“Did you hear? The Rose War God is back.”
“No way, really? That’s my goddess—if only I could catch a glimpse of her.”
“Look at you, so pathetic. She’s just a woman, and you’re already drooling all over yourself. You’re a disgrace to men everywhere.”
“What do you know? That’s the Rose War God we’re talking about. Not only is she insanely powerful, but she’s also drop-dead gorgeous. I heard the only reason she could beat that S-rank was because she was so beautiful that the guy couldn’t bring himself to go all out.”
“If that’s the case, I actually want to see her too. I just wonder how much she matches her photos in real life—after all, with today’s tech, anyone can look like a supermodel online.”
“I’d love to see her too, but I heard she went into seclusion with her teammates and won’t be out until the year-end assessment.”
“That’s a shame. But speaking of which, which teams do you think have a shot at the top three?”
“That’s obvious—the teams led by the Rose War God Ye Qingyi, Weil, and Blake. As for the others… Lei Wu Inov and Li Tianke’s groups are strong too, but compared to those three, they’re still a step behind. The rest don’t even stand a chance.”
“Funny, I was thinking the exact same thing.”
Two male trainees from the Genius Camp were chatting away as they strolled down the street, when they suddenly spotted an exceptionally beautiful woman walking toward them.
She was slender but strikingly pretty—judging by her features, she was probably East Asian.
The woman cast a casual glance in their direction, and both men, thinking she might be interested, immediately approached to strike up a conversation.
But she gave them a cold glare, ignored them completely, and walked right past.
What should have been an awkward moment turned out not to be so bad—since both of them had been shot down the exact same way.
The woman acted as if nothing had happened. Only after she’d put some distance between them did she mutter to herself, “The Rose War God—now that’s an interesting title. As expected of Her Highness the Princess—popular wherever she goes.”
The woman was Hong, though she now went by the name Liu Mengzhen, her silver hair dyed black.
She made her way to the main gate of the Genius Camp and was about to enter when the security guard stopped her. “No unauthorized personnel allowed.”
“I’m here to see someone.”
“Doesn’t matter. Unless they come out to pick you up, you’re not getting in.” The guard was strict and refused to budge.
“I’m looking for Ye Qingyi—the one you call the Rose War God.” Hong felt exasperated having to say such a cringey title.
But the guard just grew more impatient. “What nonsense? Another one looking for this ‘Rose War God’? There’s no such person here. Now move along.”
“I’m not—” Hong’s temper was about to flare when a clean, youthful voice cut in: “Sir, she’s my cousin, actually. She’s here to see me.”
Hong turned to look. A young man in flowing robes with a longsword slung across his back was politely explaining the situation to the guard, and eventually managed to get the green light.
“Fine. Register your name and contact info—yours too,” the guard finally relented.
Once they were inside the camp, Hong smiled and thanked him. “Much appreciated.”
“No need to thank me. I’m sort of a friend of Ye Qingyi—not close, but still. Since you’re here to see her, it was only right to help.”
Hong said nothing more after expressing her thanks and immediately walked off, leaving the young man standing there, the question he’d been about to ask dying in his throat.
His name was Li Tianke. He’d originally been out buying clothes with his sister and happened to run into this scene on their way back, so he’d stepped in without hesitation.
A moment later, a mischievous voice drifted over from beside him: “Bro, what are you staring at so intently… Ooh, a pretty lady, huh? Tsk tsk tsk, I didn’t know you liked the cool, aloof type.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. You’re just a kid—what do you know?” Li Tianke’s face flushed red as he quickly retorted.
Li Ruoxue pouted. “Hmph, I’m already twenty. I stopped being a kid a long time ago.”
“Name one twenty-year-old girl who needs her brother to tag along just to buy clothes,” Li Tianke shot back dryly.
“Hey, I’m your one and only sister. Just say whether you’re willing or not—if you’re not, I won’t bother you next time.” Li Ruoxue pursed her lips. “There’s actually this cute guy who’s been pursuing me lately. He’s pretty gentle.”
At that, Li Tianke stiffened his neck and put on a dismissive air. “Who? How old is he?”
“Not telling you.” Li Ruoxue gave a sly smile and turned to walk away, muttering under her breath as she went: “He’s actually not a bad guy… maybe I should say yes…”
Li Tianke’s eyes went wide as he chased after her. “Li Ruoxue, listen to me—you’re only twenty, you don’t know how cruel the world can be. There are so many players out there…”
He went on and on for a good while, until Li Ruoxue suddenly burst into giggles. “Okay, okay, I was just messing with you. There’s no cute guy. Unless he’s someone like Su Mo, no one’s even catching my eye.”
Li Tianke eyed her suspiciously. “Really?”
Li Ruoxue raised three fingers of her right hand. “Of course. Or else my brother—”
Li Tianke was quick as lightning, slapping a hand over her mouth with a dark expression. “Keep cursing me like that, and one day you’ll actually jinx me to death.”
“So, who was that pretty lady just now?” Li Ruoxue broke free and shifted gears, pressing on.
“She was here for Ye Qingyi, but the guard stopped her at the gate. I thought I’d give her a hand.”
“I see… But what if she’s some bad guy trying to sneak into the camp to cause trouble? Wouldn’t that make you an accomplice?”
Li Tianke smiled confidently. “I already checked—she’s only D-rank. She can’t stir up any trouble here. Even the security guard is D-rank.”
“True. This is the Genius Camp, after all, and it’s not far from Commissioner Furn’s residence. With him around, no one would dare cause a scene here.”
“By the way, how’s that sword technique I taught you last time coming along?” Li Tianke changed the subject, his tone growing a bit more serious. “The year-end assessment is less than a month away. It’s not just about team coordination—individual strength matters too. If you’re not solid enough, you’ll get hurt in combat.”
“I’ve… learned some of it. Just haven’t mastered it yet.” Li Ruoxue hung her head, not daring to meet her brother’s eyes.
Li Ruoxue was naturally gifted and had her family’s unique inheritance to boot. If she weren’t so lazy about training, her strength would already far surpass most of her peers.
Even so, she’d already reached C-rank. If Huo Jingshu ever found out, who knows what she’d think…
Li Tianke sighed and lightly tapped her forehead a few times. “You, you—you insisted on becoming a Transcendent with me, and now that you are one, you won’t put in the effort. How are you going to protect yourself in the future?”
“I’ve got my big brother to protect me, don’t I?” Li Ruoxue beamed.
Li Tianke said helplessly, “If only I could protect you all the time. But you’ll grow up someday. There’ll come a time when you have to face everything on your own. What will you do then?”
Seeing him launch into his usual lecture, Li Ruoxue raised three fingers to the sky—but before she could utter a single word of her oath, Li Tianke clamped his hand over her mouth again.
He knew his sister all too well. Her next line was bound to be something like “If I don’t train hard, my brother will go bald overnight” or “If I don’t behave, my brother will step in dog poop the next time he goes out.”
Not lethal, but highly insulting.
And the worst part? Sometimes, it was creepily accurate.
