In the center of the banquet hall was a huge dance floor fifty meters across. After the music started and the leading dancers from the Star Luo Empire stepped onto the dance floor, it signaled that the banquet had officially commenced.
At that moment, two figures walked slowly through the entrance. The moment they stepped into the hall, the music had just begun, and a spotlight was shone upon the entrance.
The spotlight drew all eyes toward the entrance, and everyone at the banquet immediately saw the duo.
The girl with an ethereal appearance wore a silvery white one-piece dress. The dress was embroidered with textural patterns, and her long hair fell loosely on her shoulders. Her eyes projected a sense of cold nobility.
She was not exceptionally beautiful, but for some indecipherable reason, with the spotlight upon her, she looked like the bright moon that ascended above the ocean. She attracted the attention of everyone in the room.
Her indescribable temperament pulled on everyone’s heartstrings.
Her hemline was at knee-level, which was not low. Her pair of fair and slender calves were exposed, and her legs were very beautiful. They were perfectly straight, smooth and proportioned. Any heavier and she would have appeared fat. Any thinner and she would have seemed skinny. With the addition of her silver shoes that shone like crystals, she looked like a moon fairy that descended upon the mortal realm.
Her hands were wearing silver gloves made of lace that extended up to her elbows. There was no unnecessary embroidery on them.
Her left arm was locked onto the young man beside her. The lad stood tall and straight. He was slender but not bony. His shoulders were wide and his back was straight. He had black hair like his companion which was wavy and loose. He wore perfectly straight black trousers with a single shining black stripe running down the sides of each leg. He had a black girdle, and his white shirt was pleated from top to bottom with hidden buttons. His collar was jet black along with a black bowtie. Under the shine of the light, his purple velvet dress shirt was the most dazzling of his attire, form-fitting and shining brilliantly.
If it was said that the young girl beside him attracted the attention of the entire hall with her temperament, in his case – other than his figure and outfit – it was his handsome face that drew gasps of admiration from the people.
He had big eyes, long eyelashes which were the envy of every woman, and a straight and upright nose bridge. He was pure perfection, even without considering his temperament. Complemented by the tailor-made suit, he was flawless.
If one had to find some fault on him, then perhaps it would be that he was a tad too young. His face still had some childishness about it. Even so, they still drew a wave of gasps the instant they appeared. They had become the center of attention.
The spotlight was operated manually. When it happened to catch the figure of this couple, it naturally lingered on them. In that moment, it was as if they had turned into the prince and princess of the night’s banquet.
Sima Lanxiao who was standing on higher ground had noticed them from the start, and he was certain that this match made in heaven hailed from the Douluo Continent. That was because he knew everyone in the Star Luo Continent’s diplomatic corps. He had an impression of them all in his mind. An extraordinary retentive memory was a must-have ability for a Secretary of State.
“It looks like we have strong competitors for today’s prize. I welcome the both of you. May I know which part of the Douluo Continent you hail from?”
Tang Wulin actually felt slightly awkward in the formal clothing. He had always been casual, and he dressed for comfort. He did not have time to care about his outer appearance as he dedicated his time to cultivation and forging. The dress shirt fit him very well, which also meant that it was somewhat restrictive of his body movements. However, he clearly felt that he held his body taller and straighter because of the shirt.
Gu Yue had locked her arm with his naturally as they walked in. When the light shone on them, Tang Wulin was momentarily stunned.
But he was someone who had seen and experienced many things. After a brief moment of shock, he regained his senses.
“We’re from Shrek Academy on the Douluo Continent,” Tang Wulin’s voice was pleasant but not excited. His voice sounded gentle, but it traveled far. Without a soul microphone, using only his own breath and a push from his soul power, everyone in the hall could clearly hear what he had said.
“Welcome to the banquet.” Sima Lanxiao’s expressions changed slightly as he spoke with a faint smile.
The spotlight finally left Tang Wulin and Gu Yue. The music increased in volume and the dancers on the floor started moving nimbly. A variety of foods were served out.
“Wow, class monitor. You shouldn’t be like this.” Xu Xiaoyan was the first to dash over to them.
“What do you mean?” Tang Wulin asked in confusion.
Xu Xiaoyan giggled. “You’re dressed up so handsomely. Aren’t you afraid that I’ll fall in love with you?”
Tang Wulin rolled his eyes. “You look beautiful as well today!”
Xu Xiaoyan hugged Gu Yue’s arm. “Sister Yue, this is your doing, isn’t it? I don’t believe that our class monitor could dress himself up like this. But, aren’t you concerned that he might be snatched away by some other woman? I took a look around just now, and there are quite a number of beautiful ladies, you know?”
Gu Yue smiled faintly. “I’m not worried.”
Three simple words, but when they came out of her mouth, they sounded completely confident.
Tang Wulin looked at them helplessly. As everyone grew older, they were all at the stage where their youthfulness started getting ahead of them. Even he himself had clearly been paying more attention to the girls around him. If it were not for his strenuous cultivation, maybe he would have given more thought to this aspect of his youth.
He had always restrained himself. He dared not be distracted. Perhaps it was because the huge burden of his parents’ disappearance pressed down upon his heart at all times. All he thought about was working hard to improve himself so that he could rescue his parents as soon as possible.
Everyone else had already walked over. Yue Zhengyu’s lips twitched noticeably. Compared to Tang Wulin, even he himself felt that his own attire was lackluster. The main point was that Tang Wulin was truly too good-looking. He was superior in appearance and height. How could he ever compare to that?
“Tang Wulin, you’ll end up with no friends if you keep this up, you know?” Yue Zhengyu said with contempt.
Tang Wulin threw him a glance. “Oh? I take it that you have many friends?”
Yue Zhengyu’s lips twitched. As he looked at Tang Wulin’s shadow of a smile, he grunted, “I’ll stay away from you!”
He prepared to leave, but he realized that his way had been barred. Seemingly familiar faces appeared before him. Were these not the students from Royal Star Luo Academy who they met earlier that day?
The numbers were clearly on their side, and they were looking at Yue Zhengyu with malice on their faces. This fellow had a deplorable mouth. He really got on other people’s nerves.
Tang Wulin smiled faintly. “Hello there. Let’s formally introduce ourselves. I’m the captain of the Shrek Academy exchange students for the Star Luo Continent. My name’s Tang Wulin.”
He took the initiative and walked up to them, shielding Yue Zhengyu behind him.
Now was different from the afternoon. This was a formal occasion. As the captain, this was a responsibility he could not abandon.
On Royal Star Luo Academy’s side, a tall young man who looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years of age took a step forward. He reached out a hand and shook Tang Wulin’s. “Hello. I’m the captain of the Royal Star Luo Academy exchange students to the Douluo Continent, Luo Qinghan.”
The two captains shook hands. Tang Wulin instantly felt an immense force coming from the other person’s grip. It was like a pair of metal pincers.
This was a banquet. If he cried out in pain, it would naturally be an embarrassing affair.
A battle of strength, was it? A faint smile showed on Tang Wulin’s face. “Nice to meet you. May we learn more from each other from now on.”
Luo Qinghan’s expression changed in an instant. The color drained from his face, and he turned dreadfully pale. He felt his right hand being crushed as if it had been caught in a meat grinder.
As they were shaking hands, Tang Wulin’s palm moved rhythmically. His tremendous strength, a little squeeze caused the bones in Luo Qinghan’s palm to displace slightly and rub against each other. The intense pain was accompanied by spasms. It was not something that an ordinary person could endure.
However, Luo Qinghan knew that he could not cry out no matter what. He could only grit his teeth as his face turned pale. He was sweating so much he looked like he had been caught in the rain.
On Shrek Academy’s side, everyone was all smiles. All could see what Tang Wulin and Luo Qinghan were doing. They thought to themselves that there was nobody in Shrek Academy who would have a challenged Tang Wulin to a contest of strength. It was truly…foolhardy.
Tang Wulin only shook Luo Qinghan’s hand a few times before letting go. After he had nodded to the other party, he walked past them.
Two Royal Star Luo Academy students shifted their bodies and blocked his way.
Tang Wulin seemed not to have noticed them as he continued forward. Their shoulders collided and the two Star Luo Empire students staggered to the side as if they were shocked by electricity. Then, Tang Wulin walked past them just like that.
On Shrek Academy’s side, the others followed behind him naturally.
Luo Qinghan did not stop them. He put his hand into his pocket. His palm was still shaking. The pain was too great. This boy was really…