Storm of Gods

Chapter 40 Clearing the clouds and revealing the sun
Zhao Qing's face couldn't hold back any longer; it instantly darkened, his eyes turned murderous, and the corners of his mouth curled up. But after taking a deep breath, he quickly smiled again. "Junior sister, I'm not questioning your abilities; I'm just worried that you'll be deceived by them."

“Zhao Qing, from now on, you will need to formally address me as President in Black Rose’s club activities,” Luo Xue said. “Of course, you can also choose to leave Black Rose if you don’t want to; the door is over there.”

At this point, Luo Xue was no longer holding back. Li Xin and the others were her core team for the future, and if she didn't support them now, when would she? People from the Secret Fortress would never hesitate to be decisive when the time came.

Zhao Qing had always treated her like a naive and innocent girl, but he had never had a suitable opportunity before. Today, however, he stumbled upon it. For the Black Rose to become powerful, there can only be one voice.

After trying to win over Luo Xue for over a year, Zhao Qing was still unsuccessful. He wondered how she could be so hard-hearted. He even suspected that Luo Xue might be a lesbian. How could a girl her age not like romance and sweet words?
Even if he doesn't like her, he'll find a way to win her over in time. From the perspective of her looks and family background, she is helpful to him. As Luther's influence weakened, the Luo Xue family was already showing signs of decline, but a few years ago, for some reason, the attitude of the higher-ups suddenly changed.

Zhao Qing was incredulous today. How could Luo Xue, who was usually easy to manipulate and always backed down, have turned into this, making him lose face in public? Zhao Qing's gaze fell on the newcomers.

"Old Zhao, that's not what the president meant. We conducted two rounds of selection this time, and we were very serious. Although these are new students, they are all exceptionally skilled. Li Xin was personally interviewed by the president, and he is considered one of the best in our Training Academy." Nan Kai stepped in to smooth things over. They were all in their fourth year, in the same Training Academy, and had known each other for a long time. Zhao Qing was not someone to be trifled with, and neither was Luo Xue. It's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against a hidden arrow.

"This is my fault, I didn't understand," Hao Ye said obsequiously. "So the four of you are so outstanding, then we really look forward to seeing you. The president was worried about how to welcome our distinguished guests, but now he can rest assured."

A hint of approval flashed in Zhao Qing's eyes. He quickly adjusted his emotions, suppressing his anger. "This conference of the Order Academy was very grand and very successful. I went to great lengths to invite two top Order Academy delegations to visit and exchange ideas with us in Tianjing. One is a delegation from the Holy Ze Order Academy, one of the top ten in Monte Caleta, and the other is a delegation from the Iron Blood Order Academy, one of the top ten in the Black Meteor Empire. They are all among the top fifty Order Academies of the Dao Yuan Continent as selected by Hexbird News."

The Hexbird Gazette reports on the status of various national academies. The Kingdom of Montaleta and the Black Meteor Empire are traditionally powerful nations with formidable strength. Although their academy system was introduced a few years later than that of Lilong, their predecessors, the Knight Academy, were far more powerful than those of Tianjing. Now that the tide has turned, Tianjing needs to learn more from others to keep up with the times.

During the Luther era, Tianjing was a solid top ten powerhouse. However, in recent years, Hextech has become widespread and its proportion has declined. It's even rumored that it might be eliminated altogether. This is a very serious situation for the Tianjing Order Academy. It could easily become a laughing stock of the Dao Yuan Continent. Zhao Qing has already had a profound understanding of this at the Order Academy Conference.

"This is great news! We need to get ready. When will they arrive?" Nan Kai asked eagerly. Fei Ruolin, who was next to him, couldn't help but roll her eyes at Nan Kai. They were both vice presidents, but he acted like a lackey.

“It will take a few more days,” Zhao Qing said calmly. “We need to be prepared. All members of Black Rose will be present during the exchange. If we embarrass ourselves, it will be a scandal. Hexbird will also report on it when they arrive. You’d better watch yourselves.”

Zhao Qing stared at Luo Xue. It seemed that women really couldn't be spoiled, especially those who were proud and arrogant like her. He needed to shatter her arrogant shell and crush her arrogance.

"This is a great opportunity for exchange. As the vice president of external relations, you must shoulder your responsibilities," Luo Xue said. "Li Xin, Hurta, Roland, and Lu Shuai, this is also a good opportunity for you to learn."

"President, the Holy Zeal Academy is excellent, and their greatsword technique is very famous. This should be a great opportunity," Roland said with a slight smile.

“That’s the academy in your hometown, what a coincidence, very good.” Luo Xue nodded. “That’s all for today’s newcomer meeting, meeting adjourned.”

Zhao Qinggang's outstretched hand froze in mid-air; Luo Xue clearly had no intention of giving him another chance to show off.

After everyone left, Zhao Qing looked at the four newcomers who didn't take him seriously, his face extremely ugly. Nan Kai and Fei Ruolin also left, leaving only Zhao Qing and Hao Ye.

"Investigate these four people thoroughly and make an example of them."

"Hehe, got it, boss, wait for my good news." Hao Ye chuckled sinisterly, his eyes lingering on Fei Ruolin's retreating buttocks, but he also knew that even if Zhao Qing became the president, he wouldn't have much of a chance.

Walking along the path to the Order of the Order, the brothers were supposed to have a big celebration, but their good mood was ruined by the two who came up behind them. It seemed that Zhao Qing was going to target them. "Brothers, don't worry too much. Zhao Qing only has one year left, and I doubt his mind is on Black Rose," Lu Shuai said.

The fundamental reason why the Lu family suffered such a fate was that the Grand Consul changed his surname.

“I’m not worried, I just want to beat him up,” Hurta said in a deep voice. “This guy’s words are so sarcastic and barbed; if he were born in Saxony, we would have cut his tongue out long ago.”

Roland smiled and said, "Our president is no ordinary person, so we shouldn't need to worry about this."

"Haha, to be honest, I was really surprised today. I didn't expect Luo Xue to be so tough. She looks so cold and aloof, like the kind of person who isn't good at arguing. Wow, she's so fierce!" Lu Shuai laughed. He envied that kind of domineering and confident demeanor, but he didn't have it. Zhao Qing's father was an earl, and a very old-fashioned one at that. In the eyes of those old nobles, Lu Xue was just a nouveau riche. "A Xin, did something happen between you and President Luo Xue?"

"It was just clearing up a misunderstanding. The chairman seems like a very reasonable person," Li Xin said.

"Haha, that's right. In my memory, although the president doesn't talk much, he has a strong sense of justice and is very decisive. Zhao Qing thought he was a sure thing to take over as president, but he didn't expect to lose the election. However, he seems very unwilling. Brothers, be careful to avoid him using this as an excuse. Old Hu, in the Order Academy, fists often can't solve problems. Besides, I heard that Zhao Qing is a very tough guy. He was an exchange student at the Order Academy in Longjing for a year and achieved excellent results."

Hurta nodded. He knew that the elders had warned him not to act impulsively when he came.

Li Xin didn't care. He didn't know Luo Xue was from the Secret Fortress, but now that he saw Zhao Qing's failure to be selected was expected. He and Luo Xue were clearly not on good terms. Since Luo Xue was going to take over Black Rose, this guy definitely had to be dealt with.

After the club activities ended, Li Xin left the Order Academy to go to the Night Patrol. After all, he had received a salary, and he felt uneasy if he didn't do something.

On the other side, Fei Ruolin was also with Luo Xue; the two were true friends. "Why are you confronting him head-on today? Weren't you planning to outlast him?"

Zhao Qing is a typical aristocrat. He wants to accumulate enough experience by the time he graduates, so that with his family background, he can rise to prominence. One vice president is obviously not enough.

Luo Xue shook her head. "If he can give up, it might be the wisest decision of his life."

Hurta, Luther, and Roland are all outstanding and can definitely serve as the backbone of the Tianjing Order Academy. In addition to Li Xin, this is the reason why she changed her original strategy. She cannot let Zhao Qing do whatever he wants.

"I didn't expect that delegations from the Holy Ze and Iron Blood Churches would be coming. We need to prepare well; it'll definitely be reported in the news," Fei Ruolin said with a smile. This was indeed good news.

"This time, I'll give them a surprise." Even without that person, she would still feel pressured. Saint Ze and Iron Blood are actually powerful and would put a lot of pressure on Tianjing in terms of psionic energy. They came here 100% for Hextech. She didn't know what Zhao Qing had promised, but things are different now.

Thinking of this, Luo Xue felt inexplicably good. She had thought she would have to endure another year, but it seemed that the clouds were clearing and the sun was shining sooner than expected.

　The Order Academy Exchange Tournament is a side story used to introduce new characters and explain the world map. It's not a long story. The main plot is underway, so please be patient, brothers and sisters. This time, it's not like before where everything is revealed right away, or the typical hot-blooded youth writing style.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)