Fan Haoyu did not exaggerate the role of his Elite Organization. Elite Organization was indeed a deterrent force among senior students.
Li Tianlan didn’t bother to consider if using the connections to get to the finish line was cheating. Since no one else had raised an objection, it was sufficient to show that such an approach was feasible. It might look like a shortcut, but it really saved them a lot of time and efforts. Li Tianlan had neither the reason nor the ability to reject such a good method.
He was still in the Ice-condensing Realm, barely able to fight. He could force himself to stay in this realm for another day or two, regardless of the consequences. It might not be as damaging as w.a.n.g Yuetong said to his foundation that he had no hope of ever reaching the Invincible Realm. But it was sure that the longer he stayed in the Ice-condensing Realm with his strength of the Qi-controlling Realm, the more he had to pay for it.
An hour or two longer in the Ice-condensing Realm now, it perhaps took him a month or two more when he broke through to this realm.
Li Tianlan had felt a sense of urgency that made him almost breathless since he left the border, so time was of the essence for him. He didn’t want to delay for a day or two, let alone a month or two.
Li Tianlan had a fight with Qin Ke about a week before the Sky Academy started because of a misunderstanding. He, a nonent.i.ty with the realm lower than the Qi-controlling Realm, forced against an expert in the Thunder-shocking Realm. His injury could be imagined. So Li Tianlan took part in the maneuver with an injury. And now he had forced to lift his realm. His injuries were certainly worse.
After coming out of the maze, he didn’t suffer any fatal injuries in the fight against Liu Xiuwei, but he aggravated his injuries when he tried his best. Now Li Tianlan really had a severe internal injury in his body that had even hurt his internal organs. Thus, he was the one who needed treatment most in this temporary five-person group.
After the maneuver, they would have about a week’s vacation, during which they could stay in school to recuperate and see the colorful world of Huating. After this week, no matter how the students recovered from their injuries, intensive training and study would begin. They also had to face plenty of combats and internal maneuvers. During the three years in the Sky Academy, personal strength and combat capability were of course extremely important for students who wanted to get enough credits and compete for the position that could only be achieved by one person every three years. At the same time, the importance of endurance ability could not be ignored.
Gao Qiang, the third leading member of the Elite Organization, was now willing to escort them to the end of the maneuver, which would prevent them from fighting at least two or three battles. This was definitely good news for Li Tianlan, who was eager to prevent his injury from worsening.
However, just like his almost instinctive desire to repel w.a.n.g Yuetong’s Sword Qi covering, Li Tianlan did not let down his vigilance all the way even with Gao Qiang’s escort. His vigilance was even partly aimed at Gao Qiang who was leading the way.
The six of them walked in silence through the woods towards the east. Within only half an hour, Li Tianlan spotted at least three places where some senior students were lurking, but none of them had taken any action perhaps because they had seen Gao Qiang.
Forty minutes later, they saw a pond.
Gao Qiang stopped, pointed to the pond in front of them and said, “You guys, go along the pond for about 300 meters, then turn around and you’ll be at the end. I can only take you here. The pond is the safe area. Once we step into it, it means that we give up the task or complete the task.”
“Thank you, senior.”
w.a.n.g Yuetong smiled gently, looking very beautiful. Her charming eyes narrowed a little, and as the corners of her mouth rose, two shallow dimples appeared on her cheeks, which made her exude the captivating charm. Moreover, it was her unintentional temperament, and because of this, her beauty was more deadly.
“You’re welcome.”
Gao Qiang went red in the face, waved his hands in a flurry. He then directly turned around, rushed into the woods without even saying goodbye to the others. Soon he disappeared into the woods.
Due to his ident.i.ty as the third important figure in the Elite Organization and the information he got from Fan Haoyu, Gao Qiang was no stranger to w.a.n.g Yuetong and the w.a.n.g family of Beihai, especially the w.a.n.g family. Over the years he had heard too many tales about the legendary family. Along the way, however, putting aside how charming the w.a.n.gs’ little princess was, the mere mention of the w.a.n.g family of Beihai put a lot of pressure on him. Now that he had successfully completed the task, he had completely relieved, and didn’t want to spend another second with the princess.
When Gao Qiang’s back was completely out of sight, Li Tianlan and the other four began to take a closer look at the surroundings in front.
The pond ahead was still within the woods. The water was quite shallow, only knee-deep. They judged the pond to be about 300 meters wide, but could not tell how long it was. Across from the pond was an obvious corner, and according to Gao Qiang, that was the end of the maneuver.
Li Tianlan looked at the water pond in front of him silently with a calm expression on his face.
It was not difficult to cross a pond 300 meters wide, but the most troublesome part was that the bottom of the pond was covered with stones with extremely sharp corners. In the clear water, slabs of these stones were laid from one end to the other, making one’s hair stand on end.
“d.a.m.n, this is a little over the top.”
Looking at the sharp stones under the water, Ning Qiancheng, who usually spoke little, could not help swearing, and his face went ugly green.
Since these stones had been soaked in water, they would felt their edges sharper when they stepped on them. Even if their combat boots were specially made, they would not be able to support them across half of the 300-meter-wide pond. When their combat boots were cut by stones and these sharp edges cut into their feet, it could make them lose their will to live.
“And it’s running water. Who came up with this crazy idea? That’s really terrible.”
Li Baitian said on Ning Qiancheng’s back, in weak tones.
Li Tianlan understood what he meant. If the pond in front of them was not running water, they didn’t have to worry even if the bottom was covered with blades, not to mention the stones. All five of them were now in the Ice-condensing Realm, and if they did their best, they could freeze the pond temporarily so that they could force their way across the ice.
However, in terms of condensing water into ice, running water and standing water were worlds apart. What was more, the pond ahead was running so fast that trying to condense it into ice was tantamount to defying the laws of nature. Thus, the difficulty could be imagined. They were all injured, and even if they weren’t, they wouldn’t have been able to completely freeze a pond hundreds of meters wide into ice.
The physical strength and will required to do this was simply not an expert in the Ice-condensing Realm or even the Fire-flaming Realm owned.
“Let’s go now. We have to go through it sooner or later. It’s no use for us to wait here.”
Looking at the rushing water in front, Li Tianlan said in a mild tone. He then took a brief look at w.a.n.g Yuetong, who was carrying Yu Qingyan, and asked, “What do you think, junior sister Yuetong?”
“I’ll listen to you, senior brother Tianlan.”
w.a.n.g Yuetong was the most relaxed person of them all, and she didn’t seem to care about the pond ahead. She pushed Yu Qingyan’s body in a casual way and whispered, “It’s so exhausting.”
How could Li Tianlan not hear her obvious hint? He was not stupid after all.
All their way, Ning Qiancheng carried Li Baitian and w.a.n.g Yuetong carried Yu Qingyan. Only Li Tianlan didn’t carry anything, which showed him to be a little unkind.
Li Tianlan unconsciously rubbed his nose and said, “I will carry Qingyan for a while.”
“No.”
w.a.n.g Yuetong glanced at Li Tianlan and said with half a smile, “It’s improper for men and women to touch each other. You should know that, senior brother Tianlan. Do you want to take advantage of Qingyan?”
With that, she lifted her little white hand slightly, and patted Yu Qingyan on her hips as she narrowed her eyes and added with a smile, “It feels good, bouncy and soft. Would you like to touch it, senior brother?”
Li Tianlan blushed and lost.
When it came to women, he was a virgin as pure as could be. In an age that being a virgin in one’s late teens was almost unthinkable, Li Tianlan, who was turning 20, was a real geek. And not only did he still have his virginity, he still had his first kiss. The subject of women was a complete mystery and taboo to him.
Li Tianlan took a knee-jerk look at Yu Qingyan’s hips. Since she was lying on her stomach, her b.u.t.tocks were drawn out by camouflage pants in a very attractive shape. It was really attractive, but Li Tianlan couldn’t help thinking of Qin Weibai.
It couldn’t blame him for being irredeemable. This was because Qin Weibai was exactly the perfect woman in Li Tianlan’s heart.
Her figure, appearance, temperament, speech, manner, every expression and movement were the most beautiful scenery in Li Tianlan’s eyes.
At the thought of Qin Weibai, Li Tianlan regained his composure instantly. He then looked at w.a.n.g Yuetong, shook his head lightly and calmly said, “That’s not what I meant.”
“Who knows what you think?”
w.a.n.g Yuetong giggled, put Yu Qingyan on her shoulder, and held out her other hand to Li Tianlan. “She’s unconscious, and I don’t allow you to take advantage of her,” she said. “You hold my hand. If I can’t carry her later, you have to help me.”
Li Baitian whistled and leered on Ning Qiancheng’s back, but as soon as w.a.n.g Yuetong cast a warning glance at him, he stopped.
Li Tianlan did not think too much and immediately took w.a.n.g Yuetong’s little hand in his, as if holding a piece of the best mutton-fat warm jade, feeling mild and smooth. w.a.n.g Yuetong’s face turned slightly red, but she held Li Tianlan’s palm with a slight force.
In a second, Li Tianlan felt that he was surrounded by a surge of warmth, and the physical chill of his forced ascension to the Ice-condensing Realm also dissipated a lot. He seemed to relax.
Li Tianlan paused for a moment and turned to look at w.a.n.g Yuetong, who also looked at him with her clear eyes.
He could see his own reflection clearly in her eyes, and presumably w.a.n.g Yuetong could see herself in his eyes too.
w.a.n.g Yuetong squeezed his hand again, winked, and then began to walk into water, with Yu Qingyan on her shoulder.
Li Tianlan realized that the w.a.n.gs’ Siren was not tired at all, but realized that his internal injury was about to break out, so she chose to give him a hand.
He wanted to thank w.a.n.g Yuetong, but as the words were on his lips, he swallowed. He was still amazed at the warmth of the air all around him.
w.a.n.g Yuetong was now in more than the Ice-condensing Realm. She had almost promoted to the Fire-flaming Realm. Otherwise, she could not have done this to Li Tianlan.
As they waded through the water, w.a.n.g Yuetong walked on the stone without showing any discomfort, as if she was on the ground.
Li Tianlan also kept his face impa.s.sive.
However, as they walked farther and farther, Ning Qiancheng, carrying Li Baitian on his back, began to show signs of breaking down. His legs trembled slightly with each step, but he still carried Li Baitian firmly without any complaint.
50 meters.
150 meters.
250 meters.
The other sh.o.r.e was at hand.
Once again Ning Qiancheng shivered as he lifted his legs and stepped forward, his feet dripping with blood. Blood filled the water, blocking the bottom for a moment. Ning Qiancheng accidentally tripped over a larger stone. He groaned and stumbled to his knees toward the water.
With such sharp stones and Li Baitian’s weight, once Ning Qiancheng knelt down, he would have to rest for at least several months before he could recover. In that case, he would be left far behind in the Sky Academy.
At that moment, Li Tianlan suddenly stepped back and reached out to grab Ning Qiancheng’s arm. In an instant, the water, about three or five meters around him, suddenly stopped flowing.
The running water was frozen!
As soon as Ning Qiancheng’s fallen knee touched the ice, the ice broke, but he found a weak support and straightened up again.
“Don’t relax you grip.”
Li Tianlan took w.a.n.g Yuetong in one hand and Ning Qiancheng in the other. His face was as white as a sheet, but his voice was still as steady as rocks and glaciers. “We’re almost there. Let’s go together!”
Ning Qiancheng, still thunderstruck, took a deep look at him without saying thank you. He held Li Baitian in one hand and moved forward slowly.
Li Baitian looked at Li Tianlan and suddenly asked, “Tianlan, can you hold on?”
“Yes, I’m just fine.”
Li Tianlan replied coolly. His combat boots had been pierced by the stones under the water. Almost every time he lifted his foot, blood gushed from the bottom, flowing into the unknown. But his step was steady, and showed no reluctance.
Faced with his will, Li Baitian could find no other words to describe his mood except admiration.
He then glanced at w.a.n.g Yuetong. The w.a.n.gs’ little princess was a world away from them. Li Baitian a.s.sumed that if it hadn’t been for them, the little princess would have hopped across the pond. The others walked with difficulty, but she carried one person quite easily. Her foot was not broken at all, let alone bleeding.
“How great it is to be a privileged person!”
Li Baitian sighed with envy.
“Don’t you know that feet are a girl’s second face? If I walk like you, my feet will turn horrible. If my future boyfriend cares about my feet, won’t I be judged by him?”
w.a.n.g Yuetong’s eyes twinkled with a charming smile on her face.
“How did you know the maneuver in advance?”
Li Baitian couldn’t resist asking her.
“No, I didn’t know.”
w.a.n.g Yuetong shook her head while saying, “But the headmaster warned me in advance to wear thick shoes, so I put a layer of cold glue in my shoes.”
This time, not only Li Baitian, but Ning Qiancheng was twitching his mouth. Setting aside the fact that whether the headmaster Zhuang Huayang’s warning to w.a.n.g Yuetong was in line with regulations, what she said was enough to make people completely speechless. Cold glue was a secret new technology developed by the Zhongzhou State military that was not yet mature enough for most people to even hear about. Ning Qiancheng and Li Baitian were definitely knowledgeable, but they had only heard the name of cold glue. They had no idea that w.a.n.g Yuetong was using it as shoe insoles.
“d.a.m.n the privileged!”
Li Baitian swore in his heart and shook his head. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say.
It was 280 meters from the finish line.
They went ash.o.r.e.
After a trip in the water, they came to the relatively flat land again. Even Li Tianlan had a feeling of almost collapse. Had it not been for his extraordinary will, he might not even have the guts to enter the pond in consideration of his injury. Now out of the pond and about to reach the finish line, Li Tianlan, who was slightly relieved in his heart, felt a rush of blackness and looked as if he might fall at any moment.
“Qiancheng, are you alright?”
Li Tianlan took a deep breath, forced himself to stand, and looked at Ning Qiancheng whose was still slightly trembling.
“I can hold on.”
Ning Qiancheng forced a smile and said, “Let’s hurry and get to the finish line.”
Li Tianlan nodded his head and turned directly to the corner ahead.
Just as they were about to turn the corner, a cold, angry shout burst forth from a distance. The sound was hundreds of meters apart, but still distinct. “Stop!”
Li Tianlan and the other four turned around at the same time.
In their line of sight, two figures in camouflage uniforms rushed into the pond from the other end without hesitation.
The spray under their feet turned into ice as soon as it was raised. They rushed forward for about 20 meters before falling into the water. Even so, they sprinted towards the sh.o.r.e with great speed, as if the stones in the bottom had the slightest effect on them.
Due to the distance, Li Tianlan could not see the faces of the two students, nor was he in the mood to look at them carefully. He only glanced at them briefly, then turned and immediately said, “Go!”
The five of them turned the corner.
The end of the maneuver, 30 meters ahead, came into view.
Led by Zhuang Huayang, all the school leaders were present. Behind those leaders were about 100 teachers in the school.
There was also a pond at the end of the maneuver. On both sides of the pond, a large screen was playing the scene of maneuver. Owning to the proximity of the screens, Li Tianlan even saw himself in a small grid on the two screens.
The end of the maneuver was ruled by silence.
Ning Qiancheng and Li Baitian were the first to notice the eerie atmosphere, and they thought it was rather baffling at the moment and the next moment their faces changed as they caught a glimpse of Li Tianlan and w.a.n.g Yuetong in front of them.
“Tianlan!”
Ning Qiancheng cried in a low voice, showing a rare note of anxiety. “Let go of me!”
Li Tianlan was stunned for a moment before he suddenly realized that he had been still holding w.a.n.g Yuetong’s little hand ever since they came ash.o.r.e. At the end of the maneuver, everyone, including Zhuang Huayang, seemed to be focused on the very hands they were holding tightly.
There was doubt, eccentricity, killing intent, fear or thoughtfulness in the eyes of those people.
Li Tianlan frowned slightly. Suddenly he felt the mutton-fat warm jade-like little hand in his hand made a bit move, as if to break out of his grip.
Li Tianlan instinctively clenched w.a.n.g Yuetong’s hand and said gently, “Don’t move.”
At that moment, Li Tianlan could clearly feel the trembling of her hand. Then w.a.n.g Yuetong lowered her head silently, let him hold her hand and walked forward.
Only 30 meters left.
Only 20 meters left.
Only 15 meters left.
There was more and more sight on their hands.
Yet Li Tianlan’s expression became more and more calm.
Only 10 meters left.
A harsh but small electrical arc suddenly appeared in front of Li Tianlan.
The arc appeared so unexpectedly that Li Tianlan, who had been on alert all the time, did not have time to react when the electric light came on.
The next second, Li Tianlan felt a tingle in his hand, and then felt light.
w.a.n.g Yuetong and Yu Qingyan had been carried to the finish line 10 meters away by an extreme seductive and mature woman.
She put w.a.n.g Yuetong beside herself and smiled softly. Then, in a husky but unspeakably s.e.xy voice, she announced, “Number one is w.a.n.g Yuetong.”