The next day arrived quietly.
Morning sunlight streamed through the tall academy windows, illuminating the spacious classroom of the Heavenly Path Academy.
Students gradually filled their seats, chatting among themselves like any ordinary day.
Yet—
The atmosphere was subtly different.
Whispers drifted through the room.
Eyes glanced toward the same direction again and again.
Li Fengyuan!
He sat casually near the back of the classroom, leaning slightly against his chair as if nothing unusual had happened the day before.
But the gazes directed at him were no longer the same.
Curiosity!
Shock!
Disbelief!
Many students had already heard about what happened at the training grounds.
News spread quickly inside the academy.
Especially when it involved someone like Wei Tianhao.
One of the strongest disciples among their age group.
And yet—
Yesterday, Li Fengyuan fought against Wei Tianhao.
Toe to toe.
"That rumor… it's real, right?"
"I heard dozens of people saw it."
"Wei Tianhao used Qi!"
"And Li Fengyuan still dodged every strike!"
Someone scoffed in a low voice from the front row.
"That's impossible!"
"Many people have watched the whole ordeal and confirmed it. There is no way that Li Fengyuan could manipulate so many people."
"Are you telling me the guy who only knows how to pester Shen Yuyan went toe to toe with Wei Tianhao?"
"That's what everyone's saying."
More eyes turned toward Li Fengyuan.
But he didn't react at all.
He simply rested his chin on one hand, lazily yawning. It has been too long since he really pushed his body to the limit and fatigue was still there even after sleeping.
Just then, the classroom door slid open.
Instantly, the chatter died down.
A slender figure stepped inside.
Shen Yuyan!
Her presence naturally drew attention the moment she entered.
Many students straightened instinctively.
Shen Yuyan's eyes swept across the classroom briefly—
And then stopped.
On Li Fengyuan.
For a moment, she simply stared at him.
Her expression unreadable.
The classroom grew strangely quiet.
Everyone knew about Li Fengyuan's long-standing obsession with her.
Normally, the moment she entered, he would rush over or try to start a conversation.
But today—
Li Fengyuan didn't even look up.
As if Shen Yuyan's arrival was no different from anyone else's.
The silence grew heavier.
Zhao Dazhu slowly turned his head toward Li Fengyuan.
"…Aren't you going to say hello?"
Li Fengyuan blinked.
Then he finally looked up.
"Oh," he said casually.
"When did she come in?"
Zhao Dazhu nearly choked but remembered that Li Fengyuan was now pursuing Xiao Mei, not Shen Yuyan.
Across the room—
Shen Yuyan's brows slowly furrowed.
She had also heard about Li Fengyuan and what he did yesterday.
She was surprised but found it difficult to believe, as Li Fengyuan was good for nothing in her eyes.
Soon after, Xiao Mei also entered.
Li Fengyuan glanced at her at the same time she glanced at him.
A faint blush appeared on her face, but she scoffed and looked the other way.
She still couldn't forget what Li Fengyuan did yesterday.
(Hmph! This playboy!)
She thought as she made her way towards her seat.
"Xiao Mei, good morning!"
Shen Yuyan greeted her.
"Good morning, Shen Yuyan! Did you make any progress?"
Xiao Mei asked.
Yesterday, she wanted to go and relax around the city with Shen Yuyan, but Shen Yuyan declined, saying that she seemed to be about to break through.
Shen Yuyan shook her head in disappointment.
"I thought I might be able to, but I still failed."
Shen Yuyan gave a slight smile, but Xiao Mei could tell that it was forced, meant to stop her from worrying.
Anyways, failing to break through was more normal than one might think, especially if one doesn't have a good background.
Only with sufficient resources and preparation could one succeed without failure, but commoners like Shen Yuyan—even if it was a Grade-1 pill—it was still too expensive.
While Noble Clans could afford to buy pills to support one's breakthrough, significantly decreasing the probability of failure.
"Don't think about it too much. With your talent, I believe that you will be able to break through soon."
Xiao Mei encouraged her.
Xiao Mei could have helped her by providing pills, but previously Shen Yuyan declined, saying that she would like to do it herself.
Xiao Mei knew that it was because of her pride and also because Shen Yuyan didn't want to depend on anyone too much.
Though if she wanted to blame someone, it would be Li Fengyuan.
That guy had been giving pills and whatnot to Shen Yuyan by saying that once she married him, she could get much more.
He even said that with her background, she would only be stuck at the Disciple Rank, and that it was better for her to rely on him.
This made Shen Yuyan much more resistant to outside help and determined to prove herself without anybody's help.
Though Xiao Mei would rather Shen Yuyan didn't listen to people like Li Fengyuan.
Xiao Mei shook her head as she sat down.
"By the way—"
Shen Yuyan whispered to Xiao Mei.
"I heard that you were there when Li Fengyuan fought Wei Tianhao. Is it true that Wei Tianhao couldn't hit Li Fengyuan even when he used his Two-Star Disciple power?"
Shen Yuyan asked curiously.
Xiao Mei was surprised when Shen Yuyan asked the question.
Most of the time, Shen Yuyan usually avoided anything that had to do with Li Fengyuan, yet this time she was proactively asking about his affair.
Well, considering the news, she didn't really blame her though.
Xiao Mei thought for a second.
She wanted to lie and say that it was false and that Li Fengyuan was pathetically begging for his life, totally destroying any good image of Li Fengyuan that still might be there.
She didn't want Shen Yuyan to become more curious about Li Fengyuan, that playboy.
But that would be lying, which she didn't like.
Moreover, while she remembered Li Fengyuan's flirtatious behavior, she also remembered that Li Fengyuan fought mostly because Wei Tianhao started to insult her best friend.
Sigh!
She decided to tell the truth, though she hoped that Shen Yuyan's opinion of Li Fengyuan wouldn't change.
(You better stay away from that playboy.)
Xiao Mei nodded and reiterated what she witnessed yesterday.
Shen Yuyan widened her eyes as Xiao Mei confirmed most of the rumors circulating around the campus.
"Li Fengyuan really could fight against Wei Tianhao?"
It was unbelievable, but the evidence suggested that it was true, even when she didn't want to believe it.
She gave a quick glance at Li Fengyuan, who was already lazily preparing to sleep.
A lazy person was able to fight against one of the most talented students in the Heavenly Path Academy?
Was Heaven playing a prank on them?