Volume 1, Chapter 40: The Willows Sway Gently in the Breeze (Part I)

Li Qin started in surprise. The footsteps were steady and powerful; in the brief moment he stood stunned, they had already ascended the stairs.

Tong Ran struggled to open her eyes. The room was pitch black, and she could see nothing. The silence was terrifying; she could not even hear the wind blowing outside the window.

"I'm sorry, I'm late," Cheng Yun said with an apologetic smile to Ping An as she sat down across from him.

When they returned to the grand hall, Fang Youli and Du Xiaomei had finished their dance, and Du Xiaomei was walking toward Li Tianchen with her arm linked in Fang Youli's.

Cheng Xinyan looked up with a slightly dazed expression, then offered a smile. The person who had entered was none other than the white-clad man she had saved that day, though he was now dressed in slightly formal attire that resembled the court robes worn during the ancient dynasties of China.

"Senior Brother, you said that all things in nature can serve as a sword, so why do people still pursue divine weapons?" Lu Hou'er shook his head and asked suddenly.

Following this came a series of trivial matters such as roll call and the distribution of examination cell tags. It was nearly noon by the time more than four thousand students were lined up and filing into the Imperial Examination Hall.

By this time, Long Xuankong had already received news of Yun Jiangnan and the others' arrival. In this Dark Forest, bat-beasts were everywhere. The moment the group reached the Blood Bat Sect's encampment, Shu Ya, who was following Long Xuankong, learned of it, and naturally, Long Xuankong became aware as well.

Thus, Lin Luochen supported her and took her to a nearby shopping mall to pick out a pair of shoes.

"Ye Dong is arrogant. He actually used the condition of healing Jin Mingbo's meridians to force his way into the Wall-Pounding chamber to learn the peerless martial arts hidden there. Now that others are snatching the Heaven-Swallowing Shark, the Martial Academy will not intervene. Let's see how he handles this!" Li Zhoudao thought to himself.

No words were needed, no explanation was required; a single flower-like smile was enough to calm his anxious heart and fill it with joy.

Outside the formation were various cave dwellings. Fan Xiaodong did not know the purpose of each one, but the biting cold wind and the oppressive baleful aura made him suspect they were used for cultivation or storing treasures.

The unicorn beneath the Mad Blade Demon’s command trembled at the sight of the Green Dragon, staring at it with fearful eyes and backing away.

The moonlight was hazy. There wasn't a single star in the dark sky. I walked through the Imperial Garden with my hands behind my back, the sound of my footsteps ringing out crisply against the pavement with every stride.

"No, you've helped me so much; I should be the one paying for this meal. How can I let you pay? How much is the total? I’ll give it to you. Is three hundred enough? If not, I have more here," Zhao Guodong said, reaching into his pocket to take out money.

The royal visit was expected to last two months, and the court could not go a day without a ruler. The Emperor carefully selected three regents: Yun Fengjin, Situ Feng, and Qin Guodong. During his absence, the three would jointly oversee state affairs.

"Saiyan! You want me to be your subordinate? Keep dreaming! I am a dignified Evil Dragon; how could I ever surrender to you?" The Seven-Star Dragon was resolute, and he was furious at Bardock. This Saiyan had severely trampled upon his dignity.

"What are you doing?" Zhang San finished speaking and gave a wink to the two men behind him. They immediately hoisted Old Man Xia up and placed him onto the donkey cart.

Deep, majestic phoenix eyes were raised proudly, locking onto the cold, abyss-like gaze of Xuanyuan Wei. As their eyes met, sparks of lightning seemed to fly between them.

"An important matter?" Upon hearing these words, Beerus and Whis immediately fell silent. Anything that Bardock deemed an important matter could not be simple.

A faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. No one could discern the fluctuations in Duan Jinrui’s thoughts; all they saw was the poise and grace of the new Emperor.

Tan Maoliang shook his head and said, "No. The last time I saw my uncle was four or five years ago. At that time, he wanted to take my family with him into the Yimeng Mountains, but Mother did not agree. Later, we drifted apart and lost contact."

Duan Jinrui's hand touched the sword at his waist. Half of the blade had already left its scabbard, the brilliant, icy light flashing across Liu Moyan’s eyes with a sharp, chilling edge.

Ye Hun’s mouth twitched imperceptibly. He felt like giving Ye Ying a good beating; why was it still so hard for him to call the old man 'Grandfather'?

Upon hearing that extremely shrill cry of a dragon, Linghu Yixue’s expression changed in shock. She stopped and looked back, only to see a vast, white expanse.

Huo Cun looked around. The stars were shining in the sky and half a moon hung overhead. Burning wooden rafts drifted down the river from time to time, casting flickering light on the surroundings, yet he saw nothing amiss as Ge Congzhou had suggested.

By comparison, although Kakarot had poorer aptitude, his diligent training had given him a combat strength of over 700, though that did not include his potential for explosive growth.

In Ai Chenxi's eyes, such a man was irresponsible, so she already had a poor impression of Shen Xiao before even meeting him.

Of course, the bloodstains were likely not theirs, but someone else's, as their auras showed no sign of injury.

"Do you like it?" Xuanyuan Rui’s warm phoenix eyes caught the flicker of surprise in her own, and he stepped forward to lead her to the lakeside.

Luffy could only pretend to laugh in his simple-hearted way, while in his heart, he did not believe a word of what Beiming Yudie said.

Compared to a bumpkin whose distant relative was a governor, Young Master Hua, the heir to a super-faction, was naturally the better choice.

As Xia Xun’s voice faded, a beast’s roar suddenly resounded, causing everyone present to tremble.

A pair of fair hands emerged from the deep blue coat; the skin was a cold, bloodless white, made to look even more lifeless against the pitch-black flintlock. Her unblinking eyes clearly saw Yan Jun, but the dark barrel of the gun remained aimed at his chest, only lowering after a moment.

Wang Peng’s words were beyond Yang Qidong’s expectations. He insisted on dragging out a pre-loan review to fool Yang Qidong and even threw out a 'blacklist' as an excuse.

Anyone unaware of the situation who witnessed this scene would feel a sense of admiration for the man: he was truly too resilient, too unyielding.

Thinking of this, Bao Shiyou rained punches and kicks upon Tang Hualiu, while Luffy showed no sign of intervening. Perhaps in Luffy’s perception, the two were merely dogs biting dogs; whether one lived or died meant nothing to him.

The four Great Masters had no objections and nodded in agreement. After all, the current decision concerned the future survival of Wushan Residence, and they were more inclined to trust the gods.

"Good!" Silver Moon unsheathed her crescent blade. Seeming to sense its master’s fighting spirit, the blade hummed with a metallic ring.