Get Past Me, Then Talk About the Future

After he finished speaking, he pushed open the door and walked out, leaving Tang Wuling and Gu Yuena staring at each other in disbelief.

"What kind of surprise do you think he'll give us?" Tang Wuling turned her head to look at Gu Yuena, unusually not using that tense tone.

"I don't know." Gu Yuena shook her head, a thoughtful glint in her purple eyes, but she didn't dwell on it. She simply picked up her number plate from the table and added casually, "But since it's what he said, it's definitely worth looking forward to."

"... It's rare for me to agree to your request," Tang Wuling muttered.

The two were silent for a moment, then turned their heads away, ignoring each other.

A few days later, the Skysea Alliance Grand Tournament was drawing to a close.

The individual competition progressed one match after another, with opponents changing repeatedly on the stage. Finally, the tickets to the finals arrived as scheduled.

All the children from Class Zero of the Eastsea Academy were eliminated. Although they were outstanding among their peers, their age was a factor. Facing opponents who were a few years older and more experienced, making it into the top 32 was already a good achievement.

"Today is the final between Miss Tang Wuling and Miss Gu Yuena... Why isn't the boss here?"

Xie Xie craned his neck and looked around from the stands, scanning the area again and again, but he still couldn't spot that familiar figure.

There were several unopened bottles of drinks on the seat next to him, clearly reserved for someone.

"They must have been held up by something," Xu Xiaoyan, sitting next to him with her knees drawn up to her chest. She tilted her head and thought for a moment. "After all, the three of them are such good friends, how could they not come to watch the game?"

"And what about you?" Xie Xie suddenly changed the subject, leaning closer with a gossipy look on his face. "Why do I see you going out with the boss every day lately?"

"No... no way!" Xu Xiaoyan's face flushed red instantly, and her voice rose several octaves. "This is just normal behavior for a fan! It's just normal interaction between a fan and their idol!"

In fact, Xu Xiaoyan had already been poached by Qi Ji.

Just a few days ago, Qi Ji approached her privately, promising her generous training resources and future development path, and Xu Xiaoyan agreed almost without hesitation.

After all, it was a personal invitation from the Federation's number one genius; who wouldn't be tempted?

As for the Eastsea Academy... it doesn't matter, just forget about it.

Her family also supported her to follow Qi Ji's development. After all, the Xu Family was in the finance department of Skysea City Bureau, so they had connections and resources. They wouldn't owe Eastsea Academy anything in terms of training expenses. What should be paid would be paid, and what should be supplemented would be supplemented. The two families parted amicably.

Just as a few people were chatting in the stands, the stadium's announcement came over the loudspeaker—

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the individual finals of this year's Skysea Alliance Grand Tournament Competition! After the intense competition in the past few days, I believe you have already gotten to know the two finalists—the renowned Golden Dragon Princess, Tang Wuling, and the Silver Dragon Princess, Gu Yuena!"

"These two geniuses, who have been fiercely competing on the Young Genius Rankings, will surely bring us an incredibly exciting match today!"

Enthusiastic applause and cheers erupted from the audience, and confetti and glow sticks waved in the air.

Everyone eagerly awaited the ultimate showdown between the two gifted young girls.

However, at that moment—

Suddenly, the entire stadium's giant screen went black, and a piercing electrical interference sound came from the speakers, as if the signal had been forcibly cut off by something.

Immediately afterwards, all the lights in the stadium went out at the same moment, plunging the entire Skysea Gymnasium into a brief period of darkness.

The audience erupted in commotion, gasps of surprise filled the air, and some even thought they had been attacked by Evil Soul Master, nearly turning tail and running towards the exit.

Fortunately, the lights returned to normal after a few seconds.

The large screen lit up again, and a figure sitting in the darkness appeared on the screen.

Qi Ji sat in a high-backed chair, his hands folded on his knees, his golden dragon eyes shining like two inextinguishable lamps in the dim light.

His face was calm, with a faint smile at the corners of his mouth, and he exuded a composure and dignity that was completely out of character for his age.

People often say, "The future belongs to the young people; the future belongs to you."

Qi Ji's voice rang out simultaneously from the speakers around the venue, deep and clear. "For countless years, countless people have repeated this phrase as if it were an unshakeable truth."

He stood up from the chair and slowly walked out of the darkness, the light in the scene gradually illuminating his entire body.

He stood in front of the camera, leaned slightly forward, and put a finger to his lips, making a "shush" gesture.

"But countless realities have proven that only geniuses have a future, and only the geniuses among geniuses have a true future."

He straightened up, his golden dragon eyes staring directly into the camera, as if looking at everyone present. "What I want to say is—want to prove yourself? Get past me first, then we can talk about the future."

The screen went black again.

The next moment, a spotlight descended from the sky and shone precisely on the center of the arena— Qi Ji's figure had already appeared there, dressed in a clean and neat casual outfit, his hands in his pockets, as if he had been waiting for a long time.

At the entrance to the contestants' passage below the stage, Tang Wuling and Gu Yuena were standing there, and they also saw the video on the big screen.

The two looked at each other for a moment, their expressions different.

"I'm getting Qi Ji... really?"

Tang Wuling blinked, her tone carrying a sense of bewilderment, as if to say, "This plot doesn't seem right."

Even though she had broken four layers of the Golden Dragon King's seal and raised her level to thirty-seven with Old Tang's help in the past few days, she still felt uncertain when facing Qi Ji.

That guy was so intimidating; just standing in front of him, she could feel that insurmountable chasm.

"What's there to be afraid of?" Gu Yuena stood beside her, her tone as calm as if she were discussing what to eat today. "It's not shameful to lose a fight."

She said this, but her gaze was fixed on the figure in the center of the arena, a hint of seriousness flashing in her purple eyes.

She also wanted to see just how much her "child" had grown.

"Don't hold me back later." Tang Wuling turned her head away and snorted.

"Shouldn't I be the one saying that?" Gu Yuena replied calmly. "You're the one who gets easily carried away."

"Let's see who's the MVP and who's just a freeloader."

"Snort."

The two still don't get along, but today they have to work together to fight Qi Ji.

They exchanged a glance, and unusually, stopped arguing. Instead, they both stepped forward and walked towards the door leading to the arena.

Soon, it was time for them to enter.

The crowd in the stands erupted in even louder cheers when the two entered the ring, but their eyes were all fixed on the figure standing tall in the center of the ring, like a mountain, seemingly insurmountable.

Tang Wuling and Gu Yuena slowly stepped onto the arena, one on each side.