Keqing Kitty

Hearing Yan Shaozhe's change in how he addressed Jing Liu, Ma Xiaotao's eyes widened in shock as she looked at her teacher in disbelief.

She simply could not understand why her always-proud teacher had suddenly undergone such a drastic change in attitude.

But Yan Shaozhe had no time to mind Ma Xiaotao's gaze. He still kept his head slightly lowered in a humble posture, his tone brimming with sincerity.

Seeing this, Lu Jingming's lips curled into an almost imperceptible smile.

In truth, everything had gone according to his calculations. He had deliberately wanted Jing Liu to display her formidable strength.

After all, two years had passed, and Jing Liu's strength had reached a whole new level compared to what it had been two years ago.

In his view, the stronger Jing Liu appeared, the more absolute an advantage they would hold in negotiations with Shrek Academy, allowing them to gain even more benefits from the academy.

"Negotiate the terms yourselves. I'll act afterward."

Jing Liu was clearly utterly uninterested in such trivial bargaining. With an icy expression, she casually left those words behind and said nothing more.

Upon hearing this, a trace of joy immediately appeared on Yan Shaozhe's previously tense face.

In his eyes, as long as the other side was willing to sit down and discuss terms, there was still room for things to turn around, and everything remained negotiable.

Yan Shaozhe's gaze slowly shifted to Lu Jingming. Though the boy before him still looked young and slight, he was, after all, the City Lord of Haiyuan City. From Jing Liu's attitude toward him, it was clear that Lu Jingming could not be treated as an ordinary child.

Seeing this, Lu Jingming helplessly spread his hands, then turned his gaze toward Chang Li, who was slowly approaching.

"Dean Yan, allow me to discuss the specifics with you in detail. This way, please."

With a gentle smile, Chang Li walked forward with light steps and spoke in a leisurely, unhurried tone.

Yan Shaozhe narrowed his eyes before smiling. "Then I'll gladly accept!"

He had already prepared himself for a heavy loss. Judging from Chang Li's bearing alone, he knew that this woman who resembled a phoenix would not be easy to deal with.

Still, for Ma Xiaotao's sake, as long as it did not endanger Shrek Academy, he could accept paying some price.

Without further hesitation, he lifted his foot and followed Chang Li away, looking as though he had completely forgotten his own disciple.

Ma Xiaotao opened her mouth at the sight, utterly speechless.

But she soon realized this was a perfect chance to regain some face. She immediately looked provocatively at Lu Jingming, lifted her chin, and said, "It's pretty boring just standing around. How about we have a spirit fight?"

On the Douluo Continent, spirit fighting was an extremely popular activity. Put simply, it was a sparring battle between soul masters.

Many soul masters loved going to the Spirit Fighting Arena to participate in spirit fights. On one hand, it allowed them to hone their combat skills and continuously improve through real battle. On the other, it was also one of the effective ways to increase their strength.

Compared with fighting savage soul beasts, spirit fights were much safer. Most legitimate Spirit Fighting Arenas had powerful experts stationed there to maintain order, and participants were explicitly forbidden from killing their opponents.

Most combatants also followed the agreement to stop at the proper point. Though accidental deaths inevitably occurred in battles between soul masters, the overall mortality rate was not high.

At this moment, Ma Xiaotao's proposal for a spirit fight was obviously intended to use this opportunity to teach Lu Jingming a proper lesson and show him how formidable she was.

Lu Jingming could not help rolling his eyes. He knew perfectly well that he was only a Soul Grandmaster, while Ma Xiaotao was a genuine Soul Ancestor. Fighting her would be nothing but asking for trouble.

Although he had trained diligently in swordsmanship under Jing Liu since childhood, and his swordsmanship could be considered quite accomplished, actual combat was ultimately different from merely practicing with a sword.

He had been a shut-in in his previous life, and in this life, too, he had rarely experienced fierce battles with others. It was not as though he had no combat experience at all, but it was far from extensive—especially considering that he was only eight years old.

"If it's a spirit fight, I'll accompany you."

At that moment, Zhang Lexuan slowly stepped forward with elegant strides, carrying the adorable Pink-haired little fox in her arms.

She looked calmly at Ma Xiaotao, a faint smile resting on her delicate face.

Ma Xiaotao first looked at Lu Jingming, then turned her gaze to Zhang Lexuan. Thoughtfully, she said, "Sure. Then let's have a little match."

She looked Zhang Lexuan up and down, thinking that the other girl did not appear to be much older than herself, so her strength probably could not be that impressive either.

Moreover, Zhang Lexuan's obvious attempt to protect Lu Jingming earlier had inexplicably stirred irritation within her. Now, she could hardly wait to defeat her in the spirit fight.

The beach by the sea was extremely vast, making it perfectly suited as a spirit fighting ground.

Zhang Lexuan gently set the Little Fox in her arms down, allowing it to happily run toward a purple-haired young woman in the distance. She then turned and stood facing Ma Xiaotao.

The sea breeze softly brushed past them, stirring their hair as the atmosphere gradually became tense.

"You really are Lexuan's darling. For your sake, she's even willing to bully someone younger than her!"

The speaker was the purple-haired young woman. She held the Pink-haired little fox in her arms and appeared to be about the same age as Zhang Lexuan, around seventeen or eighteen.

Her head was adorned with an inventive cat-ear hairstyle, though a closer look revealed that it was actually a carefully styled pair of twin ponytails, making her look playful, cute, and lively.

She wore a purple-and-white dress that cleverly blended the charm of Eastern classical style with a modern sense of fashion.

The purple and white complemented each other beautifully, while her skirt swayed in the wind like a living painting.

The combination of black stockings and high heels added another touch of unique charm. Her seemingly contradictory yet harmonious style was eye-catching enough to make people want to look twice.

"Hm? Are you jealous, Keqing Kitty?" Lu Jingming blinked, a teasing smile on his face as he deliberately poked fun at her.

"Jealous, my ass. Have some respect for your elders—you should call me Sister Keqing." Keqing rolled her eyes irritably, then reached out and gently pinched Lu Jingming's cheek, the gesture carrying a hint of intimacy.

Afterward, she placed the eager Little Fox on Lu Jingming's head. The little fox obediently lay there, looking exceptionally adorable.

Keqing was a character from the popular mobile game Genshin Impact. In the game, she was the Jade Chamber Star among the Liyue Qixing.

Lu Jingming had manifested her into this world over the past two years, placing her in charge of the planning and construction of all Haiyuan City.

This stunning Sea Cliff Villa was Keqing's work. Of course, she was mainly responsible for planning and design, but the earth-shaking changes Haiyuan City had undergone over the past two years were inseparable from her contributions.