This was an underground training room within Seidoukan Academy.
Fang Li stood in the center of the underground training room, looking at Fan Xinglou, who was eagerly waiting nearby, and sighed audibly.
Although he knew that it probably wouldn't make a difference, Fang Li still said a line.
"Is this really okay, Master?"
What Fang Li was referring to was clear – Claudia's earlier request.
"Isn't it too casual to agree to something like this?" Fang Li continued, "However you look at it, this duel doesn't seem to have any benefits for us, or rather, for me."
The reason Claudia had made such a request required no guessing. It was simply to understand Bo Xie's capabilities and collect data on Bo Xie, which had proven to be quite difficult over the years.
Bo Xie had gone unused for decades, even nearly a century. It was created by the first generation 'Banyuu Tenra,' making it a mysterious Ogre Lux. This data would be attractive not only to the Six Great Academies but also to the Integrated Enterprise Foundation.
"I'm not hiding Bo Xie's ability like a thief, but isn't it a bit disadvantageous to reveal its ability right now during the 'Phoenix Festa' when I'm participating as a contestant? If I expose Bo Xie's ability here, it won't be of any benefit. After the 'Phoenix Festa,' Bo Xie's ability won't stay hidden anyway, and people can collect data then. Why go out of our way to agree to this request at this time?"
Despite saying this, Fang Li already knew how Fan Xinglou would respond.
In any case, the reason would likely be something along the lines of "Isn't it interesting this way?"
"Isn't this interesting?" As expected, Fan Xinglou repeated the answer word for word with a delighted tone.
Since Fang Li had anticipated this, he held back his sigh this time.
"Alright," Fang Li said helplessly.
"If it were someone as straightforward as Senior Brother Zhao, he would openly display the abilities of an Ogre Lux even without a request, right?"
So, rationally, although Fang Li understood that it might not be a good idea, emotionally, he didn't really mind.
In terms of doing as one pleases, he wasn't much different from Fan Xinglou.
As the meaningless conversation between master and disciple concluded, the door to the training room was finally opened.
"Sorry for taking a bit of your time," Claudia said with a smile as she entered from outside the door.
Behind her were two individuals.
One was a middle-aged man, probably around forty years old, with a sturdy build. He didn't have the Prana aura, so he wasn't a Genestellar. Still, his easy access to Seidoukan's facilities indicated that he was a high-ranking member of the academy.
However, it wasn't the middle-aged man who caught Fang Li's attention; it was the timid girl standing behind him. She wore a predominantly white uniform, different from Claudia's attire, suggesting that she belonged to the junior high section rather than the high school.
As expected of a junior high student, the girl was petite and appeared to be around thirteen or fourteen years old. While her face still retained a hint of youthful innocence, her features were remarkably well-defined. Even at her young age, she could be considered a beautiful girl.
This timid girl had long, silvery hair that reached her waist, with two locks framing her head, similar to Riko's hairstyle. Her hair color, however, was as unique as Alisa's. Unlike Riko's liveliness or Alisa's aloofness, she exuded an air of fragility.
Her large watery eyes seemed as if they could shed tears at any moment, stirring a sense of guilt in anyone who looked at her, as though they had accidentally bullied this young girl.
However, this young girl had a noticeably well-developed figure, even through her clothing. Her ample chest rivaled that of a mature woman, almost on par with Riko. It was a figure that would naturally trigger protective instincts in anyone.
Unfortunately, Fang Li wasn't swayed by those instincts because he knew the girl's identity.
"I didn't expect this," Fan Xinglou said with a hint of surprise in her eyes as she gazed at the young girl.
"I didn't expect that Seidoukan Academy's sparring partner would be the first-ranked genius."
Yes, the first-ranked genius.
This seemingly fragile girl was none other than Kirin Toudou, the top-ranked student at Seidoukan Academy, making her the most powerful student in the school.
"Toudou Kirin…"
At the tender age of thirteen, she had defeated the former top-ranked student, becoming Seidoukan Academy's most extraordinary super-genius.
As for the man standing before her, he was none other than Kirin Toudou's uncle, Toudou Kouichirou.
This man was quite well-known for several reasons.
Firstly, he held a position as an employee of the Integrated Enterprise Foundation, which served as the overseeing entity of Seidoukan Academy. Additionally, he was a candidate for the position of Leader within the Foundation, a status possibly even higher than that of Seidoukan Academy's Superintendent.
His ability to freely enter and leave Seidoukan Academy was precisely because of this status.
However, the reason for his presence here had nothing to do with concern for Kirin Toudou.
On the contrary, Toudou Kouichirou didn't spare a single glance for Kirin, who was trailing behind him. His demeanor as he strode into the underground training room was anything but welcoming toward Kirin.
Moreover, when Toudou Kouichirou looked at Fang Li, Fan Xinglou, and Claudia, his eyes were filled with undisguised disdain and contempt.
This was a common reaction among Non-Genestellars, a rejection and hostility unique to those who did not possess the unique abilities of a Genestellar.
Toudou Kouichirou glanced at Fan Xinglou briefly before turning his attention to Fang Li, then abruptly spoke.
"So, you're the user of Bo Xie?" His voice lacked even a trace of politeness and was marked by a condescending tone.
"A newly enrolled student, a 'new life' who hasn't even made it into the Inner Ranking, is actually being considered as the subject of a duel for collecting combat data by the top-ranked student in the academy. One can't help but wonder if this is some kind of joke."
With these words, Toudou Kouichirou shifted his gaze towards Claudia and expressed his dissatisfaction.
"Does this person truly possess such value?"
This single sentence turned the atmosphere in the entire training room tense.
Fan Xinglou seemed to find the situation quite amusing and chose to observe from the sidelines.
Fang Li, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow and focused his gaze on Toudou Kouichirou.
...
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