Chapter 442 - 439: Another Academy Grand Competition

Chapter 442: Chapter 439: Another Academy Grand Competition

"Uh, is your sister really ugly or something?" Feng Hao asked, a little stunned.

Sirlius was at a loss for words. "No, no, not at all."

"So she’s beautiful, then?"

"Well... everyone else says she’s a beauty, but I think she’s just average," Sirlius said, looking pensive.

Feng Hao was speechless. "If she isn’t gorgeous, but she isn’t ugly either, then what do I need to prepare for?"

"How do I put this... my sister is pretty... fierce. To put it bluntly, she has a few screws loose. Just try to keep your distance from her when you meet. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Huh? Sis! When did you get here? Brother Feng, I have to go—AHH!"

With that, the Stone Listening Communication was cut off by a strange shriek.

Feng Hao stood there, stunned, before letting out a soft chuckle. ’That Sirlius is a pretty interesting guy.’

’It’s getting late. I should head back for now.’ Feng Hao thought with a faint smile, activating the Secret Realm Mark in his sea of consciousness.

...

「Five States City, on the commercial street where the general store was located.」

After school one day, Xi Yueyao was skipping home as usual. She was holding an MP3 player, blasting upbeat music at full volume, which drew glances from many passersby.

As she listened, a melody she’d never heard before suddenly came on: *If I were a DJ, would you love me? Would you love me? Would you love me?*

"Huh? What song is this? And what does ’DJ’ even mean?" Xi Yueyao wondered, pouting.

Just then, a group of menacing figures pushed through the crowd and blocked her path.

A closer look revealed they were from the War and Magic Alliance, and the leader was Beixing Ran, the Ran Girl she’d grown up with.

"You damn brat, don’t even think about making it home alive today!" Beixing Ran snarled, glaring at Xi Yueyao.

After yesterday’s beating, she had reflected on her bitter experience and specially brought a gang of senior brothers from the War and Magic Alliance to get even.

Xi Yueyao blinked, momentarily stunned, then a wicked grin spread across her face. "What’s this? Looking for another beating, are you?"

"Still acting tough when you’re about to die." Beixing Ran sneered, then turned to the War and Magic Alliance disciples beside her. "Senior brothers, this is the girl who bullied me yesterday. Avenge me!"

"No problem." A few of the War and Magic Alliance disciples puffed out their chests and surrounded Xi Yueyao with cold smiles. "You dare bully our War and Magic Alliance’s junior sister? Go on, tell us how you want to die."

"Hmph! Don’t you think it’s pathetic, all of you ganging up on a single girl?" Xi Yueyao scoffed, pouting.

At her words, the War and Magic Alliance disciples glanced at each other, starting to hesitate.

"Senior brothers, attack her together! Don’t let her fool you!" Beixing Ran snarled through gritted teeth.

"Don’t worry, Junior Sister. She’s just a 4th-rank brat. Senior Brother Song alone is more than enough," one of the 6th-rank male disciples said with a dismissive laugh as he coolly approached Xi Yueyao.

The War and Magic Alliance disciples present were the ones who hadn’t dared to enter the seal back then, so they had no idea what Xi Yueyao was capable of.

Seeing the 6th-rank man approach alone, a wicked smile touched Xi Yueyao’s lips. She swung her Jade Lotus Water Pattern Whip and lashed out. "Fiend, taste my whip!"

CRACK!

The long whip cut through the air, creating ripples of energy, but the 6th-rank man dodged it with ease.

"No wonder you could defeat our junior sister. So you have a Divine Soul Weapon." The 6th-rank man was momentarily stunned. He flipped his palm, summoning a Magical Artifact shaped like a Jade Seal. An earthy yellow light pulsed from it as a huge cloud of sand roared out, rushing to envelop Xi Yueyao.

Cries of alarm erupted from the pedestrians. The more timid ones had already shut their eyes, unable to bear the sight.

But Xi Yueyao was completely unafraid. She swallowed a Great Rejuvenation Pill, instantly activating her Ice-Split Blood Armor. Transformed into a Female War God clad in blood-red ice armor, she let out a sharp cry and charged at the 6th-rank man.

"What kind of defensive Secret Technique is this? How can it withstand my sandstorm?"

The 6th-rank man cried out in alarm. He hastily activated his Jade Seal Magical Artifact. The ground cracked apart, sending a shower of rubble flying.

But Xi Yueyao didn’t even bother to dodge. She simply endured the impact of the rubble and continued to lash out at him.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

The damage from the Jade Lotus Water Pattern Whip was undeniable. The 6th-rank man was left completely stunned, his skin split open and his flesh torn by the lashes.

Seeing this, Beixing Ran and the other War and Magic Alliance disciples rushed forward to help.

However, they were met with a wave of bizarre, intense gravity. It was as if they had been plunged into thick mud, unable to pull themselves free.

A faint, circular Demon Pattern had appeared on the ground around them at some unknown point.

"Dammit, where did this Demon Pattern Array come from?" one of the War and Magic Alliance disciples cursed, his face turning grim.

Seeing that her trap had worked, Xi Yueyao burst out laughing. "Hehe, you think you can fight me? You’ve got a long way to go! Ran Girl, time for your beating—!"

With that, she charged at Beixing Ran, her long whip swinging.

The poor War and Magic Alliance disciples were powerless to resist. They were mowed down like weeds and left sprawling on the ground. Beixing Ran, in particular, was a gruesome sight, her face beaten beyond recognition.

After a flurry of cracks and thuds from her relentless assault, Xi Yueyao was finally satisfied. She dusted off her hands, swaggered away, and left them in her dust.

All that remained was a grimy Beixing Ran and a group of War and Magic Alliance disciples, scattered and defeated.

After the fight, Xi Yueyao felt refreshed and invigorated. She skipped back to the general store, a cheerful smile lighting up her face.

Feng Hao had been practicing his forging ever since he returned from the Secret Realm. Seeing the girl return, he asked in surprise, "What happened today? Why are you so cheerful again?"

"Hee hee, I just beat up Ran Girl again," Xi Yueyao said with a playful smile, skipping over to the forging table.

"..." Feng Hao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "You, honestly. Do you get an itch if you don’t get into a fight for a single day?"

"Tch. She started it, okay?" Xi Yueyao pouted, annoyed. She changed the subject, "Anyway, the academy competition is in a few days. Do you think I should enter?"

Feng Hao was taken aback. "If you want to, then go ahead."

The young girl mumbled, pouting, "But my sister is competing too. I’m afraid I might accidentally beat her. You know how competitive she is. If she finds out I’m stronger than her, she’ll definitely be upset."

"That... does sound like a problem," Feng Hao said, nodding in understanding. He put down the Forging Hammer in his hand, his brow furrowing in thought.

Just then, Xi Yueyao suddenly hugged Feng Hao’s arm. Batting her big eyes, she said, "How about... you help my sister graft a few Talent Branches?"

A dark look crossed Feng Hao’s face. "Damn it. After all that, *this* was your real goal, wasn’t it?"

"Brother Feng, please help my sister~!" the little girl pleaded in a syrupy sweet voice.

"Alright, let me think about it," Feng Hao nodded helplessly, feeling conflicted.

After all, the Graft Talent Tree was a serious matter. So far, only he and Yao Girl knew its secrets. Even Thief Master and his big brother, Lin Luo, only knew part of the truth, not the full picture.

He wasn’t worried that Xiyue Frost would spread the word if he helped her. The real concern was that if too many people received the graft, others would eventually notice.

After all, the power boost from the Graft Talent Tree wasn’t just a small increase—it was an exponential one!