Chapter 16: Yaoxing Academy 16 Part 2

The first segment was a 7-kilometer artificially built downhill ice track. This was the main endurance-testing stretch—fail to gain a lead here, and the gold was out of reach.

“Beep—You’ve reached the 6-kilometer mark. Please complete facial recognition.”

Xun Ji’s stamina had dropped significantly. The burning body temperature had drained too much moisture from him, forcing him to guzzle water at every supply point just to keep going.

He knew Lu Zhou was holding back out of fear he’d have an accident, always pausing at checkpoints to check for him before continuing. He wanted to tell him it wasn’t necessary, but when he met those distant, deep black eyes gazing back, the words stuck in his throat.

Good thing he had a backup plan.

“Young Master Xun, are you okay?” A student ran past Xun Ji and stopped, asking with concern.

Xun Ji waved him off.

The student didn’t rush ahead. Instead, he called over a few fast-running companions to stop and rest together.

“Thanks for the trouble.” Xun Ji nodded to them.

“No trouble at all for Young Master Xun.” Another student smiled. “Even without your instructions, we might not have beaten Lu Zhou anyway.”

The others chimed in agreement. One even tried flattery: “Young Master Xun is so good to Lu Zhou. He even specially…”

His companions elbowed him. Noticing Xun Ji’s cold expression, he shut up awkwardly.

To ensure Lu Zhou stayed in first, Xun Ji had reached out in advance to students with good Ice Marathon records from previous years. Everyone gave Young Master Xun face; they all knew the drill, laughing it off as just joining the fun.

Only Lu Zhou trained from dawn till dusk, pushing himself desperately. All for a single “wish.”

A “wish” that could never come true.

Xun Ji sighed and stepped forward. One more kilometer, and it would be the Ice Waterfall Section—the segment where the original novel’s Protagonist “lost his wings.”

“Beep—You’ve reached the 7-kilometer mark. Please complete facial recognition.”

Lu Zhou stood at the machine’s designated spot for facial recognition.

“Verification complete. Welcome to the Ice Waterfall Section. Congratulations—your current ranking is: First place!”

With a crisp pop, the two Salute Cannons fixed on either side of the verification machine exploded, showering Lu Zhou in a cascade of golden confetti.

Lu Zhou frowned slightly, brushing off the confetti. The earlier checkpoints hadn’t had this. The Salute Cannons were clearly one-time use—probably a special “reward” for the first to reach the next segment.

Lu Zhou crouched to clear shattered ice from his Ice Claws, adjusted his breathing, and stepped into the second segment.

The Ice Waterfall Section was one of Yaoxing Academy’s most distinctive landmarks. It utilized the natural geography, transforming three parallel waterfalls on the Back Mountain into a three-dimensional, crisscrossing ice waterfall course. From afar, it resembled a massive ice-sealed pipe organ.

The track was 2 kilometers long—not far, but the most treacherous stretch. Transparent ice bridges connected the three ice waterfalls, requiring competitors to wind down from the top along the bridges.

When Xun Ji stepped onto the Ice Waterfall course, Lu Zhou had already descended a third of the way.

It was noon, and sunlight beamed directly onto the surrounding crystalline, irregular ice formations, scattering countless shimmering rainbow light spots—like a fairy tale scene. But for those in it, the blinding reflections everywhere made the already difficult ice bridges even more perilous.

Xun Ji pulled the Polarized Goggles from his pocket, shook his overheated, dazed head, and tilted his face up to put them on. But a beam of light stabbed his eyes right then, sending the world spinning. His hand slipped, and he grabbed the railing.

“Xun Ji!”

An urgent voice called from below.

Xun Ji gripped the ice bridge railing, glancing down with lingering fear. His goggles had fallen, shattering on impact and knocking into a string of small ice pillars along the way. The eerie echoes reverberated through the empty ice valley.

Maybe it was psychological, making him overly wary of the segment where the original book’s Protagonist “lost his wings.” But just a flash of sunlight in his eyes had made his hand go slack. Xun Ji gave a wry smile, leaning against the railing to rest and wait for his temperature to drop before continuing. Then he heard rapid footsteps approaching—from below.

“Why did you come back up?” Xun Ji asked in surprise.

Lu Zhou was panting from running too hard, his face terrifyingly cold. He squatted in front of Xun Ji and immediately began checking his body.

“I’m fine.” Xun Ji grabbed the hand Lu Zhou had placed on his waist. “The goggles just fell.”

Lu Zhou kept his head down, silent. Xun Ji then noticed he wasn’t just panting—he was trembling faintly all over.

“I really didn’t…”

“I shouldn’t have made that bet with you.” Lu Zhou suddenly looked up, staring at him with reddened eyes. “You shouldn’t have competed… It’s all my fault.”

He repeated, “It’s all my fault.”

Xun Ji was speechless.

He had seen Lu Zhou in many states: proud, humiliated, fierce, at a loss.

This was the first time he’d seen Lu Zhou afraid. Afraid because he might get hurt.

Xun Ji reached out and touched Lu Zhou’s cheek. It was cool and comforting. He gently caressed it, his slender fingers slowly tracing along the jawline to Lu Zhou’s ear.

His ears were red, the soft earlobe rubbed repeatedly by those hands until it was nearly dripping blood.

Lu Zhou froze, not daring to move. It felt like Xun Ji wasn’t rubbing his ear, but his entire heart.

A few competitors drew closer in the distance. Lu Zhou finally couldn’t hold back. “You…”

“Shh.” Xun Ji silenced him.

“It’s okay.” The gentle voice sounded right by his ear. “Lu Zhou, it’ll be over soon.”