The reminder from Su Qiangwei was noted by Zhu Hanyi, but he didn't fully agree with it.

Whether Ma Ran was really that strong, he had to try himself to make a judgment.

Defeating me in a second?

That's underestimating me too much!

Su Qiangwei was indeed strong, but Zhu Hanyi thought to himself that if he were to face her again, he would surely not lose as quickly as before!

Before he could respond, the crowd's attention quickly shifted away from Su Qiangwei and Zhu Hanyi.

If there was a reason for this...

Ma Ran had returned.

Just walking on the road at a normal pace, neither fast nor slow, with a calm demeanor; yet, his style was completely different from other academic society members.

Majestic and extraordinary—this was Zhu Hanyi's impression upon seeing Ma Ran for himself.

Honestly, it was quite a good impression.

Just by looking at his appearance and demeanor, Zhu Hanyi felt that Ma Ran should be a person of good character.

If the other didn't have a history of faking his cultivation, it would be even better.

While Zhu Hanyi was sighing in regret for Ma Ran in his heart, Ma Ran was observing him as well.

"Rain Boiling Sword..."

The moment Ma Ran's gaze fell on this young man in blue, the nickname popped into his mind.

Honestly, Zhu Hanyi was completely different from Su Qiangwei.

The latter's title of "Battlefield Valkyrie" was earned with her own two hands and built with real achievements, known far and wide, with considerable fame globally.

Whereas the former's somewhat pretentious nickname "Rain Boiling Sword" only circulated internally within Qinglian Academy.

If it were not for Ma Ran's later collaboration with the second and third batch members of Qinglian Academy, he might not even remember Zhu Hanyi's name upon seeing him.

"Another young talent gone too soon..."

Ma Ran sighed, recalling information related to him instantly.

According to other members of Qinglian Academy, Zhu Hanyi was unparalleled in talent but had bad luck and a tragic fate, dying too early; otherwise, he would definitely have become an excellent Guardian of Earth Civilization.

If he remembered correctly, Zhu Hanyi was the first stepping stone for Su Qiangwei's rise to fame.

Zhu Hanyi was someone who treated "My head may break, my blood may flow, but my hairstyle must remain intact" as a life motto, always striving to maintain his self-image at any moment.

Sadly, his death was extremely tragic.

The records show that Zhu Hanyi died in the "Demon Mountain Incident".

At the time of death, Zhu Hanyi's arms were crushed into pulp, half of his head was gone, and his internal organs were entirely devoured.

If it weren't for the combined efforts of the Funeral Director and Superpower Users, they might not even have been able to piece together a complete body of him.

Unlike Song Chu, Zhu Hanyi didn't play a decisive role in the Demon Mountain Incident.

His sacrifice only saved the lives of two elementary school students.

In reality, a fate like Zhu Hanyi's is more common.

Not everyone fighting to protect Earth Civilization can trade their life for a strategic advantage.

Everyone hopes to at least become a tragic hero.

But even a tragic hero requires favorable timing, favorable terrain, and favorable human conditions to be realized.

Individuals like Song Chu and Su Qiangwei, who can forcefully resolve a disaster even in death, are very rare!

"..."

When Zhu Hanyi and Ma Ran's eyes met, he suddenly felt a tingling sensation in his scalp.

It's hard to tell what the other's gaze implied about him.

Admiration?

Regret?

Sympathy?

Or perhaps...

A bit of each.

Before Zhu Hanyi could react, Ma Ran's gaze fell upon the Eight-sided Han Sword in his hand: "This sword is not bad."

Ma Ran's understanding of Zhu Hanyi partly came from encrypted files, while the other part was from comrades he had once fought alongside with.

The impression of him in his heart was a bit like He Nanguang, the "Yukong" Ability User from Fulan Academy, similarly warm-hearted, passionate, though with differences.

Zhu Hanyi was not as perceptive as He Nanguang.

His self-awareness was overwhelming, often making decisions for others, with a very firm attitude.

Thus, Zhu Hanyi's personal recognition was high and reviews about him were seriously polarized.

Those who liked Zhu Hanyi had the urge to bare their hearts to him, lamenting his death, and getting drunk—like Wu Di and Dong Huaiming in a past life.

Those who disliked him were extremely disgusted, even feeling displeased working with him on missions—as Ms. Su and Wan Haihao, the battlefield Valkyrie, did.

"I have some urgent matters to attend to and will probably have time by evening."

Ma Ran gave Zhu Hanyi no chance to speak, speaking to himself: "If you're willing to honor me with your presence, let's have dinner around seven tonight."

Hearing this, Zhu Hanyi was slightly taken aback.

Although he still remembered that he intended to expose deceit, he subconsciously sheathed the Eight-sided Han Sword with Inner Qi and clasped his hands: "It's what I wanted all along, but I dare not request it."

This phrase is from "Mencius: Gongsun Chou, Part Two", meaning "This is what I wished for, I just dare not request it."

Living on 21st-century Earth as a normal human, nearly none would string words like Zhu Hanyi.

Seeing his response, Ma Ran realized why in the past life he could become a confidant of Wu Di and Dong Huaiming after just a few days at Grass Hut Academy.

For no other reason, their wavelengths were aligned.

"Very good."

Ma Ran smiled and turned to leave.

Looking at a few Qinglian Academy companions around him, Zhu Hanyi felt a bit dazed.

He wasn't ashamed of being quickly defeated by Su Qiangwei.

In life, how could everything go smoothly, winning all the time?

A man, losing is not a problem as long as he can admit defeat, confront his failures, and draw lessons from them!

It's essential to know that Zhu Hanyi wasn't an undisputed king from the start at Qinglian Academy; he had many competitors and had been defeated before.

But relying on his perseverance, effort, determination, talent, and comprehension, he gradually became recognized as the strongest among the first batch of Qinglian Academy students!

He didn't like failure, but he didn't fear it either!

"So... he just left like that..."

Looking at the receding figure of Ma Ran, Zhu Hanyi subconsciously sighed.

Unclear if it was his illusion, he felt like Ma Ran's departure lifted a burden off his shoulders, making him unconsciously breathe a sigh of relief.

Standing before Ma Ran felt like being at the foot of a towering mountain, looking up, yet only seeing the mountain's soaring body without knowing whether it was the mountain's waist or base.

Perhaps, could the other's cultivation at the Seventh Rank of Inner Qi be real?

Zhu Hanyi shook his head.

Half a month ago, there were rumors of Ma Ran reaching the Seventh Rank of Inner Qi, and at that time, Ma Ran had only been involved with Black Rock Martial Arts for how long?

Ten days!

Thinking of this figure gave Zhu Hanyi a feeling of having his intelligence insulted.

Any Black Rock Martial Arts cultivator with a brain knew that such a thing was absolutely impossible!

"Tsk."

Su Qiangwei looked at Zhu Hanyi in disdain, pouting: "I initially thought you were different from others, but it turns out in front of Ma Ran, you're also a..."

Hmm.

The last two words didn't need to be said.

Zhu Hanyi could fill them in on his own.

Honestly, he didn't expect himself to react that way either.

Zhu Hanyi pretended not to hear, folding his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance.

However, his face was slightly flushed.

"It's what I wanted all along, but I dare not request it."

What on earth!

Why did I say that!

"Young man, take care of yourself well."

After Su Qiangwei said this, everyone dispersed one after another.

Zhu Hanyi quickly composed himself and, with the Qinglian Academy members, went to President Huang Weiguo for Inner Qi data handover.

Meanwhile, Wan Haihao, who had just returned to his dormitory and closed his door, lowered his voice: "Sword Master, I have a question..."

——

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