Two cups of iced coffee were placed on the table by the waiter, and a rich roasted aroma wafted toward them.
“You actually made it back in one piece. You’ve been completely off the grid these past few days for that re-examination mission. Old Yu and I were worried sick,” Lin Ze said somewhat indistinctly as he took a large gulp of coffee.
He was very surprised to run into Luo Yang here.
“Aren’t I perfectly fine?” Luo Yang bit his straw and took a long sip of the cold, bitter coffee.
“You make it sound so simple.” Lin Ze gave a bitter laugh, but his eyes held a trace of determination that hadn’t been there before. “But seriously, since that night at Flowing Light, Old Yu and I have been completely fired up because of you. That Shadow-rank Heterosequence covered in dark red mist that night... just looking at it from a distance was suffocating. Yet you knocked me out and stayed behind to handle it alone.”
Luo Yang looked at Lin Ze and keenly noticed the change in him. If the old Lin Ze was merely a well-known regular in the upper tiers of the Ladder Rankings at the academy, the current him had eyes that held the steadiness and restraint of someone who had truly seen blood.
“So, any specific results?” Luo Yang asked with interest, leaning back against the soft sofa.
A proud smile appeared on Lin Ze’s face. He lowered his voice and said, “I’ve been taking missions like crazy these past few days, practically living in the training room when I’m not in ranked matches. Hard work pays off—my rank finally rose again yesterday. I’m now one hundred and third!”
Luo Yang raised an eyebrow, a flash of genuine praise in his eyes. Lin Ze was at Core Consolidation level 3. To have such strength at his age was already quite excellent.
The only pity was that his ability was only Sharp Edge rank. Compared to those true geniuses who started at Peerless rank, it was still somewhat lacking.
“Congratulations. You’re just one step away from the elite threshold of the top one hundred.” Luo Yang raised his iced Americano and made a virtual toast in the air. “What about Yu Mingyang? Since you’re pushing yourself so hard, didn’t he get dragged into the grind too?”
At the mention of the name, Lin Ze’s expression instantly became a bit strange. He shook his head with a half-smile. “That guy is currently in a state of painful bliss. As you know, he only recently broke through to Core Consolidation level 1. At this rate, he probably won’t touch the top one hundred in this lifetime. But his mind isn't even on the rankings right now.”
“Oh? Moving fast, is he?”
“More than just fast.” Lin Ze took a sip of his coffee, his tone carrying a hint of mockery. “Since that day, Old Yu has become a different person. He’s out running at six every morning and even forces me to be his sparring partner. The most ridiculous part is that he’s actually started researching how to make fat-loss meals! Can you believe it? That guy used to complain for half an hour if the cafeteria food wasn't greasy enough, but now he spends every day clutching a meal prep container, munching on boiled chicken breast and broccoli!”
Luo Yang couldn't help but chuckle. “The power of love is truly great. What’s Su Tian’s attitude?”
“Naturally, she didn't brush him off.” Lin Ze’s tone held a bit of relief as he reached this point. “She often guides Old Yu in his practical training now. The two of them even went to the academy library together yesterday afternoon to look up data on mutant beasts. Although they haven't officially confirmed their relationship, looking at their progress, I’d say it’s only a matter of time.”
Listening to this trivial gossip filled with the scent of campus youth, Luo Yang’s long-tensed nerves finally felt a moment of true relaxation.
Having grown accustomed to life-and-death battles and crumbling ruins over the past few days, and having grown used to the roars of mutant beasts and the sound of blood splashing, sitting here in this cafe with soothing jazz music playing while listening to a classmate talk about love and hard work was quite nice.
This was a bit like his life back on Earth before he crossed over.
“It’s nice,” Luo Yang said softly, looking out at the street distorted by the scorching sunlight.
“It is nice, but we won't have a chance to participate in the league this time.” Lin Ze’s tone suddenly shifted. The relaxed look on his face vanished, replaced by an extremely grave expression. “Brother Luo, you’ve been out on missions so you might not know, but a major event happened at the academy. The entire Punisher circle in Yuanxing City—even the whole of Shenzhou—is in an absolute uproar.”
“Oh? Tell me about it.” Luo Yang retracted his gaze, pretending to know nothing. In reality, that old man Zhang Xian had already told him about the league being moved up yesterday, but he didn't want to seem too well-informed.
“The Shenzhou Academy League was abruptly moved up to the beginning of next month by the Supreme Command!” Lin Ze lowered his voice, his tone filled with an irrepressible mix of excitement and tension. “They broke the long-standing rule of it being held every three years! Not only that, but the rules for this league have undergone massive changes.”
He tapped his finger on the tabletop, emphasizing every word. “First, only students ranked in the top one hundred of their respective academy’s Ladder Rankings are eligible to register! With our meager strength, we’re naturally barred from the gate.”
“Second, the preliminary stage is no longer the traditional individual arena battles. Instead, it’s a mandatory four-person team format for the internal selection. Only the last two teams left standing—that’s eight people—can represent the Yuanxing City Punisher Academy and head to the capital for the National Main Tournament!”
“A four-person team...?” Luo Yang muttered in confusion. He clearly remembered that Zhang Xian had only brought two people to meet Qiu Shubai that day.
“Ah, the capital! That is the ultimate stage countless young Punishers dream of!” Lin Ze didn't notice Luo Yang’s confusion. He let out a heavy sigh, his eyes full of frustration and regret.
“It’s a pity, Brother Luo. If you were around, with your freakish strength, you could have just grabbed any three people and our academy would definitely have a spot for you. But you just happen to hate playing ranked matches...”
Seeing Lin Ze look more dejected than he was, Luo Yang silently rolled his eyes but put on a slightly regretful expression to play along.
“That really is a shame. I was actually thinking of going to the capital to see the world.” Luo Yang sighed and waved his hand dismissively. “If it’s not meant to be, then so be it. Since I can’t participate, I’ll just be a good spectator and cheer them on from the stands.”
“If there's another chance like this in the future, I’ll definitely break into the top one hundred and get a spot.” Lin Ze took a deep breath, seemingly casting all his stress aside for the moment.
He suddenly changed the subject, a mischievous smile curling the corners of his mouth. “Alright, let’s set those heavy topics aside. Brother Luo, let’s talk about something lighter. You haven’t been at the academy for a few days, but the legends about you are flying all over the academy forum.”
“Legends about me?” Luo Yang frowned as a bad premonition arose. “What did I do now?”
“You’re still acting!” Lin Ze pulled out his phone, expertly opened the internal forum of the Yuanxing City Punisher Academy, and thrust the screen right in front of Luo Yang’s face. “See for yourself! What’s the number one pinned post right now!”
Luo Yang squinted at the screen. The bold red title read: 【Shocking! Why has the Highland Flower fallen to the mortal realm? Ladder Chief Qiu Shubai and mysterious score-controller Luo Yang seen together frequently. Is their romance exposed?!】
The post was filled with photos and text. There were photos of him and Qiu Shubai walking side-by-side at the Mission Hall that day, and a candid shot of his back as he carried bags of weapons behind her in the Ninth Commercial District.
Even their seemingly ‘intimate whispering’ when they were surrounded by the crowd on the campus square yesterday afternoon had been captured by some paparazzi from a tricky angle.
It was likely the work of the people from the Academy News Society again.
The comments below were even more explosive, already numbering over five thousand.
“No way! Absolutely impossible! How could Chief Qiu fall for that Science slacker!”
“What's the person above me so salty about? Luo God is handsome, after all! And Chief Qiu swiped her card for all those weapons. What does that mean? It means Luo God has landed himself a sugar mommy! He’s a true role model!”
“To be honest, with their looks, they really do have a lot of CP vibes standing together...”
Luo Yang felt a headache coming on. He rubbed his temples, pushed the phone back to Lin Ze, and sighed helplessly.
“What, is this a confession by silence?” Lin Ze’s eyes were burning with the fire of gossip. “Brother Luo, tell me the truth. Is your relationship with Chief Qiu really something special? Otherwise, why would our academy’s recognized ice queen be so different toward you?”
“You’re overthinking it.” Luo Yang picked up his Americano, which now had half-melted ice cubes, and took a sip. His tone was as calm as still water. “We are purer than distilled water. She took me to buy weapons because my ability is too expensive; she just lent me some money out of humanitarian concern. As for going on missions together...”
Luo Yang paused as the image of Qiu Shubai’s bloodthirsty white longsword flashed through his mind.
The combination of the two of them was less like a romance and more like two dangerous time bombs being placed together.
“She’s just my re-examination examiner, and nothing more.” Luo Yang gave the most unassailable and truthful reason.
Lin Ze stared into Luo Yang’s eyes for a long time, trying to find a trace of concealment in those deep, calm depths, but he ultimately failed.
He curled his lip in disappointment. “For real? I thought you’d gone and done something earth-shattering by winning over the hardest Highland Flower to pluck in our academy.”
“I’ve certainly done quite a few earth-shattering things, but they definitely don’t include dating,” Luo Yang said with a light laugh. For example, tearing out the core of a Shadow-rank Heterosequence with his bare hands, or using Qiu Shubai’s sword to slay a Level 4 man-faced lion. If he said those things out loud, Lin Ze’s jaw would probably hit the floor.
“Fine, if you say so, I’ll take your word for it.” Lin Ze tucked his phone back into his pocket and glanced at the wall clock.
The clock already pointed to 4:45 PM.
“It’s about time. I need to head back to the training room to continue my torture.” Lin Ze stood up and stretched his stiff neck, his gaze becoming sharp again. “The person at rank one hundred has an ability related to mental interference. I need to look up some data and see how to break his illusions.”
Luo Yang also stood up and picked up the bill. “Go on. Let me give you a tip: if you can’t break his illusions, just close your eyes and use your intuition and instinct to cut him.”
Lin Ze was stunned for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully. “I’ve learned something. Brother Luo, let’s get together again when you’re free!”
The two said their goodbyes at the cafe entrance. Lin Ze walked off briskly and soon disappeared around the corner.
“Clear Heart rank...”
Luo Yang murmured softly. Feeling the blood energy within him becoming increasingly frantic due to the impending breakthrough, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes that even he didn't notice.
Rate on N.U.
