Laurent stared blankly at Angelia approaching, flanked by two children, trying to fathom why she was there. Had their academy also given the day off?

Wait a minute—I feel like I’ve seen those two kids somewhere before! Laurent seemed to recall something, though the memory remained frustratingly vague.

The others, noticing Laurent’s strange expression, turned to look behind them, catching sight of Angelia and Zhong Shenxiu and their companions.

“That’s her; the person I saw in the Demonic Beast Forest last time was her,” Solomon said, pointing directly at Angelia.

Oh? Elina began studying Angelia with genuine interest, thinking to herself, My little brother certainly has good taste!

Of course, as soon as Angelia’s group spotted them, Angelia noticed them too.

Angelia’s expression visibly froze, her brow furrowing slightly. The first person she noticed was Laurent, the opponent who had defeated her twice in a row.

In contrast, Zhong Shenxiu’s attention was fixed on Elina and the others. He still had a score to settle with that group! (It concerned the destruction of the Skeleton Warrior; although he hadn't asked directly, Zhong Shenxiu was ninety percent certain they were responsible!)

What filled Zhong Shenxiu’s mind now was whether to settle this score with them immediately, since they happened to have some time on their hands.

Could this be fate's deliberate arrangement?

While both parties harbored unspoken thoughts, Zhong Shenxiu’s group and Laurent’s group were now less than ten meters apart.

“Hey!” Laurent raised a hand in greeting, but unexpectedly, Angelia averted her gaze just then.

Laurent stood awkwardly rooted to the spot, while his sister, Elina, approached him with a conspiratorial air, whispering, “Little brother, is that woman Angelia?”

“Mm,” Angelia nodded, saying little more, her expression seeming somewhat downcast.

“Hehe, it seems your little brother isn't exactly her type, is he?”

Laurent glanced back at Elina, his eyes holding a complex look, as if burdened by an unspeakable difficulty.

Laurent actually understood very well why Angelia treated him that way—perhaps it was the nature of destined rivals. He had blocked her chance at the championship twice now; anyone would feel resentful.

But Laurent had to stop Angelia; his resolve went far beyond merely winning glory for their school. No one knew the difficulty Laurent faced, nor that he was doing this for Angelia’s own good!

In the “Academy Ranking Tournament,” there was a terrifying individual: Austin from the First Academy, the ‘Xia Huyou Magic Martial Academy.’ This guy’s true terror lay not in his unfathomably deep strength, but in the way that after fighting him, your confidence would be utterly shattered, leaving you with a tremor stemming from the depths of your soul!

Laurent had deeply experienced this during his first clash with Austin; he had lost that battle miserably, with almost no ability to fight back. Furthermore, his confidence and convictions were pulverized in that fight. It had taken him nearly half a year of mental healing before he could slowly emerge from the shadow of that combat.

Austin was a fearsome opponent, and to prevent Angelia from suffering the same fate, Laurent could only keep this terrible adversary for himself.

“Ah, right, I also saw that little girl last time,” Solomon suddenly pointed at Robin and called out.

Robin hadn't been paying attention to them, but at Solomon’s shout, he shot him a cold glare!

Solomon paused, thinking to himself, Still as arrogant as ever!

As they spoke, Zhong Shenxiu had already arrived within three meters of Laurent’s group. At that very moment, to everyone’s surprise, Zhong Shenxiu suddenly stopped. He tilted his head back, a wicked smile playing on his lips, and swept a meaningful gaze back and forth over Elina and the others.

Just then, Zhong Shenxiu decided it would be best to settle that score.

Angelia hadn't expected Zhong Shenxiu to halt so abruptly, her expression showing slight confusion, but she didn't ask any questions, stopping along with him.

This instantly made the atmosphere strangely awkward. Laurent and the others, who had been lost in their own thoughts, were forced back to the present moment.

“Hello!” It had to be Elina, the teacher figure, who broke the silence, seemingly unaffected by the tension, and naturally initiated the greeting toward Angelia.

Angelia blinked, somewhat surprised that Elina would speak to her proactively, and managed a reply: “Hello!”

“Ah, I remember now! You two came to our house to buy property—it was you two!” Laurent finally recalled why Zhong Shenxiu and Robin looked so familiar.

Zhong Shenxiu and Robin exchanged a rare moment of agreement, glancing at Laurent with looks that clearly conveyed, This guy is an idiot.

“Where are you all headed?” Elina seemed to have some hidden agenda, trying to strike up a rapport with Angelia.

Angelia wanted to avoid answering, yet she found herself unable to resist Elina’s gentle expression; but if she were forced to explain, she wouldn't know what to say.

Fortunately, Zhong Shenxiu spoke up then.

“Hey, woman, you must be their leader, right?” Zhong Shenxiu fixed his gaze on Elina.

Woman???

Everyone present froze, Elina included.

“Little one, you should address me as 'sister'; that’s rather impolite!” Elina, after her initial shock, didn't get angry, but instead replied with a smile.

Zhong Shenxiu immediately rolled his eyes at her, then adopted an expression suggesting, Talking to women is indeed exhausting.

Ignoring Elina entirely, he walked over to Solomon and asked in a flat tone, “Kid, what’s your name?”

Guh~~~~~

Solomon wore a vacant, dull expression, clearly not having processed the question.

“Solomon, the young man is asking your name, why aren't you answering! Hahaha~~~” Thomas, having recovered his senses, gloated. It was the first time he’d seen Solomon so flustered.

At this point, Solomon finally snapped back to awareness, thinking to himself, Who is this kid? Isn't he even more arrogant than that little girl?

Solomon shot Zhong Shenxiu a cold glance but remained silent. He was also rather brazen, but he was holding back because Zhong Shenxiu was just a child; otherwise, he would have taught him a lesson.

Solomon shifted his gaze away from Zhong Shenxiu and walked closer to Angelia, saying in a detached tone, “Hey, you’re Angelia, right? Laurent and I are going to spar shortly; care to come along? Maybe I can even give you some pointers.”

Angelia’s expression sharpened, and just as she was about to refuse, Zhong Shenxiu interrupted: “Oh? By the sound of it, you think you’re quite strong! Tell me, where are you going? Let me see if you have the capital to be this boastful!”

He then let out that wicked smile again.

It seemed like some people were about to have a very bad day...