"'Akatsuki' and the 'Evil Eye Sorcerer,' huh? After ignoring worldly affairs for a while, some interesting fellows have emerged!"
Behind them came Fan Xinglou's carefree, childlike laughter, followed by spontaneous applause.
"Both of them are now globally wanted criminals. Especially this 'Akatsuki'—he's committed countless atrocities. He even attacked Miss Sylvia's concert, killing who knows how many people. Someone like that truly deserves to die!"
Zhao Hufeng's indignant voice rang out, as if he wished he could tear the self-proclaimed terrorist Akatsuki limb from limb.
"In comparison, although the Evil Eye Sorcerer attacked Ginga's headquarters, there haven't been any reports of casualties. Why Ginga reacted so excessively remains unclear."
The only similarity between the two was that no one knew what they looked like.
Akatsuki had always operated through controlled proxies or puppets, while the Evil Eye Sorcerer was said to possess a pair of unusual eyes—yet no one had seen his face, and not even surveillance had captured his image.
And both incidents had occurred in Tokyo. That island nation really was plagued by misfortune.
"Criminals are often a subjective matter. Either way, it's got nothing to do with me."
Fan Xinglou dismissed the topic with a wave. She had no patience for trivial worldly affairs.
Whenever she was dragged into handling school-related matters or issues at the Asterisk level, it always gave her a headache. Even internationally notorious terrorists held no interest for her—unless they showed up right in front of her.
But then Zhao Hufeng heard her voice suddenly brim with excitement.
"Oh ho! What's this? This battle is quite fascinating!"
After seeing the students off, Zhao Hufeng returned to the hall entrance and glanced at the screen Fan Xinglou was browsing. His expression immediately turned knowing.
"This is combat footage leaked from Seidoukan Academy. It's said to be a two-on-two simulated battle from a few days ago—one side was Seidoukan's top-ranked and seventh-ranked fighters, while the other was the fifth-ranked and a special admission student. In the end, the fifth-ranked and the special admission student won."
"What's this boy's name?"
Fan Xinglou's eyes widened with keen interest, her slender finger pointing at the young man on the screen as if she had stumbled upon a delightful new toy.
"His name is Roy—the special admission student."
Seeing Fan Xinglou so exhilarated, Zhao Hufeng couldn't help but massage his temples in exasperation.
His master's old habits were acting up again.
But as her secretary, he couldn't withhold information. With a resigned sigh, he answered truthfully.
"I've heard his talent for manipulating prana is extraordinary. He's even mastered prana burst. After careful comparison, I found his speed far surpasses mine—he's undoubtedly the fastest among Asterisk's eligible participants. Of course, he's nothing compared to you, Master. It's also said he's registered for this year's Phoenix Festa."
"Oh ho! This boy's a rough gem! If I were to train him, it'd take at most two years—no, maybe just half a year—before he could satisfy me!"
"That impressive?"
Zhao Hufeng was stunned.
He knew Fan Xinglou would rate Roy highly, but he hadn't expected her praise to reach such heights!
The so-called "satisfying Fan Xinglou" refers to being able to hold one's own against her in an equal sparring match for a short period, allowing Fan Xinglou to enjoy herself thoroughly.
In all of Asterisk City, there's truly only one person who can genuinely satisfy Fan Xinglou in battle—Helga Lindwall, the captain of Asterisk Security and the Chronotemis, the woman who outranks Wang Xinglou on the Hexa Pantheon's overall leaderboard, and the first powerhouse in Asterisk's history to achieve back-to-back Gryps championships.
However, Helga's reign as the Gryps champion was half a century ago. It took her fifty years of cultivation to reach a level where she could satisfy Fan Xinglou in battle.
And this Roy guy managed it in just half a year?
"Reaching Helga's level in half a year is impossible, but if it's just about keeping up with me, then it's not out of the question!"
Fan Xinglou was as excited as an angler who had just hooked a twenty-pound fish, her innocent eyes practically glued to the white-haired, red-eyed boy on the screen.
"Hufeng, can't you sense it? This boy carries an incredibly terrifying demonic aura!"
"Demonic aura? This disciple is dull-witted. Please enlighten me, Master."
"Anger, hatred... the fighting spirit born from all these negative emotions—in the words of this island nation, that's what it is."
Fan Xinglou licked her dry lips, her eyes brimming with terrifying pressure.
"He suppresses those emotions, but I can see it—he harbors an immensely fearsome demonic aura! What a shame, such a shame! A raw gem like this should be polished by me! Mmm, damn it, isn't there any way to drag him into Jie Long?"
"Please stop! That would definitely spark a conflict between the conglomerates!"
Zhao Hufeng broke out in a cold sweat, raising his voice in a bold attempt to dissuade Fan Xinglou.
Every student in the academy was the private property of their respective conglomerate, with exceptional students receiving even greater attention. Unauthorized poaching would only provoke the conglomerates' wrath—which was precisely why Asterisk had never allowed any transfer exceptions.
"What a waste! What a waste!"
Fan Xinglou's frustration had nowhere to vent, leaving her to sigh loudly over and over.
Though she was a law unto herself, her secret agreement with the conglomerates meant she still adhered to the era's broader rules—at least in principle.
But principles were one thing; her thoughts were another.
To see such a flawless gem and not be able to carve it was agony for Fan Xinglou.
"Ah, speaking of which, there's another highly noteworthy participant in this year's Festa!"
Seeing her lingering obsession, Zhao Hufeng quickly tried to divert her attention, sliding a window featuring a girl in a haori in front of Fan Xinglou.
"She calls herself Okita Souji. There's no verifiable record of her past, but she made quite a splash at Miss Sylvia's concert. She recently enrolled at Queenvail Girls' Academy and has reportedly teamed up with another special recruit to participate in this year's Phoenix Festa. She's the real deal!"
"Hmm? Well..."
Fan Xinglou scrutinized the footage in the window.
With so many media outlets at the concert, someone had managed to capture footage of Okita in combat. Her fighting style was decisively swift—though the clip was brief, it was clear she had incredible speed and physical prowess.
"This girl is boring."
Fan Xinglou examined it for a while before tossing the window aside with a bored expression.
Zhao Hufeng was stunned. He truly couldn't understand why Okita Souji, who seemed incredibly strong in his eyes, appeared so uninteresting to Fan Xinglou.
"Hufeng, for this year's Phoenix Festa Festival, I'm going to attend in person!"
Fan Xinglou threw the remaining spatial windows aside in one go, her face lighting up with an innocent, radiant smile.
Yet beneath that, her eyes were inexplicably deep and exhilarated, her thirst for excitement unchanged.
"Master, I'm begging you—please don't cause any trouble!"
Zhao Hufeng felt a dull ache in his stomach. Even after years of being his master's secretary, he still couldn't get used to her occasional bouts of wild impulsiveness.
"Hahaha, don't worry! I know my limits!"
Fan Xinglou laughed heartily, but her offhand remark was clearly just brushing Zhao Hufeng off.
***
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