When the next day came, Cai Wei greeted Li Luo, who had just arisen. He looked absolutely terrible, with black eye-circles and sluggish movements. It was as though he had not slept well the previous night.
"What's wrong? Didn't sleep well?" Cai Wei asked with concern.
Li Luo shook his head and smiled. "The academy has been having their preliminary examinations recently, and I think the stress has gotten to me."
He didn't want to mention the situation of him having to face off against Song Yunfeng today. There wasn't any point.
Cai Wei nodded knowingly, and her radiant and beautiful egg-shaped face had an encouraging expression. "Do your best! I'm sure you can do it!"
"Oh, Yan Lingqing asked about you yesterday. It seems that you didn't go to the Suncreek Villa?"
While hurriedly stuffing several mouths of porridge into his mouth, Li Luo garbled, "Please let her know that once my preliminary examinations are done, I will spend more effort on resonance smithing. If she wants to find me for a chat, I will be more than pleased to do so then!"
Cai Wei smiled mischievously. "Why did you not tell her personally?"
"I was afraid she might beat me to death," Li Luo answered honestly before devouring his breakfast. After waving goodbye, he quickly ran off.
Seeing this scene, Cai Wei could only shrug helplessly as she watched Li Luo escape, wryly shaking her head. After which, she continued to have her breakfast as though nothing had happened, slowly chewing and enjoying it.
...
"Li Luo." As Li Luo made his way to Southwind Academy, he heard a familiar, clear, and crisp voice behind him. Turning around, he saw the good-looking and immaculate Lu Qing'er sitting right beneath a massive viridescent tree.
Lu Qing'er was currently wearing a black, short-skirted academy uniform. This coupled with her snow-white skin made the sight of her even more attractive. Her thin waist and short skirt further accentuated her slender legs. She was so eye-catching that everyone who was in the vicinity would furtively glance at her every so often.
Li Luo, hearing her greeting, immediately walked over and gave a casual smile.
"I heard you're going to be facing off against Song Yunfeng today?" Lu Qing'er asked as her brows knitted together in a frown.
Li Luo could only nod in response.
"What do you plan to do?" Lu Qing'er asked.
Li Luo paused for a moment before frankly responding. "I'll probably just give up on the fight."
Hearing this response, Lu Qing'er gave a light laugh, but there was no intention to mock him. Instead, she only seriously nodded. "That is a very logical decision. There is no need for you to prove yourself against him. With your talent in the resonance arts, the gap between you two will lessen in time."
"I feel the same way too."
At this point, Lu Qing'er became slightly silent and solemn. "I'd like to apologize for what has happened. I think that part of the reason why the situation has devolved to such an extent is because of me."
Li Luo smiled, "Well, honestly, you're barely the problem. It mostly has to do with the relationship between House Luolan and the Song family. Of course, I think the bigger reason is that Song Yunfeng is afraid."
"Afraid?" Lu Qing'er's almond-shaped eyes blinked curiously.
Li Luo gave an insipid smile. "Well, he's afraid that I will return to that form I had in the past. If that were to happen, he would forever live in my shadow and all of his effort throughout the years would go to waste. People would ridicule him." If anyone else heard these words, they would think that Li Luo had a screw loose in his head. Furthermore, the Song Yunfeng of today had much more influence and standing in the academy than Li Luo.
Lu Qing'er, on the other hand, looked pensive. She was extremely clear about how outstanding and exceptional Li Luo was in his prime. Even now she found it hard to match up to him, much less Song Yunfeng.
"So, he wants to firmly suppress and completely crush you before you are able to mature? This also serves to fortify his own confidence?" Lu Qing'er asked.
"Most likely." Li Luo nodded.
"If this is the case, then he won't let you give up so easily," Lu Qing'er commented.
"I hope he won't do that. If that's the case..." Li Luo mumbled. Following which, he waved goodbye to Lu Qing'er and walked in the direction of the Second School, where he heard some indistinct shouts.
"...then I will have no other choice."
Lu Qing'er stared at his leaving silhouette, slightly shocked as Li Luo didn't seem to be pushed to his wits’ end. Perhaps he had some other means to avoid the fight with Song Yunfeng?
…...
Li Luo's first fight ended without any surprises. The second battle was organized as the final fight of the preliminary examinations.
It seemed as though it was set up to be a fitting finale to the examination.
The field was a hubbub of voices and shouts whilst innumerable students crowded around it.
On the upper platform sat Dean Wei Sha and the rest of the teachers, ready to watch the battle.
"Keke. Who would have expected Li Luo to clash with Song Yunfeng? Do you think there will even be a fight?" Dean Wei gave a lengthy laugh.
Lin Feng put on an indifferent smile. "What sort of meaning is there in such a pointless battle?"
Xu Shanyue sighed darkly. "There might not even be a battle. This is completely imbalanced, and an instant forfeit would be best. There's no need to fight and humiliate himself."
Although Li Luo was from the Second School and Xu Shanyue was extremely biased towards him, the odds were clearly stacked against Li Luo.
The gap was large, and it seemed impossible.
The old dean nodded as he sighed. "Li Luo has already entered the ranks of the top 20. This already demonstrates his exceptional speed in catching up. If he was given more time, reaching Song Yunfeng's level would not be difficult. However, with how little time there has been, he is still lacking."
As they continued to banter, the atmosphere came to a head as the appointed time of battle approached silently.
Song Yunfeng got up from his seat and confidently floated atop the battle stage. His upright posture and handsome face seemed to create an image of a heroic warrior.
When Song Yunfeng took the field, enthusiastic cheers resounded throughout. One could see his exceptional reputation and fame within the academy by looking at the crowd’s display of excitement.
On the other half of the field, Li Luo also gradually made his way atop the stage under the watchful eyes of the crowd.
"Wow, he's so handsome! He's even better looking than that Yunfeng guy!" Although Li Luo did not make any fancy moves when entering the stage, numerous girls immediately screamed their heads off when he stood atop the battle stage. He had inherited his parents' excellent genes and he truly was top-notch when it came to appearances. Relatively speaking, Song Yunfeng looked like a peasant standing next to royalty.
Comparatively speaking, the two individuals atop the battle stage had tuned out all of these extraneous elements and focused their minds on their upcoming fight.
Li Luo stared at Song Yunfeng directly as he raised his hand.
Before he could speak, Song Yunfeng dully asked, "Are you planning to give up?"
Li Luo smiled. "Are you planning to humiliate me with words? So that my hot headedness will lead me into a direct clash with you?"
Song Yunfeng's eyelid twitched upon hearing this blunt accusation. He indifferently replied, "I will not humiliate you. I just think that your parents must be proud of a son like you, bringing them fame with your courageous moves."
With that provocation, the entire field turned silent. Who would have thought that Song Yunfeng's words would be so blunt and insidious?
Li Luo was also a little stunned upon hearing those words. Following which, he gave Song Yunfeng a thumbs up. "Truly amazing. This is truly a single fatal blow! Well, since it's come to this..."
At this point, Li Luo started to stretch his neck muscles and cracked his knuckles. Immediately after, he rushed at Song Yunfeng with a toothy smile. The only thing was that his pearly-white grin seemed to be filled with a trace of ruthlessness.
"Come on, then, Song family's son of a b*tch! I'll give you one chance to fight. Lets see if you're good enough to take a bite out of me!"