Chapter Ninety-Seven: Stefan

"Boss, no, boss…"

Wang Luo tried to shove Li Lei away, but his whole body was limp and weak, not a shred of strength left in him. He could not stop Li Lei’s advancing lips at all.

"Boss, really, you can’t!"

Soft lips, holding a curl of fur, drew little by little toward the final forbidden place. Wang Luo could not help growing anxious. Li Lei was the person nearest to his heart; he could not believe any of this was real.

"Boss!"

Those slightly parted, enticing lips moved inch by inch toward the mushroom-shaped tip, paying no heed to Wang Luo’s feeble cries. In the next instant, they were about to envelop the red, glistening head, still beaded with tiny transparent drops.

Squeak—

At that very moment, a short, urgent squeal suddenly burst beside Wang Luo’s ear. His whole body jolted, and at once a trace of strength returned to him. He shoved Li Lei away with all his might.

Crash, crackle…

A sound like shattering glass rang out. Li Lei’s half-open red lips seemed to be cut in two by an invisible blade, scattering into nothingness. Everything vanished. It was as if none of it had ever happened.

Wang Luo, sitting cross-legged on the ground, suddenly came to himself. Cold sweat drenched him all over, and a wave of lingering fear rose in his chest. If not for that sudden squeal, he might have been devoured by his inner demon.

"An inner demon… so this is the legendary inner demon. Truly formidable. The legends say it uses the deepest truths of one’s heart to lure people into ruin. Could it be that I—"

While checking the little black monkey’s body, Wang Luo thought silently in his heart. But he did not dare continue. Shaking his head, he looked at the little black monkey and felt the suddenly formed connection between them. It was somewhat like an equal pact, yet at the same time it felt different…

*************************************************

The moon hung quietly in the high sky, casting down threads of silver light that pierced the dark forest, adding faint speckles to the trees. Yet those specks, swaying in the wind, were never as dazzling as firelight.

Sizzle, hiss—

Golden drops of oil fell into the flames, making strange crackling sounds. At the same time, a rich fragrance of roasting meat spread through the air. A pig and a monkey, who had been waiting eagerly for a long time, could not help swallowing hard, looking pitifully toward Wang Luo as he grilled the meat.

"Don’t hurry. It’ll be ready soon!"

Wang Luo smiled slightly as he spoke, sprinkling salt and seasonings over the golden roast. It was as though he had returned to the Forest of Beasts, carefree and without worries.

Hnngh, oink…

Chirp chirp chirp…

Suddenly, the pig and the monkey sprang to their feet in alarm, issuing warning cries while glowering toward some place in the forest. Right when they were about to enjoy their feast, something blind had come to disturb them again.

"Go. Bring them back cleanly after you’re done, or you won’t get dinner tonight!"

At Wang Luo’s words, the pig and the monkey shot into the forest. A brief fight broke out there, and not long after, a miserable scream rang out from that direction. Then the pig and monkey returned unharmed.

Hnngh, oink…

Chirp chirp chirp…

"You two little braggarts. It was only a fourth-tier Dark Demon Spider you wiped out. What’s there to be so proud of? Hurry up and eat!"

With a laugh and a scold, Wang Luo divided the roast among the two beasts. His eyes, almost imperceptibly, glanced toward a place in the forest, where a thoughtful look surfaced in his gaze. He had sensed the fluctuation of blood energy there.

****************************************************

In a clearing somewhere in the forest, several roaring bonfires burned fiercely, illuminating a crowd of faces full of youthful vigor and tinged with ingratiating smiles, as well as a lone blue figure standing out among them, his face carrying an arrogant expression, as though he alone reigned supreme beneath heaven.

"Boss, this trial to enter the inner academy is definitely going to be yours. I heard the new students get bullied by the seniors once they go in. By then, if we follow boss, the seniors definitely won’t dare to bully us!"

"Need you even ask? Boss is already at the peak of the sixth tier. He’s the number one genius of the Sky Profound Continent. There aren’t many at the peak of the sixth tier in the inner academy either!"

"That’s a given…"

Whoosh—

Suddenly, a black shadow flashed out from the forest. In the blink of an eye, it reached not far from the blue figure. Glancing once at the handsome, unruly face of the man in blue, the shadow lowered its head and said, "Boss, there’s firelight not far ahead. I can go take a look and, while I’m at it, snatch the magic crystals they earned from hunting beasts. What do you think?"

"Boss, let’s hurry over. Not many have the guts to light a fire in the middle of the night. Their strength is probably not low, and they must have a lot of magic crystals!"

"No matter how strong they are, they’ll just be kittens before boss. Boss is the number one person in the Fallen Academy!"

"What number one person in the Fallen Academy? He’s clearly the number one person on the Sky Profound Continent!"

The blue-clad youth had not yet spoken when the more than ten people around him began chattering away. After another bout of flattery, the group moved toward the place where the firelight glowed, outrageously arrogant.

Yet here, they did indeed have the right to be arrogant. With strength at the peak of the sixth tier, plus a group of little masters at the fourth and even fifth tier, they could certainly run wild. Unfortunately, in this batch of students, there was more than one freak…

"You want to go toward the firelight up ahead?"

Suddenly, a pleasant voice sounded behind the group. The blue-clad youth reacted first, turning around to look. He froze on the spot at once, his eyes filled only with astonishment and admiration.

A white dress, shimmering faintly beneath the moonlight, hazy and dreamlike. A pretty face, bare of cosmetics, smiling ever so slightly—enough to intoxicate all who saw her, leaving in their eyes only that stunning white silhouette.

Gulp—

An orderly series of swallows rang out at once, awakening the spellbound men, though even then none of them wanted to look away. They wanted only to keep gazing at the figure before them until the end of time and the breaking of the world.

"You are going to the firelight ahead, are you not?"

Her red lips parted slightly, and that clear, lovely voice sounded again. The crowd swallowed hard once more. Some of the less restrained youths were nearly unable to control themselves, crossing their arms in front of their bodies and bending slightly at the waist.

"I have heard that there is a girl in the northern academy named Kira, beautiful as an angel. Seeing you today, I find the rumors were no exaggeration. I am Stefan, son of the head of the Waterleaf family. To meet Miss Kira is truly my honor!"

Taking a deep breath and suppressing the stirring in his body caused by Kira’s smile, Stefan gave a slight bow and spoke very gallantly, desire gleaming unabashedly in his eyes.

"The genius from the eastern academy, Stefan?"

That melodious voice made the impulse in Stefan’s heart tremble again. He nearly could not restrain himself from pouncing on her. Though he made no move, in the space of just those two short sentences, his mind had already ravaged Kira countless times.

"Yes, I am Stefan, a water-element warrior at the peak of the sixth tier!"

Straightening his back, Stefan said proudly. Then he looked at Kira, waiting for her astonished and admiring gaze.

"Oh? I heard that Wang Luo from the southern academy is also at the peak of the sixth tier. I wonder which of you is stronger, and who is the true genius."

"Wang Luo? That boy? Even if he broke through to the peak of the sixth tier, it would only be because medicinal pills forcibly pushed him up. I cultivated this myself. How could he compare with me!"

With a disdainful snort, Stefan spoke with obvious contempt, doing his utmost to show off himself…