Chapter 9: The Purple Snow Family

  "Teacher Zhuang stood on the podium, facing all the students in the class and said: 'In just one more month, the annual college martial arts competition will be held. In this last month, I hope everyone can work hard and improve their skills to a higher level. I will select the two strongest from among all of you to represent our class in the competition.'"

  Mars asked: "Teacher, if we get a good ranking, are there any rewards?"

  Mr. Zhuang smiled slightly and said, "Of course, the top three in the grade will be rewarded with a good equipment by the college, the higher the ranking, the better the equipment. At the same time, if any of you win the championship, I will also give a prize in class, only the champion has a class reward, as for what the prize is, it's temporarily confidential, anyway, it won't be bad. My expectations for you are very high, classmates don't disappoint me!"

  Mr. Zhuang's words instantly sparked the interest of all the students, and everyone eagerly expressed their determination to work hard.

  I really saw Mars from Huo's eyes, but what he didn't know was that Zhuang teacher had already settled on a candidate, and his chances of getting the equipment were almost zero.

  Phoenix stood up, proudly saying: "Teacher, don't worry, when the time comes, as long as you send me to battle, I will definitely bring back the championship of the whole grade." Seeing her chubby and proud appearance, I couldn't help but laugh a little, this fat girl is really competitive.

  After class, Feng came to find me and said to me: "Lei Xiang, I feel like you've changed a lot since you came back from detention?"

  I stared at him in surprise, indeed worthy of having the same strength as me, he actually saw the improvement in my ability. I said lightly: "Oh? What's changed, I don't feel it."

  Feng asked, "Yes, definitely yes. Although I can't quite put it into words, but I feel that you don't seem as icy cold as before. Instead, there's a more subdued and calm aura about you. Now, I'm probably not your match anymore."

  I smiled slightly and said: "Maybe you're just too sensitive, I don't think there's anything different about me."

  Feng Wen looked at my smile and said bluntly: "You still say there's no change, would you have smiled like that before?"

  I subconsciously touched my face, yeah, now I love to smile so much, Zixue's influence on me is really big. I patted his shoulder and said: "Work hard, hope to meet you in the grade finals."

  Feng Wen said: "Lei Xiang, are you so confident that you can make it to the finals? You should know that our Magic Warrior class is always at the bottom every time we participate. Students who specialize in martial arts and magic, because they focus more, their progress is faster than ours."

  I gave him a sideways glance and said, "Confidence is the best weapon, you'll know when you get to the competition venue." These three months of seclusion have qualitatively improved my strength and further enhanced my confidence. In my heart, there is only one opponent, that is Riva in fifth grade. Only he can truly arouse my fighting spirit. Maybe I'm not his opponent, but I must see how big the gap between me and him is.

  Feng Wen said: "You're back to your usual arrogant self. Come on, let's go eat."

  I shook my head and said, "No, I have an appointment with someone else."

  Feng asked, suddenly enlightened: "Ah, right, you're the first in the whole college to be so blatant about chasing girls, I really admire you, if there's a chance, introduce me to a top-notch one too, haha, won't disturb you anymore, I'll go find Fengyun that big mouth to eat, from now on, can't let him know anything."

  I walked to the cafeteria, and Zi Xue was already waiting for me under the tree outside the cafeteria door. She stood beside the tree like a pure lily set off against the green leaves. I quickened my pace and apologized: "Just now, a classmate pulled me over to chat for a bit, making you wait."

  Zixue gave me a sweet smile and said, "It's okay, let's go."

  I stretched out my hand to pull Zi Xue, and her face turned red as she dodged away, whispering: "There are so many people here, can't you just...? Besides, the academy doesn't allow it..."

  I frowned at her, sighed helplessly and said, "Okay, I respect your choice."

  "Let's go in and have dinner," Zi Xue smiled.

  The cafeteria was as lively as ever, and I had now become a celebrity in the college (daring to accept the challenge of the top expert, it's strange if you don't become famous, let alone having Zixue's relationship). As soon as I entered the cafeteria, many people turned their eyes over. I didn't care at all and went straight to get food. I bought the best dishes for Zixue, and two medium-sized portions for myself.

  Looking at Zixue eating little by little, I frowned and said: "You're eating too little, eat more, or how can you have a good body? Look at me, one meal is almost enough for you to eat for a week." As I spoke, I pointed to the mountain of food in front of us.

  Zi Xue covered her mouth and smiled, saying: "If others ate as much as you, they would be finished. You're a big guy, of course you need to eat more. I'm a girl, if I eat too much I'll get fat, and you won't like me then."

  My face changed color and I said: "What kind of person do you take me, Lei Xiang, for?"

  Zixue saw I was unhappy and hastily said: "Consider it my mistake, can't I just have a bit more to eat?"

  Hearing her say that, I finally calmed down and asked: "By the way, what about that arrogant girl who's always following you?"

  Zixue looked around and whispered, "Keep your voice down, she's gone home for dinner. If she finds out you're talking about her like this, she'll blow up again. I don't know how hard it was to comfort her yesterday. And what's with you, acting like a kid and needing me to coax you, hehe."

  I smiled and said, "You're originally older than me, what's there to be afraid of? That Jin whatever is naturally spoiled, can't let people talk about it? It's all because they were pampered since childhood. Why do you always go back home for meals, don't the food here agree with your stomach? I think it's fine."

  Zi Xue wrinkled her cute little nose and said, "The food at home is indeed better than here, but more importantly, we don't want to show off too much. When we come here, many people will be watching us, so naturally we can't eat well."

  I snorted and said, "Whoever dares to look at you, I'll tear them apart."

  Zixue grasped my hand, anxiously saying: "What are you doing? You're getting reckless again. Can't you control everyone's eyes? Originally, sister asked me to go home with her for lunch, but it was because you invited me."

  "I asked in confusion: 'Sister? Which sister?'"

  Zixue looked at me as if I were a monster, and after a while, she said: "You don't even know my sister's name? You're really out of touch."

  I smiled indifferently and said, "Is your sister very famous? The top student in the academy doesn't seem to be her."

  Zi Xue proudly said: "Sister is of course very famous, the first master may not be her, but the first beauty is indeed her."

  I was stunned, the number one beauty of the academy, this is a bit exaggerated, and this duke is also very good at giving birth, both daughters are beauties. I asked: "How many children do you have in your family? Don't tell me there's another ranking beauty."

  Zixue hit me and smiled lightly, saying: "There are only two of us, my sister and I. Many people are pursuing my sister, and a lot of them aren't afraid of the school's rules. They make their moves on her right in front of everyone at school. Especially that Liva, he's the most aggressive one."

  I suddenly said: "No wonder he was so polite to you yesterday, it turns out that he is also related to your sister. By the way, what's your sister's name?"

  Zi Xue said: "Sister's name is Zi Yan, a third-year student, who practices Bright Magic and is the vice president's favorite disciple."

  I was stunned, what's with the bright magic sounding so awkward, I reckon it's because of my dark magic training, who let us be natural enemies anyway.

  It was great, today in the cafeteria didn't encounter any trouble, smoothly finished a sweet meal with Zixue.

  In the afternoon, I didn't have many classes, so I went back to my dormitory to practice my Kuang Shen Jue. Since breaking through the first layer, my cultivation speed has been quite fast. Although there is still a distance from the second layer, I am confident that I can complete it before the competition. What makes me most happy is the progress of Tian Mo Jue. Compared to before, it can only be described as flying fast. The third layer should be much harder to cultivate than the second layer, but my current cultivation speed is actually higher than when I was cultivating the second layer before. At this rate, I will soon be able to achieve the transformation into a Fallen Angel, what a wonderful thing! (Unfortunately, it can't be used easily)

  The next day early in the morning, I pulled Heilong and was about to leave the college for a run when we met Zixue. I exclaimed with surprise: "So good, you came to find me so early, come on, let's take Heilong out together."

  Zixue walked over, gently stroking the black dragon's head, her face with an unmistakable heaviness. I suddenly felt something was off and hastily asked: "What's wrong, what happened?"

  Zi Xue suddenly threw herself into my arms, sobbing uncontrollably. I wrapped my arms around her soft and delicate body, asking: "Tell me quickly, what happened? Has someone bullied you? I'll chop him to pieces." As I spoke, a cold killing aura emanated from my entire body.

  Zi Xue grasped my clothes tightly and shook her head, saying "It's not that someone bullied me."

  "I exclaimed in surprise: 'Then why are you like this?'"

  Zixue said with her head down, "My dad knows about our thing."

  I let out a sigh of relief and said, "It's just this matter, miss. You almost scared me to death."

  Zixue's eyes widened as she stared at me and said, "Isn't this serious enough?"

  I said indifferently: "What's the big deal? Your parents will find out sooner or later anyway. How did your father know?"

  Zixue shook her head and said, "I reckon there's a mole in the academy, and you made such a big fuss... You don't know, my dad is very stubborn. If he thinks you're no good, no matter what you say or do, it won't work. Last night when I got home, he glared at me with a sullen face and told me to bring you to our house tonight."

  After hearing Zixue's words, I smiled and said: "Don't worry, nothing will happen. With my conditions, your father would still disagree? We're meeting the parents so soon, I didn't expect that."

  Zi Xue said: "You don't have to worry at all, my father's temper is notoriously violent."

  I snorted and said, "You should know, I'm not exactly in a good mood either."

  Zi Xue's face turned pale with anger, she was furious for the first time, like a little lion, roaring loudly: "Is this attitude going to meet your parents? It's simply going to duel, that side is my father, can you fight him? With this attitude of yours, how can I feel at ease?"

  Zixue's little face turned bright red, so adorable. I swept her into my arms and kissed her lips heavily, Zixue struggled in dissatisfaction, but was overwhelmed by my strong passion.

  After a long time, I finally let go of the blushing Zixue and said softly to her: "I promise not to conflict with your father, this should be enough, don't be angry anymore."

  Zixue said as she leaned on my chest, "Then you must make it happen, this concerns our future."

  I nodded and said: "Don't worry, I guarantee to complete the task."

  ……

  Sitting in class, my mind wandered to the opponent I would face tonight - Duke, a powerful noble of the Dragon God Empire who could rival the prince. The fire star beside me suddenly poked me, and I turned back to look at him. Fire Star said in a low voice: "Lei Xiang, focus, Teacher Zhuang has pulled you several times."

  I finally came back to myself, and indeed, when I looked at Teacher Zhuang, she gave me a reproachful look, and I hastily returned a apologetic smile.

  Soon, it was lunchtime. This morning, Zixue told me that she wouldn't have lunch with me today. She said she had to go home and tidy up first. I don't know what she has to tidy up, probably going to pull a united front or something.

  After lunch, I returned to the dormitory to continue practicing my Kuang Shen Jue. Cultivation is the most important thing for me, because everything must be built on a strong foundation of power.

  I don't know how long it took, but Fengyun ran back and shouted at me: "Lei Xiang, hurry up, Zi Xue is looking for you."

  I ran Kuang Shen Jue for a week, took a deep breath, withdrew the fighting energy back to Dan Tian, opened my eyes and said: "What time is it now?"

  Feng Yun said: "You see for yourself, it's almost dark. Hurry up, Zi Xue asked me to come and call you, she looks like she's in a hurry."

  As expected, the sky outside had darkened, with only a faint light lingering on the distant horizon. It was already late afternoon. I nodded and said, "Thanks." After changing into what I thought was my best outfit, I rushed out of the dormitory and immediately saw Zixue's anxious face as soon as I stepped out of the door.

  "Come on, let's go! My dad hates people who are late," Zi Xue said, pulling my hand and running outside.

  As we walked on the road, Zi Xue said to me: "When you see Dad later, your attitude must be a little better."

  "Don't worry, I'll be careful."

  Zixue said: "Also, Dad might test your skills, you should be prepared."

  I asked in surprise: "What rank is your dad?"

  Zixue glanced at me and said, "It should be the Middle Rank Knight of Light, it's been a long time since I've seen him take action."

  I was shocked and said: "Then your father is at the level of an ordinary dragon knight."

  "Of course," Zi Xue said proudly. "Do you think my father, the Duke, got to his position easily? Although he's a civil official, at this point, he naturally has to have some skills to protect himself. Although not as good as the three great marshals, he's also a well-known master in the Imperial City."

  I frowned and said, "Then how can I compare with him? I'm just a swordsman's strength." Although I have confidence in myself, I won't be foolish enough to think that I can rival the Paladin of Light.

  Zi Xue laughed and said: "You're also afraid sometimes, don't worry, my dad at most is just testing you, he won't really fight with you. We've arrived, let's hurry up and go in."

  I looked up and found that I had already arrived at the Duke's mansion. Calming myself down, I followed Zixue inside.

  It's no wonder that it's the residence of a duke, and you can't even see how big the whole yard is. The wall is over 10 meters high. After entering the gate, there are many patrolling guards inside. The layout of the courtyard is not luxurious, but very elegant. At first glance, you can tell that the person who arranged it is no ordinary person.

  "Isn't my family's courtyard pretty good? It was all arranged by my sister," said Zixue with a smile. Upon hearing Zixue's words, I couldn't help but feel a hint of anticipation towards that college beauty whom I had never met before. After all, women who possess both intelligence and beauty are rare indeed.

  Xue'er grabbed a servant and asked: "Where is my father?"

  "The servant bowed respectfully and said: 'The Duke is in the living room. He instructed you to come see him as soon as you returned.'"

  Zi Xue replied, "Alright, you go ahead and busy yourself. Lei Xiang, Dad is waiting for us." I felt her small hand secrete cold sweat, clearly she was extremely nervous.

  I gripped her hand tightly and said, "Don't worry, I'll definitely make him acknowledge me."

  As I walked into the living room, the first thing that caught my eye was the spacious hall, which I estimated to be around 300 square meters in size. At the front of the hall, on the main seat, sat a man who appeared to be in his 40s, with a dignified appearance that suggested he must have been very handsome when he was younger. On the wall behind him hung a huge painting of nine dragons. He should be Zi Xue's father.

  To the left of the middle-aged man sat a beautiful woman, whose age could not be discerned from her appearance. If someone told me she was Zixue's sister, I might have believed it. It was only from her headdress that I could tell she was a married woman. Could it be that she was Zixue's mother? If so, it would go a long way in explaining why Zixue and her sister occupied the second spot among the eight great beauties of the academy.

  When I saw the one on the right, I couldn't help but stare for a moment. How beautiful! A beauty in a light blue long dress was sitting there, probably around my age. She looked similar to Zixue, but even more stunning than her. Her height seemed slightly taller than Zixue's. When she saw me and Zixue enter, she smiled at Zixue without even giving me a glance. No wonder she's the number one beauty in the academy - she indeed has an aura of pride. What caught my attention most was the sacred aura surrounding her body, undoubtedly the result of years of practicing light magic. She must be Ziyuan.

  These were just what I saw in an instant. Zi Xue had already run forward and said to the middle-aged man, "Dad, I'm back. This is Lei Xiang."

  I hastily stepped forward and bowed: "Duke, nice to meet you. I'm Lei Xiang, a humble commoner."

  The duke nodded slightly, his face showing no emotion. He said calmly, "Lift your head up."

  I stood up straight, my eyes fixed on the duke. The duke's eyes shot out two sharp rays of light, carefully sizing me up from head to toe. Purple Snow quietly made a gesture to her mother, and the duchess said: "Your Excellency, look at this child's physique, it's really good, rarely can you see someone as tall as him."

  It seems that the Duchess has no status in her own home. The Duke simply grunted and said to me, "Lei Xiang, I heard that you claimed at Tian Du College that you want to pursue my daughter, is that true?"

  I nodded and said, "Yes."

  The duke furrowed his brow and said, "Then you should know that Tian Du College prohibits students from developing romantic relationships."

  I nodded again and said, "I know."

  The Duke stood up, with a hint of anger in his voice: "Since you know, I hope you won't bother my daughter again."

  I glanced at the duke and replied, "Sorry, I won't do it." A cold aura emanated from my body. Who allowed you to make me leave Zixue? Not even if you were his father. My sudden change caught everyone's attention, and Zixue kept tugging on my clothes behind me.

  The duke flew into a rage and said: "Who do you think you are? Are you worthy of my daughter?"

  I smiled faintly and said, "As for whether I'm a good match, it's up to Zixue herself to evaluate. Since you're a duke, I think you shouldn't look down on me because of my status. If we were to go back thirty years, if you still liked the daughter of a noble family, what would you do? Would you give her up just because of something her father said? Status changes with people's circumstances, who knows, in 10 or 20 years, I might not be sitting in a position lower than yours." My tone was neither arrogant nor humble, and everyone present was stunned. No one expected me to dare confront the duke like this.

  "Zi Xue exclaimed: 'Lei Xiang, you promised me.'"

  I thought to myself, Zixue, how can you understand your father's mindset? If I humble myself and yield, it will only lead to his disdain. Although my current approach is somewhat risky, there are still some opportunities left.

  The duke stretched out his hand to stop Zixue from continuing, he seemed to have been hit by what I said, and lowered his head, not knowing what he was thinking about. After a while, the duke raised his head and said: "Alright, you've spoken well, since you're so ambitious, I want to see what kind of strength you have to speak like that, watch this."

  He first swung his sleeve, sending Purple Snow away from me, then gently patted a palm towards me, and the strong Dou Qi enveloped an area of 1 zhang. He wanted to force me into a fierce battle. I was not surprised but delighted in my heart, knowing that he would definitely try to probe me. With his identity as a duke, he couldn't possibly engage in a fierce fight with me. The duke attacked, and my opportunity had arrived.

  I concentrated my spirit and gathered my energy, directing the fierce fighting spirit towards my right fist. My left leg took a small step to the left, I sank my waist and grasped my horse, letting out a loud cry: "Hah!" One punch shot up to meet it.

  A surge of aura burst out from my right fist, forming a pale yellow column of aura that clashed with the duke's right palm.

  As my fist and palm intersected, I sensed something was off. The duke's aura hadn't been released outwardly, but rather contained within. My own aura collided with his palm, yet couldn't cause him any harm. As our palms met, I felt the duke's aura surge forth in a calm and steady stream. Seven successive waves of energy emanated from his palm, each one stronger than the last, culminating in a deafening crash that sent the air around us into a frenzy.

  Ziyan was exceptionally calm at this moment, lightly shouting out a light system boundary, enveloping me and the Duke within. The scattered Dou Qi crashed against the boundary, causing it to shake violently, but not a single thread escaped.

  I retreated seven steps in a row, stumbling back until I bumped into the boundary released by Ziyan and stopped.

  The duke's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise, and he let out a long laugh. His body quickly moved in, and another palm strike was launched. Indeed, the power of the Paladin was formidable. I rapidly fired off first-level attack magic from each element, trying to disrupt the duke. At the same time, I once again gathered my strength for the Mad God's Fist, shouting "Crazy Wind Storm!" This time, however, I didn't aim at the duke, but instead slammed a heavy fist into the ground. In that desperate moment, I no longer cared about damaging things. Finally, for the first time, I unleashed the first form of the Mad God's Fist - Crazy Wind Storm, the only one I could use.

  The duke was about to release his aura, easily blocking the magic I had cast. Noticing that I didn't counterattack, he feared that he might really kill me and slightly reduced the strength of his palm by three points. At this moment, the floor in front of him suddenly exploded, a powerful aura mixed with debris shot up into the air, hitting his palm squarely. It wasn't that I didn't want to explode from under him or attack from behind, but if I did, given his abilities, he might not have been injured and would instead be enraged. By attacking his hand directly and head-on, I could resolve the current crisis while also leaving a good impression on the duke. He would surely understand that I wanted to compete with him openly and fairly.

  The duke realized something was wrong when the ground burst open and immediately changed his forehand to backhand, facing the stormy rain.

  A powerful backlash made my whole body ache and crack, if it wasn't for the extraordinary physical defense, I'm afraid I would have been spraying blood everywhere.

  This time, due to the inadequacy of the defense, the Duke was also forced back a step. The violent airflow and debris successfully broke through the seal under the purple awning, and the entire living room suddenly became dark and smoky.

  I'm fully on guard against his next attack. If he comes again, I'll probably have to use the Heavenly Demon Seal; otherwise, it will be hard to resist. This is a situation I don't want to see happen.

  The duke stood still, emitting a thick aura from his body, forming a protective membrane that isolated the surrounding dust.

  Ziyan also quickly released a defensive magic to cover herself and Zixue, and I saw a flash of unusual color in her eyes. The duchess used Dou Qi, a circle of pale orchid Dou Qi protected her.

  The duke nodded at me and said, "Not bad, being able to withstand the two palms I released with 5 successful force. You are considered a top-notch among the younger generation. You should be one grade lower than Zixue, I estimate that your future potential will not be inferior to Liva's."

  Here is the translation:

  "Again, it's that Rivana kid, what's with comparing me to him?"

  "I said: 'Thank you for your praise, can you entrust Zixue to me now?'"

  The duke burst out laughing and said: "When did I ever say that I would entrust Zixue to you, you think too simply."

  "I angrily said: 'You, weren't you just testing me earlier?'"

  The duke said, "That was just a test of your skills. If you want to be with my daughter, you have to pass the test I just gave you. You barely passed, but my daughter is still young and heaven doesn't allow boys and girls to be friends yet. So from now on, don't get too close to my daughter, did you hear me?"

  He said I barely passed and I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. At least he's no longer opposed to it.

  I bowed and said: "Thank you then. I won't get 'too close' to Zixue from now on."

  The duke nodded in satisfaction and said, "I'm just temporarily acknowledging you, don't get too excited too early. The future development depends on yourself. If you can't meet my requirements, I'll let Zixue cut off contact with you at any time."

  I was stunned and asked foolishly: "What requirements have you reached?"

  The duke smiled and said, "It's not that easy to become my son-in-law. Although your talent is good and your foundation is solid, there is still a big gap in terms of strength. How you do in the future depends on your own efforts. Besides, you wouldn't want me to marry my daughter off to a commoner, would you? Alright, I won't entertain you anymore. Someone, please see him out."

  I was sent out of the duke's mansion by the servant. I thought about what the duke said earlier, and after a long time, I finally realized that I had been fooled by him.

  He, this duke or whatever, is simply an old slicker. He says he temporarily acknowledges me, but isn't that just the same as not acknowledging me at all? And then he wants me to increase my strength and become an official too. I'm dizzy, who knows what his standards are, he won't have me become a dragon knight or anything, will he?

  Returning to the dormitory with a heart full of gloom, in order to make myself feel better, I started practicing Tianmo as usual. The icy and piercing pain instantly calmed my mind.

  The next day at noon, I met Zixue in the cafeteria and complained to her: "Your father is too cunning, yesterday he obviously tested me, why did he still add so many conditions."

  Zi Xue smiled and said, "Do you think it's easy to be an official? Dad has spent countless efforts to get to where he is today. He and you have a mind for each other, but you are powerless to fight back. However, don't be angry, yesterday after you left, Father said that he still appreciates you."

  I snorted and said: "I don't care if he appreciates me or not, as long as you appreciate me. If he doesn't agree with our matter later, I'll elope with you."

  Zixue's little face turned red and she said, "I hate you."

  My face changed color and I said: "Don't you want to go with me?"