Early Finals and Caught Stealing

Ning Tian spoke as she stepped two paces closer.

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

There was a faint trace of affection in the girl's eyes—or perhaps approval.

That kind of look held fatal allure for many boys. Or rather, no one could remain unmoved by the approval of a beautiful girl.

Yet as he looked at her, Li Qingming's calm golden eyes remained utterly placid.

As their gazes met once more, the pitiful expression on Ning Tian's face became somewhat awkward.

The young man's gaze was calm, with no overly complicated emotions in his eyes.

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

Seeing this, Ning Tian's expression froze for a second. The fingers resting on Li Qingming's palm lifted unconsciously, no longer daring to remain there.

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

Ning Tian's voice was very soft. After speaking, she turned and left, looking somewhat dejected.

However, Wu Feng, standing beside her, stared fiercely at Li Qingming, overwhelming killing intent surging in her eyes.

Yet in the face of Wu Feng's glare, Li Qingming did not even look at her.

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

There was no way Ning Tian had failed to notice this. Or rather, at this stage, Ning Tian and Wu Feng had already developed feelings for each other—perhaps even deep feelings.

But at this stage, Ning Tian understood that she could not be with Wu Feng. Or rather, Wu Feng was not worthy of her.

Wu Feng's talent, as well as the fact that she was also a woman, was not enough to earn Ning Tian's approval.

Wu Feng was also not enough for the two of them to be together.

As the young sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, what she needed was a powerful man.

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

Li Qingming knew this and saw it clearly, so he did not care about Ning Tian in the slightest.

But Wu Feng could not see through it, so her eyes were filled with resentment.

Still, upon hearing Ning Tian's words, although Wu Feng was full of unwillingness, when she thought of Li Qingming's strength, she ultimately turned and left in anger.

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

He too glared angrily at Ning Tian's departing back, but he likewise did not know what he ought to say.

After returning to the dormitory, Li Qingming sat down and continued cultivating cross-legged, while Wang Dong also sat cross-legged nearby.

The expression on his face made him look like a wronged young wife, but Li Qingming pretended not to see it.

Even if he saw it, he would not know what to say. He could hardly discuss such matters with Wang Dong.

Thus, Li Qingming felt like a mute swallowing bitter herbs—he had grievances but could not voice them.

However, Wang Dong's emotions came quickly and faded just as quickly.

Looking at Li Qingming sitting there, he still said happily:

"Tomorrow is the quarterfinals. That team has Dai Huabin. I know he's very strong, enough to count as a formidable opponent."

"As long as we defeat him, first place this year will definitely be ours."

Wang Dong spoke with excitement on his face, but Li Qingming merely glanced at him.

"Dai Huabin isn't alone. That Zhu Lu and the other girl aren't weak either."

Wang Dong was clearly stunned when he heard Li Qingming respond to him.

Seeing Li Qingming speak, he plopped down onto his fluffy bed, his eyes full of disdain.

"What's there that we can't beat? Zhu Lu may be strong, but she's nothing special. If we really fight, it's hard to say who will win."

Wang Dong spoke with a proud expression. This match was practically the final one already.

Although the two teams had met early in the quarterfinals, it essentially represented the final outcome.

After all, the other teams were rather ordinary in strength. At most, they had three-ring Soul Masters leading them, so there was no way they could be a match for these two teams.

Whichever of these two teams won would practically determine the ultimate victor, which was why this match drew exceptional attention.

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

His gaze lingered on Wang Dong for an instant before he quickly left the academy.

Outside the dormitory, damp moisture carried by the night breeze washed over him, and Li Qingming sighed.

His feet tapped the ground in rapid succession. In an instant, a black robe covered his entire body, and he headed deeper into the academy.

He needed the academy's roster this time, as that was the order Ye Xishui had given him.

At this stage, he could not defy Ye Qishui's orders. Or rather, he did not particularly care about the relationship between Shrek Academy and Ye Qishui.

His figure swiftly headed toward the teaching building.

The teaching building was nearly deserted at this hour. After all, it was nighttime, and there was hardly anyone around.

Shrek's defenses were also directed outward, so Li Qingming easily entered the teaching building.

Upon arriving at the Academic Affairs Office, he had long since learned Du Weilun's location beforehand.

He easily opened the door.

His gaze swept across Du Weilun's desk before he raised a hand and slowly flipped through the files.

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

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

Then, without lingering in the slightest, he headed straight downstairs.

The moment he exited the teaching building, Zhou Yi appeared directly in front of him.

Li Qingming was also stunned to see Zhou Yi standing there with a vigilant expression.

He had not expected to be so unlucky as to run into Zhou Yi the instant he came out.

Zhou Yi's gaze was likewise filled with wariness, and six soul rings abruptly appeared around her.

Sensing the aura of her six rings, especially the terrifying aura radiated by the pure black final soul ring on her body, Li Qingming's calm eyes grew increasingly grave and profound.

"Who are you? Why are you in Shrek Academy? From the looks of you, you should be a student."

Zhou Yi's gaze was cold and fixed, while Li Qingming's eyes flickered slightly.

He looked directly at Zhou Yi and took a step back.

A fallen, impure power emerged from his body as an ultimate evil force surfaced around him.

At the same time, three deep purple soul rings appeared around him.

Seeing those strange purple-black soul rings, Zhou Yi's gaze flickered.

She took a step forward, and her palm instantly transformed into a red dragon claw as terrifying fire power bore down upon him.

Sensing that scorching force, Li Qingming showed no fear in his eyes.

He stared at Zhou Yi. The two had fought before, and at that time, Li Qingming had been no match for Zhou Yi at all.

But if he truly went all out and used every trump card he had, he would not actually be at a disadvantage.

Even against a Soul Emperor—one from Shrek Academy.

As Li Qingming looked at Zhou Yi, his third soul ring instantly lit up, and terrifying grayish-red flames erupted around him.