Chapter 45

Bailing Garden is located on the outskirts of Nanfeng City, backed by Bailing Mountain. It has been the venue for the academy's major exams multiple times.

The next day, Li Luo and his group, led by mentors Lin Feng and Xu Shanyue, set out fully prepared for Bailing Garden.

Upon their arrival at Bailing Garden, they found the estate already bustling with people. Various stalls lined the streets, stretching in all directions, creating a lively scene.

However, this was not surprising. The academy's major exam was a grand event in each county. Although only the top students from each academy participated, this made the exam even more intense. Everyone wanted to see which young talent would stand out and become the top student of Tianshu County.

That was the highest honor for a young man.

The group entered Bailing Garden and felt the atmosphere become even more heated. Noisy voices came from all sides, and their appearance immediately drew much attention. After all, the name of Nanfeng Academy was well-known in Tianshu County.

"Are these the top twenty students of this year's Nanfeng Academy?"

"Wow, that beautiful long-haired girl must be Lu Qing'er, right? I heard she is the top student of Nanfeng Academy."

"She is likely to be the top student in this year's academy exam."

"Not necessarily. Shi Kong from Dongyuan Academy is also very strong and might not be weaker than Lu Qing'er."

"Which one is Li Luo from Nanfeng Academy? I heard Jiang Qing'e is his fiancée? How dare he defile my goddess."

"Look, the one who looks the most handsome is Li Luo from Nanfeng Academy."

"Hmph, he is indeed handsome, but what else does he have?"

"He has money and power, after all, he is the young master of Luolan Manor."

"Hmph, relying on family influence is no skill. We should strive to be strong."

"I heard he forced a draw with Song Yunfeng, who ranked second in the preliminary exam of Nanfeng Academy."

"Damn, you are so annoying. Can you shut up?"

"..."

The discussions along the way filled the ears of the Nanfeng Academy group. Clearly, the topics of Lu Qing'er and Li Luo were the most popular, with the former due to her strength and the latter due to his special reputation.

On a nearby high stone pavilion, three figures stood, their gazes fixed on the Nanfeng Academy group entering Bailing Garden.

Two young men and one young woman.

One of the young men was tall and robust, with fiery red hair that shone brightly in the sunlight. The other young man had a refined and somewhat frail appearance.

The last young woman wore green clothes, with a delicate and adorable figure. Her face was quite beautiful, and the most distinctive feature was the vine-like green tattoos on her hands.

These three were not unknown. The red-haired young man was named Xiang Liang, from the Chenxi Academy of Tianshu County, and was the top student of this year, known for his formidable strength.

The refined and frail young man was named Zong Fu, the top student of Zhongyang Academy.

The petite green-clothed young woman was named Chi Su, the top student of Xiguang Academy.

These three were strong contenders for the top ten in this year's academy exam.

"Is that Lu Qing'er? She looks like a formidable opponent," Xiang Liang said loudly, his eyes filled with intense fighting spirit as he locked onto Lu Qing'er.

"I sense a dangerous aura from her," Zong Fu said, his brows slightly furrowed.

"The top student of Nanfeng Academy has never been easy. But you should be grateful that we are not in the same year as Jiang Qing'e. Otherwise, we would have to wash up and go to bed," Chi Su said with a smile.

Xiang Liang and Zong Fu nodded in agreement, sighing, "Jiang Qing'e is terrifying, with a Ninth Rank Brightness Phase. She is simply terrifying. Those in her year are truly pitiable."

"However, among this year's Nanfeng Academy students, only Lu Qing'er and Song Yunfeng are worth being wary of. The others are not a threat," Xiang Liang said confidently.

Although his academy was not as strong as Nanfeng Academy, it allowed him to accumulate many resources.

People like him, while not common in the major academies of Tianshu County, were not the only ones. To attract these talented students, various academies were willing to spend a lot of resources.

"What about Li Luo? I heard he fought Song Yunfeng to a draw in the preliminary exam," Chi Su said.

Xiang Liang sneered, "That's because he used some special means to drag out the time, and his phase power was completely drained. If Song Yunfeng had one more second, Li Luo would have been forced out in a sorry state."

"That's just a trick, which won't work in the major exam."

Chi Su, upon hearing this, understood and said with a hint of regret, "What a waste of such a handsome face."

The refined Zong Fu, however, said softly, "Underestimating the enemy is a great taboo. Li Luo forcing a draw with Song Yunfeng is enough to show that he has some peculiarities. To be on the safe side, we need to test his true abilities to eliminate any instability."

"Leave that to me. You don't need to worry about it."

Xiang Liang shrugged, "Do as you please."

Chi Su's eyes flickered, "You all received a message from Shi Kong, right? He wants us to meet tonight to discuss some matters."

Xiang Liang nodded. Facing the son of the governor and the only one who could directly challenge Lu Qing'er of Nanfeng Academy, he was also wary.

"We should give him some face."

Zong Fu also nodded, "His target is Nanfeng Academy, which aligns with our goals. After all, Nanfeng Academy has dominated the top academy in Tianshu County for too long, always securing the most admission spots. If we can suppress it, it will benefit our respective academies."

Chi Su smiled, "And without him, we probably wouldn't be able to collaborate."

While the various academies targeted Nanfeng Academy, they also competed with each other. Without a strong figure to mediate, it would be difficult to form a united front.

So, this time, Shi Kong stepping up was something they welcomed.

...

Under the leadership of Lin Feng and Xu Shanyue, Li Luo and his group checked into the dormitory rooms at Bailing Garden. Li Luo was paired with Zhao Kuo.

While they were tidying up the dormitory, there was a knock on the door. When Li Luo opened it, a very casual face appeared, along with a corner of a book page in his arms.

"Brother, want some material?"

Upon hearing this, Li Luo immediately thought of the sleazy vendors who used to secretly sell various unhealthy books at the entrance of Nanfeng Academy.

"Yu Lang, when did you change careers?" Li Luo asked with a smile.

The person in front of him was none other than Yu Lang, who had previously fought Li Luo and lost with an exaggerated amount of blood.

Yu Lang said不满地, "This is first-hand information, including intelligence on top students from various academies and predictions for the top ten in the exam."

"Oh?" Li Luo raised an eyebrow. This guy was quite smart, knowing how to sell such information, and it seemed he had prepared for a long time.

"Your business skills are not bad."

Li Luo praised him and then bought a copy of the information to support him.

"Of course, I put a lot of effort into these materials. They are definitely worth the price," Yu Lang said confidently.

Li Luo casually flipped through a page, and his smile froze when he saw his own name.

Li Luo, Nanfeng Academy, young master of Luolan Manor, former waste, rising genius, suspected Fifth Rank Water Phase, characteristics: very handsome, unfortunately, being handsome provides no advantage in securing a spot, final estimation of the probability of ranking in the top ten of the exam is very low.

Li Luo laughed angrily and was about to scold him, but Yu Lang vanished like the wind, his voice echoing from a distance.

"I'm just protecting your information!"

Li Luo gritted his teeth. I don't believe you for a second, you scoundrel. Don't let me catch you again.