Having figured that out, Lin Chen held nothing back. With a slight twist of his waist, he abruptly raised his elbow and drove it into Tie Zhan's side with light, precise force.
"Ugh!"
Tie Zhan grunted as a dull ache spread through his side, and the arm draped over Lin Chen's shoulders instinctively loosened.
Seizing the moment when pain made him release his grip, Lin Chen shifted sideways and slipped free of his arm. He returned to Zhu Zhuqing's side and continued walking beside her, utterly ignoring Tie Zhan's pained grimace.
Up ahead, Zhao Tian and Mo Yuan noticed the little scuffle behind them. Both shook their heads helplessly, then quickened their steps in unspoken agreement.
The entire group abruptly picked up speed. Everyone stopped fooling around and pressed steadily onward. With nothing blocking their path, they soon left the wooded hills of the Sunset Forest behind them.
The sun sank in the west, its warm golden afterglow spilling across the earth and dyeing the clouds along the horizon gold and crimson. As evening approached, the outline of a magnificent academy slowly came into view beneath the distant skyline.
Just as everyone looked toward the academy and prepared to hasten their return, a particularly conspicuous group appeared on the road ahead.
A small group of young men and women in matching outfits were walking together toward the gates of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Though few in number, they had a distinctive air utterly unlike that of the Heaven Dou Academy's students.
"Huh? Are those people up ahead students from the Heaven Dou Academy? They don't really look like it." Tie Zhan narrowed his eyes and scrutinized the group ahead, his face full of confusion.
The other team members also looked up, their gazes brimming with curiosity. These people wore