Chapter 17: Yaoxing Academy 17 Part 1

Lu Zhou refused to go ahead alone and insisted on accompanying Xun Ji to complete the Ice Waterfall Section. He gave his goggles to Xun Ji and cleared the path in front for him.

But just as they passed the certification point at the 8-kilometer mark on the ice bridge, the bridge surface ahead suddenly became much more treacherous.

“Why hasn’t this section been sprinkled with anti-slip particles?” Lu Zhou frowned.

For safety reasons, the track had all been treated with anti-slip measures.

Xun Ji observed it for a moment. This stretch differed from the completely suspended ice bridge earlier; part of it was poured over ice rock, making the surface uneven and the footing much more solid.

Xun Ji reassured him, “It’s fine. This kind of surface wears on the Ice Claw Shoes more, but the distance isn’t long. We can manage.”

His Ice Claw Shoes were the same model as Lu Zhou’s, both from Lin Yule’s family professional sports brand. The claws’ spikes reportedly used the latest sports materials developed specifically for the Winter Sports Meet, with excellent performance.

Yet Lu Zhou worried about Xun Ji and insisted on holding his hand as they ran forward together.

“Are you sure this pulling and tugging won’t get us disqualified?” Xun Ji pointed to the helicopter broadcasting live overhead and the swarm of drones faithfully recording every moment of the race.

“There’s no such rule.” Lu Zhou pulled him along without looking back, then added, “Even if it is a foul, so what.”

Xun Ji teased, “Not caring about the gold medal anymore?”

Lu Zhou navigated a downward-sloping bend and was about to reply when disaster struck!

The bend featured a massive ice rock covered in rough, protruding boulders. Lu Zhou’s Ice Claws slid rapidly across the ice surface due to momentum, producing a sharp screech unlike the flat ground.

Lu Zhou’s instincts told him something was wrong, but the downhill inertia left him no time to adjust. When his Ice Claws hit an especially jagged rock, several spikes snapped abruptly!

In the blink of an eye, Lu Zhou instinctively let go of Xun Ji’s hand. Before he lost balance and pitched forward, tumbling down the ice bridge’s slope.

The tremendous impact sent him hurtling toward the bridge’s guardrail, on the verge of being flung off—

A slender, strong hand clamped firmly onto his wrist.

Xun Ji yanked him back onto the bridge with all his might, staggering backward a few steps under their combined weight before quickly bracing his leg against the massive ice rock to steady himself.

“You okay?” Xun Ji’s temples throbbed from the sudden burst of effort. He rubbed them as he asked Lu Zhou.

Lu Zhou shook his head and quickly recovered from the close call. He frowned, removed the Ice Claws from his shoes, and held them up for close inspection. Then he took off Xun Ji’s and compared them.

“Problem with the Ice Claws?” Xun Ji asked. “Shouldn’t be—Lin Family’s brand is top quality.”

“Yours are fine.” Lu Zhou held his own Ice Claws up to Xun Ji, pointing to the broken spikes. “The fractures are too clean. Someone tampered with them beforehand. Once under too much pressure, they snap.”

“How could that…” Xun Ji frowned.

In the original book, Xun Ji had sabotaged Lu Zhou’s Ice Claw Shoes using his sponsorship privileges. But now the sponsorship had switched to the Lin Family—the Ice Claw Shoes shouldn’t have failed.

Lu Zhou’s dark eyes darkened further, a flash of cold intent passing through them.

“My gear bag was given to me by Yan Feng.”

“Him?” Xun Ji was surprised. After the last warning, he’d thought Yan Feng wouldn’t dare target Lu Zhou again. Then… recalling what he’d instructed Yan Feng to do, a thread of understanding dawned on Xun Ji.

Yan Feng must have guessed Xun Ji planned to target Lu Zhou and decided to add fuel to the fire on his own initiative.

“Idiot stirring up trouble.” Xun Ji’s mood soured further. Lu Zhou’s fall had scared him half to death—he’d nearly thought the original plot was replaying.

“No matter.” Lu Zhou gave a cold laugh. “I’ll settle accounts with him myself.”

Tsk tsk, passing up a cushy playboy life to mess with the Protagonist. Xun Ji spared a silent moment of pity for Yan Feng.

Lu Zhou rebound both his and Xun Ji’s Ice Claws securely. “Let’s go. This segment is almost over.”

“You sure you can still run like that?” Xun Ji asked dubiously.

Lu Zhou nodded. “No problem. About a third of the spikes are gone, but it’ll hold. After the Ice Waterfall, it’s flat terrain—even if more break, it won’t matter much.”

Soon, the two reached the bottom of the Ice Waterfall and arrived at the next certification point.

“Beep—You have reached the 9-kilometer mark. Please complete facial recognition.”

“Recognition complete. Welcome to the Ice Cellar Segment. Congratulations! Your current ranking: First place!”

The Salute Cannon exploded again, showering golden confetti. Amid the flurry, Lu Zhou released Xun Ji’s hand, which he’d been holding the whole time.

“Xun Ji, you saved me again just now.”

Xun Ji braced his hands on his knees, catching his breath. He joked, “Yeah. So how do you plan to repay me?”

“I don’t know.” Lu Zhou’s eyes shone like polished gems. “But after this ends, there’s something I want to tell you.”

“About your ‘wish’?”

“Yes.”

He looked at the clearly exhausted Xun Ji and said earnestly, “Wait for me. I’ll go get that gold medal for you.”

Xun Ji chuckled. Lu Zhou’s words completely contradicted their “bet.” Thinking of the Daily Tasks he still hadn’t completed that day, he deliberately said, “Sure. Little Dog, go fetch the gold medal for your Master.”

Lu Zhou nodded without hesitation. “Okay.”

A few seconds later.

[Ding! Completed Daily Tasks: Humiliate the Protagonist. Reward: 10 Points.]