Because of the Physical Test, the homeroom session that was supposed to be class meeting time was changed into a PE class, but Rui Hang did not personally handle it; instead, it was left to the PE teacher Li Yong.
“This is the first time a teacher has voluntarily handed over the class to me for PE,” Li Yong said with a smile.
Li Yong, the PE teacher, was a young guy who had just graduated from university not long ago.
He was always smiling, looking very approachable, and quite popular among the students. “I’ve been wanting to arrange a fitness test for you all for a while now, and luckily, the opportunity has come.”
As the undisputed King of Slackers in Class 9, Grade 11, Bai Luo’s greatest hobby in life was slacking off, dreaming of a lifetime of lying down, eating, and waiting to die.
Sports— no matter if in Parnaki or elsewhere— were always something Bai Luo avoided like the plague, let alone on Earth.
Faced with Li Yong’s enthusiasm, a faint cloud of worry crossed Bai Luo’s delicate brows.
After a moment’s thought, he moved closer to Li Yong and tried to soften his smile to appear more friendly.
“Um, Teacher Li.”
“Ah, Bai Luo, what is it?” Li Yong asked kindly.
“Rui Teacher said this physical test is just to give us an idea of our level, so when we sign up for Sports Day, we won’t embarrass ourselves,” Bai Luo said earnestly, appealing with reason and emotion.
“Look, it’s rare that we even get a PE class, and now we have to test so many things— there’s just not enough time. How about we just skip the 1000-meter run? Look at our class— all weaklings except Zhou Xun can barely run a long distance.”
Whether Li Yong didn’t catch Bai Luo’s hint or was pretending not to understand, he only took it as a concern about time.
Laughing heartily, he waved his hand: “Our class doesn’t have many people. This little testing won’t take much time, we’ll be fine.”
Bai Luo: “……”
“And besides, don’t underestimate our class,” Li Yong said, patting Bai Luo’s shoulder encouragingly. “Have a little faith in yourselves. You’re all grown men; can’t you even run a thousand meters?”
“Teacher Li, don’t mind him,” Ouwena, who had somehow sneaked into the line, chimed in following Li Yong’s words, teasing, “He has muscle weakness and can’t run.”
Li Yong looked at the suddenly thinning line and sighed in amusement. “Ouwena, Sun Jingshu, this is the boys’ line, what are you two doing here? The girls haven’t started running yet!”
“Teacher Li, it’s not a competition; let’s all run together,” Ouwena said.
“You girls only have to run 800 meters, don’t join the boys’ heat,” Li Yong replied.
“Why can’t girls run a thousand meters?” Ouwena’s eyes narrowed, clearly refusing to leave the line. “Just because boys can run it, doesn’t mean we can’t. Besides, some of them might not be faster than me!”
Bai Luo: “…Are you really trying to be competitive?”
Ouwena’s defiance probably ensured there would be no cancellation of the 1000-meter run.
Sure enough, faced with Ouwena’s audacious words, Li Yong didn’t think she was arrogantly overstepping her bounds.
Instead, he looked at her with approval and appreciation. “Well said! Bai Luo, look at how conscientious Ouwena is. You should learn from her and give it your all when you run later— don’t lose to her.”
Bai Luo: “……”
Could you not be so competitive? Give a slacker like me some room to breathe!
Bai Luo sighed deeply, giving up his struggle. Under Li Yong’s encouraging gaze, he stepped up to the starting line.
When the whistle blew, he surged forward with the crowd.
Though it was just a test, the results were real and official. Wherever there are rankings, competition never goes away.
Students of Class 9, Grade 11, holding high positions in Parnaki, relied not only on their status and divine advantages but also heavily on their competitive personalities.
Among the best were the likes of Ouwena and Sun Jingshu, who practically established their own kingdoms, ruling as masters of their fates.
True slackers like Bai Luo, with no ambition in cultivation or sports, naturally finished last in the 1000-meter run.
The champion was, unsurprisingly, Zhou Xun, who was half a PE student, with Ouwena taking second place, weaker in stamina but unrivaled in effort.
Seeing Bai Luo collapsed on the ground, panting heavily like a tired Shar Pei, Lin Yuan, who was quite close to Bai Luo, couldn’t help but tease, “It’s just a thousand meters. You’re being way too weak.”
Bai Luo didn’t even bother lifting his eyelids. “I have muscle weakness, so what if I’m dead last?”
Lin Yuan: “…You really accepted that quickly!”
“Don’t talk about me. What about you?” Bai Luo fired back. “You’re a knight, but you only got fifth place, right?”
Lin Yuan found it ridiculous. “Who says knights have to run fast? Knight means riding! That’s the focus.”
Lin Yuan: “……”
Bai Luo: “……”
The two simultaneously stopped arguing, their gazes drifting past the girls lined up on the track to a figure leaning against a tree trunk not far away— hands crossed, eyes closed, handsome and dignified, like the male lead straight out of an idol drama— Song Mingzhe, the English class representative.
If there was anyone in the class fit to be the protagonist of a novel, Song Mingzhe would definitely be among the top picks.
Returned from abroad, handsome, from a prestigious family, excelling both academically and physically, naturally exuding a cold aura, steady and quiet.
In Parnaki, in terms of status, he was only behind their homeroom teacher Rui Hang, the Lord of Demons, and Yu Zhi, the Goddess of Calamity— the strongest ruler of the ancient Dragon Clan, the Dark Dragon King.
…If you ignored his personality.
“Dragons, huh,” Bai Luo said in a subtle tone.
“Dragons, huh,” Lin Yuan’s eyes gleamed with longing.
Not far off, Song Mingzhe: “……”
He silently straightened, feigning calm as he returned to the line, but the gazes glued to him didn’t waver in the slightest.
“Honestly, my childhood dream was to become a Dragon Knight,” Lin Yuan murmured.
“Why didn’t you become one in the end?” Bai Luo asked curiously. “I remember Song Mingzhe once mentioned in the group chat asking if anyone wanted to contract a dragon; he said he had plenty.”
Recalling the past, Bai Luo’s eyes showed a trace of nostalgia. “I thought he’d conquered Dragon Island and started a gray industry. Later I found out he was just clearing out factions and thought it a waste to throw those uncles and elder cousins at us as contract beasts. I even asked if he had any dragon girls with twin tails! Too bad, all he had were a bunch of rough dragon guys.”
Lin Yuan: “…You’re such a nerd!”
Not really understanding Bai Luo’s otaku logic, Lin Yuan moved on after the jab. “Yu Zhi said those dragons were too ugly, so she didn’t like them.”
“So you went for a unicorn?”
Lin Yuan nodded. “Anyway, my Jiao Jiao is no less than a mythical beast from the dragons, so I don’t lose out.”
“…Who named it?”
Lin Yuan: “…My master.”
“Good taste,” Bai Luo insincerely complimented.
Lin Yuan smiled awkwardly, quickly regaining his spirit. “But I haven’t completely given up on my dream of being a Dragon Knight. At least my sword is trying.”
“How so?” Bai Luo asked.
Talking about his sword, Lin Yuan suddenly became much more excited, eyes filled with affection. “I named it the Rising Dragon Sword.”
Bai Luo: “…How can you criticize me for being a nerd!”
“That’s childhood memories! Not the same as being a nerd!” Lin Yuan argued earnestly. “Which boy didn’t like Little Savior Du when they were young?”
“He’s called Watanabe Wataru!” Bai Luo yelled in anger.
“Never mind Watanabe or Little Savior Du,” Song Mingzhe’s voice sounded softly by their ears. “Lin Yuan, do you have a grudge against our Dragon Clan?”
Lin Yuan: “You threw your uncles and cousins at us as contracts, and now you ask me that?!”
“That’s different,” Song Mingzhe said solemnly. “With the pride of the Dragon Clan, how could we be beneath others? That’s why I gave those losers to you all— that’s the greatest punishment for them.”
“You Dragon Clan really do have principles,” Bai Luo couldn’t help but comment.
Then, suddenly grinning mischievously, he added, “But if one day you get contracted by someone else… that’d be quite a scene!”
Such playful banter was common in the class group chat back in Parnaki. Everyone knew each other well enough not to take offense, so the jokes never got too cautious.
Even Song Mingzhe, often privately mocked as “the Parnaki King of Slackers,” never got angry. Yet this time, as if something hit his spine, a flash of shock crossed his handsome face. “How dare you! I’d never become someone else’s mount!”
Bai Luo was baffled. “Why are you shouting? Are you… signing a contract with someone…”
Before he could finish, a sharp punch suddenly cut through the air right in front of Bai Luo’s face.
The punch wasn’t fast, only meant to interrupt Bai Luo’s words, not purely to attack.
But this barely disguised strike was enough for Bai Luo to guess the truth.
He shifted his slightly stiff body to dodge Song Mingzhe’s attack, eyes sparkling with the thrill of gossip.
He picked up a stick from the ground and shoved it into Lin Yuan’s hand.
“Hey, Little Lin, time to prove your strength! Grab your ‘Rising Dragon Sword’ and tame this dragon! Make him your mount!”
Lin Yuan’s eyes suddenly sharpened.
Song Mingzhe: “…That’s just a stick!”
But Lin Yuan, immersed in his knight identity, gripped the “Rising Dragon Sword” and struck a classic starting pose, eyes blazing: “If I win, Old Duan, you become my mount!”
“Who’s ‘Old Duan’!” Song Mingzhe cursed.
“Wow, what are you guys talking about? This topic’s so exciting,” the commotion quickly attracted other curious classmates.
Lin Lang’s eyes flickered between Lin Yuan and Song Mingzhe, but no amount of flirtation could hide the fighting spirit they ignited. “Can I join? Speaking of which, I once had an assassination contract on Song Mingzhe. Unfortunately, I didn’t accept it out of classmate loyalty—wonder who’d be better if we faced off?”
“What? You’re planning to tame dragons? I want in!” Ouwena never missed out on fun. “Legend says that besides the Lord of Demons, the Dark Dragon King is unbeatable. If we can tame him as a mount, I’ll truly live up to my title as the Ultimate Emperor of All Ages!”
Song Minghe: “…Crazy people!”
Not wanting to get tangled with these four idiots, Song Mingzhe turned to leave but was suddenly showered with dirt: “Earth Escape— Sandstorm!”
Song Mingzhe slapped Bai Luo’s chest: “Dragon Claw— Heaven-Shattering Strike!”
Nearby students from other classes: “……”
“What are these guys doing?”
In the silence, someone asked confusedly.
“Fighting…?”
“No,” a classmate next to them said confidently. “This is called ‘Chūnibyō also wants to fall in love’!”
……
Rui Hang put down his pen and stretched lazily.
After spending nearly a whole class digesting the morning’s physics notes, he felt satisfied with this sense of accomplishment.
He rubbed his stiff shoulders and looked through the window at the playground outside, his eyes gentle.
He wondered how the students were doing now.
Their consciousness was still confined within human bodies, and their thoughts and actions were gradually aligning with their original selves.
For someone like Bai Luo, who had never liked sports, he must look even more exhausted now.
As a reward, Rui Hang decided to buy them milk tea during evening self-study.
Just as he thought this, an ear-splitting Announcement suddenly blared from the office.
『Beep— Beep—』
『Class 9, Grade 11 students Bai Luo and Song Mingzhe organized a mass fight on the playground. Their behavior is extremely bad. This is a school-wide Announcement, and they will receive a serious warning!』
Rui Hang: “???!!!”