“Su Mo, let’s go grab a drink this afternoon. Call Wu Heng and Fatty too. I know a new restaurant that just opened—it’s really good, and they’ve got great liquor there.”
“What? You want to cut ties with me?” Nishimura Ye was stunned for a moment, then yelled into the phone, “That’s not fair, man!”
His voice came through quick and heated, clearly frustrated. “Look, I don’t care what happened between your dad and my dad—take that up with him, not me. I’ve already gone against my conscience and thrown matches to help you guys out!”
…
Nishimura Ye hung up, feeling utterly dejected.
Even though he knew the person on the other end was probably just blowing off steam, he was well aware that a rift had already formed between him and that group of friends. Getting back to how things used to be was pretty much out of the question.
“Ugh, what a load of crap this Warrior Sect is. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be in this mess right now.”
The others around him were all from the same squad, all from his home country, and all from the Warrior Sect. Hearing their captain talk so recklessly, none of them dared to even breathe loudly.
When the son of the deputy sect leader curses someone out, it’s called being rebellious. But when they do it, it’s called treason.
That one-word difference would lead to two completely different outcomes.
“Taro, get everyone started on drills!” Nishimura Ye suddenly sat up straight and said to the most composed-looking young man beside him.
“Yes, Captain!” The young man called Taro didn’t say another word and walked straight outside. The others didn’t dare hesitate and followed him out one after another.
Only after they had all left did Nishimura Ye slump back into his chair, muttering to himself: “Year-end assessments… they’re going to rank every single one of us into tiers.”
His already narrow eyes squinted even further, turning into a thin slit. “Interesting.”
…
…
In a spacious, sunlit room, Revunov stripped off his clothes, revealing solid muscles and thick body hair. His powerful frame radiated an overwhelming sense of pressure, like a wild beast.
He was a prodigy of the younger generation from the Northern Kingdom, known alongside Li Tianke in the Prodigy Camp as the strongest beneath the so-called “Three Great Geniuses.”
Now that Yuan Tianxiu was dead, by all logic, he should rank among the top three.
Even he himself thought so.
But not long ago, Revunov had seen for the first time just how vast the gap was between him and the true geniuses.
Setting aside people like Cao Shanghong, just comparing himself to the four Prodigy Camp members—Su Mo, Ye Qingyi, Blake, and Vail—the difference was more than just a little.
Facing the same enemy, others could triumph or even crush them, while he could only get knocked out on the sidelines, forced to slack off.
To him, that was nothing short of a humiliating disgrace.
As one of the representative powerhouses of the Northern Kingdom’s younger generation, he’d been brooding over it for a long time.
Suddenly, there was a violent pounding at the door, accompanied by a pleasant but frantic voice: “Revunov, you coward! If you don’t open this door right now, don’t blame me for getting rough!”
The moment he heard the voice, Revunov’s expression shifted. He snatched up the clothes he’d tossed on the sofa and pulled them on.
He knew that voice all too well—it was his girlfriend, Lorina. Also a member of the Prodigy Camp, she was roughly his equal in strength.
Knowing her as he did, he was certain his front door wasn’t going to survive the day.
And just as he expected, a loud bang soon followed. A curvaceous young woman burst through the door, carrying a solid wooden pole as thick as a bowl and over three meters long in her hands.
“Lorina, what are you doing?” Revunov couldn’t help but step back, his heart racing with panic.
Come on, that’s solid wood, and it’s that thick. Even if it won’t kill someone, it’ll hurt like hell, alright!
“Revunov, why won’t you spar with me?” The young woman, Lorina, pointed the wooden pole at him, her tone dripping with provocation.
Quick as a flash, Revunov grabbed one end of the pole, yanked it hard, and it slipped from her grasp into his own.
He tossed the pole aside, then stepped closer until he was right in front of her, and said, “Lorina, listen to me. It’s not that I don’t want to spar with you. It’s just that I’ve been under so much pressure lately that I’m not in the right headspace. You’ve got to understand that.”
With that, he cupped her face in his hands and leaned in for a deep kiss—only to be pushed away by a pair of slender but strong hands before his lips could meet hers.
“Being able to cultivate C-class to the sixth realm means you’ve already surpassed the vast majority of people. You know those old-timers out there are mostly only at the fifth realm at best. Even someone as strong as Ye Qingyu is only at the sixth.” Lorina’s voice softened a little.
“It’s different. The spiritual energy level of Earth is nothing like it used to be. Back then, reaching the fifth realm was no easier than the sixth is now.” Revunov shook his head, a figure surfacing in his mind—a man with seven snow-capped mountains, corresponding to the international standard of the seventh realm.
Lorina furrowed her brows. “Striving for perfection is a good thing, but obsessing over it in every single area will only hurt you. Even someone as strong as Blake and Vail are only at the sixth realm, you know.”
Revunov closed his eyes and stayed silent.
Of course he knew everything Lorina was saying.
He just couldn’t accept it.
Especially after truly witnessing the seventh realm for himself, he yearned for it even more. Not to mention, breaking through to the seventh realm allowed one to comprehend powerful secret arts on their own—like that man’s ability to nullify all rules.
Who wouldn’t be envious of that?
For all he knew, Blake and Vail might already be regretting their choices, since they were the Chosen Ones—the ones closest to the seventh realm.
Of course, he also knew full well that they had only chosen to breakthrough to B-class after trying thousands of times and failing repeatedly.
“So even geniuses have their tiers. Someone like me is just the floor tile, while someone like Su Mo is the ceiling.” Revunov let out a sigh, then suddenly thought of something. “Oh, and there’s Ye Qingyi too. Could she also be at the seventh realm? After all, she’s way more famous and powerful than Su Mo, and she’s got that sister named Ye Qingyu to boot.”
Smack! Smack! Smack!
Revunov’s face was suddenly tapped lightly three times. It was Lorina, looking right at him. “You are you. There’s no need to compare yourself to others. Because in my heart, you’ll always be the most amazing person in the world.”
No man can resist the lure of the words “the most amazing,” especially when they come from the lips of someone they love.
Revunov’s heart swelled with emotion, and he cupped Lorina’s pretty face once more.
This time, she didn’t pull away. Instead, she wrapped her arms around the back of his head, letting him take what he wanted greedily.
The breathing in the room grew rapid—deep and heavy mingling with soft and delicate. Before long, the sound of tearing fabric filled the air, followed by…
