"Xinghuo, tomorrow’s wedding process goes ..."
Lu Yunhai and his wife and a wedding scene manager began dividing up tomorrow’s tasks. The manager’s face was trembling with trepidation, but as she saw Ji Xinghuo listening intently, she gradually relaxed and got into work mode.
The Fang Family members were all dispersed by Fang Yanbin, leaving only himself behind as the chief coordinator.
It was all an excuse.
The wedding company and the hotel’s procedures were long established, conducted countless times, and hardly needed any coordination.
But everyone knew it clearly, without exposing him.
A familiar yet strange voice came through, startling everyone, who turned to see a tall and burly figure quickly approaching.
"Wu Qifeng, it turns out it’s you, kid." Ji Xinghuo grinned, his counterpart covering the distance in two or three steps, and standing in front of Ji Xinghuo. They surveyed each other for a few seconds, then raised their hands and bumped fists.
A soft sound. Wu Qifeng’s expression twisted in pain as he cried out, "Damn it!"
"Weren’t you quite arrogant before?" Ji Xinghuo’s face showed delight, "Can’t even handle this much strength now?"
Wu Qifeng was also a classmate from university.
However, compared to Ji Xinghuo’s obscurity in college, Wu Qifeng was quite the star. At age 18 as a freshman, he fused with an Alien Species, becoming a "Gravity Warrior," a prominent figure in the school.
At the time, out of over forty people in the class, only three became Mutants by graduation.
Wu Qifeng had the highest talent in the class, reaching Intermediate Mutant status by senior year; upon graduation, he entered the Star Realm and they lost touch.
Ji Xinghuo had a good relationship with him, being one of the closer classmates, though less so than Lu Yunhai.
Previously, Ji Xinghuo had heard from Lu Yunhai that after he too had become a Mutant, they reconnected with Wu Qifeng during a chat in a class group, and after meeting, they went to the Star Realm together a few times, and also invited Wu Qifeng to be a groomsman at the wedding.
Wu Qifeng was over 1.9 meters tall, muscular, and well-built, but now he was bent over like a shrimp.
"Damn, you’re way too rough!" Wu Qifeng complained after a few seconds, shaking his hand continuously.
"It’s your own lack of capability."
Ji Xinghuo laughed, "My punch was less than 5% of my strength, just lightly accompanied by a bit of electric charge."
"Damn." Wu Qifeng’s expression changed, and he took another look at Ji Xinghuo, lamenting, "If I had known you’d become so powerful, I should have sparred more with you in college; then I could also be someone who has defeated the top of the ladder."
Ji Xinghuo smiled silently.
In their university days, they were somewhat rivals, but back then, as merely an ordinary person, Ji Xinghuo certainly was no match for Wu Qifeng.
Now the tables had turned, and the gap between them was so great—it wasn’t even competition anymore; Wu Qifeng didn’t qualify as a rival.
"What Rank are you now?" Ji Xinghuo asked.
"Not bad," Ji Xinghuo nodded, "Less than three years after graduation, you’ve evolved once again. It seems you’ve done well in the Star Realm, not only keeping your life but also advancing to an Advanced Mutant."
Wu Qifeng, at just twenty-five years old, was an Advanced Mutant, which was quite rare for a Gravity Warrior.
If he could become a Super Mutant before turning thirty, he might have a chance to challenge the ladder in the future.
His alma mater, Fengming Language University, was only a second-tier institution domestically, unable to boast of producing such a talented Mutant for decades.
"Why do I feel like you’re subtly mocking me?" Wu Qifeng scratched his head, "Yunhai, did you notice?"
Lu Yunhai nodded, "A little."
"You’re overthinking it, I’m just stating the facts," said Ji Xinghuo, spreading his hands.
Fixing his gaze on Ji Xinghuo’s eyes, Wu Qifeng conceded, "Fine, you’re the top dog now, whatever you say I’ll believe." Then he changed the subject, "Hey, Xinghuo, you remember I’m a die-hard fan of the Sword Immortal, right?"
"I remember, what about it?" Ji Xinghuo replied.
"When can you introduce me to the Sword Immortal?" Wu Qifeng’s face lit up with anticipation, earnestly saying, "Don’t get me wrong, I’m just a pure fan who has long admired my idol, I just want to meet him in person to fulfill a dream, you know?"
Ji Xinghuo knew he had no ulterior motives.
In college, Wu Qifeng was indeed a fan of Zhao Manying, even setting up a fan club at school, organizing viewings of Zhao Manying’s competitions, and then discussing and posting about them afterwards—he was one of the most faithful fans.
At the time, he invited Ji Xinghuo to join, but he had declined.
"I’ll introduce you tomorrow." Ji Xinghuo didn’t mind, "Yunhai also invited Man Ying to the wedding."
Wu Qifeng was extremely pleased, "I really envy you for being the top of the ladder, but I envy you even more for being the Sword Immortal’s boyfriend!"
He wrapped an arm around Ji Xinghuo’s shoulders, "Who would have thought, you didn’t even want to join the Sword Immortal’s fan club back then, and yet you quietly started dating her. When I first heard about it, I almost thought there was something wrong with the world..."
"Just be jealous," Ji Xinghuo said tersely.
"Damn, what man in the world wouldn’t be jealous?" Wu Qifeng admitted generously, "If it weren’t for you being too strong now, out of my league, I’d really want to beat you up to vent."
Ji Xinghuo hooked his finger, "Actually, you can try. I’ll stand still and use only one hand."
Wu Qifeng’s eyes lit up, eager to try.
Lu Yunhai also egged him on, "Qifeng, Xinghuo is giving you so much leeway, don’t tell me you don’t even have the courage to try?"
The others present watched, not interjecting.
"Forget it." Wu Qifeng eventually chickened out, "Others may not know how strong the top of the ladder is, but I’m well aware. Better not to disgrace myself."