C14

The training ground's doors slowly opened, and Lei Jiuping and Ji Jinfei walked inside. As the doors closed behind them, another door opened. This was the barrier to keep out any creatures, ensuring they couldn't escape. The space between these two doors was built with special stones that creatures couldn't penetrate.

After passing through the second door, Lei Jiuping scoffed and said, "Want me to let you go first?"

Ji Jinfei chuckled and replied, "No need for that, but you could let me go first..."

"Go first with what?" Lei Jiuping asked, noticing Ji Jinfei's mischievous grin and feeling a bit uneasy.

"Let me give you a kiss first." With that, Ji Jinfei lunged at Lei Jiuping.

"Oh, come on!" Lei Jiuping hadn't expected Ji Jinfei to skip the competition entirely and make a move on him instead. Clearly, she was more interested in having fun than in the match itself.

He quickly raised his foldable stick, aiming it at Ji Jinfei with only a fraction of his strength, worried he might hurt her. He knew if she got injured, she'd accuse him of cheating to win, and he wasn't about to let that happen.

Ji Jinfei skillfully maneuvered, using her sash to pull Lei Jiuping a step closer. By now, she was right in front of him. Lei Jiuping let out a yelp but, thanks to his regular training, managed to handle the situation. He planted his stick on the ground and vaulted over Ji Jinfei's head.

Missing her target, Ji Jinfei spun around and teased, "Where do you think you're going, handsome? Just give in to me."

"Help! I'm being harassed!" Lei Jiuping cried out dramatically, darting away as fast as he could.

Meanwhile, in the control room, the manager watched the scene on the monitor and chuckled. "Ji Yeying, your student is quite the character. She's even more entertaining than some of the most eccentric ones we've seen."

Ji Yeying shielded her eyes with her hand and said, "Don't even mention it, that guy."

Meanwhile, Ji Jinfei stood at a crossroads, glancing around as she remarked, "That guy sure can run fast." She smirked slyly and muttered to herself, "But he probably took the wrong path, so I'll just head on my way." With that, she moved in the opposite direction.

At another intersection, Lei Jiuping was catching his breath as he looked around. "That jerk," he panted, "led me off course. Now it'll take some time to get back. Seriously, how can someone be so shameless? She's nothing like her mentor."

As Lei Jiuping spoke, he suddenly sensed movement behind him. Turning around, he saw a monstrous tree lunging at him. "Damn it, all because of that person," he cursed under his breath, swinging his foldable stick as he charged forward.

Ji Jinfei had reached the stairwell. She was pretty lucky so far, having not encountered any formidable creatures. Just as she was about to head downstairs, she spotted Lei Jiuping running toward her from a distance.

"Hey, Jiuping! Finally realized how great I am?" Ji Jinfei called out as soon as she saw him.

Lei Jiuping shouted back while running, "Get moving, it's a bloodsucking demon frog!" Behind him, a massive demonic frog was in pursuit, occasionally flicking its tongue toward him.

"Oh man, how did you get tangled up with that thing?" Ji Jinfei was a bit flustered. The bloodsucking demon frog was notoriously difficult to deal with, ranking in the top fifty of the demon realm. They were hard to find, let alone capture. Encountering one here, the two of them together didn't stand a chance.

Ji Jinfei quickly turned and dashed down the stairs, which were made of enchanted stone to confuse the creatures. Once inside, they'd be safe. Lei Jiuping had the same idea and sprinted toward the stairwell.

"Vampire Frog," Yeying glanced over and said, "Someone actually managed to capture this thing. Impressive. Who caught it?"

The manager chuckled and replied, "Who else but Situ Caiyu? There are only two of these creatures in the entire training ground, and they happened to come across one. Quite unlucky, but fortunately, there's still one more downstairs."

Yeying could only manage a wry smile and said, "True, he's always catching these bizarre creatures."

Meanwhile, Jinfei was by the stairs, planning to ambush Jiuping. She wasn't intending to harm him, just hoping to fulfill her wish of stealing a kiss.

Jiuping felt the Vampire Frog almost reaching his back. He knew that if his clothes got stuck to it, he'd have no chance. Even if Yeying came to his rescue, he'd be too drained, and Jinfei would easily defeat him.

At this moment, his only thought was to get downstairs as quickly as possible. He snapped his foldable stick into three parts, tucked it away, and lunged towards the stairs, curling into a ball and rolling down. The frog's tongue barely grazed him.

Jiuping's momentum was strong enough to break free from the sticky grip, and he rolled even faster down the stairs. Jinfei was caught off guard as a human-sized ball tumbled down. Just as she was about to move away, the ball knocked her over, and they both tumbled down together.

The stairs were as high as a typical two-story building. Entangled, they rolled down and landed heavily on the ground, with Jinfei cushioning the fall and Jiuping on top of her. Jiuping was taken by surprise, the force was quite strong, and he found himself leaning forward, right onto Jinfei.

Their lips met suddenly. Lei Jiuping's eyes widened in shock, while Ji Jinfei, despite the pain from the fall, felt a soft sensation on her lips. Looking at Lei Jiuping's eyes, she couldn't help but feel a bit delighted.

As soon as Lei Jiuping hit the ground, he pushed himself up with his hands, bouncing back to his feet and taking a few deep breaths. Ji Jinfei sat up as well and said, "Oh, come on, if you like me, just say so."

"Like you? No way!" Lei Jiuping shouted, clearly flustered. He didn't want things to be this way and quickly sprinted off, disappearing around the corner in no time.

Ji Jinfei chuckled to herself, saying, "That guy, he's actually shy." She slowly stood up, stretching her back, and remarked, "He's pretty heavy, almost crushed me. There's something a bit mischievous about him. Heh."

Outside, the supervisor watching the scene on the monitor laughed and said to Ji Yeying, "Your student sure has some luck, getting kissed by the president's son. Maybe you should arrange a meeting with the president?"

Ji Yeying sighed and replied, "That fool, he's already left, and she's still here daydreaming."

Ji Jinfei suddenly realized that Lei Jiuping had already run quite far. In such a short time, he had gained a significant lead. This was trouble; if she lost the race, switching mentors would be a real possibility.

"Hey, wait up!" Ji Jinfei shouted, dashing towards the stairs she remembered.

But a massive tree monster blocked her path. Ji Jinfei glanced at it and muttered, "Just my luck."

Meanwhile, Lei Jiuping was having a much easier time. The creatures in front of him were minor nuisances, and with his foldable stick, they kept their distance. These training ground creatures had some sense; they knew better than to mess with someone they couldn't handle. As he moved forward, Lei Jiuping couldn't help but harbor a bit of resentment towards Ji Jinfei.

The recent scene kept replaying in his mind. My first kiss, and it was with her? Lei Jiuping felt like crying but had no tears left. In frustration, he smashed a slightly larger demon with his foldable stick, leaving it in pieces, ensuring it wouldn't survive.

Meanwhile, the manager was watching both of them on split screens. On the other side, Ji Jinfei was having an intense battle with a tree demon, relying solely on her skills without using any demon repelling powder.

"Oh, this apprentice is pretty good. A bit quirky, but her skills are solid. This tree demon ranks within the top two hundred, and she's managing to hold her own. With this level of skill, she could easily become a Level 9 Demon Suppressing Master. It's a shame she's still an intern," the manager remarked.

Ji Yeying glanced over and said, "Lei Jiuping isn't bad either. That move just now was impressive. Wielding such a heavy stick with ease is remarkable. With proper training, he could be a rising star in the demon-suppressing world."

The manager chuckled, "Well, he is President Lei's son, so he's got some talent. It looks like Lei Jiuping has a good chance of winning. What was their bet about?"

Ji Yeying sighed and shook her head, "Don't ask."

At that moment, Ji Jinfei severed the tree demon's soul root with her sword, causing it to shrink into a ball. Wiping her sweat, she said, "That was tough. But my strength has grown again. Wait, that guy must have already moved on. Let's hurry."

Lei Jiuping had indeed reached the next staircase, gritting his teeth in frustration. As he approached the stairs, he couldn't help but think about that incident. Never mind, he thought, calming himself. Winning this match was the priority. With that in mind, he quickly descended, while Ji Jinfei was still halfway through, cutting down the little demons that clung to her.