Tiandou Royal Academy, Office of the Chief Education Committee.
"Old man Meng! Where's my wine?"
Lucien staggered in, jug swinging from his wrist. Though he was drunk almost every day, there were certain dates etched clear in his mind. Today was one of them.
Every year, right before the Tiandou Cup, Meng Shenji gave him two jars of rare vintage.
Why?
Because the Tiandou Cup—jointly hosted by Tiandou Royal Academy and the Five Elements Academies of Tiandou City—was supposed to be a prestigious exchange of student talent. And every year, the elders bribed Lucien to stay far away, lest his drunken chaos ruin everything by flattening rival academies and sparking political wars.
But this year…
Meng Shenji's face twitched into something between a smile and a grimace. "No wine this year."
Lucien froze. "Ha?!"
The truth? The Five Elements Academies had all submitted a joint petition. They wanted Lucien to participate. To see for themselves the "drunken demon" the whole continent whispered about.
Meng Shenji had tried everything to refuse, but Emperor Xue Ye himself personally agreed—and announced he would spectate.
There was no escaping.
Lucien squinted, then flared angrily. "Meng old man, you're the chief of the Academic Council, and this is the crap you pull?!"
"Listen first." Meng Shenji raised a hand. "This year, the Council requires that you participate in the Tiandou Cup."
Lucien crossed his arms. "Then I don't participate. I want wine."
Meng Shenji coughed blood inside. He'd be too lazy to fight unless bribed?!
"Lucien, you are the Academy's pride, our sword! Shouldn't you fight for our honor—"
"Ten jars." Lucien raised both hands, flashing ten fingers. "I want ten jars of the good stuff you gave last year!"
Meng Shenji's jaw dropped. Last year, it took just two jars to bribe him to stay out. Now it was ten jars to drag him in?! What kind of extortion game was this?
But he swallowed hard. "…Fine. Ten jars. But—"
"What condition?" Lucien leaned forward, eyes suddenly sharp despite the haze.
"You must win the championship."
"That's it? Done." Lucien waved like it was trivial. "Line up all those weaklings, I'll knock them down one by one. Now, prepare the wine."
Meng Shenji finally relaxed—only for horror to strike again. Wait. This year includes one-on-one matches… and team battles.
Team battles.
Meng Shenji paled. If Lucien goes in half-drunk and carves apart his own Huangdou teammates…
"…Lucien, could we… maybe refrain from drinking before the matches?" he asked cautiously.
"No drink? For several days? Not going." Lucien spun on his heel to leave immediately.
"Wait, wait!" Meng Shenji nearly fainted. "Alright! You can drink! But no passing out mid-ring, and no beating your own team! Agreed?"
"That's it?" Lucien scoffed. "Easy."
Only once the boy tottered out did Meng Shenji slump over, panting. It had taken over an hour to wrangle that many conditions out of him.
"…The Five Elements Academies begged for him specifically. Fine. Don't blame me when he bulldozes all your precious students."
A cruel smile tugged at his lips. "Heh. Let them taste what it's like to challenge a monster."
Classroom.
The bell rang as theory class ended. Instead of fleeing like usual, the Huangdou Team gathered in quiet terror around Lucien's desk.
He swayed, jug in hand, singing a strange, foreign tune:
"A toast to the morning sun, a toast to the moonlight… warming these cold windows…"
His hazy eyes lifted suddenly. Five pale faces hovered there.
Lucien slapped the table. "Brats! Trying to scare me?"
"Brother Lucien! Don't be impulsive!" Yu Tianheng raised both hands. "Thirsty? I'll pour you some wine."
Lucien narrowed his eyes. "…What do you want?" His drunken gaze swept across them. He could tell—they carried ulterior motives.
"Brother Lucien," Tianheng said carefully, "is it true? Are you… going to participate in the Tiandou Cup?"
Lucien grinned. "Yes. Old man Meng offered a good deal."
Faces fell like crumbling cliffs.
This year, of all years?!
They weren't afraid of external opponents like Feng Xiaotian or Huo Wushuang. No—the true terror was teaming with Lucien himself.
The memory of the Nether White Tiger spinning like a toy windmill in Lucien's hands was still vivid.
They forced hollow smiles.
"B-Brother Lucien, no need for you to go. Let us handle those weaklings."
"Yes, yes. You can rest… drink. We'll win anyway."
Lucien's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You brats coveting my wine, huh?"
They broke into cold sweat.
"Brother Lucien, don't be angry. Here—take this…"
Yu Tianheng pulled desperately at his Soul Guidance Device, producing a jar of "life-saving wine." Others copied quickly, shoving jars toward him.
One by one, they pleaded like loyal dogs.
"Brother Lucien, please take care of us in Tiandou Cup!"
"Brother Lucien, I'm Yufeng, your teammate!"
"Brother Lucien, it's me, Graphite! Also teammate!"
Lucien squinted at them. Then he burst into loud laughter, clinking his jug. "Good. You brats are sensible. Relax—I won't let you die."
Their forced grins stiffened further.
Not die?! Can you let us live normally instead?!
For the Huangdou Team… this Tiandou Cup suddenly felt like a death march.
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