"We are heading outside the Barrier today for our practical class, and we might run into beast attacks. A white dress isn't suitable, so I picked out a few outfits for you. Go try them on."
"Outside the Barrier?"
In an instant, Zhou Lingxue was thrilled. What she yearned for most was the outside of the Barrier!
Now, she finally had the chance to go out!
Would she run into that beast, the Titan Python?!
Of course, even if she did run into it now, there probably wouldn't be a damn thing she could do!
Right then, a fierce desire to grow stronger surged within her heart.
She grabbed the clothes and went into the bedroom to change.
A short while later.
She walked out wearing a set consisting of hot pants and a small shirt.
This...
This guy!
Zhou Lingxue now strongly suspected that this outfit wasn't meant for her to wear outside today at all, but rather to be worn right here in the dorm for him to look at!
This outfit was almost too much for even Zhou Lingxue to bear looking at!
Especially since it exposed her injured knees!
No, no, this won't do!
She changed into a few more sets in succession.
They were all surprisingly similar!
Finally, Zhou Lingxue settled on a pair of tight jeans and a black form-fitting top.
And stepped out.
"How does it take you so long just to change your clothes?"
Ye Qing looked at Zhou Lingxue. As expected, this one chose this particular set.
However, it was his original intention for Zhou Lingxue to pick this one anyway; the rest could be worn for his eyes only.
This outfit fit her figure exceptionally well, accentuating it to the fullest.
It practically gave off the impression of heavy branches laden with lush fruit.
"Let's go. We'll grab some food first, and then head to the assembly point."
"Okay."
Zhou Lingxue obediently followed Ye Qing outside.
Along the way.
People naturally noticed this pairing.
"Hey, Xiaoli, look at those two over there?"
A young man said to his Weapon Spirit.
The girl looked over. "Isn't that the freshman who's been making all the news lately? Ye Qing. And the one next to him is... the Tetanus Blade!"
The mere mention of the Tetanus Blade!
Fully highlighted Zhou Lingxue's standing within the school!
"Isn't that an F-rank?"
"The absolute bottom-tier Weapon Spirit!"
Seeing the Weapon Spirit's surprise, the young man let out a light snort. "Looks like the rumors outside are true. This guy contracted a flying knife before, but every time they ran into a beast, he'd stand way back in the distance."
"Just watching that flying knife do the fighting."
"And in the end, he'd still take half of the Beast Core."
"Everyone said he was a freeloader. I didn't believe it before, but looking at it now, it's totally true. Once his flying knife left him, this guy could only contract the Tetanus Blade!"
"Alright, alright, stop looking. Staring at someone like that is just a waste of our time."
Meanwhile, along the way, others pointed and whispered at Ye Qing and Zhou Lingxue as well.
Though she couldn't hear what they were saying, Zhou Lingxue could feel the surrounding gazes and roughly guessed what it was about.
She leaned a bit closer to Ye Qing, and a sudden sense of safety washed over her.
Over here.
Ye Qing glanced toward a spot not far away and spotted a familiar figure.
His eyes instantly grew cold.
The person was none other than the former B-rank Flying Knife Spirit Tamer, Wang Tingting!
Wang Tingting looked over as well.
Then, she froze!
She looked at Zhou Lingxue.
Panic instantly flickered in Wang Tingting's eyes, followed quickly by a sense of self-loathing.
Then.
As if remembering something.
Her expression abruptly shifted.
Condescending!
Haughty!
Then, it morphed into the look one might give a maggot!
Finally, she tossed her head back and walked away in triumph.
Beside her, a young man looked at her. "Tingting, what's wrong? Who did you see?"
"I saw my previous Spirit Tamer, Ye Qing. He's contracted a new Weapon Spirit, I see. I was so startled just now; I didn't expect him to move on so fast."
"Turns out it's just the school's infamous F-rank Tetanus Blade!"
"Figures. Trash only matches trash."
Lü Li chimed in with a sneer, "True enough, they're just bottom-feeder maggots. Contracting a Tetanus Blade means that guy won't achieve a damn thing in this lifetime."
"By the way, during today's field practice class, you can get a taste of my Tier 2 Early Stage strength—see how much stronger I am compared to that maggot."
"Plus my talent's speed bonus. The two of us are a match made in heaven!"
"Mmm."
Wang Tingting replied with a lukewarm response.
Lü Li felt less than thrilled by Wang Tingting's attitude. After all, Weapon Spirits were usually subordinates to their Spirit Tamers, but with him, it somehow felt reversed.
Well, nothing could be done about it; Wang Tingting and Ye Qing's partnership had been quite famous in the past.
They could even slaughter Tier 3 Early Stage beasts!
Most of the credit for that should go to Wang Tingting, which was why he didn't quite measure up in her eyes.
In their school, senior Spirit Tamers and Weapon Spirits were usually around Tier 4, already considered masters above ordinary men. Young instructors were mostly at Tier 5, and the strongest principal was at Early Tier 7.
As for anything stronger, they generally didn't hold positions in the school; they were either clan heads or members of the Military Department.
So Lü Li swallowed the slight of being cold-shouldered by Wang Tingting just now. Still, his strength was definitely superior to that freeloader king.
A short while later.
Ye Qing brought Zhou Lingxue into the cafeteria.
After getting their food.
The two of them sat down to eat.
However.
Over in the distance, a few figures pointed at the two of them, occasionally bursting into laughter.
"Hey, you few over there. Have you laughed enough yet?"
A single sentence.
Left everyone momentarily stunned.
Then they looked at Ye Qing, who had spoken.
"Not yet. What about it?"
A sturdy young man stood up, looking at Ye Qing with blatant provocation. "The freeloader king dares to talk like that now?"
"What? Stopped freeloading and started growing teeth?"
"Got the Tetanus Blade sitting next to you to back you up?"
"Look at him, he's so fierce!"
Nearby, several pairs of men and women burst into loud laughter.
"Alright, alright, Brother Su, cut it out. Careful he doesn't use that Tetanus Blade to slice open a cut on you later—that would be a real pain in the ass to deal with!"
The male student sneered as he spoke.
"That's right, that's right."
"Look, the kid's too scared to talk."
While they were talking, Su Yang let out a cold snort. Just as he was about to sit back down, an iron food tray flew straight toward his face!
Clang!
Almost in an instant!
The iron plate collided with his face, instantly deforming!
Flattening against it!
At the same time, a piercing whistle filled the air!
A gloomy voice rang right in Su Yang's ear.
"I was waiting for her to finish eating. What were you waiting for? Death?"
***
Chapter 4: Ye Qing's Ferocity!
A single sentence, sounding like the whisper of a demon from hell!
Made every hair on Su Yang's body stand on end!
It felt as though he had plunged straight into an ice cave!
His entire body began to tremble!
Then!
A sharp pain erupted from his chest!
Thud!
With a dull muffled sound, he felt as though his internal organs had all been displaced!
His entire body flew backward like a curled-up shrimp!
Whoosh!
The sound of rushing wind echoed!
Crash!
Crack!
Thud, thud, thud!
Su Yang flew backward, smashing through quite a few tables and chairs, yet his momentum didn't lessen at all!
He rolled across the floor, scraping against the ground!
And finally slammed straight into the heavy back wall.
Embedded deep within it!
A sudden change of events!
The remaining men and women watched the scene unfold with wide eyes, utterly unable to believe what they were seeing!
After just a fleeting moment.
One of the young men snapped back to his senses. "Damn it! You're asking for it! Get him!"
"Beat him up!"
"Show him what we're made of!"
"Wang Binguyi, stop eating for fuck's sake! Transform! Fuck him up!"
Several male students instantly surged forward!
One of them pressed down hard on Wang Binguyi's collarbone.
Instantly, Wang Binguyi's figure turned translucent.
Transforming into a nine-section whip that fell into the young man's hand!
A fierce expression twisted the young man's face as he whipped the nine-section whip directly toward Ye Qing!
"Look out!"
Zhou Lingxue rushed toward Ye Qing in a panic!
She wanted to transform as well and fight alongside Ye Qing, but Ye Qing had no intention of using her to fight at all!
He simply reached out and grabbed the incoming nine-section whip with his bare hand!
With a violent yank!
The male student was pulled straight toward him!
Then, Ye Qing threw out a kick so fast it produced a sonic boom!
Boom!
The two figures instantly flew backward out of the cafeteria!
They were none other than the male student and Wang Binguyi, who had been knocked right out of her Weapon Spirit state.
"Holy shit, holy shit!"
"What was that?!"
"Is anyone even supposed to eat here anymore?!"
Outside, several figures stared at the scene.
"Eat? You take one look and you can tell a fight broke out! Their Weapon Spirit transformation state got knocked right out of them? What kind of monster is this guy?!"
"Aren't those guys sophomores? I think they're Tier 2 Spirit Tamers and Weapon Spirits! And they got beaten this badly?"
"Did a senior step in?"
"Look, someone else is coming out!"
"That's three pairs now, right?"
"............"
Meanwhile.
Back in the principal's office.
"Xu Bing, I heard a couple of kids in your freshman class broke their contract recently? It's been making quite a stir around the school; even I've heard about it."
Principal Li Peng said to the man standing before him.
"Yes. Those two kids... one of them is a B-rank Flying Knife. They were a decent pairing, but that B-rank Flying Knife, Wang Tingting, felt like she was doing all the frontline charging while Ye Qing wasn't pulling his weight."
"So she broke the contract."
"I've inspected the wounds on the beasts they hunted down."
"Those attack angles were tricky, and many of them were fatal single blows."
"Wang Tingting shouldn't have that kind of experience."
"I suspect it was all Ye Qing's doing. Wang Tingting probably played this hand wrong."
"Oh?" Li Peng's interest was piqued. "What is Ye Qing's awakening talent? What's his rank? What's his current strength as a Spirit Tamer?"
"Unknown. Ye Qing hasn't made his awakening talent public."
"Hasn't made it public..."
Li Peng murmured thoughtfully. After all, in this day and age, anyone who didn't publicize their talent was usually mediocre. It was much like an arranged marriage.
It was all about matching social standing.
An S-rank Weapon Spirit would never contract with an F-rank Spirit Tamer, right?
"Forget it, whatever. These things happen all the time; who didn't go through a few such things in their youth?" Li Peng laughed. Right then, a voice drifted in from the doorway.
"And just how many times did you go through it in your youth?"
A woman leaned against the door frame, looking at Li Peng with a smile.
In an instant, the corner of Li Peng's twitched.
"Haha, I wasn't finished. Who doesn't need to go through a few relationships to find the one that truly suits them?"
"That's more like it."
"Alright Principal, I still need to take some freshmen out to the practical class beyond the Barrier today, so I'll be heading off." Facing such a battlefield, Xu Bing decided that running away was the thirty-sixth and best stratagem.
Li Peng nodded. "Go ahead. It's full of danger beyond the Barrier, so keep a close eye on their safety."
Xu Bing was just about to leave.
When suddenly, a figure rushed over in a breathless panic.
"Instructor Xu! Instructor Xu!"
"What is it?!" Xu Bing asked, looking at his student.
"A fight broke out! Over at the cafeteria, Ye Qing is fighting five or six pairs of Spirit Tamers and Weapon Spirits! They're all sophomores."
What!
Xu Bing was momentarily stunned.
What the hell, someone daring to bully his student?!
Without even needing to think, Xu Bing knew what had happened—those little punks must have been mocking Ye Qing.
Yet Ye Qing didn't even have a Weapon Spirit right now. Wouldn't he be at a disadvantage?
"Where is Ye Qing right now? The infirmary?"
"Is he badly hurt?"
Huh?
Hearing Xu Bing's words, the male student hadn't expected him to react that way. He muttered sheepishly, "Ye Qing is fine. But those other people... they've all passed out."
"Even the female students' Weapon Spirit transformation states were shattered by Ye Qing."
Boom!
A single sentence!
Like a thunderclap, exploding in the ears of everyone present.
Li Peng's mouth twitched as well!
A single person?
A freshman Spirit Tamer?
Defeated the attacks of five or six pairs of Spirit Tamers and Weapon Spirits?
And knocked them all unconscious?
Even breaking their Weapon Spirit states?!
Are you fucking kidding me?!
"Principal, I'll go check it out first!" Xu Bing dropped those words.
And hurried toward the cafeteria.
Inside the cafeteria at that moment.
Zhou Lingxue stood frozen, completely dumbfounded!
Such terrifying combat power!
Is this really a Spirit Tamer?
Can a Spirit Tamer grow to be this terrifyingly strong?
Ye Qing swept his gaze across the surroundings.
Everyone caught in his gaze involuntarily took half a step back.
Terrifying, simply too terrifying!
Holy shit!
So brutal!
Ye Qing walked over to Su Yang, grabbed him by the hair, and yanked him straight out of the wall.
Then, dragging him along, he walked outside.
Feeling the surge of his own strength, Ye Qing marveled at the sheer power of Tier 4 Tianxiao Vigorous Qi!
Not only did it grant massive amplification and long duration, but the post-skill weakness period was also remarkably short.
Outside.
A large crowd of students had already gathered.
They watched Ye Qing walk out of the cafeteria, and then toss the battered Su Yang onto the ground.
Just like the other Spirit Tamers and Weapon Spirits.
Right now, a monstrous storm was raging through their hearts!
"Is that a Spirit Tamer?!"
"Is this the kind of strength a Spirit Tamer can reach?!"
"What?!"
"That's a damn humanoid tyrannosaurus rex right there!"
Everyone present screamed inwardly, yet not a single person dared to make a sound.
As they looked at Ye Qing, only deep, overwhelming shock remained.
"Ye Qing!"
The next moment!
Xu Bing hurried over as well.
And then, he laid eyes upon the brutal scene.
He stared blankly into the cafeteria.
Looking at the utter devastation inside.
The shock in his eyes grew even heavier.
***
Chapter 5: Wang Tingting Starts to Regret!
He had too many questions he wanted to ask Ye Qing right now, but—sigh, best deal with the scene first.
"Quick! Get a few people to rush them to the medical bay!"
With that, Xu Bing began directing the cleanup.
Seeing that Instructor Xu had arrived, many students quickly sprang into action.
The manager of the cafeteria walked over as well. "You can't just leave. You wrecked so many things, someone has to pay for the damages."
Xu Bing walked in and surveyed the extent of the destruction.
"This is roughly worth the price of two Tier 2 Beast Cores. Come find me later to collect it."
"Oh, it's Instructor Xu."
"Alright, alright, no problem at all."
The manager immediately agreed.
Xu Bing then looked at Ye Qing. Exactly what tier of Spirit Tamer was he to be this terrifyingly strong?
At the very least, he had to be a Tier 3 Late Stage Spirit Tamer!
Hiss!
Xu Bing himself was only at Tier 5 Middle Stage, yet this student was already so formidable?
He truly lived up to being the student Xu Bing had taken a liking to.
This time, it could also serve as a lesson for those arrogant sophomores.
However, immediately afterward.
Ye Qing walked toward Zhou Lingxue.
"How is it? Weren't you scared?"
"No. What about you? Did you get hurt anywhere?"
Zhou Lingxue snapped out of her daze from the brutal display moments ago. Even though she had witnessed the entire process of Ye Qing crushing opponents, she was still worried if he had sustained any injuries.
Mmm?!
What!
Seeing this scene, the smile on Xu Bing's face froze stiff!
This is?!
An F-rank Weapon Spirit?!
How could the two of them be this close?
Could it be?!
He strode quickly toward them.
"Ye Qing, did you... contract with her?"
Xu Bing asked Ye Qing in a voice filled with disbelief.
"That's right. She's my Weapon Spirit now." As he spoke, Ye Qing even held Zhou Lingxue's hand.
Feeling Ye Qing's gesture, a blush crept onto Zhou Lingxue's face.
However, Xu Bing's face crumpled.
"You—come with me to the office right now."
"Sigh, you come too."
Xu Bing glanced at Zhou Lingxue; if he left her alone here, she would likely become a target for revenge.
A short while later, at the doorway of the office.
Zhou Lingxue waited anxiously outside.
Inside.
Xu Bing lowered his voice as he spoke to Ye Qing. "You—how could you be so spineless! Have you lost your mind to lust?!"
"Even if you broke your contract with Wang Tingting, you shouldn't just give up on yourself like this!"
"You!"
Xu Bing wanted to say more, but Ye Qing looked straight at him. "Instructor Xu, if you're trying to persuade me to break my contract with Zhou Lingxue, I think you don't need to say another word."
Hiss!
Meeting Ye Qing's gaze, Xu Bing was momentarily taken aback.
This kid... is he serious?
Is he really this determined?
After a long while, he walked closer to Ye Qing.
He let out a long breath and sighed.
"I'm warning you, a Weapon Spirit is not a mere subordinate; they are living, breathing human beings. Don't toy with a Weapon Spirit's feelings casually."
"Since you've made your decision, stick with it."
"I know." Ye Qing hadn't expected Xu Bing to react this way.
Hearing Ye Qing's reply, Xu Bing sat down and loosened his collar. "Damn brat, causing such a huge mess first thing in the morning!"
"What a headache!"
"I still have to run over and explain things to the principal, and figure out how to keep you from getting punished."
"You, oh you!"
"Alright, go get ready for the practical class later. I'm going to see the principal."
Xu Bing stepped out of the room.
Massaging his temples with a sigh, he glanced at Zhou Lingxue before walking off into the distance.
Ye Qing walked out as well.
Zhou Lingxue had been waiting outside; though she couldn't hear what was said inside, she had a vague idea that Ye Qing had been reprimanded because of her.