Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a month had passed.
This morning, as soon as Li Qing and the others arrived at the Academy, Qin Ming led them to the Academy entrance. Besides their team, the three Grand Academicians and the second team members were also present.
Li Qing and the others knew without asking that the four major Academy teams were about to arrive.
"Damn, those bastards are too lucky, aren't they?"
Oscar's eyes, as he looked at Dai Mubai and the others on the second team, were filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred.
Li Qing looked at the second team members and couldn't help but shake his head, because the second team's completely new lineup was simply too outrageous—not outrageously powerful.
Rather, it was outrageously strange.
Of the second team's original members, only one captain and one vice-captain remained, and in addition to Tang San and the four of them, there were ten unfamiliar faces.
That's right, ten faces.
Including Tang San's four and the original captain and vice-captain, a team actually had a full sixteen members, and the most outrageous part was that all ten of the new members were female.
As far as Li Qing knew, among the ten, seven were from the Heaven Dou Royal Family.
Of course, the seven were not princesses, but rather young women whom the Heaven Dou Royal Family had found from who knows where, barely counting as geniuses. It wasn't hard for anyone with eyes to see the Heaven Dou Royal Family's intentions.
Yet, Dai Mubai and the other two fell for it, embracing women left and right all day long, which made Oscar and the others grit their teeth. Besides those seven, there were also three young women who possessed a Clear Sky Hammer. There was no need to guess where they came from.
Their purpose might differ from the Heaven Dou Royal Family's, but it was largely similar.
The Heaven Dou Royal Family came for bloodlines; the Clear Sky Sect came for people.
A perfectly good Heaven Dou second team was turned into a breeding ground by them, causing the original captain and vice-captain to repeatedly apply to join the first team or form a third team.
Unfortunately, every application was rejected.
"They're here!"
Dugu Yan's reminder immediately drew everyone's gaze to outside the school gate.
They saw four leading teachers bringing a group of young men and women walking towards Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and among them was Yu Tianheng, whom Li Qing and the others hadn't seen in a long time.
However, he didn't attract the attention of Li Qing and the others.
Li Qing and Oscar's gazes were all focused on a group of girls wearing Tianshui Academy uniforms.
One could only say that it truly lived up to its name as Tianshui Girls' Academy.
This lineup was simply a feast for the eyes.
"Hiss!"
Seeing Li Qing's eyes almost pop out, Ye Lengleng couldn't help but pinch him, making him gasp in pain.
"Do I look good?"
"Cough cough."
Li Qing gave an awkward smile: "Just so-so, nothing special. Compared to my Lengleng, there's still quite a gap. No, I should say there's no comparison at all."
This was not a lie against his conscience.
Although the girls from Tianshui Academy were good-looking, only the leading older sister could barely contend with Ye Lengleng; the others could only be described as above average.
Dugu Yan exposed him: "Your eyes are practically bulging out, and you say 'just so-so'?"
"What's it to you?"
Li Qing glared at her unhappily.
Dugu Yan widened her eyes and said: "I just said, our Lengleng is so beautiful and you're still not satisfied. What, do you want to be an emperor and have a harem of three thousand beauties?"
Oscar couldn't help but mock: "Captain, your family status isn't looking too good."
Li Qing squinted: "What, you want a beating?"
"Ngh—"
Oscar awkwardly extended his right hand and pinched his own lips.
The three Grand Academicians had already gone forward with Qin Ming and the second team's teachers. Li Qing and the others naturally followed, but only silently from behind.
They had no intention of striking up a conversation.
On the other hand, Yu Tianheng, from the opposite side, had not taken his eyes off Dugu Yan after seeing her. The deep affection in his eyes...
He wanted to speak several times but held back, finally letting out a sigh.
"Welcome everyone to Heaven Dou Royal Academy—"
Meng Shenji appeared very enthusiastic, speaking some grand, superficial pleasantries. The teachers from the four major Academies were much the same, looking utterly hypocritical.
"Who is Li Qing?"
As the teachers conversed, Yu Tianxin looked at Yu Tianheng and asked softly.
With Yu Tianheng present, their Academy's understanding of Li Qing was much more detailed than that of other Academies. The main purpose of this exchange and study was to probe his current strength.
Hearing Yu Tianxin's words, Shui Bing'er and the others all looked at Yu Tianheng.
Li Qing's reputation was quite significant now, especially among the various Academies. Many teachers liked to use his name to motivate or admonish their students.
This led to many students having a natural animosity towards the name Li Qing.
Which student who could come to Heaven Dou Royal Academy for exchange and study wasn't a genius? They wanted to see for themselves...
What kind of genius was worth such praise from teachers.
And at the same time, complete the probing mission assigned by their teachers.
Yu Tianheng gestured towards Li Qing with his mouth, and everyone's gazes instantly converged on Li Qing, making even the usually thick-skinned Li Qing feel a bit socially awkward.
Yu Feng looked at Li Qing and smiled: "Captain, it seems your name carries quite a weight."
"Alas, what can I do when I'm so handsome?"
Li Qing spread his hands, looking helpless.
Yu Feng exclaimed: "Holy crap, your thick skin is even thicker than Shi Mo's turtle shells! How can you say that with a straight face?"
Li Qing said: "Isn't it the truth?"
"Damn it!"
Yu Feng couldn't help but curse under his breath, then moved two steps to his left, distancing himself from him.
Being so close, and with the two of them not deliberately lowering their voices, Shui Bing'er and the others naturally heard everything clearly.
This instantly left them speechless.
They had seen thick-skinned people, but never this thick.
"Sister!"
Shui Yue'er tugged at Shui Bing'er's sleeve, gesturing towards Dai Mubai and the others. Shui Bing'er followed her gaze, only to see Ma Hongjun looking at them with a lewd grin.
Although Dai Mubai wasn't as exaggerated, his eyes also carried a hint of teasing.
As for Oscar, who had already shaved off his beard and was foolishly striking poses, he actually seemed less annoying and even a bit comical.
Shui Bing'er didn't feel anything particular, as she was long used to it. However, during the battle, she could certainly teach them a good lesson.
"I've long heard that Heaven Dou Royal Academy has produced a peerless genius. May I ask which one is Li Qing?"
Although Shui Tianhan was asking, his gaze directly locked onto Li Qing, because Yu Tianheng and the others' small movements had not escaped his eyes.
"What peerless genius? It's all just rumors. He's just an ordinary genius."
Meng Shenji spoke humbly, but his expression was clearly self-satisfied. Then he pointed at Li Qing and introduced: "This is the captain of our Heaven Dou Royal Team One, Li Qing."
Li Qing stepped forward, bowed, and said: "Junior Li Qing greets Principal Shui!"
Shui Tianhan praised: "Truly a young hero. This demeanor is rare among his peers. I wonder if I will be fortunate enough on this trip to witness what it means to be a young hero?"
"Haha,"
Bai Baoshan laughed: "Even we don't know his exact situation. If you want to see it, you'll probably have to put in some effort. To be honest, I'm quite looking forward to it."