Thud!
Lei Hao was tossed around like a ragdoll—grabbed, flipped, and slammed into the ground by Su Mo in one fluid motion.
“Well? Want a rematch?”
Lei Hao climbed to his feet, rubbing his sore back with a pitiful expression. “You’re the teacher—shouldn’t you go easier on your students?”
“Oh, NOW you remember I’m the teacher?” Su Mo scoffed. “This is my first time teaching. Why the hell should I go easy on you?”
Lei Hao opened his mouth but found no retort. Defeated, he could only grimace.
“If there are no objections, then we’re done here. Don’t forget—a hundred copies of the Student Handbook, due in a week.” Su Mo cheerfully reminded him of their bet.
Lei Hao: (╥﹏╥)
Seeing Lei Hao humiliated, many in the crowd seized the chance to mock him—students from various schools included.
Su Mo immediately shut them down. “What are you all laughing at? None of you have his guts, and none of you could’ve done better. Yet here you are, sneering like you’ve accomplished something?”
His words struck a nerve. Most of the onlookers flushed with shame, pretending not to care while dying inside.
Lei Hao glanced at Su Mo, surprised.
She… stood up for me?
Truthfully, Lei Hao wasn’t weak. Among students, he was elite—already at the Core Formation stage. He’d just picked the wrong opponent.
“Since we’re already outside, let’s hold class here today.” Su Mo decided to switch things up.
He split the group into two teams for a 1v1 tournament. Winners advanced; losers were out. The last three standing would receive a “carefully prepared” prize from Su Mo.
(Whether it was actually “carefully prepared” was debatable, but the prizes were real.)
The reward? Spirit stones—low-grade, but still treasures to most students.
Su Mo dragged over a chair, crossed his legs, and settled in to watch the show.
Out of a hundred-plus students, about ten had reached E-rank. Unsurprisingly, they dominated the early rounds.
(Talent gaps were real. Not everyone could punch above their weight like Su Mo.)
One student stood out to him: a cold, silent girl named Huo Jingshu. Though her talent was only C-rank (below Xia Qingqing’s B), her cultivation was near Su Mo’s level—the highest in the group.
By the semifinals, only four remained:
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Luo Xiu (stoic, disciplined)
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Lei Hao (flirty but skilled)
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Xia Qingqing (energetic, fiercely loyal)
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Huo Jingshu (mysterious, overpowered)
(Huo Jingshu wasn’t originally from Jingjiang Academy but had transferred in.)
“Impressive. You’ve exceeded my expectations.” Su Mo mimicked his old high school teacher’s proud tone.
Xia Qingqing nodded solemnly. “All thanks to your teachings, Professor!”
Su Mo: (…Must not look at her. The cringe is lethal.)
“Who’s going first?”
“Me! I’ll go!” Xia Qingqing shot her hand up, then turned to Huo Jingshu. “Wanna fight me?”
Lei Hao and Luo Xiu exchanged glances. “Shouldn’t we decide matchups fairly?” Lei Hao grumbled, eyeing Huo Jingshu (clearly hoping to “spar” with her).
Xia Qingqing rolled her eyes. “The teacher ASKED. I’m just voicing my opinion.”
(*Internally, she fumed: *”Why’s he only hitting on HER? Am I not pretty enough? Sure, I’m petite, but I’m CUTE! Ugh!”**)
Su Mo rubbed his temples. “Let’s draw lots. Leave it to fate.”
The results sent Xia Qingqing into silent rage.
(Lei Hao got his wish.)
“Name’s Lei Hao. Single. And you?” He flashed a grin at Huo Jingshu.
“Huo Jingshu.” Her reply was frosty.
“Jingshu… Pretty name. Go easy on me, okay? Hurting me is fine, but Newton’s Third Law says you’ll feel it too—”
(To his credit, Lei Hao WAS handsome—tall, well-built, and smooth-talking. But Huo Jingshu wasn’t having it.)
She gave him a look that could freeze hell.
“Begin.”
Clap!
The two collided instantly.
Huo Jingshu’s slender frame should’ve been at a disadvantage against Lei Hao’s bulk—yet in their first exchange, she sent him flying with one move.
Gasps erupted. “She’s a monster!”
Lei Hao’s soul left his body. “First Ye Qingyi, now HER? Can men even survive nowadays?!”
He switched tactics, trying to outmaneuver her. But Huo Jingshu moved like a ghost, giving him zero breathing room.
“OH COME ON—!”
Crash.
Lei Hao ate dirt, clutching his bruised backside. (ಥ﹏ಥ)
Xia Qingqing cheered. “Serves you right for flirting with Qingyi!”
Next up: Xia Qingqing vs. Luo Xiu.
“Big Bro Luo…” She batted her eyelashes. “Go easy? I’m delicate~”
Luo Xiu frowned. “This is combat. Holding back would disrespect you.”
Then he wiped the floor with her in three seconds.
Xia Qingqing’s soul shattered.
(“I didn’t say LET ME WIN—just don’t HURT me! Waaah!!”)
She shot Luo Xiu a death glare, then turned to Lei Hao—her new emotional punching bag.
“You’re DEAD.”
Lei Hao: “???”
The tiny Xia Qingqing transformed into a war goddess. No longer the meek girl from before, she pummeled Lei Hao into retreat.
(“RAAH! TAKE THIS! AND THIS! [unrelated childhood trauma] AND THIS!!”)
By the time she exhausted herself, Lei Hao saw an opening—
“I forfeit.” Xia Qingqing gasped, grinning.
Lei Hao’s eye twitched.
Three humiliations in one day. I, the legendary “King of Jingjiang’s Dating Scene,” am now a joke.
His “glorious” third-place finish earned him a shiny pebble from Su Mo…