35 Genius Summit (II)

"I presume you have just gotten your invitation to attend the yearly convergence of Sun Feather City's talented youths," Zhao Yufei remarked, her confident smile initiating a conversation as soon as she spotted Zhao Wei emerging from his quarters.

"I guess so. It was just a few moments ago. What about you?" Zhao Wei responded blandly as he walked out with unhurried steps.

Zhao Yufei followed him and tried to match his pace by trailing alongside him.

With her gradually growing confidence due to her recent changes in mentality and worldview, her prior shy personality was also slowly being dissolved.

To her, Zhao Wei had been just the trigger needed to wake her up to reality.

"I received mine this morning," Zhao Yufei replied, casting a brief sidelong glance at him.

She didn't mind his blandness at all; over time, she had grown accustomed to some of his various quirks and personalities.

She is like a boomerang, Zhao Wei thought, even if she is thrown away, she would find ways to return to the thrower.

'But I don't need boomerangs. It's not my choice of weapon. It's a pity that she's currently more confident and headstrong. What sort of character development is she experiencing, I wonder?'

Zhao Wei had already used his eyes abilities to scrutinize Zhao Yufei's body and the slight changes that had in her bloodline only served to confirm his initial guesses.

It was within his realm of situational acceptance.

"Aren't you curious about the Genius Summit and the city's most beautiful girl, Qiu Mengyu, who also happens to be a great beauty with strength?" Zhao Yufei asked in curiosity, her beautiful eyes searching for any sort of response from the slightly detached young man.

From the corners of her eyes, she could see it. Ah, the solitude of the young man.

What lies behind his unpredictable and cold exterior?

Beyond that veil, did he have any sort of insecurities like herself?

Zhao Yufei recognized that Zhao Wei shared the same human essence as herself, yet there were moments when he seemed to transcend his humanity, emanating an aura that bordered on the realm of the otherworldly. Unfeeling and detached.

"I am naturally looking forward to the Genius Summit. I just don't want to be disappointed for having high expectations for the various talented geniuses from the three great families." Zhao Wei spoke distractedly as he looked at the vastness of the cerulean skies while the golden orb slowly but surely tried to escape toward the horizons.

Time had been moving faster than expected.

Removing his distracted gaze from the beauty of nature, his eyes descended on Zhao Yufei's face who looked somehow pissed but she tried her best to hide it behind a facade of a fake smile.

Zhao Wei chuckled inside his mind as he had already seen through her.

"To say that I am not curious about the way she looks would be lying. A woman undisputedly praised by all, makes me wonder if her reputation is as it is."

"I have never been one to care about looks but to me, you, Yufei hold more potential in that department than her. If I am walking beside a beautiful piece of art, then would there be a need to look for one with baseless rumors."

"You should have more confidence. I know everything ." About you.

At that moment, a sagely aura seemed to have pervaded every sinew of his being, making him look like the epitome of wisdom.

'How do you expect me to react when you say such careless words to a woman? You are making me all shy and happy with such cheesy words!'

Cute dimples inevitably formed on her soft cheeks as her spellbinding lips curved into the most breathtaking smile that she had never shown to anyone ever since her arrival at the main branch of the Zhao Clan.

'I didn't know that he is also capable of complimenting others.'

'Does this mean that he's finally started to slowly open up to me? Or I am just overthinking and it really didn't mean anything to him.'

'Hmph, knowing him I bet it's the latter. He's being unpredictable once again. I just don't know what words to anticipate from him.'

The cool breeze of a falling night brushed past her well embroidered silky purple dress made out of the finest materials that you could ever in Sun Feather City.

Zhao Yufei breathed in the evening air. It smelled of freshness, the earth, and wood.

She felt happy and rejuvenated. After all, she was enjoying a stroll with the one man she admired and had unknown feelings for.

A man who viewed her not as an asset but a liability that would only make his ambitions lag behind.

A man who had a realistic approach toward matters of the world, according to her.

"I can't wait to see your performance against the well-known four great geniuses. I wonder if you are still going to hold back like you always do while sparring against me." Zhao Yufei casually asked as they neared the Zhao Clan's Main Gate.

The other Zhao Clan participants invited by Qiu Mengyu seemed to have arrived earlier than them.

Zhao Wei stayed silent and pondered how to reply to Yufei's question.

"I don't think that will happen." Zhao Wei flashed her a mysterious grin which made her heart skip a beat.

Zhao Yufei avoided his gaze and harrumphed before leaving him behind to hide her own bashfulness.

But someone didn't take this well. Zhao Linglong didn't like other males being involved with what he had already marked.

Only he, Zhao Linglong, could make the women fancied by him to put a smile on their faces.

The ones standing next to him: Zhao Chi, Zhao Feng, Zhao Qin and Zhao Han saw the anger and jealousy being suppressed on Zhao Linglong's face and they couldn't help but feel… satisfied.

Prior to the two's arrival, Zhao Linglong had been intentionally suppressing them with his innate overbearingness and sixth rank Martial aura. Although someone like Zhao Feng could easily offset such trivialities with his Left God Eye, he hadn't been impressed by his conduct and one-above-all attitude.

Seeing him loose some chunks of his face was certainly going to be a source of happiness for them.

"Sister Yufei, I have been waiting for you." Zhao Linglong put on a loving and caring attitude as he addressed Zhao Yufei in a softer tone.

As for Zhao Wei, Zhao Linglong totally ignored his existence. He didn't even bother to suppress him with his aura.

Zhao Wei smiled. Yes, he just smiled.

"There's no need for you to wait for me anymore because I am now here in flesh." Zhao Yufei said in a nonchalant tone, disregarding the unwanted cordiality that Zhao Linglong was showing to her.

Zhao Linglong didn't take her reply to heart, treating it as just her being shy.

Then as if he suddenly remembered something, Zhao Linglong 'finally' came to know of Zhao Wei's existence.

"And you are? I kind of forgot your name. Do you even belong to our clan? I didn't mean to sound disrespectful." Zhao Linglong turned his nefarious attention to Zhao Wei, his words arrogant and demeaning. He didn't even try to hide it.

The others only watched in silence. No one would normally pass up the chance to watch or spectate a free drama.

Zhao Yufei could only sigh in pity and internally laughed at Zhao Linglong's blatant idiocy at trying to engage someone as dangerous as Zhao Wei. Only she knew how terrifying he was, or so she thought.

Zhao Yufei didn't like the arrogant self-entitled piece of trash anyway since he liked viewing her as his own personal property. His new confidence didn't allow that.

Despite Zhao Linglong's open disrespect, Zhao Wei chose calmness over impulsiveness.

His face remained expressionless as his gaze locked onto Zhao Linglong's form.

"There's no need to worry. I certainly didn't take it to heart." Zhao Wei waved his hand in dismissal as if treating his initial words as mere jokes.

There wasn't a need for him to show him any reaction that would only serve to bolster his ego and superiority.

Zhao Wei didn't want to waste his time over child-like disrespect. It would be a lie to say he didn't feel like pummeling his face on the ground and continuously grind his face against a rough and sharp surface.

Not getting the reaction that he wanted, Zhao Linglong scoffed with a mocking grin on his face before facing the group.

"I think it's high time we went to the Genius Summit. It's of course going to be at the Qiu Clan's territory. Let's set off immediately." Zhao Linglong explained briefly and the atmosphere turned into one of high spirits and overwhelming battle intent.

Zhao Wei subtly looked at the faces going to represent the Zhao Clan while analyzing their strengths.

'Wow, the protagonist really knows how to reverse the situation. I can't believe he's already at the Peak Fifth Rank. I suppose all credits still go to the Ancestral Eye of Dream.' Zhao Wei mused as he saw through Zhao Feng's hidden strength.

But that wasn't going to be enough, after all, in the group he was the one with the highest cultivation base leave alone his battle prowess. He was confident of taking all of them combined but after using some of his 'hax'.

Zhao Wei had reached the Peak of the Sixth Rank not too long ago but on the surface, he was a Peak Fifth Rank Martial Artist!

***

Enjoy!

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