Chapter 93 - 91: The Common Enrollment Trope
Chapter 93: Chapter 91: The Common Enrollment Trope
The cringeworthy conversation dragged on late into the night. Xiyue Frost never stopped taking notes, saying, in her own words, that it was always useful to write things down. This left Feng Hao speechless.
Late at night, Feng Hao habitually sat down and began to cultivate. Xiyue Frost didn’t leave; instead, she started cultivating alongside him.
The next morning, they opened their eyes one after the other. After exchanging a cold glance, they reverted to their previous dynamic, as if nothing had happened the night before.
"Let’s get something to eat and get ready for enrollment," Feng Hao said with a strange expression.
Xiyue Frost hmphed lightly, stood up, and returned to her room, a cold expression fixed on her face as if her persona from the previous night had been nothing but a dream.
After breakfast, the two silently checked out of the hotel. Joining the boisterous crowd of enrolling students, they headed for the Five Provinces Academy. Compared to the excited people around them, the atmosphere between the two of them was exceptionally awkward.
When they reached a fork in the road—the left path leading to the Main Combat Department and the right to the Auxiliary Occupations Department—they both stopped in their tracks at the same time.
Feng Hao turned to look at her, shaking his head with a wry sigh. He could clearly sense the trace of nervousness and helplessness beneath her icy facade. "Forget it," he said. "I’ll go with you to the Strength Department first. My business isn’t urgent."
"Okay," Xiyue Frost nodded hastily, a strange light flickering in her eyes.
Over half an hour later, guided by the massive crowd of students, the two walked through the gates of the Main Combat Department. The Strength Department wasn’t far now. Unlike last time, the Main Combat Department was exceptionally lively today. In addition to the enrolling freshmen, returning upperclassmen were also present for the start of the semester.
The department was decorated with lanterns and colorful banners, creating a boisterous atmosphere. Unscrupulous upperclassmen had already transformed into hungry wolves, lurking in every corner of the academy, waiting to pounce on their prey.
From time to time, one could see good-looking female freshmen being led away by male upperclassmen, or male freshmen in sports cars being lured away by glamorous female upperclassmen.
In short, in addition to youthful vigor, the freshman enrollment was also thick with the scent of hormones!
Walking alongside Xiyue Frost, Feng Hao inevitably became the center of attention. This was especially true after they entered the Strength Department, where many freshmen recognized her. It couldn’t be helped; taking first place in the entrance exam would draw attention for anyone, let alone a beauty like her.
"Isn’t that Xiyue Frost, the top-ranked new student? Who’s that guy next to her?" The sound of pointing and whispering quickly followed.
"So that’s Xiyue Frost? She’s absolutely stunning. No wonder she was ranked among the campus beauties before she even officially enrolled."
It didn’t take long for a male upperclassman to notice Xiyue Frost. His eyes gleaming, he asked, "Hey, junior brother, what’s the story with that beauty?"
"You might not know, Senior Brother, but her name is Xiyue Frost. She’s this year’s top-ranked student from the entrance exam. And it’s not just her looks—her strength is terrifying."
"Tsk, tsk. I just love girls who have both looks and power. As the saying goes, fortune favors the bold. This girl is mine!"
With that, he darted forward to block Xiyue Frost’s path. Striking what he clearly thought was a handsome pose, he tried to chat her up. "Excuse me, miss. I am Sha Mingliang, a second-year in the Strength Department. Interested in being friends?"
"No," Xiyue Frost replied coldly.
Sha Mingliang clearly had no intention of giving up. He continued to pester her, "Don’t be scared. I seriously just want to be friends!"
Before long, a large crowd of onlookers had gathered. Many of the male freshmen felt indignant on her behalf but didn’t dare to step forward.
As Sha Mingliang continued to harass her, Xiyue Frost’s face darkened and she frowned. Just then, Feng Hao stepped forward at the perfect moment, shoved him aside, and said, "Go play somewhere else. Don’t waste my time."
"Oh? A level-twenty-one piece of trash dares to play hero? Kid, do you have any idea what happens when you offend an upperclassman?" Sha Mingliang said mockingly, having quickly scanned Feng Hao’s level.
"A punk like you deserves to be called an upperclassman?" Feng Hao sneered, instinctively pulling Xiyue Frost behind him.
Hearing this, Sha Mingliang burst out laughing, his eyes filled with contempt. "Judging by your level, you can’t be a freshman from the Main Combat Department, can you? To be blunt, every department besides Main Combat is garbage!"
"Is that so? In that case, I’d love to experience the strength of a Main Combat upperclassman firsthand!" Feng Hao shot back with a cold smile.
Sha Mingliang scoffed, "You don’t know your own limits!"
In the next moment, the tension in the air became palpable. The crowd of onlookers was now packed several layers deep, and the buzz of their chatter was incessant.
Seeing that things were escalating, Xiyue Frost spoke in a low voice, "Feng Hao, forget it. Let me handle this."
"Just stay put and don’t move," Feng Hao replied irritably. He then added through gritted teeth, "I have to be the one to deal with a cliché situation like this, or I’ll never live it down!"
"But..." Xiyue Frost said, her expression strange.
Feng Hao ignored her. As he slowly stepped forward, he pulled the Dark Moon Dagger from his Spatial Ring and discreetly coated the blade with Ghost Stone Powder. His frigid gaze locked onto Sha Mingliang. He was quite confident in his ability to handle a level-thirty-five opponent, especially with the added effect of the poison.
"I’ve heard for a while now that Main Combat students have a massive superiority complex. Today seems like a good day to experience it firsthand," Feng Hao taunted, casually twirling the dagger.
Sha Mingliang’s face fell, and the disdain in his eyes grew even stronger. "You all heard him! This kid challenged me. I’m not bullying a freshman, okay?"
"Getting cold feet before a fight even starts? Are all Main Combat students this cowardly?" Feng Hao continued to mock him.
"You’re courting death!" Overcome with rage, Sha Mingliang drew a Longsword and charged. "You want to play hero in front of me? Then be prepared to be carried out of here horizontally!"
Feng Hao was already on guard. As someone seasoned in countless battles, there was no way he’d be hit by such a clumsy attack. He dodged it with an easy sidestep. Besides, from Sha Mingliang’s attack patterns and footwork, his technique was mediocre at best—not even on par with Xiyue Frost’s.
"Wow, such sharp attacks, Senior Brother. You can’t even hit a level-twenty-one freshman," Feng Hao taunted, even in the middle of the fight.
"Hmph!" Sha Mingliang gritted his teeth and snorted. Magic Power gathered on his blade, and after a moment of charging, he unleashed a blast of Sword Qi.
A playful look appeared on Feng Hao’s face. ’He can’t even land a direct hit, yet he thinks a charged attack will work? His intelligence is seriously questionable.’
Meanwhile, the surrounding crowd was in an uproar. Thanks to Feng Hao’s earlier taunts, many people were annoyed with him—after all, most of the onlookers were Strength Department students. Of course, plenty of freshmen were cheering for Feng Hao, as an upperclassman bullying a new student was hardly something to be proud of.
"This kid’s pretty good, isn’t he? Only level twenty-one and he can hold his own against a second-year like that."
"He really is. Does anyone know him? What department is he from?" many asked curiously, but unfortunately, no one knew the answer.
"Great, my ass! Senior Brother Sha isn’t even using his full strength. Just watch, that kid won’t be acting so smug for long!"
"Exactly! He dared to challenge our Strength Department. He can’t be allowed to walk away unscathed!"
...
Hidden within the large crowd of onlookers was a figure with furtive eyes. It was none other than Bai Shaoyang of Ancient Yang City. Ever since being utterly defeated by Xiyue Frost, he had abandoned his plan to skip grades and enter an Advanced Academy.
However, his City Lord father had already bragged about it all over Ancient Yang City, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and come to the Five Provinces Academy. What he never expected was to run into his personal nightmare, Xiyue Frost, on the very first day.
’So she’s the one who ranked first. I guess losing to the top student isn’t so humiliating after all,’ Bai Shaoyang consoled himself as he hid in the crowd. ’Still, that kid is seriously overestimating himself. Even a Hegemon Tournament genius like myself wouldn’t dare challenge an upperclassman. Where does he get that confidence?’