This answer seemed to please her. Her smile deepened, carrying a hint of anticipation, and she spoke softly:
"Alright, then let's continue after I wake up. Also," she paused, a flash of amusement in her eyes, "when we finish, I'll take you to watch a'show'."
Kong Mingan's mouth twitched slightly. In this state, why was she still insistent on continuing? But ultimately, he didn't speak up, as he was technically in the wrong for breaking the agreement first.
Just as he was about to ask what the "show" Zhang Lexuan referred to was, he realized Zhang Lexuan was already leaning against him, her eyes tightly closed, her breathing becoming steady and deep.
She was already asleep?
Kong Mingan was slightly surprised, but he dropped the idea of pressing further.
After tidying up the immediate area slightly, Kong Mingan gently lifted her into his arms.
Walking over to the nearby sofa and sitting down, Kong Mingan carefully adjusted her position so she could rest more comfortably in his embrace.
Following this, he picked up the coat he had taken off earlier and slowly draped it over her body.
After finishing all this, Kong Mingan lowered his head and quietly gazed at the serene sleeping face of the person in his arms.
At this moment, Zhang Lexuan no longer held the sickly, obsessive appearance she had earlier. Her features were cool and delicate, yet carried a sense of fragile vulnerability that drew one's gaze.
Kong Mingan's gaze lingered.
Just a moment ago, she was brimming with Killing Intent, ready to kill everyone, but now she was perfectly quiet. Recalling how they usually interacted...
Kong Mingan's fingertip gently brushed her hair, a flicker of confusion crossing his eyes.
Was this... some kind of contrast?
...Time flowed slowly. Meanwhile, in Shrek Academy's Outer Court, the freshman assessment had progressed to the semi-finals, the four-to-two elimination round.
Compared to previous years, where the freshman assessment was only held internally within Shrek, this year's assessment was vastly different.
Under the premise of "showcasing the Spirit of the freshmen and demonstrating the academy's heritage," put forth by Zhang Lexuan, the prospective master of the Sea God Pavilion, this year's freshman assessment was opened to the public.
Furthermore, it wasn't a simple public opening. Under Zhang Lexuan's leadership, Shrek Academy initiated a partnership with the Mingmeng Chamber of Commerce.
Shrek was responsible for expanding the competition venue, while the Chamber of Commerce utilized its "Mingmeng Daily" newspaper, which was spread throughout the Douluo Three Kingdoms, and its vast media network to promote the freshman assessment.
Facts proved that this move was successful.
After the initial elimination rounds concluded, exciting combat footage, carefully edited by the Chamber of Commerce to highlight individual strength and teamwork, was spread through newspapers and nascent Spirit tool projection technology. This seemed to polish the tarnished reputation of "Shrek," restoring some of its luster.
Upon seeing this situation, some of the old masters who had previously viewed Zhang Lexuan's methods as aggressive and harbored doubts, along with representatives from other Family factions, softened their stance. They rushed to show goodwill, attempting to use their usual tactics to pull Zhang Lexuan onto their side.
For them, profit came first.
Zhang Lexuan accepted all comers regarding this, but merely noted their names silently.
At this moment, inside a massive arena specially constructed for this grand event, the atmosphere was lively and the crowd was roaring.
The four-to-two semi-finals were currently underway.
On one side was Dai Huabin, hailing from the White Tiger Duke's Residence in the Star Luo Empire, possessing the pure White Tiger Spirit, and whose cultivation had already reached the Spirit ElderRealm.
His two teammates were also Spirit Grandmasters, one of whom possessed the Hell CivetSpirit, capable of executing the astonishingly powerful SpiritFusion Skill, Hell White Tiger, with Dai Huabin.
They were the recognized favorites to win this freshman assessment.
On the other side was Huo Yuhao, the final Disciple personally taken in by Sect MasterDu Busi of the Body Sect.
He possesses the Body Spirit, Spiritual Eyes. It is said that his Innatespirit power was only Rank One, but relying on astonishing perseverance and Sect resources, he accumulated strength and is now a two-ring Spirit Grandmaster, even possessing the extraordinary spirit ring configuration of one yellow and one purple spirit ring.
The two teammates he led were also Spirit Grandmasters.
Both teams had dominated the competition with perfect winning records since the start.
Dai Huabin's team excelled due to their absolute power and the decisive Hell White Tiger. Every time the Fusion Skill was used, it signaled the end of the match.
Huo Yuhao's team, however, excelled in being mysterious and unpredictable.
Since the competition began, it was almost always Huo Yuhao himself who acted. Yet, often, merely a flash in his eyes would inexplicably cause his opponents to collapse and lose consciousness. His methods were bizarre and difficult to understand.
To outsiders, these two teams appeared evenly matched, suggesting a back-and-forth battle.
However, the development of events was far more unexpected than anyone had imagined.
At this moment, Dai Huabin was already kneeling on one knee, his hands desperately braced against the ground to prevent himself from collapsing completely.
His eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging on his forehead, yet his face was filled with confusion and bewilderment.
What exactly happened?
Dai Huabin only felt a roaring sound in his mind. In just a moment of disorientation, he seemed to "see" his teammates, Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie, silently collapsing.
Then, it was him.
Them inside the arena, the opponents across the way, the noisy faces of the audience below the stage, the dust particles floating in the air...
Countless pieces of information, like an uncontrolled torrent, instantly flooded his mind. Everything appeared in his consciousness before rapidly expanding.
Finally, at a certain moment, everything exploded! His consciousness was nullified by this massive influx of information, crushed as if run over by a giant wheel. Everything instantly went blank.
Dai Huabin instinctively tried to regain consciousness, his body struggling. He propped himself up with one hand, and at a certain moment, he saw a figure slowly walking towards him.
Simultaneously, a cold voice entered his ears from the figure standing before him:
"Long time no see, elder brother."
Dai Huabin froze, subconsciously raising his head, and saw Huo Yuhao's calm, expressionless face.
In an instant, that face overlapped with a vague shadow in his memory. His consciousness broke free from the disorientation, he suddenly sobered up, his pupils contracting, and he rasped out:
"It's you?!"
Huo Yuhao's lips curled into a cold arc: "It is me."
Dai Huabin's eyes were instantly filled with rage. He didn't care why Huo Yuhao was here, nor why he encountered him during the competition.
At this moment, his heart held only a deep sense of humiliation.
He actually failed to withstand a single move from this waste he once despised? He absolutely would not allow this to happen!
Dai Huabin was about to get up, but the next moment, massive information flooded into his mind again. Following that, a sharp side kick had already arrived, aimed directly at Dai Huabin's head.
"Bang—!"
Instantly, intense pain and uncomfortable ringing in his ears struck, forcibly clearing his consciousness which had been muddled by the massive information influx.
Dai Huabin fell heavily to the ground, his head throbbing painfully.
He struggled, trying to climb back up, but Huo Yuhao was right there, landing another fierce kick to his chest!
This was revenge, pure revenge, unmixed with any other thoughts!
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
This was one of the tenets Huo Yuhao had learned at the Body Sect.
(End of Chapter)
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