7 Path of the Lilies

They walked into the gate, and the guards' eyes landed on Qin Zheng. Upon seeing that familiar Forging Master badge, they didn't stop him and let him pass. But when Qi Huan and the others came close, the guards were looking at them while emanating invisible pressure.     

"The treatment is really different," Lu Wan caressed his hands together. He still could feel the coldness that was permeating deep into his skin. Just from staring, those guards were already giving him chills.     

"They're all soldiers who have undergone harsh life and death battles. Their stares might be a bit too much for a coward like you," Qi Huan remarked.     

"You're the coward one!"     

Ye Jiao shook her head. "We're just visitors anyway, so there's no need to get so angry. Senior Brother Qin, do we have to stay here, or we can follow after you?"     

"You can come along," Qin Zheng walked to the counter. He took out his badge and placed it on top of the table. "I want to get an examination to reach the yellow rank."     

"Please wait a moment," the woman behind the counter looked at Qin Zheng with arched eyebrows. This was the first time she saw someone so young man came to ask for an examination for yellow rank. It was not a prank, right?     

Some people were already looking at their direction with disbelief. Qin Zheng's words were not loud, but most of them were already Eon Energy Master Rank 3 to 4. It would be a piece of cake for them to hear his words as he didn't block it.     

Looking at the badge on the table, the woman's eyes widened. It didn't seem to be fake. She'll know more after asking the masters to come here.     

"Name?"     

"Qin Zheng."     

"Alright, I'll call for the masters to come here. Because there's someone else using the examination room, you might need to wait for a moment," the woman returned Qin Zheng's badge and took out a communication jade.     

"Ok," Qin Zheng accepted candidly and headed to the side before sitting down. His sharp gaze swept the hall, looking at the people around him with a glare. They quickly turned their head away and proceeded to do their business. Even though Qin Zheng didn't say anything, his eyes seemed to give them a clear threat.     

He wouldn't let them off if they bothered him.     

Qi Huan leaned on the back. "You're quite eye-catching here."     

"No one should know me here," Qin Zheng raised his head. "But, I guess they'll recognize her faster."     

The other three looked into the direction that Qin Zheng pointed with his chin. There was a young woman around the age of 18 years old. She has long blonde hair with a slender figure while wearing a light blue robe representing her identity as Core Disciple of Hua Shan Academy.     

"Su Mingyue," Ye Jiao uttered the name almost immediately.     

Lu Wan nodded. "It seems that she's also here."     

"She should be advancing to Yellow Rank too," Qin Zheng said in a relaxed manner. When it came to forging, almost all Core Disciple's ranks were made known to other disciples. Since around half of them have an occupation in forging, it was not that special.     

"She's worse than you."     

"That's of course."     

"…" doesn't one normally turn humble in front of such praise?     

Ye Jiao smiled. "Are there any other associations in this city, Senior Brother Qin?"     

"If you're thinking of going to the association to test your rank, I suggest it would be better to keep it a secret for now," Qin Zheng said in a low tone. "You're going to attract a lot of attention to your current age. Not to mention, there are a lot of spies in this place."     

Spies.     

Even though Ye Jiao hadn't familiarized herself with the kingdom's politics and so on, she knew that every academy was watching each other tightly. They would not let any talented person leave without watching them properly. The competition under the shadow was fierce and would not leave any room for mistake.     

Even a small incident might develop into something big if it was not handled properly.     

"Sounds annoying," Lu Wan frowned.     

Qi Huan yawned. "There's no need for you to worry so much. As long as you stay careful, you're going to be alright. No one is hoping for you to join in the fight between the factions too."     

"Yeah," Ye Jiao nodded. Still, she felt that the position as Elite Disciple of Hua Shan Academy was slightly burdening now. When she got accepted, all she felt was happiness because she knew that she could finally train freely without the need to worry about watchful eyes anymore. However, Elite Disciple has their own responsibilities that they have to fulfill.     

She couldn't just roam around like a little kid.     

Plop!     

Qin Zheng placed his hand on top of Ye Jiao's head. "You're just an idiotic little girl. There's no need to worry so much. One way or another, you'll understand them and be able to adapt."     

Ye Jiao looked at Qin Zheng and smiled faintly. Yeah, he is correct. There was no need for her to worry about things that hadn't happened. However…     

"I'm not stupid, Senior Brother Qin."     

"Only someone as stupid as you will trust other people so easily."     

"I will not!"     

As Ye Jiao was getting annoyed, they could see a person walking out of the door. His dark robe represented that he had quite a high position in the association. The association has two kinds of people working inside them, low ranking Forging Master and high ranking Forging Master. High rankings are naturally people with a green badge or above while low rankings are those with red to yellow rank. They were Forging Masters, but at the same time, they were working for the association.     

Their difference can be notice in the robe they used. High ranking Forging Master wore a dark robe, nearly black. On the other hand, a low ranking Forging Master wore a grey robe.     

"Master," Su Mingyue bowed down and greeted.     

The man was all smiles as he looked like his dear disciple. "Mingyue! I have been waiting for you to come. Are you ready to take the yellow grade examination today?"     

"Yes, Master."     

Her crisp voice was pleasant to hear. Added with her beautiful and charming face, many men were looking at her with interest. It was not easy to find a beautiful Forging Master like this woman. Additionally, she is pretty young. She would surely be one of the targets for young men there.     

"Come inside. I have already booked the room for you."     

"Yes."     

As they were walking inside, Qi Huan was restraining Lu Wan with his arm. He looked at the green haired young man with annoyance. "You're not thinking of lashing at her, right?"     

"Just seeing her face makes me want to punch her and drown her in acid," Lu Wan released himself and crossed his arm. He could feel the woman's provoking aura and felt extremely annoyed because of that.     

"if you truly destroy her face, thousands of men will skin you alive," Qin Zheng shook his head.     

"She's that popular?"     

"There are only two women in the top 10 rankings of Core Disciples in Hua Shan Academy," Qi Huan rubbed his forehead. "Su Mingyue is categorized as the one more beautiful compared with the other one."     

Talented and beautiful.     

Those two were the words used to describe Su Mingyue a lot. Many people were aiming for her because the number of men and women in martial words was still in favor of men. There were a lot of powerful women martial artists, but their number was still lacking if one compared to the men.     

Lu Wan's face darkened. "I can't understand how a woman like that can be popular."