Chapter 124 Jealousy and Unspoken Rivalry
Long Tian approached Li Yue'er, his smile evident. "See, I was just talking to him," he said.
A sigh of relief escaped Li Yue'er. "That's good, let's head to class then," she said.
Long Tian nodded, walking beside her.
As they walked, he glanced at her, a faint smile playing on his lips. "How do you feel about Qin Chen now?" he asked.
"I... I think we don't need to discuss that, Long Tian," Li Yue'er said, her tone subdued.
Long Tian's smile grew, but he didn't press the matter further.
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Tianzhou High School had four spacious fields, each capable of accommodating hundreds of people, as there were more than 400 third-year students.
And now, on the main field, Long Tian stood amidst 120 fellow students, all clad in the athletic training uniform.
Beside him was his friend Li Guowu.
"It seems the teachers are going to start a more thrilling challenge. I heard the prize is a bunch of spiritual stones," Li Guowu said.
"Oh, that's great, isn't it?" Long Tian said, his grin widening.
"Hahaha, it's clearly nothing for you," Li Yue'er remarked.
"At least it's enjoyable. I'll win it just like yesterday," Long Tian responded, his grin reflecting his confidence.
Today was a bit different; there were more than 100 people here, and he could see Li Yue'er and Liu Qian. If they met, it would be an awkward moment.
At this moment, a teacher, Xiao Zhu, and ten other teachers came to the field; the students who were chatting fell silent.
"Good morning, everyone. Today marks another day of training. Our aim is to strengthen each one of you, pushing you to become stronger," Xiao Zhu announced.
"Today holds a unique twist; we've introduced a more thrilling arena than usual," he continued.
Many students eagerly looked forward to this. Challenges from the teachers were exhilarating and pumped adrenaline through their veins.
Xiao Zhu produced five pouches the size of bags. These were rare spatial pouches capable of storing an entire infrastructure.
He tossed the five pouches in different directions, and they expanded, revealing five 12×12-sized arenas.
The sight left everyone in awe. Human ingenuity had progressed significantly, enabling the practice of spatial magic, resulting in versatile creations such as Spatial pouches, which could also take the form of rings and necklaces.
"These are not ordinary arenas; the imperial authorities have lent us five arenas that can suppress cultivation bases. So, if you're in the arena area, you become completely ordinary people," Xiao Zhu said.
Everyone was excited to hear this.
"Ohh boy, with this, the fights will be fairer."
"Hehehe, I've been practicing martial arts; I'm sure I'll win."
"Man, I just broke through to the fourth level of body tempering."
"Yesss, finally, the fights will be fairer. We should have more arenas like this."
A wave of murmurs and excited whispers spread through the crowd. Long Tian looked calm; whatever form the arena took, he would still be the winner, as he was the strongest among his peers.
"Okay, I guess there's no need to chat for long. Now, let's warm up before starting today's training," Xiao Zhu said.
With that, the first part of the training, the warm-up, began. It was an essential part to stretch the muscles and prevent injuries during the fights.
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After more than 40 minutes, many students were drenched in sweat, especially under the scorching sun.
Currently, the 120 students had been engaging in training bouts with each other, with some participants sparring in the designated arenas.
A few observed the matches, while others opted to prepare themselves by utilizing the available training equipment.
Bang!
The impact of a punch sent a wooden dummy flying from its position. Li Yue'er was in the midst of her training session, her smile reflecting her contentment with her progress.
Before meeting Long Tian, she was just an ordinary student far from anything related to cultivation and martial arts, but now, it was her daily routine. Naturally, she was happy about it.
"Good morning, Li Yue'er," a voice called out from behind.
Li Yue'er turned and saw a young man her age, nearly as tall as Long Tian, with decent looks.
She raised an eyebrow, recognizing the young man. It was Feng Shan, her fellow member from the Student Council.
"Good morning, Feng Shan. It's quite a hot day," she greeted.
"Yeah, and it's been a few days since you resigned as the Student Council president. It's quite challenging, actually; the new president prefers showing off and being a playboy," Feng Shan said, sighing. "Aren't you considering going back to being the president?" he asked.
Li Yue'er smiled, shaking her head. "I have no intention of going back to being the president. Besides, there are only a few months left before graduation. Plus, I'm quite happy being an ordinary student," she said.
Feng Shan's expression faltered with disappointment. "Well that's a shame. Anyway, do you have any plans for today? Maybe we could grab lunch together in the cafeteria?" he suggested.
Li Yue'er hesitated, then replied, "I can't, I already have plans with my friends."
Feng Shan persisted, undeterred. "What about after school? There's a new mall opening nearby. Care to join me?" he inquired, hopeful.
"I can't, I'll be practicing in the forest with my friend," Li Yue'er declined once more.
"Wow, you have quite a busy schedule. Then, how about practicing together here? There's some time before we're called to fight in the arena; we should practice. What do you think?" he proposed again, not giving up.
Li Yue'er was about to answer, but she suddenly spotted Long Tian practicing with his friend.
"I'm sorry, I can't. My friend is over there; I have to go. See you," she said, and immediately walked away from Feng Shan.
Feng Shan's eyes followed Li Yue'er as she walked toward a young man her age.
His forehead creased in scrutiny, his gaze fixed on the young man. However, his eyebrows lifted in surprise when he recognized the familiar face.
He sighed deeply, muttering to himself, "It's Long Tian... Didn't you say you hated him, Li Yue'er? Now, you seem happy with him. Have you fallen into Long Tian's arms now?" Bitterness laced his words, his disappointment palpable.
For more than two years as members of the Student Council with Li Yue'er, he certainly had some feelings for her.
On ordinary days, she appeared stunning, especially now with her silver hair, making him unable to resist the urge to ask her out.
However, fate was not on his side; she was already with another man, Long Tian. He couldn't risk offending Long Tian just for Li Yue'er. He still had some sense left and valued his own life too much.
In the end, he walked away, his heart heavy with disappointment.
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While Long Tian and Li Yue'er practiced together, Liu Qian observed them with a cold, resentful gaze.
Seeing the two of them together ignited a storm of anger and irritation within her. She couldn't help but curse silently.
'That bastard Long Tian, how could he easily be with another girl? Am I not enough in his eyes? I hope their relationship won't endure!' she raged inwardly.
Just then, a voice interrupted her thoughts. "Hey, focus here, young lady."
Startled, Liu Qian snapped back to reality, her attention now on the instructor before her. She had intended to test her strength, and one of the instructors had given her permission to practice her strikes on a punching bag in his hands.
Her anger at Long Tian not dissipating, she clenched her fist and struck the punching bag.
Thump!
The force of her blow caught the instructor off guard, pushing him back a few steps until he stumbled and fell to the ground. Despite the bag protecting his arm, visible bruising appeared.
"Isn't that a bit too strong, young lady?" he complained.
Ignoring his protest, Liu Qian wordlessly turned away and moved to another spot, her determination undeterred.
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The atmosphere sizzled with intensity as 120 students engaged in training, the school providing ample equipment for their exercises.
Within the five arenas, ten participants battled fiercely in 1vs1 matches.
Bang!
A final strike knocked a young man to the ground, rendering him unable to rise.
Xiao Zhu promptly declared, "The winner is Bai Li!"
Some students who were watching clapped. Bai Li wore a satisfied smile; she managed to win even without a cultivation base.
With that, he stepped down from the arena.
"Alright, let's move on to the next students. Li Yue'er versus Liu Qian, please step onto the arena now."
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