94: Chapter 94 Was it all aimed at him from beginning to end?

After accepting the three types of vassal cards and having them recorded in the military archives, Lin Ye packed away all the vassal cards and supplies, intending to bid farewell and leave the Military District.

Having rushed around for days throughout the tournament and undergone continuous transformations and advancements, he was already mentally and physically exhausted, and right now he was only eager to return to his residence, feed all the intelligence genesis fruits to his vassals, hatch the brand-new tier-three potential vassals, and completely perfect his divine kingdom system.

But just as he walked out of the exchange pavilion, a military officer waiting outside hurried forward and respectfully blocked his path.

"Please stay a moment, young friend Lin." The officer's attitude was respectful and his tone gentle. "Young friend Bai Ruoxue and young friend Xiao Qingwu have not left yet. The military has already arranged a dedicated escort vehicle to take all three prodigies back to their residences in the city together, so there is no need to return on your own."

Lin Ye nodded slightly and did not decline.

Not long after, Bai Ruoxue and Xiao Qingwu arrived one after another. Both women had finished tidying up, dressed in elegant and simple martial attire, with extraordinary temperaments and peerless figures.

Ordinary prodigies were always eager to flaunt their battle results and socialize everywhere after the competition, but only these two women remained calm and composed, keeping a low profile and waiting quietly the entire time without showing the slightest bit of impatience.

The three of them once again shared a black Military District vehicle, slowly driving away from the depths of the Military District and heading toward the main city of Nantan Prefecture.

The journey was smooth, and the atmosphere inside the carriage was quiet yet not awkward.

Only now did Lin Ye belatedly realize that these two stunning prodigies, who firmly occupied the top three spots in Quanzhou, had identities far more mysterious and extraordinary than they appeared on the surface.

Ordinary participating prodigies had scarce post-match resources and no one to look after them, but ever since the competition began, Bai Ruoxue and Xiao Qingwu had always been secretly protected by hidden forces, and after the match, they continuously received private resources from their families. Their foundation, vision, and resource tiers completely crushed the ordinary aristocratic family disciples native to Nantan Prefecture, clearly showing they came from top-tier factions at the very peak of the Federation.

After a moment of silence, Bai Ruoxue, dressed in white with a holy and aloof temperament, took the lead in breaking the silence. Her gaze fell upon Lin Ye, shedding the arrogant aloofness she had before the match and taking on a bit of frankness and earnestness.

"Lin Ye, in our last battle, I lost fair and square."

Her tone was calm, without unwillingness or resentment, only a pure obsession with martial arts: "But if we fight again next time, I will absolutely not lose again!"

During these days, she had calmed her mind to reflect, repeatedly reviewing every detail of the arena duel, and she always remembered Lin Ye's previous words that once fear arises in one's heart, one has already lost.

After pondering deeply, she thoroughly recognized the profound meaning of those words and completely shattered the shackles of her past pride and arrogance.

"What you said is right. Once timidity and hesitation arise deep in one's heart, one falls into an inferior position and is destined to struggle to defeat an opponent." Bai Ruoxue's gaze was firm, revealing an extremely strong desire for progress. "During this period, I have exhausted all the scarce resources and tournament rewards sent by my family without leaving a single bit, and at the same time, I added several types of high-tier vassals, completely making up for the shortcomings in my own dao path."

At this moment, her foundation had surged several times compared to before the match. She had shed her past singular fighting style of relying solely on bloodline talent to crush opponents, and her combat power system had become increasingly complete, her comprehensive strength long since incomparable to before.

Xiao Qingwu, sitting quietly to the side, heard this and also spoke softly, her voice cold and gentle, extremely concisely stating her own changes: "I am the same. The exclusive cultivation resources sent by my family and my vassal lineages were all personally selected and matched by family elders, making up for the defects in my dao path. My strength has likewise surged."

Her words were brief, never speaking unnecessary nonsense, but it was enough to explain everything.

Being able to make family elders personally step in to sort out her vassal system and allocate exclusive resources was enough to prove that her identity was extremely noble, far surpassing ordinary Federation prodigies.

The two women seemed to be participating contestants belonging to Nantan Prefecture, but in reality, their foundations and backgrounds concealed a depth that ordinary people could hardly imagine.

Lin Ye raised his eyebrows slightly upon hearing this, understanding in his heart: "Then let's talk about it later!"

He was just about to respond a couple more times and take the opportunity to exchange pleasantries when the officer in the driver's seat suddenly turned solemn. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, quickly scanning behind through the rearview mirror, and he spoke in a solemn tone: "Three young friends, something is wrong! There is a black sedan behind us, secretly tailing us the entire way from the Military District to this place. It has been following for a long time with unclear intentions!"

While speaking, the officer's fingertips moved quickly, already bringing up the military emergency reporting interface, and he said in a deep voice: "I will immediately report this to the military, intercept and take down the trailing vehicle, and thoroughly investigate the identities of those inside! You guys stay safe!"

"No need!"

Just at this moment, Xiao Qingwu, who had always been calm and silent, suddenly spoke up, her tone carrying a rare trace of urgency, stopping the officer's action just in time.

She raised her eyes, her gaze crossing the car window to look at the black special vehicle following closely behind from afar. A trace of complex emotion flashed across her cold and clear brows, and then she turned her head, her gaze landing straight on Lin Ye, her eyes clear and earnest.

"The car behind is here to pick me up."

As soon as these words fell, the inside of the carriage instantly fell silent.

Xiao Qingwu explained softly, her voice light and shallow, carrying a hint of faint relief and reluctance: "My family sent people to arrive in Nantan Prefecture very early on, asking me to return immediately after the match, but I haven't set off all along."

Why she was lingering and unwilling to leave was now self-evident.

This gaze and this short explanation completely poured out the secret emotions hidden deep in her heart.

She had deliberately stayed behind until now just to watch him reach the summit, see him break the game, and witness him reverse the overall situation.

Now that the tournament had ended and the dust had settled, it was time for her to leave as well.

"No. 3 High School was never a place for me to come to begin with. Now I should go, and return to the place where I originally belong."

Xiao Qingwu withdrew her gaze, looked at Lin Ye, and said in a calm yet resolute tone: "Next, I will be admitted into Taichu Academy, cultivate with peace of mind, and charge towards a higher realm of the Great Dao."

Taichu Academy was one of the absolute top holy institutions in the Federation. Its threshold was so high it was almost harsh; only top prodigies with outstanding talent, bloodlines, and divine kingdoms could obtain the qualifications for admission, far surpassing all local cultivation institutions in Nantan Prefecture.

As her voice fell, she said softly to the officer in the driver's seat: "Please stop the car!"

The officer was slightly startled, glanced at Lin Ye, and seeing that Lin Ye had no objections, he slowly decelerated and steadily parked the special vehicle on the roadside.

The car door opened, and the evening breeze brushed against her face, stirring her plain white dress and gently fluttering her hair.

"Lin Ye! Goodbye!"

Xiao Qingwu did not say any superfluous farewells, nor did she show any hesitation or dragging of feet. With a light and graceful figure, she leaped down from the carriage, turned her back to the two of them, and walked with calm strides toward the exclusive pick-up vehicle driving up from behind.

Her figure was cold and peerless, completely alone, gradually disappearing into the twilight traffic and drifting far away.

The inside of the carriage instantly fell silent. The lingering cool fragrance of the evening breeze refused to dissipate for a long time, and the originally subtle atmosphere became increasingly lingering and complex, leaving only Lin Ye and Bai Ruoxue facing each other.

Watching the back of Xiao Qingwu completely disappear outside the window, Lin Ye felt turbulent waves rolling in his heart for a long time, and countless dense doubts flooded his mind, refusing to go away.

Was she really... targeting him from the very beginning to the end?