Chapter 33: Provocation

As one of the academies invited to Yaoyang City for the Grand Four-City Contest, Polar Star Academy naturally had accommodations booked for the students in advance.

After they entered, Selmore and Jovic, who had become friends with Li Jiye, quickly left their bags in their rooms and dragged Li Jiye onto the streets.

Li Jiye previously thought Polar Star City was a rather large city, but it wasn’t until he personally witnessed the luxury of Yaoyang City that he really understood what a so-called city was like.

An endless crowd had gathered, and people were packed like sardines because of the visitors coming to watch the Grand Four-City Contest. As the three students walked through the crowd, they soon felt a little hungry.

“Speaking of Yaoyang City, I remember there’s a very famous shop specializing in cooking demonic-beast materials. Now that we’re here, shall we try it?” Jovic seemed to have a better understanding of Yaoyang City than Li Jiye or Selmore. The two naturally agreed with his suggestion.

After bypassing the main urban area of Yaoyang City, the three of them walked around and gradually reached a path with various meat aromas wafting in the air.

The place was slightly dim, but the crowds were unabated. Li Jiye could smell the aroma of mead mixed with barbecue.

Selmore swallowed his saliva and turned to them.

“I can’t wait any longer. Let’s quickly go in!”

However, when they were about to enter the barbecue restaurant to feast away, Li Jiye suddenly saw a young man in a blue robe crash into Selmore.

Selmore was caught off guard and was knocked down by this man.

“What are you doing?”

Frowning, Li Jiye pulled Selmore off the ground and turned to the young man in blue. “Friends from North Sea Academy… Why did you deliberately knock down my companion?”

The young man in blue suddenly sneered loudly. He reached out to dig his ears and then flicked his fingers. “Are you misunderstanding something? Your companion was the one who ran into me blindly. The fact that he fell to the ground proves how weak his physique is. Hehe… Is everyone from Polar Star Academy so weak?”

This young man looked extremely arrogant. His already somewhat big nostrils were raised at this moment, and it looked even larger than his narrow eyes.

“You!” Selmore had already put his hands on the hilt of his knife, his anger aroused by the young man.

“Don’t act impulsively… Have you forgotten what the teacher told us?” Li Jiye hurriedly reached out to stop him from unsheathing his knife. “The students of the Grand Four-City Contest can’t fight privately, or they will be disqualified! He’s deliberately provoking you!”

Selmore took two deep breaths and finally put down his hand.

However, this only made the young man laugh louder.

“Hahaha! So you guys from Polar Star Academy are not only weak, but also timid! I finally got to see it today!”

“Cang Jie! What are you doing?”

Just as the young man burst into laughter, Li Jiye and the others saw two other North Sea Academy students walking out of the barbecue restaurant. The first man was slightly shorter than the arrogant man, and he frowned upon hearing the rude conversation.

However, the man called Cang Jie didn’t seem to be reconciled. He snorted coldly at the short young man, and then turned back to Li Jiye and the others.

“People of Polar Star Academy, remember that I, Cang Jie, will defeat you one by one. I’ll prove that I’m the strongest in North Sea Academy! Wash your necks and wait for me!”

He laughed wildly and then left without the short young man.

Watching him walk away, the other two students of North Sea Academy nodded to Li Jiye and the others. The relationship between North Sea Academy and Polar Star Academy had always been estranged, so they had no intentions of greeting Li Jiye and the others either.

“Ugh, I’m so angry! If there weren’t those stupid rules… I would have killed him right there and then!” Selmore gritted his teeth and cursed angrily. Jovic quickly reached out to put a hand on his shoulder in reassurance. On the other hand, Li Jiye stared at Cang Jie’s back and fell deep in thought.

After a long time, he turned back to Selmore and Jovic.

“That Cang Jie… doesn’t seem simple. My Teacher Daphne once said that North Sea Academy’s ranking is rather controversial this year. Some people said that Cang Jie is no weaker than the champion, Barman Yingjian. If we encounter him in the competition, remember not to be angered by his crude words.”

Jovic nodded, while Selmore gritted his teeth for a moment before shaking his head.

“I don’t think I can do that… If I bump into him in the competition, I really think I’ll go crazy on the spot… Well, if you’re lucky enough to meet him, beat him up so badly his own mother won’t recognize him. I will call you my big brother for a lifetime if you do!”

Jovic and Li Jiye couldn’t help rolling their eyes when they heard this. They patted Selmore, who was still agitated, and went straight into the barbecue restaurant.

It was already midnight when they returned to their hotel rooms.

After a few cups of mead, Jovic and Selmore were walking a little unsteadily. Li Jiye sent them back to their respective rooms and finally returned to his own.

He had stared at Cang Jie’s back in the alley to read his information with his insight skill.

He recalled what he had seen back then.

Human: Cang Jie

Skill: B-level Shadow Element

Realm: Tier 2 (Peak Advanced-level)

Martial Arts: Lightning Dodge (B-level martial art), Ghostly Footwork (B-level movement technique)

Li Jiye had only seen the Shadow Element skills in books before. This element was extremely unique and was a mix of elemental and weapon mastery. It was a variant that combined the Dagger Proficiency and the Dark Element Affinity.

Generally speaking, people with this skill would become frightening shadow assassins in the future.

“Cang Jie seems dissatisfied with the results of North Sea Academy’s qualifying competition… With his unique Shadow Element skills, he indeed has the strength to look down upon his peers.

“However… how powerful is the person who defeated a shadow assassin in the making?”

Li Jiye suddenly perked up at the thought of this.

It seemed like this Grand Four-City Contest was much more interesting than he imagined.