29: Classmate, can I change seats with you?
In a high-end villa district in Xu Jiang City.
A young woman, graceful and wearing a long dress, was giving instructions to a black-haired girl dressed in a tight combat suit with a long sword at her waist:
"An Ya, you must pay attention to safety during the Martial Exam. Safety first! Even if you can't get into a good Martial Arts University, you must prioritize your life safety!"
"Also, you are strong. If you encounter your cousin in the Martial Exam venue, you must take good care of him!"
"This child really doesn't let one rest easy. He went to participate in the Martial Exam without even discussing it with me. He isn't even afraid of danger in the Martial Exam venue."
Her aunt, Yun Shuhui, continued to nag Zhao Yanan, who impatiently waved her hand:
"Oh, I know, Mom. Li Ziyu is much more formidable than you think, so you don't need to worry so much!"
When she was at the Martial Arts Association, she had seen Li Ziyu's true strength. And for her to take care of him? It would be more like him taking care of her.
Zhao Yanan couldn't help but inwardly complain.
"You child, you're just talking nonsense. The results of Li Ziyu's school test were sent to my phone by his teacher. How could I not know his strength?"
"Anyway, in the Martial Exam venue, you better take good care of Li Ziyu. If anything happens to him, I won't let you off when you get back."
Zhao Yanan pouted, knowing that her mother wouldn't believe her no matter how much more she said.
If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she probably wouldn't have believed it even if someone else told her. So she simply stopped talking, waved to Yun Shuhui, and headed to school.
"Son, do well on the exam! If you get into a good Martial Arts University, Dad will get you a car! Pick anything under three million!"
"Got it, Dad!"
"Daughter..."
Similar scenes were playing out all over Xu Jiang City.
Ever since the arrival of fierce beasts and the emergence of martial artists, the annual Martial Exam had become the most important event in the entire Great Xia.
At this time, in Xu Jiang City, the streets were completely closed off, and all shops, businesses, and offices were given a day off.
This was all to clear the way for vehicles transporting Martial Exam candidates.
Each candidate first gathered at their respective schools, and then uniformly boarded official buses arranged by the authorities to head to the Martial Exam site.
At this moment, on a bus with “Third High School” painted on its exterior.
It was filled with chattering, excited Martial Exam candidates, and the homeroom teacher, Liu Yanfang, was checking the names one by one, counting the numbers.
"Twenty, twenty-one..."
"One more is missing. Where is Li Ziyu? Is he not coming?
It's fine if he doesn't come. Otherwise, once he enters the Martial Exam venue, it will be difficult to back out."
"Teacher, Li Ziyu is here."
Just as Liu Yanfang breathed a sigh of relief, the class monitor's voice rang out, pointing towards the bus door.
Liu Yanfang followed the direction of the class monitor's finger.
There, a tall young man with sword-like eyebrows, bright eyes, and a determined gaze was slowly stepping onto the bus steps, walking inside.
The young man seemed to spend a lot of time outdoors, his skin a healthy tan.
He carried an exaggerated long saber on his back and wore a black tight combat suit, exuding a strong sense of sharpness and confidence.
As he walked into the bus, Liu Yanfang almost thought it wasn't Li Ziyu, but a general who had just returned from a hundred battles on the battlefield.
That demeanor made Liu Yanfang's heart skip a beat.
"Sorry, Teacher, I'm late."
Li Ziyu saw his homeroom teacher, Liu Yanfang, staring blankly at him, thinking she was displeased with his lateness, and took the initiative to explain.
He had originally planned to take a taxi to get there, but he couldn't find one, so he had to jog all the way.
However, fortunately, his Body Movement had already reached the intermediate level, so his speed was not slow, which was why he wasn't late.
"Oh... Oh, Li Ziyu, quickly take a seat. You're the only one left."
Liu Yanfang only snapped back to reality when Li Ziyu reminded her. She guided Li Ziyu to his seat, and her gaze towards Li Ziyu showed surprise.
It had only been a few days, but Li Ziyu's change was so great that even she, his homeroom teacher, almost didn't recognize him.
She had wanted to persuade him one more time to give up the Martial Exam.
But then she remembered the confident aura Li Ziyu had when he walked towards her, and Liu Yanfang subconsciously swallowed the words she was about to say.
"Wow, Li Ziyu has changed so much! Is this still the Li Ziyu I know?"
"He's so handsome, I feel like he's even more handsome than our school's heartthrob! I feel like I'm in love."
"Huh, doesn't Li Ziyu only have 0.8 qi and blood? Look at that battle saber on his back, it must weigh at least dozens of pounds, right? With his qi and blood, can he even wield it?"
After Li Ziyu sat down, everyone else in the bus turned their gaze towards him.
More than a dozen cute-looking girls even had stars in their eyes.
Next to Li Ziyu.
His deskmate, Wang Hao, subconsciously wanted to pat Li Ziyu's shoulder.
But for some reason, just as he was about to touch Li Ziyu's shoulder, his hand instinctively recoiled.
It was as if Li Ziyu had an invisible aura around him.
Wang Hao retracted his hand and looked at Li Ziyu with a slightly cautious expression, saying:
"Yu-ge, are you really going to participate in the Martial Exam? Putting your life in danger for a woman isn't worth it!"
"Do you want to rethink it?"
Wang Hao earnestly advised.
Wang Hao was present when Li Ziyu's qi and blood were tested, and when Xu Mengyao broke up with him, so he was very clear about Li Ziyu's strength.
He felt that Li Ziyu must have been stimulated by Xu Mengyao and wanted to prove himself to her.
And all the equipment Li Ziyu was wearing now, and the confident expression on his face, were all just a disguise!
The purpose was to prove himself to Xu Mengyao!
"I'm not the same as before."
Li Ziyu looked at his deskmate, who had a relatively good relationship with his original self, and said with a smile.
Wang Hao wanted to persuade him further, but when he met Li Ziyu's gaze, for some reason, he didn't dare to speak.
How strange, he had never been so reserved before.
Wang Hao thought to himself.
"Mengyao, thankfully you broke up early. Look at Li Ziyu, he's too childish!"
"He's not even a martial artist, yet he dares to participate in the Martial Exam. He doesn't even look in the mirror to see what his own strength is."
"The most exaggerated thing is that he's putting on airs, getting a set of martial artist gear to pretend to be a big shot. If we didn't know his true capabilities, we would have almost been fooled by his appearance."
In the front row of the bus, next to Xu Mengyao, her best friend An Ya, with heavy makeup and a sharp chin, spoke disdainfully about Li Ziyu.
Seeing that Xu Mengyao didn't speak, An Ya continued:
"If you ask me, it's a good thing you cut your losses in time. Look how good Bai Shao is."
"At such a young age, he has already obtained the certification of a Level 1 Junior Martial Artist. A genius like him will definitely have unlimited prospects in the future. He might even have a chance to get into one of those four Martial Arts Universities."
"Mengyao, you can't forget your best friend, me, in the future. Later, help me ask Bai Shao if he has any friends with good family backgrounds and good talent to introduce to me."
An Ya's saliva flew as she continuously praised Xu Mengyao's foresight.
However, Xu Mengyao's face showed no hint of secret delight; instead, it was filled with bitterness and regret.
This best friend of hers, who had always looked down on Li Ziyu, only knew that Bai Haoran had successfully certified as a Level 1 Junior Martial Artist, but she didn't know that Li Ziyu had certified as an Intermediate Martial Artist!
And he was an Intermediate Martial Artist who was about to reach the threshold of Advanced Martial Artist!
At the same age, one barely touched the threshold of a Level 1 Junior Martial Artist, while the other had already reached the ceiling of an Intermediate Martial Artist.
The gap between these two was simply too vast.
Xu Mengyao sighed, frequently turning her head to look at Li Ziyu, who was sitting behind her. Looking at Li Ziyu's chiseled face, she felt a sense of unwillingness in her heart.
She could have had such a powerful and promising young man!
Feeling truly unwilling, Xu Mengyao's eyes flashed with determination.
Li Ziyu might just be playing hard to get with her. Given her previous attitude towards Li Ziyu, as long as she showed a slight hint of vulnerability, he should forgive her.
Thinking this, Xu Mengyao stood up on her own initiative, to her best friend An Ya's surprised gaze, and walked to Wang Hao's seat next to Li Ziyu.
She glanced at Wang Hao and softly said to him:
"Student Wang, can I switch seats with you? I want to sit with Student Li Ziyu."