Xue Beng's pupils shrank suddenly as he watched the meteor hurtling toward them, growing larger at an alarming rate.
At that moment, he couldn't care less about Qi Lin and the others. Seeing the meteor plummeting in their direction, he immediately activated his spirit and flew away as fast as he could.
His lackeys behind him, seeing this, also released their spirits and fled desperately with all their strength.
Even Gu Yuena, who had remained calm the whole time, showed a rare change in expression. She stood up, ready to shield Qi Lin and the others.
But Qi Lin waved his hand calmly.
"No worries—it won't hit us."
After speaking, he even looked up at the sky with interest, watching the meteor descend.
Gu Yuena stared at him in surprise, and after a moment of panic, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing were also affected by Qi Lin's composure and gradually calmed down.
Above, the meteor blazed fiercely, trailing a dazzling tail of fire as it tore through the clouds.
Over a minute passed before it finally struck, with a thunderous crash, right in the direction Xue Beng and his group had fled.
BOOM!
The earth trembled violently. A terrifying shockwave erupted in all directions, and a massive cloud of dust soared into the sky. A ten-mile radius was engulfed by the blast.
Yet, in the area where Qi Lin and the others stood, space suddenly split open, absorbing all the residual shockwaves and the searing meteor fragments as if swallowing them whole.
As a result, while devastation spread everywhere else, Qi Lin's group remained in a spot that appeared untouched—perfectly intact.
If not for the tremors beneath their feet and the towering dust cloud in the distance, the girls might have thought they had imagined the entire scene.
"Qi... Qi Lin-ge, how did you know the meteor wouldn't hit us?" Ning Rongrong asked, still shaken.
"And how come we weren't affected at all by the shockwave? This is way too unbelievable!"
Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing stared at Qi Lin in amazement as well.
They didn't know why the meteor hadn't hurt them—but their instincts told them it definitely had something to do with Qi Lin.
Only Gu Yuena had a faint guess—that it was likely related to the mysterious power of destiny surrounding Qi Lin.
Simply put, Qi Lin was like the child of fate in this world—blessed, always turning danger into fortune.
But Gu Yuena also felt there was more to it than that.
After all, no matter how lucky a child of fate might be, surely there must be limits?
Yet Qi Lin's luck showed no bounds.
He didn't seem like the child of fate... more like fate's father.
---
At the same time, outside the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, an opulent carriage came to an abrupt halt.
From within, Ning Fengzhi peered through the window just in time to witness the meteor crash down from the heavens. His expression changed drastically.
Beside him, Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo were equally shaken.
"This is bad—Rongrong is still inside the academy!"
"Old Bones, you stay here with Fengzhi. I'll go find Rongrong."
With that, Sword Douluo stepped onto his flying sword and shot off like a streak of light.
Bone Douluo didn't argue. They both knew one of them had to stay by Ning Fengzhi's side.
Inside the academy, countless students, teachers, and the three Deans were also alarmed by the meteor crash. All rushed toward the impact site.
After all, most of the academy's students were nobles from the Heaven Dou Empire. If any of them died, it would be a huge political problem.
When the three Deans reached the massive crater left by the impact, they saw only a pile of charred remains and tattered uniforms.
Several students who arrived with them retched at the gruesome sight.
At that moment, Qi Lin and his group also arrived at the crater's edge.
The crater wasn't that large, but the surrounding vegetation had been blown to bits.
Upon seeing the blackened remains at the center, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing immediately turned away to vomit. Even Xiao Wu, who had taken lives before, felt a wave of nausea.
She recovered quickly, though, and spat to the side. "Serves them right! If they hadn't died, I would've personally ripped off all three of their legs."
Meanwhile, Qi Lin, who usually appeared gentle and kind, looked at the grisly scene without the slightest change in expression.
"See? I told you…"
"When people get too arrogant, heaven takes care of them."
"They got what they deserved."
Everyone suddenly remembered what Qi Lin had said right before the meteor fell, and their eyes filled with disbelief.
Xiao Wu whispered, "Xiao Lin-ge, did… did you somehow summon that meteor?"
Her words immediately drew the attention of Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and even Gu Yuena.
They all felt this couldn't be a coincidence. Why else had their area been completely unaffected?
Qi Lin raised both hands with a helpless smile.
"They were killed by a meteor, not me, alright?"
"As for why we weren't affected—well, you all know. I've always had incredible luck."
Though Qi Lin said this, Xiao Wu and the others still wore doubtful expressions.
"Rongrong!"
A joyful voice suddenly rang out.
A streak of light flashed across the sky, and Sword Douluo appeared in front of Ning Rongrong, anxiously inspecting her as if afraid she might be hurt.
"Grandpa Jian! Why are you here?"
"Wait—did my father and Grandpa Gu also come?"
Sword Douluo smiled. "Of course. But they're still outside the academy. You know your Grandpa Jian cares about you the most, so the moment I saw the meteor fall on the academy, I rushed in immediately."
Seeing that she was unharmed, Sword Douluo couldn't help but try to outshine Ning Fengzhi and Bone Douluo a bit.
On the side, Xiao Wu instinctively flinched upon seeing Sword Douluo.
But then she remembered the bracelet Qi Lin gave her—one that concealed her identity. He won't recognize me. No need to panic.
Meanwhile, the three Deans also noticed Sword Douluo's arrival and hurried over, bowing respectfully.
"Greetings, Sword Douluo."
He gave them a casual wave. As long as Rongrong was safe, he didn't care who else had died in the academy.
"Teacher Qi Lin, we're so glad you're alright!"
The three Deans were relieved to see Qi Lin unharmed.
Given how close his dormitory was to the crash site, had anything happened to him, it would have been a huge failure on their part.
Qi Lin smiled faintly. "We're fine. But I'm afraid the royal family might need to come and identify a body."
The three Deans froze.
Identify a body? What did he mean?
The next moment, their expressions twisted in horror.
"Wait… you don't mean—!"
"That's right," Qi Lin said with a smile. "Among the bodies... is Xue Beng's."
"What?!"
The Deans' expressions turned to stone.
Xue Beng… was dead?!