Li Lan had a smile on his lips and said, “You’re scared, aren’t you? You may not absolutely win the first prize in the final exam if we come. I remember that you have an duel appointed with Li Muyun.”
Ding Hao nodded and said, “Yes, I just want to take this opportunity to finish this appointment. I’m looking forward to it… However, you three aren’t kind. You shouldn’t have come back to fight for the tight fifteen places to be successor disciples in the inner core with other fellow male apprentices, since you’ve already entered into the six peaks.”
Li Lan shrugged his shoulders and said, “This was the idea of every peak master, so we didn’t have any choice.”
Ding Hao nodded and suddenly stood up after he thought of something. His expression became serious and he said sincerely, “Lan, thank you.”
Li Lan answered without changing his expression, “For what?”
Ding Hao said with a smile, “I think that Peak Master Luo spared no effort to help me in the six temple joint trial because of you, didn’t she?”
Li Lan said with a calm expression, “How did you know of it?”
“Only a few people would like to help me in that situation. After much thought, I considered that you were the only person that had the ability to invite higher-ups in the six peaks. Peak Master Luo didn’t know me, but she was willing to speak for me at the cost of offending Young Master Jade. This was definitely because she was entrusted by someone, and this person was you.”
Li Lan snorted and said, “Young Master Jade was nothing, my… Peak Master Luo wouldn’t fear him at all, so this couldn’t be seen as an offense.”
Actually, Ding Hao really wanted to know what Li Lan would like to say after the word “my”, but it was inconvenient to ask after Li Lan covered it up perfectly. However, at least Li Lan’s answer admitted that it was he who asked Peak Master Luo to help Ding Hao.
Young Master Jade had just a small role in Li Lan’s eyes, which was very domineering. Therefore, Ding Hao was more curious about the true identity of that delicate playboy with a pair of arched eyebrows.
In all honesty, Ding Hao really thought that Li Lan’s appearance was a little bit similar to that mysterious Peak Master Luo’s.
Suddenly, there was a series of footsteps sounding.
Li Yiruo, the number one beauty in the five academies, appeared.
That beautiful young girl wore a standard red tight suit of the Western Academy of red shirts. Her slender fingers, which were like white tallow jade, carried an antique copper hamper. She walked in from the outside. Her enchanting figure was just like a dancing red butterfly, and there was a bright smile on her face.
Seeing everyone, Li Yiruo greeted them from afar, “Brother Hao, it’s lunch time… Gee, Senior Brother Li Lan is also here. Let’s eat together!”
Li Lan’s expression changed. Seeing the hamper in Li Yiruo’s hands, he immediately remembered the scary experience in the cafeteria. He instantly stood up without a word and ran away.
Wang Xiaoqi and Li Yunqi also changed their expressions and found an excuse to run away at once.
“Hum, they ran so fast…” Li Yiruo stamped and wrinkled her delicate nose.
Ding Hao burst into laughter.
…
Ding Hao spent the next few days practicing.
Li Lan took the responsibility as leader of the Eastern Academy of green shirts again after he came back. He began to rectify the mess vigorously. Because his means and courage were extraordinary, the sequela of Lu Pengfei incident was eliminated rapidly, and the Eastern Academy began to unite quickly at a visible pace.
Many arenas were repaired and built temporarily in the arms drill area of the nominal disciples.
All the more than two thousand nominal disciples had to attend that competition. The final rankings would be determined by a one-on-one martial arts contest, which was the most direct and the cruelest method.
As time approached, everyone began to become nervous.
Just at that time, a series of news suddenly came from the bottom of the mountain, which attracted the attention of Ding Hao and many observant people—
A genius who was called Phoenix had suddenly risen. Within half a month, she had successively challenged a dozen experts who had been long known in the Snow Province, and she easily defeated her opponents every time.
“With one movement, she defeated ‘Flying Star Sword’ Ning, who was the chief guardian warrior in Sky Star City…”
“With one movement, she defeated ‘Dead Heart Living Sword’ Xiangyu, who was an expert that had been long known in the Dependent Arising Clan…”
“With three movements, she defeated ‘Gorgeous Saber’ Qingcheng, who was a leading figure in the young generation from Chopping Sun City!”
“In half an hour, she defeated the top ten Horrifying Killers in the six layers underground from the Falling Star Sect!”
“She destroyed a small demonic sect in Cyan Sun Mountain and killed a Level Seven Demon General overnight…”
“She defeated Tao Shengshu, who was an expert that ranked sixth in the Knowledge Action Academy, the subsidiary of the Tranquility Academy…”
“She defeated Iron Textured Snake King, a Level Eight Demon General…”
All kinds of news began to spread insanely. Inside and outside the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect, countless people were very interested in the emergence of this new genius. Especially in the legend, Phoenix was a stunning girl with a phoenix mask on her face and a sword box on her back. She was indescribably beautiful and striking; her skin was smooth and fair; her eyes were like limpid autumn water; her voice was like sounds from nature. That image left people in a boundless reverie.
Some people even compared Phoenix who wore a phoenix mask with Setting out with One Saber, who had briefly appeared on the Rising Dragon Peak of Snow Dragon Mountain. They both were mysterious people with a mask and had incredible strength… There were so many similarities between the two.
There were more and more stories, and the topic also became hotter and hotter.
Many people asserted that Setting out with One Saber and Phoenix could undoubtedly be Snow Province’s two brightest rising stars in the past six months. Some busybodies even called the two Double Walls in the North Snow Province.
The only pity was that Setting out with One Saber had completely disappeared after his brief appearance. Otherwise, a beautiful story may have been made if the two people could appear together.
However, Ding Hao was very excited after he heard such news. He was immediately sure that such mysterious Phoenix had to be Xie Jieyu.
Seeing Xie Jieyu’s sudden explosive records during that period, Ding Hao was finally less worried about her.
That girl who usually acted decisively and hurriedly did not act recklessly that time. She chose some good opponents to accumulate experience instead of challenging Mu Tianyang directly after she went down the mountain, which was the wisest choice.
Thinking about it, Ding Hao suddenly felt that just as the cynical man said, he was panicking due to too much concern.
Back then, Xie Jieyu was just a weak girl before she practiced martial arts. However, she could cross mountains and rivers and go through the dangerous wilderness to the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect with the little girl Ding Ding. That showed that she was not an ordinary person and had to be endowed with some special talents. Perhaps she was much more mature than him in mindset and mental state.
Ding Hao set his mind at ease and started his crazy practice again.
In truth, he was not so interested in the year-end final exam of the five academies.
Ding Hao’s strength had completely exceeded nominal disciples’ at the moment.
Ding Hao believed that even Li Muyun and Liang Feixue, who were two geniuses that had almost overwhelmed him in the first five academies competition, would not be a threat to him at the moment, though they had entered Six Peaks and Six Leaders and were progressing rapidly.
Attending the five academies competition was just a formality.
Of course, Ding Hao was still looking forward to the sword appointment with Li Muyun.
That was because Ding Hao hoped to prove one thing; one that had troubled him for a long time, by going through that duel.
