In the back mountain of Linjiang First High School, there is a scenic pavilion.
At this moment, Liu He and Huang Yunxuan were sitting opposite each other in the pavilion.
"Brother Liu." Huang Yunxuan looked at the fair-skinned young man in front of him and said softly, "The Thousand Demon Cave will open in just over ten days."
"She still hasn't agreed to team up with you?"
The person who could make Liu He care so much was naturally Li Ruoxi.
Liu He remained calm and said, "No rush, she'll agree."
"Brother Liu," Huang Yunxuan said seriously, "I know Li Ruoxi well enough; she's strong-willed and won't easily change her mind once she's decided on something."
"Why don't you team up with me? When we get to the Thousand Demon Cave, we can look for her together."
Upon hearing this, Liu He shook his head.
"The forbidden area of the Thousand Demon Cave is vast; once we teleport in, the landing points are random. How do we find her?"
He spoke slowly, "Only by teaming up and being bound together can we teleport to the same location."
Huang Yunxuan said grimly, "If all else fails, we'll use force..."
Liu He glanced at him, half-smiling but with a hint of warning: "Huang Yunxuan, I know you want revenge on Li Ruoxi, but I advise you not to touch her until I've had my way."
"After I'm bored, then it'll be your turn, understand?"
"Understood," Huang Yunxuan lowered his head, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes.
He knew well that Liu He appeared gentle but was actually quite ruthless.
Moreover, Liu He came from a prominent family in the Inner City, whose background was terrifyingly influential.
He dared not take the warning lightly.
At this moment, a figure came crying from the foot of the mountain.
"Brother Liu!"
From afar, Zhou Kexin cried out, "Li Ruoxi wouldn't listen to me and even disfigured me!"
She ran up to them, revealing the scars on her face.
Seeing this, Liu He frowned deeply.
Zhou Kexin continued to cry and complain, "Brother Liu, no matter how much I persuaded, she just wouldn't listen and insists on teaming up with Xu Zhou. I really can't do anything about it."
She covered her face, looking helpless.
Liu He didn't speak, his expression turning grim.
Beside him, Huang Yunxuan showed a fleeting hint of joy in his eyes and then feigned surprise, "What? Li Ruoxi wants to team up with Xu Zhou? Has she gone mad?"
Then, he whispered, "Brother Liu, Li Ruoxi would rather team up with her younger brother from the first year; it seems she's determined to reject you."
Liu He slightly clenched his fist, his eyes showing a hint of darkness.
After a moment, his demeanor calmed, and he nodded, "Fine, very good."
"If she's unwilling to take the soft approach, then we'll have to use the hard one."
Liu He had a barely noticeable gleam of cruelty in his eyes.
Beside him, Huang Yunxuan watched his expression, a subtle smile appearing on his face.
Then he lowered his head, glancing at his right hand, which had only four fingers remaining, with a look of intense hatred in his eyes.
"Li Ruoxi, Xu Zhou..." Huang Yunxuan mused, "Who would've thought you'd team up to enter the Thousand Demon Cave? Very well."
"Xu Zhou, I'll make you watch as I kill Li Ruoxi."
A terrifying murderous intent flickered in Huang Yunxuan's eyes.
...
Third-year Class Three's training room.
The students of Class Three had already recovered from their shock.
Then, most of the girls present turned their bright eyes towards Xu Zhou.
Xu Zhou had always been quite handsome, and now with his Qi-Blood improvement, his appearance had become more masculine and striking, with sharp brows and bright eyes, marking him as a proper handsome man.
Moreover, his recent display of extraordinary strength instantly captured the hearts of many senior sisters.
At this moment, a few pretty senior sisters even approached to ask for Xu Zhou's contact information.
Faced with this situation, Xu Zhou was a bit at a loss.
But he couldn't refuse and immediately took out his phone to add each of them.
After Xu Zhou had added a few, Li Ruoxi couldn't take it any longer and pulled him out.
"They're just seniors about to graduate, what's there to add them for?" She said, somewhat speechlessly.
Xu Zhou was puzzled and muttered, "Adding them doesn't hurt..."
Li Ruoxi glared at him, then said, "What's with your Qi-Blood? You didn't take any illegal substances, did you?"
Xu Zhou's Qi-Blood had improved so rapidly that even she found it a bit abnormal.
To this, Xu Zhou had already thought of an explanation: "Don't you remember? My talent is quite special, allowing rapid Qi-Blood increase."
Li Ruoxi looked deeply at him for a moment and then said, "As long as you haven't taken any illegal drugs."
She guessed Xu Zhou might have some secrets.
If it were just talent, it couldn't explain such rapid cultivation progress.
However, she didn't press further; a little secret was normal for a growing brother.
Seeing this, Xu Zhou was also secretly relieved.
Immediately, he smiled and said, "I did quite well in this fight, didn't I?"
"Yes, it was quite good." Li Ruoxi rarely acknowledged him, then added, "But don't be so reckless in the future."
"Not reckless, I need to stand up for you." Xu Zhou said.
"Who needs your help." Li Ruoxi snorted lightly.
Though she said that, her gaze towards Xu Zhou was no longer as cold as before, carrying a hint of softness.
Xu Zhou chuckled and then said, "Sis, can I team up with you now?"
"Barely." Li Ruoxi looked at him with her apricot eyes, her voice returning to its usual chill, "But you have to listen to me."
"Alright, okay." Xu Zhou nodded, then remembered something, "Oh right, that Liu He, he won't cause you trouble, will he?"
Li Ruoxi shook her head, "In school, he won't do anything to me."
Upon hearing this, Xu Zhou heaved a sigh of relief.
Even he was very wary of Liu He, who was the top of the Dragon and Tiger Rankings.
Previously, he didn't feel much.
Now, after his rapid power increase, he realized even more the weight of being in the top ten of the Dragon and Tiger Rankings.
For example, now, although he could easily defeat Zhou Kexin, facing someone like Huang Yunxuan, also in the top ten, would pose a challenge.
Let alone Liu He, who tops the ranking.
"No rush, the Thousand Demon Cave won't open for another ten-plus days," Xu Zhou mused, "In a few days, once I receive this month's top hundred rewards, there's room for my strength to improve further."
...
After bidding farewell to Li Ruoxi.
Xu Zhou left the training room of the third-year class three, ready to walk out of the senior year teaching building.
But just then, several tall figures suddenly appeared at the entrance of the teaching building.
"Xu Zhou?" One of them spoke up, "Is that you?"
Seeing them, Xu Zhou frowned slightly.
Among these people, he recognized the leader, Shi Lei, ranked twentieth on the Dragon and Tiger Rankings.
Someone from the Inner City.
"What do you senior students want with me?" Xu Zhou asked calmly, looking at them.
The one opposite said, "Liu He sent us to deliver a message to you."
"If you don't want your sister to die, persuade her to team up with Brother Liu. We, from the Inner City, won't mistreat your sister."
The students exchanged glances, each showing inexplicable smiles.
Xu Zhou looked at them calmly and said, "Let me give you a word of advice: if you don't want to be crippled, get out of my way."
As soon as these words fell, the faces of those people instantly turned grim.
But quickly, the leader, Shi Lei, smiled and signaled his companions to step aside.
"Don't get into a fight with him; if we really hurt him, Li Ruoxi will come looking for trouble."
After speaking, Shi Lei moved aside first, and the others followed suit.
Xu Zhou kept his face calm, walking through them as if strolling leisurely.
From behind, Shi Lei called out, "Junior, let me remind you, if you don't want to die, don't go to the Thousand Demon Cave with your sister. It's very dangerous!"
"Hahaha!"
The others burst into laughter, without any clear reason.
Xu Zhou walked out of the senior year teaching building, his expression never changing.
But in his eyes, a hint of coldness was evident.
"Inner City..." Xu Zhou narrowed his eyes slightly.
He knew it was probably these people who had intercepted Li Ruoxi's cultivation resources before.
And now, they were coming to cause trouble for him too.
Facing Shi Lei from the top twenty of the Dragon and Tiger Rankings, the outcome was hard to predict.
As far as he knew, Shi Lei was also at the peak of Double Combat Technique, with possibly even higher Qi-Blood than his.
Even if he could win, it would be a hard-won victory.
But Xu Zhou wasn't in a hurry.
After getting this month's top hundred rewards, whether it's Huang Yunxuan or these people from the Inner City like Shi Lei, he'll deal with them all at once.
...
Behind him, someone whispered, "Brother Lei, this kid is really arrogant."
Shi Lei didn't mind, smiling lightly, "With some strength of his own and a powerful sister to support him, arrogance is natural."
"Moreover, this kid is quite famous now, and his talent has even spread to the Inner City."
The people were somewhat surprised, "The Inner City?"
Shi Lei nodded, "The principal publicly disciplined Huang Yunxuan; the impact of that was significant. Now, many families in the Inner City know about our school's special S-level talent."
"No wonder the kid acts so arrogant."
The people felt a bit annoyed.
Shi Lei smiled lightly, "Don't pay it any mind. Ultimately, he's from the Outer City. Even with talent, he's nothing in front of the Inner City."
"The most outstanding genius from the Outer City can't compare to an ordinary person from the Inner City. That's the difference in origin."
"Moreover, he's not even the best."
Shi Lei said lightly, "Once he experiences Brother Liu's strength, he'll know what it's like to be a frog at the bottom of a well seeing the sky."
The others nodded, showing mocking expressions.
"Is that so?"
At this moment, a voice suddenly sounded from behind.
Shi Lei's face slightly changed as he turned to see a tall, coldly beautiful girl standing with a sword.
"A misunderstanding..." Shi Lei forced a smile on his face.
Li Ruoxi, sword in hand, approached them with an indifferent expression: "Afraid? When you took my belongings, didn't you know fear?"
"Who took your things?" Shi Lei quickly feigned ignorance.
Li Ruoxi showed a hint of mockery on her face, coldly saying, "Calling my brother a frog in the well, today I'll make you understand that when you see me, it will be like an ephemeral insect looking up at the sky!"
With that, a sword strike was unleashed.
"Boom!"