Two or three kilometers were not a long way for ordinary people, let alone for these elite freshmen of the Sky Academy.
The squares formed by the freshmen at Entrance Square were getting more and more scattered. In just about 10 minutes, they were close to the maze that the headmaster Zhuang Huayang had mentioned.
From the entrance, the maze had only a few narrow doors for people to come in and out. However, the left and right sides of the entire building were expanding towards the opposite direction, making it appear to be endless and majestic. In this way, the entire maze seemed to be in the shape of a standard triangle.
“A big triangle! The design of this maze is quite standard.”
Standing at the entrance to the maze, Li Baitian looked at the building in front of him and admired with amazement.
“No, it should not be a triangle. If the maze really is triangular, it needs to design a lot of corridors inside. In this way, it is not difficult but costly. This kind of design may be suitable for the playground, but how could the Sky Academy’s maze have such a low level and be so simple?”
After careful observation for a while, Li Tianlan opened his mouth in a calm tone. He had seen a building of a similar size and even larger than the maze before them in another place. In that freaky place, it took him a full year to barely figure out the overall structure of that maze, and found that its complexity was devastating.
Therefore, at the sight of the maze of the Sky Academy, he immediately felt extremely familiar with it.
If he guessed correctly, the maze in front of them was likely to be based on the maze that he had seen. If so, it was not a triangular maze at all but a rhombic one, which could deceive people’s eyes.
The rhombic maze was more complicated than the triangular one. If they tried to find their way through a rhombic maze in the way that worked on a triangular maze, they would probably enter a winding road when they were closest to the exit, then bend around and return to the entrance. At first glance of the building, Li Tianlan recalled some memories that he did not want to think of, which gave him a headache.
“So from the moment we stood here, we have been deceived. There should be another triangle behind this triangle we are now seeing. They combine to form a…?”
“A rhombus?”
Ning Qiancheng picked up his eyebrows in astonishment.
He was from the Border Praetorian Corps. As a large-scale integrated corps that owned the most horrifying combat capability in Zhongzhou State, the Border Praetorian Corps would send elites to the Sky Academy or the Deep-sea Academy for study. However, the Sky Academy adopted a three-year program and was only responsible for educating the same group of students in every three years. Besides, the content of each session of the entrance maneuver was different. There had even been a super-entrance maneuver that rewarded the first 300 credits. Although the maze was not easy to get through, the seniors, who had experienced it, would not put this in mind in order to warn their juniors and tell them what to pay attention to in the maze.
At the end of the day, it was just a maze, and the freshmen could go out sooner or later. The most dangerous situation would come from from their compet.i.tors in the maze.
Li Tianlan nodded his head and before he could say something, a sweet voice was heard behind him, “Yes, it’s a rhombus.”
Li Tianlan turned subconsciously to see who was behind him.
w.a.n.g Yuetong and Yu Qingyan were moving forward and stopped directly beside Li Tianlan.
“Senior brother, have you been to the Sky Academy before? How do you know that this maze is rhombic?”
w.a.n.g Yuetong asked softly and looked at Li Tianlan with crystal-like, bright eyes.
She stood quietly in front of Li Tianlan, her ponytail swaying gently. Her body odor spread in the air, coupled with her soft voice, making her look pure but extremely enticing.
She was nearly a demon.
Strange-looking, Ning Qiancheng swallowed back the words on the tip of his tongue.
Whereas, Li Baitian stared at w.a.n.g Yuetong transfixed, and swallowed hard, unable to hide his inner pa.s.sion.
“This woman, no, this female, no, this girl really is pretty attractive.” He sighed in his heart.
Li Tianlan’s eyebrows lifted slightly. The strong appreciation flashed through his eyes before the usual composure was restored.
“I have never been to the Sky Academy before, and it’s also the first time that I’ve seen this maze.”
His tone was fairly mild, but his eyes turned to Yu Qingyan without hesitation. “Qingyan, is this your new roommate?” he asked with a smile on his face.
“Yes.”
Yu Qingyan nodded in a sweet manner, smiled kindly, and went on. “Brother Li, this is Sister Yuetong, w.a.n.g Yuetong.”
“Cough…”
As soon as Yu Qingyan finished the name of her roommate, Li Baitian gave a violent cough. He wiped the drool at his mouth awkwardly, and the burning desire in his eyes began to fade quickly.
“Yuetong, why are you here?”
Ning Qiancheng finally asked, and both his tone and his eyes carried surprise that could not be hidden.
“I came here to study, of course. Brother Qiancheng, how is Uncle Ning?”
w.a.n.g Yuetong giggled, her eyes whispering “sin”, the dimples in her cheek standing out, which made she unutterably seductive and bewitching.
“Not bad, and how about Uncle w.a.n.g?”
Ning Qiancheng looked away as he replied, as if he dared not look at w.a.n.g Yuetong at all.
“My dad is not bad as well. He met Uncle Ning in Jinling some time ago, and Uncle Ning said he hasn’t seen you for more than two years. Really?”
w.a.n.g Yuetong asked and blinked.
Ning Qiancheng didn’t answer, pretending not to hear her question.
w.a.n.g Yuetong ended the subject tactfully, and after a few casual remarks her clear eyes fell on Li Tianlan again.
She moved her feet around Li Tianlan several times, making no attempt to hide her interest in him.
Li Tianlan didn’t feel the tension in the slightest, but Ning Qiancheng and Li Baitian were both so nervous that they got stiff and broke out in a cold sweat.
Li Tianlan was puzzled. He was about to inquire them when w.a.n.g Yuetong stopped. She took the initiative to stretch out a hand toward him, and smiled, saying, “Senior brother, my name is w.a.n.g Yuetong. What do I call you? You have a name?”
“I’m Li Tianlan.”
Li Tianlan then reached out and gently shook her hand. Her palm was wonderfully smooth and fine, and her fingers were long. With that, Li Tianlan calmly released her hand, pointed to Li Baitian and introduced. “This is also my roommate, he’s Li Baitian.”
w.a.n.g Yuetong cast a glance at the bamboo pole-like young man in a cold sweat. “You’re Li Baitian?” she asked with a funny look.
“Yes, I’m Li Baitian, Your High—”
“Just call me by my name.”
w.a.n.g Yuetong waved her little hand and straightly interrupted Li Baitian. She turned her eyes on Li Tianlan again. All her interests seemed to be in him. “Senior brother Tianlan, where are you from?” She suddenly inquired, smiling.
“My ancestral home is Youzhou, but I grew up in Nanyun Province.”
Li Tianlan behaved in a polite and courteous manner, but was on high alert in his heart. He did know very little about the outside world, but that didn’t mean he was a fool.
A woman like w.a.n.g Yuetong could wreak havoc everywhere. While she paused beside them, many freshmen around also stopped consciously or unconsciously. And, apart from the fight he had with Qin Ke when he had just entered the school, he believed that he had kept a low profile, plain, well-disguised and not out of line at all. In this way, it was hardly a good thing for a woman like w.a.n.g Yuetong to suddenly show him affection.
In addition, Li Tianlan could see that w.a.n.g Yuetong was a big deal by the reaction of Li Baitian and Ning Qiancheng, both of who had an extraordinary background, to her. Now he didn’t want to have anything to do with such people at all, because the more contact with such people, the more likely he was going to be exposed.
Li Tianlan could not afford to expose himself now. Before he entered the Thunder-shocking Realm, or at least the Fire-flaming Realm, his ability to protect himself was too limited, so he had to tread carefully.
“Nanyun, its scenery is pretty, but it’s too warm. That’s too bad. Have you ever been to Beijiang, senior brother Tianlan?”
w.a.n.g Yuetong looked at Li Tianlan curiously, her big beautiful eyes twinkling, like the fanciest doll.
A sudden tension came over Li Tianlan. Without reflecting his feelings on his face, a hint of murder against her was brewing in his mind.
“What does she know? She asked me because of the maze in front of us?”
“No, I’ve never been there.”
Li Tianlan answered in a calm voice, and then turned to Yu Qingyan. “Qingyan, we’re going in. Do you want to join us?” he asked, nodding towards her.
Yu Qingyan’s elfin face turned slightly red. Thinking of her grandfather’s orders, she suddenly was tempted by his offer. However, with w.a.n.g Yuetong standing beside her, she subconsciously shook her head and refused. “I want to go with Sister Yuetong.”
“You want to go not only with me, but also with your Brother Li, right?”
w.a.n.g Yuetong beamed and looked at Yu Qingyan. She then stretched out her hand and pulled Yu Qingyan to her side, and said to Li Tianlan, “Senior brother Tianlan, you only have three people, and we are only two weak girls. How about we form a team together?”
Li Tianlan frowned slightly, but was too embarra.s.sed to say no. He turned to his two extremely silent roommates and asked, “What do you think of this proposal?”
“It’s up to you.”
Ning Qiancheng answered automatically, somewhat absent-mindedly. No sooner had he finished than he realized he had made a mistake. “I have no comment.” He hastily corrected herself.
w.a.n.g Yuetong’s eyes narrowed involuntarily, and she felt a great shock.
“It’s up to you.”
“I have no comment.”
It was obvious from these two sentences that he was trying to cover up.
“Did Brother Qiancheng really come to be other’s sidekick?” w.a.n.g Yuetong wondered.
What made her more speechless was that senior brother Tianlan in front of her was obviously not clear about the situation.
“I have no comment, too.”
Li Baitian said simply.
“Well, let’s go together then.”
Li Tianlan said flatly, “But I have to give you a heads-up, we are not familiar with the maze. So please don’t blame us if we pull down your ranking.”
“Don’t be silly, senior brother Tianlan. With you, we’ll be the fastest through the maze.”
w.a.n.g Yuetong had a sweet smile on her face, but her eyes were quite expressive.
“She’s still testing me!” Li Tianlan thought.
With that, he turned around and his eyes grew cold.
This girl student, who appeared to have a very strong background, seemed to have really begun to suspect him.
To some extent, she was right.
In form alone, Li Tianlan had seen such a maze, and it was in Beijiang Province.
That was the first time he left Li’s Village and that primeval forest, and went to the endless desert.
Li Tianlan gently took a breath and took the lead in walking into the maze.
After a narrow path of seven or eight meters at the beginning of the maze, the five students took a turn and the roads of the maze immediately came into view.
In front of them were more than a dozen intersections.
The identical roads, made of black bricks, were three meters wide and stretched deep into the maze.
One way to the left, one way to the right, one way forward…
These same roads led in very different directions.
Countless freshmen were coming in and out of these dozen intersections; some entered at the intersections, while others came back from the depths of the roads.
As a result, a storm of abuse broke out.
“What the h.e.l.l is this? The first part of the road has confused these people?”
Li Baitian looked incredulous.
w.a.n.g Yuetong, who had been paying close attention to the change in Li Tianlan’s expression, noticed that he, too, looked shocked.
“But what does his shocked face mean?” She wondered.
She calmly approached Li Tianlan and asked in a soft voice, “Senior brother Tianlan, which road should we take?”
“Take any road you like.”
Li Tianlan replied casually, but in fact, he felt a sudden rush of emotion inside him.
“They’re the same!”
“They are almost all the same!” Li Tianlan shouted secretly.
The maze in front of them was modeled after the one in Beijiang. Both the outside and the inside were exactly like that one!
In such a case, if Li Tianlan hurried with all his might, they would be out of the maze in less than 10 minutes!
It was because he knew which way was right and which way was misleading.
“Let’s take this way.”
Li Tianlan suddenly pointed to one of the intersections and said calmly.
w.a.n.g Yuetong instantly froze for a second. “This one?” she asked, sort of subconsciously.
If he remembered correctly, the road he was pointing to would be infinitely close to the exit on the last stretch, but would wind around to where they were now. It was a typical devious road, a super one!
“Yes, this one.”
Li Tianlan looked at w.a.n.g Yuetong and quietly asked, “Anything wrong?”
He certainly knew it was a wrong way, but he had to dispel w.a.n.g Yuetong’s suspicion. Therefore, in this case, the most important thing for him was not to get out of the maze quickly but to stop w.a.n.g Yuetong from doubting him.
So, he had decided to go astray in the maze as outrageous as possible.
“No.”
w.a.n.g Yuetong immediately returned to normal and answered, her face creasing into a winning smile.
“Okay, we’ll take whichever road you choose. I’ll go with you anyway.”
Li Baitian laughed. He then laid his thin hands on Li Tianlan’s shoulders in a seemingly casual way, but privately, he gave Li Tianlan a hard push, as if he was trying to push him forward.
Li Tianlan seemed to have understood Li Baitian’s intention, so he didn’t resist. With the push, he darted forward following Li Baitian, leaving w.a.n.g Yuetong behind.
Ning Qiancheng did not hesitate to follow them.
And so did Yu Qingyan and w.a.n.g Yuetong.
In a very short time, this bizarre five-member group seemed to have established a nucleus.
At the front, Li Baitian put his hands on Li Tianlan’s shoulders and almost dragged him forward.
So they were the first to take the first turn.
Then Li Baitian whispered in Li Tianlan’s ear. His voice was very tiny, seeming afraid of being heard.
“Tianlan, you’d better stay away from w.a.n.g Yuetong. Remember, don’t mess with her. Otherwise Drunbility Cheng and I, three of us together could be easily trampled by her even if we use our backers.”
“At the Sky Academy, there are not many people that I can’t afford to mess with, and of course there are fewer people that neither Drunbility Cheng nor I can mess with, but w.a.n.g Yuetong is definitely one of the few.”
Li Tianlan paused, glanced at Li Baitian, and asked in a low voice, “Who is she?”
Li Tianlan’s face turned grave as he looked deep into Li Tianlan’s eyes. “She is Princess Yuetong, the w.a.n.gs’ Siren!” He told Li Tianlan in a deep voice.
“And she ranks seventh among the top ten young experts,” he added after a pause.
“The seventh?”
Li Tianlan raised his eyebrows slightly and led Li Baitian to a dead end.
Li Baitian nodded, but just as he was about to speak something, he stopped short.
He stared agape at the scene in front of him with an expression as if he had seen a ghost in the daytime. For a moment he was transfixed.
Li Tianlan froze as well.
In front of them was a wall of black brick, the most common thing in the maze, which blocked their way ahead.
In the corner, however, two persons were standing motionless.
They were an old man and a young girl.
The man looked well-mannered, like a middle-aged scholar, and was smilingly looking at Li Baitian and Li Tianlan. “Hey, you two, what’s the seventh thing that you’re talking about?” he asked in a gentle and kind tone.
Beside the middle-aged scholar, a mature and indifferent woman was staring coldly at them.
“Patter!”
As a drop of cold sweat trickled down from Li Baitian’s forehead onto the floor, he suddenly straightened up, saluted, and shouted, “h.e.l.lo, headmaster!”