Chapter 175

Chapter 175

With about a month left before the Five-School League, the preparation period was neither too long nor too short. Once the participating students from each department were finalized, the competitors plunged into intensive training.

Concurrently, basic information about these participants—including their talent levels, Spiritual State Abilities, and brief backgrounds—began circulating among the major competing schools.

As a highly prestigious and long-standing league event, the Five-School League had always attracted significant attention. For students, merely securing a spot to compete was already a form of recognition.

"This is the basic intel on the participants from other schools," Anthony said as he handed out documents to the others, though his gaze kept drifting toward Lorca. After a long moment of scrutiny, he finally couldn't help but ask hesitantly, "Your eye... what happened?"

On the other side of the conference table, Lorca, the chief of the Investigation Department, was intently reviewing the newly distributed materials, looking very serious—if one ignored the large bruise around his right eye.

Since Lorca had entered the conference room with this rather punk-rock new look, he had shocked quite a few people. Yet, out of politeness, no one dared to ask too many questions. Even the quick-tongued Jessica, upon seeing his appearance, instinctively swallowed her words and held back her curiosity.

The injury was too severe to be accidental, but if it was caused by someone, who would dare to beat the eldest young master of the Oliver Family like this?

There seemed to be a tragic story behind it. After exchanging a few glances, these privileged young masters and misses finally waited for Anthony to take the initiative and ask.

"It's nothing, just an accidental bump," Lorca said, his tone surprisingly frank and relaxed, with a hint of laughter detectable upon closer listening. "It looks worse than it is. Everyone, don’t overthink it. Let’s focus on the materials."

"O-okay," Anthony replied, trying to redirect his attention to the documents, but the image of the Oliver young master’s new look lingered in his mind. He couldn’t help but wonder what the person who hit him was thinking—why only the right eye?

Why not punch the left eye too to make it symmetrical? Why only one eye, and why such a perfectly circular bruise...?

Few knew that Crown Prince Anthony actually had a slight case of OCD. It wasn’t usually noticeable, but Lorca’s asymmetrical injury suddenly felt like a thorn in his side, impossible to ignore.

After holding back for a while, Anthony couldn’t take it anymore and put down the documents. He said tactfully, "Lorca, your injury looks quite serious. How about this—I have a light therapy device in the office next door. I can bring it over to treat your bruise..."

Before he could finish, a firm "thud" interrupted him.

"This is a pre-tournament meeting for the Five-School League," Eve said, setting down her materials with some force. She shot Anthony a cold glance and added sternly, "Please don’t forget why we’re all gathered here today, Academy President. If you want to show concern for a particular student, you can do so after the meeting."

She bit off the last two words heavily. Anthony’s stomach dropped. Though he didn’t know why Eve was so sharp today, he instinctively softened his tone and apologized, "Sorry, my mind was a bit distracted. I disrupted everyone’s progress—let’s return to the topic we were discussing earlier."

Eve let out a soft "hmph" and picked up the report again. Her eyes lingered over the participants from the other schools, pausing for an unusually long time on their leading students.

As he spoke, Anthony’s gaze lingered for a moment on Lorca, who seemed unbothered, and then on Eve. Though he didn’t know what had happened between them, he was certain that the injury on Lorca’s face was most likely related to Eve.

Now this was interesting—were these two actually butting heads?

Anthony subtly withdrew his gaze, tucking his curiosity away.

He pressed a button on the side of the table, and the middle of the conference table split open with a seam. A thumb-sized, lamp-like circular projector emerged from beneath the table, emitting a low hum as it projected 3D holograms in all directions.

The images flickered past many figures like a revolving lantern but eventually settled on four individuals—two women and two men, all strikingly attractive but with distinctly different styles.

Beneath them were labels indicating their schools and names: Zhou Huixue from Imperial Arts and Sciences, Yan Ning from Capital City Academy, Murphy Garcia from Blue Star Comprehensive, and Yang Haibo from Imperial Tech.

"The competitors in this year’s Five-School League are generally stronger than in previous editions. Actually, the other four schools each have their own star players," Anthony tapped the table and continued, "Coincidentally, I happen to know one of them."

"Zhou Huixue, a second-year student, the former director's only daughter of the Imperial Research Institute. She possesses an S-class Spiritual State Mist Raven, with abilities related to information retrieval. Exceptionally intelligent, she was fully capable of entering First Empire Academy but declined the invitation because she felt Imperial Arts and Sciences was a better fit for her temperament. She currently serves as the Military Academy President at Imperial Arts and Sciences."

In the projection, the girl had waist-length black hair and appeared slightly smaller than the other three. Her exquisite face showed no expression, and her light-colored pupils were cold and unreadable. She looked more like an AI brought to life than an actual person.

The daughter of the former research institute director... Eve recalled that the current director of the Imperial Research Institute was the empire’s First Princess, Anthony’s elder sister.

Geniuses were a proud bunch. She glanced at Anthony, who wore a calm smile, and thought that Miss Zhou’s decision not to attend First Empire Academy probably had reasons besides just liking Imperial Arts and Sciences better.

If anyone hadn't initially understood Anthony's intention, after his demonstration of introducing Zhou Huixue, even those with the lowest emotional intelligence could grasp what was happening: Anthony was explicitly signaling them to share intel.

His lip twitched, and Luo Wenzhou was the first to respond in cooperation.

"I know Yang Haibo," he said. A couple days ago, five students, including Luo Wenqing, had already boarded a spacecraft for military training. Without his elder sister present, Luo Wenzhou seemed visibly nervous. Under the gaze of the others, especially Tachibana Maki, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to continue, "He belongs to the Yang branch of the Luo clan's eight surnames. His spiritual power is only B-grade, with a spiritual state of 'Eagle-Hound,' and his ability is tracking and positioning."

"B-grade?" Jessica exclaimed in surprise. "That’s way too low."

One of the Empire’s fundamental policies was universal military service, requiring individuals with B-grade spiritual power or above to enroll in military academies. To put it bluntly, this President Yang had barely met the minimum requirement to enter a military academy. How could someone like him become the Military Academy President of Imperial University of Science and Technology, one of the five major academies? It was no wonder the prodigies present were astonished.

The dark-haired young man in the projection seemed to have nothing particularly outstanding aside from his exceptionally handsome face.

Luo Wenzhou shook his head as if wanting to say more, but Tachibana Maki picked up where he left off with a smile, "B-grade is indeed low, but Yang Haibo’s strength isn’t combat prowess. He’s a highly talented alchemist, specializing in external inscription engraving and weapon modification."

The ability sounded oddly familiar. Eve turned to look at him, only to hear Tachibana Maki admit directly, "He’s my senior, two years older than me, and considered the peak among Three-Star Alchemists."

It was no secret among their circle that Tachibana Maki’s teacher was a Five-Star Alchemist from the Luo clan. Hearing this, the group’s surprise turned into heavy concern.

"I wonder what level our medical department’s Chief Lu is at," Anthony sighed. "But judging by Chief Lu’s casual demeanor and his habit of skipping even pre-tournament meetings, he must be quite confident in himself."

Tachibana Maki replied, "Isn’t Lu Qing’s teacher also a Five-Star Alchemist? She probably isn’t worse than my senior. It doesn’t matter if she’s not here—why don’t the two from the Oliver family say something?"

Suddenly called out, Ludwig looked up and gave Tachibana Maki a mocking glance. "Alchemists start specializing in research directions from the Three-Star level, right? Since he’s your senior, counting on Lu Qing is worse than counting on yourself. Anthony asking a couple of questions is one thing, but why are you asking too?"

His words subtly mocked two people at once. If Eve were in another identity at that moment, she would've definitely stood up to applaud Ludwig.

"Haha," Tachibana Maki forced a dry laugh. "Fighting among ourselves isn’t really appropriate, is it?"

Ludwig retorted, "Well, since he’s your senior, why didn’t he stay on the capital planet but went to Imperial University of Science and Technology instead?"

Spiritual power grade wasn’t the sole determining factor. With his Three-Star Alchemist level at such a young age and his background from the Luo clan’s eight surnames, Yang Haibo could easily have entered First Empire Academy or, at the very least, Imperial Arts and Sciences.

Luo Wenzhou interjected, "Because he’s hiding from someone."

"Hiding from whom?"

When Ludwig pressed further, Luo Wenzhou fell silent, clamming up like a tightly shut clam. No matter how much others questioned him, he refused to speak, as if saying that much had already pushed him to his limit.

Cornered, he only managed to anxiously reveal, "Who he’s hiding from isn’t important... It’s a private matter and not really related to the tournament... Why do you need to know?"

His mysterious tone piqued the curiosity of even those who hadn’t cared initially. As the discussion drifted further off-topic, Anthony had to step in and steer it back: "Alright, that’s enough about two people. Since it’s unrelated to the tournament and Wenzhou doesn’t want to say more, Ludwig, stop pressing him."

"What about the other two? The Garcia family has had marital ties with the Medici family, right? Aren’t the Medicis going to say something?"

Murphy Garcia was the only one among them who hadn’t submitted a standard ID photo, instead using a casual life photo. In the image, the golden-haired, blue-eyed noble leaned lazily on a sofa, one hand propping his chin and the other swirling a glass of red wine. His smile was frivolous and carefree, making him look like a languid white-faced fox.

Seeing that Luo Lin showed no intention of speaking and Cecil maintained his aloof, dismissive attitude, Eve eventually stepped in to explain.

"To be honest, we’re not very familiar with him either. Although there were marital ties in the previous generation—Murphy’s mother is a Medici—Madame Garcia wasn’t a core member of the Medici family, so we didn’t interact much," Eve explained calmly, tapping her fingers lightly on the table. "His spiritual state is likely an S-grade White-Faced Nine-Tailed Fox, a hereditary spiritual state of the Garcia family, with abilities in charm and support enhancement. As for why he’s studying at Blue Star Comprehensive, it’s probably due to family reasons."

The Garcia family were hereditary administrators of a semi-autonomous star system, essentially local rulers. The Empire’s vast territory meant that many regions, while nominally under central control, were practically beyond its reach—which was why various families existed within the Empire. Large families ruled smaller ones, while smaller families managed local affairs, all under the absolute military suppression from the capital planet. This was one of the Empire’s key strategies for maintaining political stability.

However, this system had obvious drawbacks. Take the Garcia family, for example: historically governing a loosely controlled region, they had already grown distant from the central government. Under such circumstances, agreeing to send their heir to study on the capital planet would be akin to having their brains kicked by a beast.

As the crown prince, Anthony clearly understood the unspoken implications and sighed, changing the subject. "What about the last one, Yan Ning? Does no one know her?"

She was the final one and the most noteworthy opponent in this Five Academy Tournament: her origins were unknown, her abilities vague. Aside from knowing she possessed an S-grade Mimicry spiritual state, nothing else was known about her. To make matters more complicated, she hailed from Capital People's University, infamous for its disruptive tactics.

The short-haired girl in the projection stood tall and bold, her hair streaked with a mottled blend of blue and purple. Silver skull-shaped studs adorned her lips and earlobes, while her phoenix-like eyes tilted upward, revealing a uniquely wild and rebellious intensity that seemed to pierce through the screen.

Beneath the projection, the room fell into dead silence.

Regarding her, Eve had gathered some information through some not-exactly-above-board methods. Seeing the others exchange uncertain glances, she was just about to offer some constructive insights when an unexpected voice interrupted her quiet preparations: "I might know her."

Surprised, she raised an eyebrow and turned to see Qi Ying, who had been dozing off since entering the room, now lifting his head. Though his expression remained as impassive as ever, his eyes were unusually cold and clear.

...It seemed the kid had finally woken up after dozing for so long.

Qi Ying took a closer look at the holographic image, as if trying to find traces of familiarity beneath the exaggerated makeup and unconventional appearance. After a moment of observation, he picked up the documents and began flipping through them.

Since he was the only one who seemed to recognize Yan Ning, the others held back from pointing out that he had been asleep most of the time.

Sure enough, Qi Ying soon finished reviewing Yan Ning's file and dropped a bombshell: "The intel is off."

"What's wrong with it?" Tachibana Maki asked curiously.

Qi Ying glanced at him and replied coolly, "Almost everything about her spiritual state is incorrect. Shapeshifting is just one of Yan Ning's abilities. Her spiritual state, the golden-eared monkey, has two forms. One grants her shapeshifting abilities, while the other... I'm not entirely sure, as we only collaborated a few times, but according to a teammate... friend, it should involve copying others' abilities."

Tachibana Maki was astonished. "Copying others' abilities? Shapeshifting alone is already powerful enough. If she can copy abilities on top of that, it's overkill. Is her family's genetic heritage that strong?"

"It has nothing to do with genetics. She's an orphan," Qi Ying shook his head. "She's a true genius."

Even for Qi Ying, who had experienced both the Black Star and the capital and was considered worldly, Yan Ning's talent was remarkably unforgettable.

Corresponding to her abilities, Yan Ning's personality was equally awful. Back on Black Star, Upside Down Wonderland had crossed paths a few times with the mercenary team she led. Even by Eugene's standards, whose moral boundaries were already quite flexible, Yan Ning was a bit out there.

Though it was unclear why she had suddenly come to the capital to study and even become the Military Academy President of Capital People's University, one thing was certain—

"Try to recruit her if possible. Having Yan Ning as an opponent would be a huge pain," Qi Ying concluded.

They had expected strong opponents, but not to this extent. Especially Yan Ning, the last one. Qi Ying's intel did little to ease the tension among the First Empire members—instead, it amplified the pressure.

The conference room was clouded with worry until a clear voice broke the silence.

"Alright, why the long faces? We still have over twenty days. Now that we know our opponents' strengths, we can focus our training on that," Eve glanced at the time on her terminal and stood up, her chair scraping heavily against the floor. "I have other matters to attend to. Since the meeting is over, I'll take my leave."

"With such formidable rivals ahead," Cecil sometimes admired Eve's always unflappable attitude, though he would never admit it openly, "how come you don't seem nervous at all?"

"Of course I'm nervous. But I suspect someone out there is even more nervous than we are. After all, we have over a dozen heavy hitters right here in this room—oh, and one who's absent."

Eve stood at the door, theatrically counting the heads in the room with her finger before shrugging and flashing a brilliant smile as she pulled the door open. "Besides, a little tension can boost efficiency. Let's keep at it gradually, everyone. Catch you later."

The door snapped shut, but the people in the conference room remained still for a long moment. Finally, a soft laugh broke the silence.

"Wouldn't it be something to let the other schools see her this arrogant?" Lorca shook his head helplessly. "We wouldn't even need to film a separate pre-tournament hype video."

It was more than just skipping the hype video. Simply letting Eve condescendingly say a few words would be enough to get the whole Five-School League buzzing.

...She carried herself with such innate confidence, as if Victory had her eyes on her from the very beginning.