Ahem—though in Saint Freya Academy, where the strong gathered like clouds, he really didn't dare call himself "number one genius." There were too many monsters here; shout that out and he'd probably get beaten to a pulp.
Xiao Hongchen had self-knowledge. After being thrashed enough times, his arrogance naturally mellowed.
Childe's hands were itching; all he wanted was a hearty fight with Lu Jingming.
Lu Jingming was just as eager. As Skirk's disciple, Childe was versed in many arts, with battle experience beyond measure.
Crossing blades with such a foe would surely yield many practical and precious lessons.
"Oh? It's been a long time since I watched him fight. I wonder how strong he's gotten now?"
In the stands, Ye Guyi saw Lu Jingming and Childe walking side by side toward another training ground, and her eyes immediately sparkled with interest.
"Oh? Is Xiao Ming very strong?" asked a quiet girl in a wheelchair beside her.
She had long pink hair, a halo above her head, and wings on her back—she looked even more like an angel than Ye Guyi.
She was Ye Guyi's summoned Servant, but she had a good impression of the white-haired young man who liked to call her "Sister El."
Lu Jingming understood her well and knew her preferences; though he was a bit of a flirt in matters of the heart, Lemuen still found him adorable.
"He is. Very strong," Ye Guyi said solemnly with a nod.
Everyone had witnessed Lu Jingming's strength, and after so much time, no one could predict what level he had reached now.
"I see." Lemuen's quiet smile blossomed—and the next instant, she produced a jet-black sniper rifle from who knew where and swiftly brought the scope to bear on Lu Jingming.
Through the scope, his handsome features were crystal clear.
In the next moment, as if sensing something, Lu Jingming suddenly turned his head. His gaze seemed to pierce the scope and lock straight onto Lemuen's eyes.
When he realized the gaze on him came from Lemuen, Lu Jingming immediately winked in her direction and flashed a devastatingly handsome smile.
"As expected, very strong!" Lemuen returned a cute, playful wink, not caring whether he could truly see her or not.
She hadn't harbored any killing intent—she'd simply looked at him through a high-magnification scope—yet he detected it instantly.
For a sniper, masking one's killing intent and presence is basic skill; for him to pick up on her action in a heartbeat showcased his extraordinary intuition.
On that point alone, Lu Jingming's strength was proven. It seemed Ye Guyi hadn't been exaggerating.
"Sister El can be quite mischievous sometimes," Lu Jingming said with an amused shake of his head.
Lemuen, a character from Arknights, was one of the many 2D waifu Lu Jingming had been especially fond of in his previous life.
Lemuen was gentle and quiet—a perfect big-sister type.
Perhaps because of her pink hair, she occasionally showed a hint of slyness—but only toward those close to her.
To outsiders, she remained a dignified, gracious, gentle big sister.
Within Saint Freya Academy, several people bore the favor of fate and had thus been chosen by the Holy Grail as Masters.
Besides Lu Jingming himself, there were Zhang Lexuan, Wang Qiu'er, Ye Guyi, Meng Hongchen, and Xiao Hongchen.
Naturally, as a third-generation heroine, Gu Yue was among them as well. As the Sovereign of Soul Beasts, there was no way the star of Douluo lacked the continent's fortune.
Just within Saint Freya alone there were this many Masters. It wasn't hard to imagine that the total number of Masters across the Douluo Continent far exceeded Lu Jingming's expectations.
Like the strength of the Servants, the sheer number of Masters had already surpassed normal bounds.
If Saint Freya had so many, then Shrek Academy's tally was surely astonishing.
After all, those favored by fate at Shrek must outnumber those at Saint Freya.
The Shrek Seven Devils and Ma Xiaotao at least likely had the potential to be Masters; the cohort that graduated with Huo Yuhao was probably no exception.
One could say the situation on the Douluo Continent had already begun to change.
The old balance might well be upended by these summoned Servants.
Of course, another outcome was possible: the Sun Moon Empire might grow even more powerful. In Lu Jingming's view, that was quite likely.
"Brother, don't space out when you're fighting me!" Childe flicked his hands and two blades of water coalesced in his grasp from the Hydro element.
The high-speed currents gleamed with a cold edge, looking razor-sharp.
Seeing Lu Jingming seem a bit distracted, he gave a cheerful reminder.
"Sorry, got lost in some random thoughts. Let's begin," Lu Jingming said with an apologetic smile.
Getting distracted before a fight was indeed disrespectful to one's opponent. Fortunately Childe wasn't nitpicky; as long as he could fight to his heart's content, he didn't care about much else.
Battle erupted in an instant. Two figures shot across a hundred meters like loosed arrows and threw out simultaneous kicks.
Invisible shockwaves surged between them, strong gusts snapping their clothes.
The commotion immediately drew some spectators who'd been watching Miyabi and Durandal.
When they realized one of the fighters was Lu Jingming, many eyes shifted over at once.
After all, Lu Jingming was a dragon who showed neither head nor tail—rarely seen by ordinary students.
"Brother, I knew I wasn't mistaken—you're amazing!"
Childe's face lit with a hearty grin when Lu Jingming casually stopped his fierce kick—though the words that followed made Lu Jingming shudder a little.
Boom!
Black-red lightning blasted out in a violent shockwave, its force driving Childe back in an instant.
"Let's be clear," Lu Jingming said helplessly. "I like cute, pretty girls. Keep your distance, yeah?"
"Uh, that I know," Childe said, bemused. "But what you just said did hurt my feelings a little. I still want to get closer to you!"
His hands, however, never stopped moving.
The twin water blades in his grip merged into a longbow, and several Hydro arrows screamed through the air like falling stars, streaking toward Lu Jingming.
One could only say that a Hydro Vision spared Childe a great deal of trouble—no need to carry different weapons around.