In Planquilon Academy, Chu Hong was fiddling with that invitation letter. âI wonder how Lan Yu is doing over there. She must be having lots of fun.â
âIf I knew about this earlier, I wouldâve gone to check it out as well.â
At that moment, a creaking sound sounded.
The door opened.
A surge of dense Immortalâs Core energy fluctuation emanated everywhere. It was so terrifying that it even made Chu Hong and Lil Fox tremble.
However, that Immortalâs Core fluctuation receded very quickly too, disappearing after an instant.
Chu Kuangren slowly walked out of his room.
At that, Chu Hong and Lil Fox both went to greet him.
âYouâve finally completed your closed-door meditation, Brother.â
âYeah.â Chu Kuangren nodded gently. Then, he looked around and asked curiously. âWhereâs Lan Yu?â
Chu Hong handed him the invitation letter and told him everything that happened.
âOh, the Cirrus Academyâs Elegant Gathering? I bet a lot of Heavenly Champions must be attending. It sounds exciting,â Chu Kuangren murmured.
â¦
On a mountain peak in Cirrus Academy.
As the Heavenly Champions arrived one after another, the atmosphere was buzzing. As the organizer of the gathering, Li Wangchen looked around him and said, âIt looks like only thirteen Heavenly Champions are here.â
There were nineteen Heavenly Champions in the Hundred Academy, thirteen of which were gathered here.
Each one of them was a notable elite among their peers.
When it came to their combat strength, they could even go head-on against a Heavenly Immortal!
2
âSo these are the Hundred Academyâs Heavenly Champions? When it comes to cultivation level, they are quite similar compared to Lin Jue. However, their auras are many times more powerful.â
âEach of them possesses the strength to go against those one level above them!â Among the crowd, Lan Yu thought to herself.
That was when one of the Heavenly Championâs gazes landed on Lan Yu. It was Scholar Yao from Peach Blossom Academy.
His eyes lit up, and he appeared before Lan Yu in a flash. Then, he chuckled. âI suppose you must be Lan Yu.â
âYes, I am.â
Lan Yu nodded.
It was not hard to recognize her as that silver-colored hair and Holy Light aura of hers made her stand out. However, she frowned when she looked at Scholar Yao.
She was very displeased by what he was making her feel, especially those eyes of his.
Although he had hidden it well with those beautiful eyes, that disgusting lust of his was still slipping out.
âGreetings, Miss Lan Yu. My name is Scholar Yao.â Scholar Yao bowed and greeted Lan Yu before reaching out to grab Lan Yuâs arm.
Lan Yu quickly dodged his advance and uttered with a cautious tone, âWhat are you trying to do?â
âOh, I hope you donât get me wrong, Miss Lan Yu. Iâm just kissing you on the hand as a greeting. Itâs one of the customs Iâve learned from one of the many countries Iâve traveled to.â Scholar Yao chuckled.
âItâs alright. You donât need to do that,â Lan Yu replied with a frown.
âA kiss on the hand?â
âI can clearly tell what heâs about to do. Itâs just as the name implies.â
She did not doubt the authenticity of his gesture. After all, the world of cultivation was huge, so various kinds of customs and traditions existed. However, she just despised Scholar Yao and did not want him to touch her.
âOh, my apologies. Iâll stop it then.â
Scholar Yao chuckled, not feeling awkward about it at all.
âSister Lan Yu, is Heavenly Champion Chu coming?â A woman, who had her hair tied in a bun and was wearing a snowy-white dress, walked toward Lan Yu and asked.
That woman was very gorgeous. She possessed a slender figure, with her skin smooth as silk, and her black hair was at waist length.
That mole near the corner of her eyebrow especially added a little more flair to her overall appearance.
She was a lady who was on par with Lan Yu when it came to beauty.
That woman was the Heavenly Champion of Inksnow Academy, Zhao Fangfei.
âWhen I came out, my Master was still in his closed-door meditation,â said Lan Yu.
âMaster? Did you just address Chu Kuangren as your Master?â
Scholar Yao, who was standing at the side, looked at her strangely.
âIs there a problem with that?â
âNo. Itâs just that a peerless beauty like you, Miss Lan Yu, should be taken care of properly. I just canât think of anyone who can make you pledge your loyalty and obedience like that.â Scholar Yao laughed.
A look of jealousy flashed across his eyes.
He already felt animosity toward Chu Kuangren, whom he had never met before.
âThis has nothing to do with you.â
Lan Yu noticed something about him and was even more displeased with Scholar Yao.
âI heard Heavenly Champion Chu has mastered two great conjurations of the Hundred Academy. I was hoping to meet such a talented and rare genius in Hundred Academy. Since he didnât come, Iâm afraid this Elegant Gathering has just become pale and boring for me.â
Zhao Fangfei shook her head and sighed.
The moment she said that, Scholar Yaoâs expression changed a little.
âItâs one thing for Lan Yu to be crazily loyal to Chu Kuangren but another for Zhao Fangfei, whoâs a fellow Heavenly Champion! Even she admires and respects him so much?â
At that thought, Scholar Yaoâs jealousy grew tenfold.
Since he had to maintain his gentlemanly demeanor in front of the two ladies, he controlled his facial expressions very well. However, he was secretly clenching his fists in anger.
Lan Yu frowned, feeling a little weirded out about it.
Logically speaking, Chu Kuangren had killed Lin Xian while she had killed Lin Jue, who were both students of Inksnow Academy. As Inksnow Academyâs Heavenly Champion, why was Zhao Fangfei so friendly with her? After all, the two dead were excellent students from her academy.
âCould she be a righteous person?â
âAlright. Let the Elegant Gathering begin.â
At that moment, Li Wangchen announced.
The Elegant Gathering was divided into two parts. The first part was a mental sparring session, while the second part was a mock battle.
âI heard Heavenly Champions Chuâs understanding of Dao is incredibly high. He once managed to give an enlightening lecture. If I can have a mental spar with him, Iâd surely benefit greatly from it.â
After the mental sparring session, Zhao Fangfei spoke.
A hopeful and longing look shone in her eyes.
The other Heavenly Champions frowned upon seeing that.
âDoes Zhao Fangfei really admire Chu Kuangren that much? So she would rather have a mental spar with him than us?â
Deep down, some of the Heavenly Champions felt dissatisfied to have heard what she said.
Not only was Zhao Fangdei a Heavenly Champion, but she was also a gorgeous woman. In the eyes of many in the Hundred Academy, she was a goddess.
How could they possibly stand seeing their goddess praising some stranger so much in front of them?
Especially Scholar Yao, his mouth was already beginning to twitch.
âInksnow Heavenly Champion, arenât you exaggerating a little too much here? No matter how good Chu Kuangren is, he isnât worthy of your praise,â one of the Heavenly Champions could not help but speak up.
âI truly mean everything I said about him.â
âNo way. Donât tell me that youâve fallen for Chu Kuangren, Inksnow Heavenly Champion? I heard Chu Kuangren is very handsome and that many female cultivators are mesmerized by him. You canât possibly beâ¦â that Heavenly Champion said with a strange expression on his face.
He did not finish his sentence, but everyone knew what he was trying to say.
Would their goddess judge a man by his looks?
Could she possibly be that superficial?!
Everyone felt helpless.
âHeavenly Champion Chuâs appearance and temperament are indeed rare and otherworldly. I was fortunate enough to meet him once, but the memory of that encounter is still fresh in my mind. However, I think everyone has misunderstood me. I only have the utmost admiration for Heavenly Champion Chu and do not have any feelings for him. Besides, how could he possibly fancy an average woman like me?â Zhao Fangfei laughed as she replied.
There was a hint of sadness and helplessness in her eyes.
It aggravated the crowd even more.
Zhao Fangfei was a goddess to them, yet she was now saying that she was only an average woman before Chu Kuangrenâs eyes.
âDoes she need to belittle herself like this?â
âHow much do you truly admire Chu Kuangren?!â
âIs he a god to you?â
Everyone gritted their teeth, hating Chu Kuangren for what he did to their goddess.
Standing among the crowd, Lan Yu could not help but frown as she looked at Zhao Fangfei.
âSomethingâs wrong!â
âSomethingâs very wrong here!â
âEvery word that comes out from Zhao Fangfeiâs mouth is praising Chu Kuangren, and as a result, it made everyone hate and resent Chu Kuangren more!â
âThis b*tch is directing everyoneâs hatred toward Master!â
Upon realizing that, Lan Yuâs gaze turned cold.