Chapter 298 - 226: The Highest Difficulty Mission, the Large Dark Plane, Vampire Count Yin Hai
Chapter 298: Chapter 226: The Highest Difficulty Mission, the Large Dark Plane, Vampire Count Yin Hai
Time flowed by like a river, gone in a flash, and just like that, it was the end of March. At the end of the month, the notice from Instructor Li Qiongtian summoning the members of the Tianya Academy team for an internal assessment arrived on their personal terminals, right on schedule.
And so, on March 31st, Zhang Yi and the other nine members of the Tianya Academy team walked out of the spacious apartment provided by the Yanhuang Federation for the second round of assessments and made their way to the small training hall reserved for the team.
Upon arriving at the dedicated training hall, Zhang Yi saw the other nine members, but Instructor Li Qiongtian was nowhere to be seen. He glanced down at the time. It was only 7:58 AM, two minutes before the scheduled meeting.
Taking advantage of the remaining two minutes, Zhang Yi scanned his surroundings and immediately spotted Hong Tianyi smiling at him. Compared to the last time they had parted ways, the Hong Tianyi he saw today was brimming with confidence, with none of his previous uncertainty. Under Zhang Yi’s gaze, Hong Tianyi even discreetly gave him an OK sign. Evidently, the progress his Clan had made over the past half-month had given him a major confidence boost! In response to Hong Tianyi’s small gesture, Zhang Yi gave him a slight nod.
Then, his gaze shifted to the other students on the team. In a corner of the hall, Lu Mei maintained her usual cold demeanor, standing alone with her eyes closed in rest. But set against her red hair, this created a striking contrast. The scene was like a volcano poised to erupt from beneath a frozen, snow-capped mountain, hiding an indescribable beauty.
The profile he saw, framed by her red hair, possessed an even more breathtaking beauty. For a moment, he was completely captivated, unable to stop himself from stealing a few more glances.
Zhang Yi had to admit that, setting aside her unapproachable aura, Lu Mei was indeed unforgettably stunning. It was just that her temperament was too intense, making her difficult to get close to.
As if sensing his lingering gaze, Lu Mei, who had been resting with her eyes closed, suddenly opened them. Her cold eyes locked onto his with pinpoint precision, their gazes meeting briefly in mid-air.
Let’s see who blinks first!
That was Zhang Yi’s first reaction. There was no flirtation, no lingering affection, and certainly no love at first sight. In that instant, only a baffling desire to win surged through his heart.
Instead of awkwardly looking away in embarrassment after being caught peeking, he composed himself and met Lu Mei’s cold gaze with an even steadier one. Lu Mei, in turn, was taken aback by his reaction.
Ever since she was young, she had grown accustomed to the stares her appearance attracted, to the point that she was now basically immune to the attention. During high school, the confessions and pestering from male classmates had even led her to perfect a "conversation-killer" method of discouragement. She didn’t need to say much; a single icy glare was enough to make most men who approached her instantly look away or beat a stuttering retreat.
But Zhang Yi’s reaction was completely different. Not only did he not back down, but his newly composed, steady gaze even held a hint of... provocation?!
After Lu Mei confirmed she wasn’t mistaken, her own competitive spirit was ignited. Although she didn’t know exactly what was going on—the details were a blur—she seemed to instantly understand the rules of this "match."
It’s just a staring contest, isn’t it? I won’t lose!
Lu Mei narrowed her beautiful eyes, a sliver of sharpness cutting through her coldness. Her gaze was like a newly forged and quenched blade as she stared back, refusing to show any weakness. In Zhang Yi’s eyes, this meant Lu Mei had accepted his challenge.
Time itself seemed to slow down. Inside the small training hall, the other team members were either chatting quietly amongst themselves or contemplating how to handle the upcoming internal assessment and which difficulty level to choose. Not a single one of them noticed the silent duel taking place in the corner.
One second, two, three... Zhang Yi could clearly see the defiant expression in Lu Mei’s eyes.
Twenty seconds, twenty-one... He could feel the biological instinct to blink welling up, but he resisted.
Forty seconds, forty-one... His eyes were starting to sting. At the same time, he could see that Lu Mei also seemed to be struggling. This gave him renewed motivation to keep going.
One minute and forty-two seconds. Lasting this long without blinking once was already beyond his own expectations. But the girl across from him hadn’t admitted defeat, and his own competitive spirit wouldn’t let him give up either.
Just as Zhang Yi was wondering if he should expend a bit of Divine Power to refresh his eyes, a deliberate cough suddenly rang out between them, instantly shattering their delicate standoff.
COUGH!
At some unknown point, Instructor Li Qiongtian had arrived in the small training hall.