Chapter 187
Chapter 187
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 187 – Lan Qi’s Excellent Form Today
On the seventh-floor atrium, sunlight streamed through the transparent dome, silk-like and soft, interplaying with faint shadows in the air. Outside, the sky darkened ominously, and the occasional rumble of thunder would hardly surprise anyone.
Lan Qi, still holding the little black cat, walked effortlessly along the path toward the atrium.
Indoor plants clustered on either side, and artistic decorations and reliefs dotted the surroundings, blending perfectly with the environment and adding a cultural touch to the tranquil top floor.
Although a first-year student, Lan Qi had been here several times before. To enter the artificial Shadow World, he needed to reach the seventh floor of the Learning and Education Building, where the activation terminal was installed by Ikerite Academy.
Outside, the sky was gloomy, but inside the atrium, the lights brightened, creating a sense of calm.
“Lan Qi, you’re such a great person, meow!”
The cat, lying in Lan Qi’s arms, rolled over happily, completely at ease.
Not only was Ikerite Academy lively, the cat could also witness its favorite stories of matchmaking!
If Lan Qi could win the wager against Adams fairly, he could create a perfect “date scenario” for Loren and Juliana.
The boy noted that the cat seemed ready to give him a perfect score.
The cat grew increasingly satisfied with Lan Qi and thought he matched perfectly with Talia—an intelligent elder sister paired with a warm, clever young man. The mere thought made the little black cat wriggle like a tiny worm.
“See? No one is more caring than me.”
Lan Qi proudly high-fived the cat.
Though he always did good deeds anonymously, praise still made him feel good and motivated him to continue doing good.
Today, he would show the cat his skills.
Passing the marble doors, he entered the Shadow World preparation area. Many eyes turned to him.
Most prominent was Teacher Teresa, holding a tablet-like magical device and guiding the activation process in front of the Shadow World terminal.
The senior students from the Sage Institute’s main building had already gathered in the atrium.
Soon, the magical giant screen in the atrium would display the Shadow World duel live.
Teresa had also supervised Lan Qi during his entrance exam.
Now, standing before him again, her gentle smile had been replaced with tension and seriousness.
On the magical device behind her, the sign “Strictly Prohibited to Force Restart” remained.
She also vividly recalled the third-round examiner, Ferat, carried out on a stretcher.
“Lan Qi, are you sure you can beat Adams?”
Teresa asked nervously. She wanted him to win.
“I’ll do my best. Don’t worry.”
Lan Qi nodded.
Teresa felt slightly reassured.
Every time Lan Qi faced danger or challenges, she and the other teachers often had no clue how he would win.
But over time, they had learned to trust his calm composure.
As long as Lan Qi remained this composed, he was confident—otherwise, he would not have dared wager without permission.
If he lost…
Teresa couldn’t imagine how Lan Qi would convince Dean Loren to apologize.
If Dean Loren could handle that “battlefield,” he would have already clarified things with Juliana.
In matters of the heart, Dean Loren’s situation mirrored Lan Qi’s predicament in the music classroom—an inescapable loop, unstable, explosive if examined too closely.
Not long after, Adams arrived as promised.
In the light, his figure gleamed like a razor, cutting through the confined space.
He no longer restrained his powerful aura.
He approached Lan Qi, steps steady and firm.
“Lan Qi, are you ready?”
Adams’ voice echoed throughout the space, eyes blazing, focused entirely on making Lan Qi lose convincingly.
“Yes, let’s begin.”
Lan Qi nodded and looked at the Shadow World activation terminal.
“Good luck, Lan Qi! This is a duel that will determine Dean Loren’s fate!”“Our Sage Institute counts on you to bring glory!”
Shouts of encouragement rose from the senior students of the Sage Institute.
There was little time for further exchange.
Following standard procedure, Teresa guided Lan Qi and Adams to the Void Gate in front of the terminal.
“You may begin.”
With tense hands, Teresa used a secret key to activate the terminal.
The Void Gate appeared before them, displaying a countdown.
Challengers had to enter before the preparation time ended.
Both experienced challengers, Lan Qi and Adams, said nothing and stepped into the Void Gate.
Instantly, the atrium became utterly silent, as if all sound had been blocked.
All eyes focused on the magical screen.
The display flickered with brilliant light, revealing a space like a temporal tunnel, briefly plunging into darkness.
When the image returned, the live broadcast of Lan Qi and Adams’ Shadow World duel began!
Meanwhile, at Jera Memorial Plaza, rain began to drizzle. Many students, wearing raincoats and holding umbrellas, watched from the stone steps.
On the outdoor screen appeared a prison cell.
Lan Qi stood inside the cell.
“I always thought Lan Qi fits the pure prison-style Shadow World.”“Honestly, if Principal Lan weren’t wearing shackles, I wouldn’t know whether he’s the prisoner or the warden.”
Even in prison clothes, Lan Qi exuded calm warmth.
However…
At the edge of the plaza, one Yaloran student saw something entirely different.
“…??”
In the Shadow World principal’s office of the Demon Academy that haunted her, a Luminous Demon appeared, looking exactly the same.
Appearance wasn’t the main point—it was the aura, the faint smile. Even disguised as human, she would never mistake him!
The moment the Luminous Demon appeared on the screen, even across dimensions, the air around her seemed to chill.
Her nearly overloaded brain started working again, scanning the surroundings like a drowning person seeking a lifeline.
Yet, for some reason, her brother, who had been by her side, vanished without a trace.
“Are you alright?”
A classmate from Yaloran Royal Academy noticed her distress and called out.
She tried to speak, to shout, to call for help, but her vocal cords failed. Her vision spun, sounds buzzed in her ears, and she caught fragments of students mentioning “the principal.”
Every screen across the campus showed the Luminous Demon, encircling her like a kaleidoscope.
Was this a dream?
Or reality?
Why did the Luminous Demon, always in her nightmares, appear in the real world?
And her only support, her brother in the Purgatory Corridor Academy, where had he gone?
With a thunderclap splitting the sky, her legs gave way completely, and she collapsed onto the stone steps of Jera Memorial Plaza.