The Finals Come Early, and a Thief Gets Caught

As Ning Tian spoke, she even took two steps closer.

A faint orchid-like fragrance wafted from her, but Li Qingming gazed at Ning Tian calmly.

A trace of affection—or perhaps approval—shone in the girl's eyes.

That look held a fatal allure for many boys. Or rather, no one could resist being acknowledged by a beautiful girl.

Yet as Li Qingming gazed at her, his golden eyes remained calm and utterly unmoved.

As their eyes met again, the pitiful expression on Ning Tian's face grew somewhat awkward.

The boy's gaze was calm, and his eyes held no particularly complicated emotions.

Looking into those eyes, Ning Tian's gaze flickered. It seemed that the instant their eyes met, he had seen right through her pretense.

At the sight of this, Ning Tian's expression froze for a second. Her fingers, which had been resting on Li Qingming's palm, lifted instinctively, no longer daring to stay there.

"Then we won't bother you. Wu Feng, let's go. They have a match tomorrow, so we shouldn't disturb them."

Ning Tian's voice was soft. When she finished, she turned and walked away, looking somewhat dejected.

But Wu Feng, standing nearby, stared fixedly at Li Qingming, her eyes brimming with murderous intent.

Yet meeting Wu Feng's gaze, Li Qingming didn't even look at her.

He could sense Ning Tian's pretense, and naturally, he could sense Wu Feng's anger as well.

Ning Tian couldn't possibly have failed to notice. Or rather, at this stage, Ning Tian and Wu Feng already felt something for each other—perhaps even a deep affection.

But at this stage, Ning Tian knew she couldn't be with Wu Feng. Or rather, Wu Feng wasn't worthy of her.

Wu Feng's talent—or the fact that she was also a woman—wasn't enough to earn Ning Tian's approval.

Wu Feng simply wasn't enough to make a life together possible.

As the young sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Tian needed a powerful man.

A man who could support her, a man who could father her children—not a woman.

Li Qingming knew this and saw it clearly, so he didn't care about Ning Tian in the slightest.

But Wu Feng couldn't see through it, and resentment filled her eyes.

Still, hearing Ning Tian's words, Wu Feng was full of reluctance. But thinking of Li Qingming's strength, she turned and left angrily all the same.

As the two of them turned to leave, Wang Dong opened his mouth as well.

He, too, glared angrily at Ning Tian's retreating figure, but he likewise had no idea what to say.

Back in the dormitory, Li Qingming sat cross-legged and continued cultivating, while Wang Dong sat cross-legged nearby.

The expression on his face made him look like a wronged little wife, but Li Qingming acted as though he didn't see it.

Even if he did see it, he wouldn't know what to say. He couldn't exactly discuss these things with Wang Dong.

So Li Qingming could only swallow his bitterness in silence, with no way to express it.

But Wang Dong's mood came and went quickly.

Looking at Li Qingming sitting there, he said cheerfully, "Tomorrow's the quarterfinals. Dai Huabin is on the opposing team, and I know he's really strong—strong enough to be called a formidable rival."

"As long as we beat him, this year's championship is definitely ours."

Wang Dong spoke excitedly, but Li Qingming only glanced at him.

"Dai Huabin isn't alone. That Zhu Lu and the other girl are both pretty strong too."

Wang Dong was clearly taken aback when Li Qingming responded to him.

As Li Qingming spoke, he plopped down on his own plush bed, a disdainful look in his eyes.

"What's so unbeatable about them? Zhu Lu's pretty strong, but she's nothing special. If we really fought, it's anyone's guess who'd win."

Wang Dong spoke with a hint of arrogance. This match was practically the final already.

Although the two teams had run into each other in the quarterfinals, the result was effectively the same as if they had met in the final.

After all, the other teams were fairly mediocre. At most, they had a three-ringed Soul Master leading them, so they couldn't possibly match these two teams.

Whichever of these two teams won, they would almost certainly be the final victor. That was why this match had attracted so much attention.

As night fell, Li Qingming slowly got to his feet.

His gaze lingered on Wang Dong for a moment, then he quickly left the academy.

Outside the dormitory, the damp night air washed over him. Li Qingming sighed.

With a few quick steps, a black robe covered his body in an instant, and he headed deeper into the academy.

He was after the academy's roster. This was an order from Ye Xishui.

At this stage, he couldn't disobey Ye Xishui's orders. Or rather, he didn't particularly care about the relationship between Shrek Academy and Ye Xishui.

He quickly made his way toward the teaching building.

The building was almost completely empty at this hour. After all, it was nighttime, and hardly anyone was around.

Shrek's defenses were all focused outward, so Li Qingming entered the teaching building with ease.

When he reached the office of the academic affairs department, he already knew exactly where Du Weilun's desk was.

He easily opened the door.

His gaze swept across Du Weilun's desk, and then he reached out and slowly opened the files.

After a brief search, he found the roster for this year's first-year students.

Looking at the roster, he lifted his hand and stored it in his ring.

Without pausing, he headed straight downstairs.

But as soon as he stepped out of the teaching building, Zhou Yi appeared directly in front of him.

Seeing Zhou Yi standing there, her face wary, Li Qingming froze for a moment.

He hadn't expected to be so unlucky as to run into Zhou Yi the instant he came out.

Zhou Yi looked at him just as warily, and six Soul Rings suddenly appeared around her.

Feeling the aura of her Six Rings—especially the terrifying presence of the final, pure-black Soul Ring—Li Qingming's calm eyes grew even more solemn and deep.

"Who are you? Why are you in Shrek Academy? You look like a student."

Zhou Yi's gaze was stern, and Li Qingming's eyes flickered slightly.

He met Zhou Yi's gaze and took a step back.

A fallen, tainted power emerged from his body, the purest Evil energy manifesting around him.

At the same time, three deep-purple Soul Rings appeared around him.

Seeing the strange purple-black Soul Rings, Zhou Yi's eyes flickered.

She stepped forward, and her hand transformed into a red dragon claw in an instant. Terrifying flames came crashing down.

Feeling the scorching power, Li Qingming showed no fear.

He stared at Zhou Yi. The two of them had fought before, and back then, Li Qingming had been no match for Zhou Yi at all.

But if he truly went all out and used every trump card, he wouldn't actually be at a disadvantage.

Even against a Soul Emperor from Shrek Academy, the same held true.

As Li Qingming looked toward Zhou Yi, the third Soul Ring around him lit up. At the same time, flames of grayish red, terrifying to the extreme, erupted around him.