Chapter Thirty-One: The Ultra-Luxurious Lineup in the Grandstand

“Brother Sima, do we really have to sneak around like this?” Shen Yuan fidgeted with the mask on his face, clearly uncomfortable.

“Keep it low-key, low-key,” Sima Xiangshan whispered, his voice muffled. He wore a garishly painted woman’s mask, his outfit flamboyant enough that a stranger might have mistaken him for a lady.

Whenever Shen Yuan’s gaze landed on Sima’s mask, a wave of nausea threatened to overtake him. Sima’s peculiar tastes were always unnerving. Thankfully, his own mask was far less conspicuous—just a simple clown’s face.

“Come on, let’s see the one who bested you,” Sima Xiangshan’s voice slithered from behind the mask, carrying an unsettling chill that sent goosebumps crawling up Shen Yuan’s arms.

Sima’s strength was unfathomable, so much so that the strict headmaster himself regarded him differently. Shen Yuan had barely emerged from seclusion when Sima dragged him along.

Suddenly, Sima stopped and turned abruptly.

Shen Yuan faltered, then instinctively spun around as well.

Not far behind, three women in veiled bamboo hats gazed at them from a distance.

“Han Bingning,” Sima murmured.

Shen Yuan’s eyelid twitched, his expression shifting. In all of Starwind City, only two could rival Sima Xiangshan: Han Bingning and Liang Qiu. Shen Yuan had crossed blades with Sima many times; Sima’s strength was such that he could not even muster resistance.

But Han Bingning could meet Sima head-on.

Why had she come too?

—

Like a bird uncaged, Cai Xue flitted about, brimming with joy. Though a veil and hat covered her face, her youthful exuberance was impossible to hide. “Senior Sister is amazing! Who would have thought the headmaster would actually let us out?”

“Even if the preliminary rounds aren’t interesting, it’s good to get some air,” He Xiaoqin chimed in, visibly happy. These days, the headmaster’s personal supervision had left them all groaning under the strain of training.

Senior Sister Han had suddenly taken them to the headmaster, claiming they wanted to watch the Starwind Martial Tournament’s preliminaries. Both girls had been full of worry—couldn’t their Senior Sister have come up with a more believable excuse?

Watching the preliminaries was such a poor pretext. Why would the headmaster agree?

To their astonishment, the headmaster agreed instantly and even told them to observe the matches carefully.

Cai Xue and He Xiaoqin were baffled. Observe carefully? What was there to see in the preliminaries?

“Senior Sister, which match are we going to watch?” Cai Xue asked curiously.

Just as Han Bingning was about to answer, she sensed something and halted, looking up. Cai Xue and He Xiaoqin noticed the change, their eyes sharpening as they followed Han Bingning’s gaze. Their eyes were as keen as blades, as if to pierce the thin veil.

Not far away, two masked figures watched them intently.

“Sima Xiangshan.” Han Bingning’s icy voice made both Cai Xue and He Xiaoqin blanch.

Those four syllables seemed to imbue the eerie mask with a chilling gleam.

Both groups stared at each other across the space.

“Hehehe…” A chilling laugh came from behind the garish mask. Sima Xiangshan appeared to have discovered something amusing.

“How interesting,” Han Bingning’s voice was frosty, yet a hint of playfulness flickered in her eyes behind the veil.

Though the tension was palpable, it vanished in an instant.

Sima Xiangshan gave them one last look before he and Shen Yuan slipped away into the crowd.

Cai Xue and He Xiaoqin exchanged alarmed glances. If before they hadn’t understood why their Senior Sister brought them to the preliminaries, or why the headmaster had allowed it, now, seeing that even Sima Xiangshan of Celestial Crystal Academy had come, they realized something significant was afoot.

But since when had Starwind City harbored such formidable figures?

“Senior Sister…”

“Let’s go,” Han Bingning said coldly, striding ahead.

Cai Xue and He Xiaoqin hurried after her.

—

“This looks like the place,” Wang Zhen said offhandedly.

Ming Guang suddenly lowered his voice. “Zhen, there seem to be a lot of people following us.”

“A lot of people?” Wang Zhen grunted, unconcerned. “Relax, it has nothing to do with us.”

Nothing to do with us… Ming Guang wondered where Zhen got his confidence.

“Come on, let’s head in,” Wang Zhen said, stepping into the stands without a backward glance.

Ming Guang’s curiosity was piqued. Wang Zhen was generally easygoing, but for him to come to the preliminaries specifically—this was unheard of. Who could have warranted this personal visit?

They were the first to arrive; the stands were empty. Ming Guang looked around, uneasy. “Are you sure this is the right place?”

“Yeah, should be,” Wang Zhen replied.

Ming Guang shook his head. The stands were pitifully small, and no one else was here. With so many preliminary matches being held at once, and the level of competition so low, there were hardly any spectators—usually just the contestants’ families.

Suddenly, a large crowd surged in. At the sight of Wang Zhen and Ming Guang, their eyes lit up, and they quickly surrounded them, filling the small stands to capacity.

The press of bodies made Ming Guang’s scalp tingle. “Zhen, they really did follow us.”

“It’s fine,” Wang Zhen replied, his eyes locked on Tang Tian, who was fast asleep in the corner of the stands.

“Excuse me, are you Ming Guang from Beast Academy?” a beautiful woman squeezed through the crowd, gazing at Ming Guang with adoration.

All of Ming Guang’s earlier discomfort vanished; he prepared to strike a dashing pose. But out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the stand’s entrance and froze.

Hmm?

Wang Zhen sensed something too, turning his attention toward the entrance.

—

“Why are there so many people?” Shen Yuan exclaimed in disbelief. This was just a preliminary match, yet the stands were packed—completely out of the ordinary.

At the entrance, the crowd was so dense they couldn’t squeeze through.

Just then, Han Bingning and her two companions from Northern Swallow Academy arrived as well.

“What a coincidence. I didn’t expect Miss Bingning to be interested in Tang Tian too,” Sima Xiangshan chuckled darkly.

“Aren’t you here as well, Senior Sima?” Han Bingning replied, her tone glacial.

Cai Xue and He Xiaoqin glared at the two from Celestial Crystal Academy. There was no love lost between the top two academies.

“Allow me to clear the way for Miss Bingning,” Sima Xiangshan said, stepping toward the entrance.

His footsteps were so light they made no sound; a faint dark aura seemed to envelop him, and a dangerous presence filled the air.

The crowd blocking the entrance turned pale. Terror flickered in their eyes as they looked at Sima Xiangshan.

“Please make way.” His voice was gentle, yet audible to all.

Instinctively, people parted to form a path.

Sima Xiangshan stepped aside and gestured graciously.

Han Bingning nodded in thanks and proceeded along the cleared path. People shrank back instinctively as she passed.

Three veiled, mysterious women and two masked, enigmatic men suddenly appeared on the small stands, drawing every eye.

None of them had expected the preliminary venue would be so small, barely holding two or three hundred people. They were used to arenas that could accommodate thousands, hence their attempts at disguise. But here, with only two hundred seats, the five of them stood out like the moon in a dark sky—impossible to miss.

Then, they spotted Wang Zhen and Ming Guang.

Wang Zhen recognized them instantly and asked, “Why are you dressed like that?”

They were all old acquaintances, having sparred countless times; as one of Beast Academy’s top figures, Wang Zhen’s status was on par with theirs.

The other spectators pricked up their ears immediately. With Wang Zhen speaking so familiarly, these five must be quite extraordinary.

Both Sima Xiangshan and Han Bingning were left speechless by Wang Zhen’s bluntness. Couldn’t he at least pretend not to know them?

“Senior Wang Zhen,” Han Bingning greeted politely, removing her veil and hat. Cai Xue and He Xiaoqin followed suit.

The stands erupted.

“Miss Bingning!”

“Goddess!”

Deafening cheers resounded, but Han Bingning’s expression remained perfectly calm.

“Big Zhen, your honesty always puts me in a tough spot,” Sima Xiangshan sighed, taking off his mask.

The uproar ceased instantly, the crowd’s expressions freezing.

Sima Xiangshan!

A deathly silence descended.

Fear spread like a plague, etching itself into every face and reaching the depths of their eyes.

Sima Xiangshan smiled benignly. His features were ordinary, even a touch gentle and approachable.

But no one thought so.

Sima Xiangshan!

Since Shangguan Qianhui had left Starwind City, Sima Xiangshan had held the top position unchallenged. But unlike the beloved Shangguan, Sima’s notorious reputation could silence crying infants.

Cruel, ruthless, capricious, unstable…

His overwhelming strength and bizarre temperament made him an object of universal dread.

What kind of preliminary match was this turning out to be?

In the midst of that silence, Tang Tian stirred from his sleep.

Where did all these people come from…?

Tang Tian blinked drowsily at the packed stands. Suddenly, he spotted Han Bingning.

Instantly energized, he leapt up and waved vigorously, shouting, “Aha! Young lady! Have you come to witness the legendary youth’s debut? Wahaha! Young lady, you really do have an eye for greatness!”

In the dead silence, Tang Tian’s voice rang out, sweeping away the gloomy, fearful atmosphere.

Every eye turned to Han Bingning.

Her expression remained serene, but her fingers whitened on the hilt of her sword—unseen by others.

For the first time, she wished she could vanish into the floor.