Twenty

The day after the opening ceremony was the track and field events.

Hualing students could attend as long as they didn't have class. Zhou Mu had only seen sports meets in past records, so of course he wanted to experience the atmosphere firsthand. Plus, Senior Cong was refereeing — he wanted to see him work.

Zhou Mu fried some chicken popcorn himself and went with Yan Xingke to watch track and field. The first event was the Eight-Thousand-Li preliminaries.

Tian Qi happened to be volunteering at the venue, maintaining order. All spectators had to stay in one area — the hilltop stands — and couldn't enter the very wide track.

At Senior Cong's whistle, seventy or eighty Yao Clan members sprinted from the starting line. Some kept human form, some shifted to their true forms. They were fast — mostly land-dwelling beast types.

Only a very few water-type Yao participated. Zhou Mu spotted a black turtle crawling at speed...

The commentary came over the broadcast: "We can see leading the pack — Shu Lin from Letai Academy. Shu Lin has shifted to his true form: deer-like with a single horn. In the past two University Games, Shu Lin has been the Runner-up in this event. Shu Lin is of mixed common-beast blood and has awakened the Qilin Bloodline, combining speed and strength. He's the top favorite for Champion this time, and many students hope he can finally break through to first place..."

The head referee Xie Rulin was a Xiezhi, also with Qilin Bloodline. This Shu Lin was mixed blood from another Qilin descendant — all furred beasts in the world belonged to this bloodline. With such legendary blood, no wonder one was head referee and the other a championship favorite.

"Not bad — look at his muscle definition, I think he can win," Zhou Mu said, nodding approvingly. "But for an event like this, our You Qi wouldn't bother entering. If he did, even mixed with Qilin blood, no one could outrun him."

Of course — a Wind Riding beast.

"Yeah..." Yan Xingke agreed, then suddenly cried out, "Look behind!"

Eyes shifted back. Thick smoke billowed across the rear of the track — no one knew where it came from. Several runners who passed through it tumbled off the course.

Looking closer, the smoke was all being exhaled by one of the competitors.

In Yao Clan competition, this kind of move wasn't a foul — as long as it was an innate racial skill, not carried artifacts or talismans. Those counted as cheating. Pills were also banned.

This Toxic Smoke guy was in a class of his own, taking out several competitors. Nobody dared run near him, preferring to slow down. Besides him, there was plenty of scuffling on the track, but since it was mainly a race, it was all minor brawls — the crowd clapped and laughed.

Time ticked by. The final lap was in sight, and every runner began to sprint.

The smoke-spitter had stayed in human form until now — suddenly he lunged forward, shifted to a human-headed serpent body, and whipped a runner ahead of him. The force was so great it sent the runner flying, crashing straight forward!

Shu Lin, who had been holding first, nearly got hit. Luckily he dodged in time and even caught the thrown runner's hand, using Soft Strength to absorb the force and set him down safely.

The shaken runner thanked Shu Lin. The crowd couldn't help but sigh — worthy of a beast with a benevolent bloodline, such grace.

Those with sharp eyes had already figured out: the relentless 'smoke monster' was Cang Bi — legendarily a mix of Bi'an and serpent. Could exhale Toxic Smoke and had terrifying strength.

But Shu Lin's pause let the runners behind him catch up, Cang Bi included.

Shu Lin glanced at him and kept running.

Cang Bi had held third place. He glanced at Shu Lin — and a second tail suddenly shot out from beneath him, snatching Shu Lin up. No one had known Cang Bi had a second tail; no one knew what other Yao blood he carried, or that he'd been hiding this trump card.

Cang Bi wrapped the caught-off-guard Shu Lin and hurled him off the track, giving him no chance at all. With that strength, he sent Shu Lin flying off the mountainside, outside the regulation range — automatic disqualification.

The crowd gasped.

The deed was done. Cang Bi replaced the favorite Shu Lin as first in the prelims, and Shu Lin didn't even qualify for the next round.

A real upset — and on the very first event. The crowd buzzed, but no one blamed Cang Bi. He was ruthless, sure, but he won, and he didn't break any rules. That was the Yao way.

"Shu Lin lost on tactics — with his strength, he should've made it," Yan Xingke said regretfully. Shu Lin had already returned. Under all those varied gazes, he lowered his head, wiped sweat with the towel his coach handed him, and forced a smile.

Shu Lin was already a senior. This was likely his last Sports Meet. Two Runner-up finishes were already his regret — he'd come this time with huge hopes, and the result was even worse.

Even spectators felt for him. Even head referee Xie Rulin stepped forward to comfort this distant kinsman of his.

Zhou Mu added: "If he'd ignored the others and just charged forward, he might've had a chance. But he had to go save someone."

Shu Lin hadn't expected to lose to a first-time competitor like Cang Bi. And Cang Bi had been decisive and ruthless.

But the spectacle was excellent overall. Zhou Mu watched with satisfaction and gained a deeper understanding of the event types and rules — sure to help when he competed later.

.

Room 1203.

Zhou Mu once again declined his father's video call and typed back: [Hmph, does Mom know she was wrong yet?]

Dad replied quickly: [No, your mom's happier than ever — no one stealing her food.]

Zhou Mu: [...Just wait, I'll definitely come home during break and eat her out of house and home! I'm bringing my roommate too!]

Dad: [Your roommate? What is it?]

Zhou Mu: [A You Qi.]

He'd just sent that when a huge boom rang out. He assumed it was fighting at the sports meet and didn't think much of it — but soon he sensed something off. He sniffed carefully and caught a trace in the air...

Wrong!

Zhou Mu shot to his feet.

The school broadcast crackled to life: "All students, attention. All students, attention. Please proceed in an orderly manner to the emergency shelter at Sky Eye Plaza. No one is to approach Jinyuan. Repeat: all faculty and students, proceed immediately and in order to the emergency shelter at Sky Eye Plaza..."

Something had happened at Jinyuan.

Zhou Mu immediately thought of Tian Qi, who was volunteering on the track near Jinyuan today. He grabbed his phone and video-called him.

Tian Qi didn't pick up. No idea what was going on. Zhou Mu fired off messages and calls as he dashed out the door — and collided full-force with Chun Shijiu.

"Hey, what's the rush? You Qi's not in the dorm? Tch," Chun Shijiu said, grabbing him. "Come with me to Sky Eye Plaza. No idea what's happening at Jinyuan — I wonder if the Patriarch's contingency is even going to hold."

His expression was casual, but he was actually a little tense. Years at Hualing, and he'd never run into anything like this. Every year they drilled evacuations to the shelter, but a real one — first time.

"Tian Qi's volunteering near Jinyuan. I can't reach him," Zhou Mu said, frowning.

"Well..." Chun Shijiu looked up at the sky. "Tell Old Cui. The School will handle it."

He moved to grab Zhou Mu and drag him off, but Zhou Mu slipped through his grip like an eel. "You go to the plaza yourself, I'll be there later!"

Chun Shijiu froze for a beat, then swore. No way — no way this little idiot was going to look for Tian Qi?

He couldn't quite believe it, but Zhou Mu was gone. At a time like this, even staying outside the shelter — anywhere not designated safe — could be dangerous.

The freshman had clearly been trained. How could he be this reckless?

Chun Shijiu wanted to let it go, but couldn't quite. He swore and chased after him.

...

Jinyuan.

Several Ritual Pillars covered in Fuwén hung in the air, glowing faint gold. Shou Teacher, wearing the Golden Jade Ring, stood at the center, pinching a wisp of black qi. That thin black qi stretched to the other end — a beast with dragon scales, a deer's body, and a single horn. Black qi swirled around it, and on its forehead, the qi had condensed into a second horn.

Beneath this Qilin-shaped beast lay shattered Ritual Pillar fragments — and Tian Qi, unconscious with eyes closed.

The two sides were locked in a contest of strength.

But as the second horn on the Qilin-shaped beast's forehead grew more solid, Shou Teacher began to tremble — soon he wouldn't be able to hold on.

Not far off, Cui Jue arrived with a dozen or so teachers, including Xie Rulin and Senior Cong.

Cui Jue took one look and his face changed drastically: "Quick — reinforce the Ritual Formation here!"

His voice was so shrill it nearly cracked.

Senior Cong saw the beast and his expression shifted: "Shu Lin? How is it him? What's going on?"

Senior Cong wasn't the only one wondering — every teacher wanted to ask. Everyone knew Jinyuan was the safest place in the School, with Shou Teacher on guard. How could these Demon Aura, normally no threat, be on the counterattack?

Cui Jue sent a message on his phone, then sighed and explained: "Actually, for the past three years, these Demon Aura have been showing signs of developing spiritual intelligence."

"What?!"

"Demon Aura can develop spiritual intelligence?"

"Yes. We thought the Patriarch's contingency had them trapped here — foolproof. But who could've guessed even residual Demon Aura could be blessed by heaven's fortune and reach the edge of enlightenment. Shou Teacher couldn't do anything about it either. We discussed it at length and only this year found another way to handle it — but we hadn't fully resolved it yet, and now... this Shu Lin..." Cui Jue looked helpless. This should've been quietly handled without most people knowing. Who could've predicted Shu Lin would get involved.

As for Shu Lin's situation — why he'd gotten entangled with the Demon Aura — only one other person present understood.

Xie Rulin gave a bitter smile: "Everyone thinks those of us with the benevolent Qilin Bloodline are lucky — blessed by heaven. But fortune and misfortune are intertwined.

"In ancient times there was a beast called 'Greedy.' It was greedy by nature, swallowing all wealth in the world, even trying to eat the sun — and so fell into the Eastern Sea and died. This Greedy Beast was also Qilin-shaped, but with one extra horn.

"Those outside our clan don't know: the thicker the Qilin blood, the stronger the power, the more one must cultivate the heart. Otherwise, when one can't maintain one's true nature, another horn may grow — and become... Greedy. At that point, they are no longer who they were."

Silence fell. Everyone knew what had happened to Shu Lin in the prelims the other day — the blow had been so devastating that the Demon Aura had seized the opening, awakening the Greedy bloodline within him.

Demon Aura and Greedy Beast reinforcing each other — that was why even someone as capable as Shou Teacher could only barely hold on.

Only Teacher Luo Guanzhong said, dryly: "Should we be grateful it was Shu Lin who got awakened and not Referee Xie? That would've been really hard to deal with."

No one could laugh.

"Enough. I've already had everyone evacuated to the Patriarch's statue," Cui Jue said gravely. "You must hold Jinyuan at all costs, or the consequences will be unthinkable. Referee Xie — the Principal is away, and I've called for reinforcements. Until they arrive, I need you and me to lend Shou Teacher a hand. Whatever happens, the Greedy Beast and the Demon Aura must not fully merge."

Only Xie Rulin on site had the ability.

Senior Cong said, eyes sharp: "Right. Referee Xie, please use me as your weapon. Hold until reinforcements arrive."

Xie Rulin had worked with Senior Cong for years; he caught something else in those words: "What — you seem to know who Director Cui's reinforcements are?"

...

You Qi leaped straight up the outer wall and entered the dorm through the window.

He hadn't come for Zhou Mu. Common sense said everyone should head straight to the plaza after the announcement. But You Qi had remembered the suit Zhou Mu had given him. He wasn't sure what was happening, so he'd come back to grab the essentials.

You Qi noticed Zhou Mu's computer was still on. He leaned down to shut it.

But on the screen, a new line popped up in Zhou Mu's chat window.

Dad: [You Qi? Your mom says You Qi smells pretty good.]

You Qi froze. His hand on the mouse went still.

That line...

What did it mean.

His phone buzzed. He picked it up — a message from Chun Shijiu: "Your roommate insists on going to Jinyuan to find Tian Qi! Get here NOW!"

You Qi dropped the mouse and jumped out the window.