery Sausages like an assembly line. One for Dai Mubai, another for Ma Hongjun. He chanted his incantations incessantly, his voice growing weaker and his throat nearly hoarse.

After another dozen rounds, Zhao Wuji called for a timeout.

"That's enough. We'll stop here for today."

The seven of them collapsed onto the sandy ground.

Zhu Zhuqing sat against the low wall at the edge of the arena, the wound on her knee beginning to seep blood again. She kept her head down, looking at no one, though her peripheral vision kept darting toward Qin Chuan.

Xiao Wu wiped the sweat from her face and ran straight to Qin Chuan.

"Brother Chuan! Are you alright? I saw everything when you caught Zhu Zhuqing earlier—did your back hit the wall?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine, it was just a bump."

"Let me see!" Ignoring his protests, Xiao Wu moved behind Qin Chuan and lifted the hem of his shirt.

Ning Rongrong walked over as well, and upon seeing 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 had injured your spine..."

"Alright, alright, you two young ladies, I'm really fine." Qin Chuan waved his hand, steering the conversation elsewhere.

Zhao Wuji walked over.

He stopped in front of Qin Chuan, looking him up and down.

"Why did you rush out to catch her just now?"

Qin Chuan paused, stunned. "Zhu Zhuqing was flying toward the wall; I couldn't just watch her crash into the ground."

The morning lesson concluded...

Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong flanked Qin Chuan, helping him walk back.

"Brother Chuan, what do you want for lunch? I'll go to the cafeteria and get your food," Xiao Wu asked.

"I'll go too," Ning Rongrong said.

"Wait for me, I'm coming as well," Zhu Zhuqing added.

Surrounded by the three girls, an inexplicable sense of happiness welled up within Qin Chuan.

However, he didn't show much of it on his face. He simply looked up at the path ahead.

Tang San was walking at the very front, his pace quick, never looking back.

Dai Mubai walked behind him, occasionally glancing back, his gaze landing on Zhu Zhuqing, but she wasn't looking at him.

Qin Chuan took all of this in, the corners of his mouth curving slightly before he pressed them into a flat line again.

The three girls surrounded Qin Chuan as they made their way toward the cafeteria.