Marked the Protagonist A (Translated)

Chapter 51: "Lifelong Rival"

Chapter 51: "Lifelong Rival"

Even when he spoke again, the surroundings remained eerily quiet.

Ji Chenxi cautiously extended his mental energy to probe the area, but there truly was no one around.

The silver-haired youth frowned in the direction of the sound, taking two steps forward, yet he hesitated to investigate further due to the tangled and dusty branches.

After he left, the person hidden in the shadows let out a slight breath. He had been holding his breath to avoid detection, creating the illusion that no one was there.

Only after sensing that the other had moved far away did he exhale a barely audible sigh. But at that moment, an ice-blue cone of energy, formed from mental force, shot toward him. Its brilliant blue center concealed a dark sea-blue hue, beautiful yet deadly.

The hidden individual's breath faltered slightly as he first spotted a rounded recording device, which had successfully captured his moment of shock.

Meanwhile, the silver-haired youth who should have been leaving was smiling brightly at him.

"This technique of concealing mental energy is impressive. Few can achieve this level. It seems your mental entity specializes in illusion. Based on what I know about the new students from the two schools, you must be the highest-ranked among them—Lu Jianhan, with a mental entity of the Illusion Butterfly."

The young man, seriously injured in the abdomen and now forced to find a secluded place to recuperate, had short, flaxen hair and light tea-colored eyes. He was now watching the silver-haired youth warily, his expression filled with caution.

"How did you discover me, Third Prince?"

With no visible signs of presence and even his mental energy undetectable, only the faint scent of blood—too weak to be traced—remained. A typical person would have assumed they were mistaken, overly suspicious. How could Ji Chenxi be so certain that someone was present, even ready to attack?

"Huh? I noticed from the beginning, otherwise, why would I ask?"

"You clearly used mental energy to sense me." Lu Jianhan's tone quickened. He knew he couldn't protect his points anymore and just wanted to know where he had slipped up.

Ji Chenxi merely smiled. "I did probe, but I never doubt my judgment."

So regardless of whether anyone was there or not, Ji Chenxi would reinforce his suspicion, which might lead him to a big catch. In fact, he had guessed correctly.

Lu Jianhan, who held the position of male second lead in that dark book, was the most important character apart from the main character, Chi Zhuo.

In the original text, he had an even greater presence than Bai Anran, who was ostensibly the fiancé. Their assessment marked their first encounter; they started out as rivals and later became roommates by chance. Over time, Lu Jianhan became Bai Anran's best alpha friend.

But how could a book filled with romance possibly depict a pure friendship between an omega and an alpha? So, in the story, Lu Jianhan gradually developed feelings for Bai Anran—feelings that were subtle yet pure, typical of a young alpha, instinctively caring for someone he liked. Only much later, when Bai Anran had developed feelings for Chi Zhuo, did Lu Jianhan realize his own feelings, yet he could only give them up quietly.

The extensive descriptions in the text were far beyond what Ji Chenxi could compare to. It was one thing for the First Military Academy and the Royal Academy to jointly hold the new student trials, but encountering Lu Jianhan—especially in his injured state—was quite unexpected.

Ji Chenxi approached under Lu Jianhan's wary gaze.

"Your condition doesn't seem too good, Lu."

Lu Jianhan's face showed no change, but his body tensed even more.

The Illusion Butterfly could confuse others and had toxins on its wings that paralyzed nerves. Ji Chenxi wasn't foolish enough to approach a stranger with a dangerous mental entity without caution.

After taking a few steps closer, Ji Chenxi stopped. "I happen to have something good I found recently that's very effective for healing. Lu, would you consider collaborating with me? I'm not asking for much—just half of the points you currently have and our future cooperation. Of course, any points we earn together after the cooperation will be split evenly, which means you only need to use half of your current points to get a powerful ally like me."

Ji Chenxi's strength was unknown to Lu Jianhan, but he realized that if he rejected Ji Chenxi now, the dangerous mental attack would be directed at him, and all his points would end up in Ji Chenxi's possession.

"Are you trying to trick me, Third Prince?"

Ji Chenxi pointed to the recording device hovering a short distance away. "That device is still here. If I really intended to go back on my word, I wouldn't have brought it with me. It's easy to give the higher-ups a bad impression, right?"

This wasn't entirely a convincing argument, but given Lu Jianhan's severe injuries and the fact that he had been discovered, he had no choice.

"I hope the prince is a person of his word."

After a brief contemplation, Lu Jianhan solemnly agreed, tossing the points he held toward Ji Chenxi.

"Very good," Ji Chenxi didn't hesitate. After getting half of his points, he tossed the herbs he had found to Lu Jianhan, while also dissolving the mental energy spike he had created. "Quickly apply the medicine; we still have follow-up actions to take."

"What's Your Highness's plan?"

"Naturally, we should take advantage of the early stages to gather a lot of points. Once we get to the collaborative matches, it won't be as easy to seize points openly. Rather than targeting the newcomers, we should focus on those upperclassmen, especially those who are somewhat skilled and like to cause trouble for the newcomers."

"And after that?"

"To the western district. The school has already told us there's a hidden mission there; they want to attract us over. Since we aim to be at the forefront, we must go there. In this trial, I don't seek to make a huge impression, but I must ensure I can overshadow at least one person."

"Your rival?" Lu Jianhan guessed.

Ji Chenxi tilted his head and chuckled softly at the question. "You could say that."

"Did I say something wrong?"

Ji Chenxi's eyes sparkled with a hint of ambiguity. "Not wrong, but he's not just a rival; he's my lifelong enemy."

His tone rose slightly at the end, suggesting an undercurrent of tension.