Before the words fell, an even stronger sensation of being pushed back suddenly arrived. Their speed surged again, turning into a streak of light that shot toward Heaven Dou City!
"Ah---"!
Dugu Yan's cry of alarm was choked in her throat, her entire body almost embedding itself into Li Yifei's embrace.
She felt like a stone being flung from a catapult, no, much faster than that!
The scenery below had completely blurred into colored ribbons. The continuous mountain ranges became undulating green lines in her vision. The clouds were easily pierced and then thrown far behind them.
Is this what flying feels like?
No, this isn't flying.
This is tearing the sky apart!
She kept her eyes tightly shut, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it would explode. Strangely, besides the initial feeling of weightlessness, she didn't feel the slightest bit of wind resistance.
An invisible barrier perfectly sealed off the violent airflow outside.
All she could feel was the stability and strength of the arm wrapped around her waist, and the clean, crisp aura that belonged exclusively to this man rushing toward her.
Dugu Yan's cheeks were frighteningly hot.
In all her years, she had never been in such intimate contact with any man.
Moreover, it was in such an unbelievable manner.
Time seemed to stretch, yet it also seemed to be just an instant.
When the terrifying sensation of being pushed back slowly vanished, Dugu Yan finally felt her feet gently touch solid ground.
Her legs went weak, and she almost collapsed directly onto the ground, but luckily, Li Yifei's arm was still supporting her.
"We're here."
Two simple words sounded above her head.
Dugu Yan then dared to slowly open her eyes. What greeted her vision was an unfamiliar forest, and not far away, she could already see the majestic outline of Heaven Dou City.
She dazedly looked up at the man beside her.
His breathing was steady, his clothes neat, as if he hadn't just carried someone through ultra-high-speed flight.
"We... arrived already?" Dugu Yan's throat felt a bit dry.
From Sunset Forest to Heaven Dou City, even the fastest Spirit Beast carriage would take half a day.
Yet, they seemed to have taken less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
"Mm, this way is a bit faster.", Li Yifei released his arm and replied as a matter of course.
Dugu Yan's body lost its support and swayed before she managed to stand firmly. She looked at Li Yifei, momentarily unsure of what to say.
How many secrets was this man still hiding?
Physical Body flight, and flight at such terrifying speed while carrying someone.
This completely surpassed her understanding of a Spirit Master.
Could a Titled Douluo do this?
Perhaps they could, but never with such effortless grace as he displayed.
"Let's go, to the Academy.", Li Yifei didn't give her much time for wild speculation and strode toward the city gate first.
"Oh... okay!" Dugu Yan quickly followed, trailing him closely like a little attendant.
Entering Heaven Dou City, the two headed straight for the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
With Dugu Yan, the 'local expert,' everything went smoothly. The guards respectfully saluted and let them pass upon seeing her.
The Heaven Dou Royal Academy truly lived up to its reputation as the top academy of the leading Empire, boasting an extremely vast area and magnificent, grand architecture, exuding an air of royal majesty everywhere.
Dugu Yan led the way while diligently introducing things.
"Brother Yi Fei, we'll go to the Faculty Committee first to give Grandpa's letter of recommendation to the three Chief Faculty Members. They will process a borrowing card for you with the highest access rights."
"Mm.", Li Yifei nodded.
"Then I'll take you to the library. Our Academy's library is one of the most richly stocked places on the entire continent!" Dugu Yan's tone carried a touch of slight pride.
However, she quickly noticed that the man beside her seemed uninterested in these things. His reactions were consistently flat, as if the sights that would make ordinary Spirit Masters exclaim in wonder were not worth mentioning to him.
The slight pride in Dugu Yan's heart instantly extinguished.
Right, how could someone who could discuss the Rakshasa God Trial as mere intelligence, and carry someone across hundreds of miles using only his Physical Body, care about a mere Royal Academy?
Soon, the two arrived at the administrative building where the Faculty Committee was located.
The process was smoother than expected.
When Dugu Yan handed over the letter sealed with the Poison Douluo's mark, the attitudes of the three Faculty Members, who were usually arrogant Spirit Douluo level figures, immediately became extremely enthusiastic and respectful.
They didn't even ask much about Li Yifei's background before immediately processing a pass and borrowing card granting him the highest access rights on the spot.
"Mr. Li, you can freely enter all areas within the Academy, including the restricted section of the library, with this card.", The head Faculty Member respectfully handed a gold-rimmed card to Li Yifei.
"Thank you.", Li Yifei took the card and turned to leave.
Concise and direct, without a single superfluous word.
The three Faculty Members exchanged glances, seeing a hint of surprise in each other's reactions. This young man, facing the three of them, Spirit Douluos, showed no tension or awkwardness; that composure didn't seem feigned.
The person recommended by Dugu Bo was indeed extraordinary.
Leaving the administrative building, Dugu Yan let out a long sigh of relief.
"Done! Brother Yi Fei, let's go to the library right now!" she said excitedly.
The two walked along the tree-lined avenue within the Academy.
Just then, a figure slowly walked around the corner of a small path ahead.
It was a beautiful young girl.
Her neat, silver-gray short hair shimmered with a peculiar luster in the sunlight. Her figure was tall and well-proportioned; even wearing the standard uniform dress of the Academy, she couldn't hide her stunning curves.
Her skin was fair, and her features were as exquisite as a doll's.
However, the entire person exuded a cold aura that warned strangers away, as if everything around her had nothing to do with her.
Li Yifei paused his steps.
He had an impression of this girl.
The owner of the Nine Heart Begonia Spirit, the only support-type Spirit Master of the Heaven Dou Battle Team, Ye Lingling.
"Lingling!" Dugu Yan saw the person approaching and proactively went over to greet her.
The girl with the silver-gray short hair stopped, raised her head, and her beautiful eyes looked toward Dugu Yan. She merely nodded slightly without speaking.
"Are you going to class?" Dugu Yan seemed accustomed to her coldness and continued to make conversation.
"Mm.", Ye Lingling's response was just a single syllable.
The atmosphere instantly became a bit awkward.
Dugu Yan also noticed it. She tugged at Li Yifei beside her and introduced, "Lingling, this is my friend, Li Yifei."
Ye Lingling's gaze then turned toward Li Yifei.
She nodded again, acknowledging the greeting, and then gave another word.
"Mm."
Li Yifei didn't speak, just looked at her calmly.
In Dugu Yan's view, this was typical aloofness; she wouldn't even spare an extra word for someone she didn't know well.
But in Li Yifei's perception, it was completely different.
When this girl named Ye Lingling looked at him, her body stiffened for a moment.
The hand she kept at her side unconsciously gripped the hem of her dress.
Although there was little change on her face, the lobes of her fair, delicate ears flushed with an extremely faint pink.
Furthermore, her gaze immediately dropped after making contact with his. She appeared to be looking at the ground, but in reality, she was using her peripheral vision to quickly and subtly scan him several times.
From top to bottom, and then from bottom to top.
Aloof?
How was this aloof?