"I heard you."
"Then why did you strike?"
Although no one had died, according to academy rules, students generally do not act with such ruthlessness against one another. Since the commencement of the Hidden Dragon Competition, this was the first time such an incident had occurred in three full days.
"It was a life-and-death battle under a written pact; why should I have stopped?"
A life-and-death battle?
Teng Long looked toward Xing Yingxue. Seeing her nod, he finally understood why this person dared to be so reckless as to ignore his commands. Once a life-and-death pact is signed, Tang Hao being able to keep his life was already a stroke of fortune. After all, even if the Dean were present, they would not intervene in such a matter.
"What is your name? Which class are you from?"
"Su Chen, from Class 22."
Teng Long was inwardly astonished. When had such a monster appeared in the lowest-ranked beginner class? This student had even managed to defeat Tang Hao, the number one genius of the beginner classes.
Without further chatter, Teng Long picked up the unconscious Tang Hao and vanished from their sight like a cheetah.
Xing Yingxue stared blankly at the young man before her. She was still in a daze, never having expected that Junior Su would possess such overbearing strength, going as far as to critically wound Tang Hao.
"Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine."
Helping Xing Yingxue sit on the ground, Su Chen said, "You should have left with Instructor Teng Long just now."
Su Chen knew very well that students like Xing Yingxue who participated in the Hidden Dragon Competition were merely there to make up the numbers and gain experience; the idea of competing for a spot on the Hidden Dragon Ranking was pure delusion. Even Tang Hao was nothing more than a sparring partner; the Hidden Dragon Ranking was a battleground for intermediate classes, having little to do with the beginner classes.
Xing Yingxue sighed helplessly. "Junior Su, I’ve implicated you this time. The Tang clan’s influence in the Eastern Wasteland is immense. Even with the Eastern Wasteland Academy as a deterrent, once you leave the academy, I’m afraid..."
She left the rest of her sentence unsaid, but the implication was clear for anyone to hear.
Su Chen, however, was indifferent. Whether it was one Su clan or an additional Tang clan, it made no difference to him.
"You are from the Xing clan?"
Su Chen had heard their earlier exchange. He was not unfamiliar with the Xing clan; like the Tang and Su clans, they were a top-tier power in the Eastern Wasteland, famous for their Golden Sparrow Blood Wheel.
Xing Yingxue nodded, her face filled with sorrow. "I am indeed from the Xing clan, but I am an outcast. You likely heard just now—my clan is famed for the Golden Sparrow Blood Wheel, but the one I awakened is the Partridge Blood Wheel. It is the shame of the Xing clan."
Golden Sparrow Blood Wheel? Partridge Blood Wheel?
Su Chen understood her feelings. In this world where martial might is everything, even blood ties are fragile, and he was a prime example of this. Under the threat of the Su clan, his cousins and uncle had wanted him dead, and even his grandfather, who had once doted on him, had cast him out.
For a martial artist, the Blood Wheel is the foundation; for a top-tier power, it is a matter of face. A prestigious clan like the Xing, possessing the coveted Golden Sparrow Blood Wheel, would certainly find it impossible to accept the sudden appearance of a Partridge Blood Wheel. Su Chen guessed that Xing Yingxue’s status within the clan must have been significant before her fall.
"Junior Su, can I ask you for a favor?"
"Speak."
"I want to follow you for a few days to gain experience."
At the Level 2 Foundation Establishment Realm, such cultivation was indeed too low for the Eastern Wasteland Academy; otherwise, she wouldn't have been relegated to the worst beginner class.
For Su Chen, it didn't matter. His goal was to hunt for spiritual herbs while competing for points to climb the Hidden Dragon Ranking. He knew he had no hope for the Hundred Battles Ranking, but for the Hidden Dragon Ranking, he was determined to secure a spot that the others in his class could not.
"Fine."
Upon hearing this, Xing Yingxue thanked him repeatedly with gratitude.
"Let’s rest for two hours. We will leave once your injuries have recovered."
"Alright."
Xing Yingxue’s injuries were not severe; she had only been caught in the aftermath of the battle. Two hours would be enough for her to recover. Watching the young man sitting cross-legged not far away, her face flushed with an unnatural heat.
***
Two hours later, Xing Yingxue’s injuries had mostly recovered, and they departed without further delay. Su Chen’s decision to help her stemmed not only from them being classmates but also from a shared sense of sympathy—they were both outcasts discarded by their families.
*ROAR!*
A terrifying roar tore through the void. Hundreds of Iron-Armored Rhinos had surrounded them, their cold eyes fixed on their prey.
Su Chen summoned his Blood Wheel and grasped a phantom sword shadow. Protecting Xing Yingxue behind him, he unleashed the Nine Calamity Sword Technique, sending sharp, overbearing sword energy sweeping through the surroundings.
Faced with a siege of hundreds of beasts, Su Chen felt not an ounce of fear, but rather excitement. He slaughtered as he devoured. As long as he had enough devouring power, combined with the Chaos Devouring Art and his Chaos Body, he believed he could soon break his own limits and successfully advance to the Level 9 Foundation Establishment Realm.
Tens of minutes later, Su Chen and Xing Yingxue sat cross-legged. "Calm your mind, guard your source, and do not resist the power I channel into you. You only need to absorb it."
Su Chen’s intention was simple: he would act as a medium, using his body to devour the strength of the rhinos. Once refined through the Chaos Devouring Art, he would channel the energy into her, ensuring there would be no backlash.
Xing Yingxue felt immense gratitude. Even her family had abandoned her, and the academy had relegated her to the lowest class. Now, Su Chen was willing to help her. Her gaze grew hazy as she watched him. The image of Su Chen in her heart began to grow.
"Don't let your mind wander, cultivate!"
As Su Chen held her hand tightly, Xing Yingxue felt a flutter in her heart, constantly telling herself to stop thinking nonsense. Above her, a Blood Wheel slowly condensed, within which a small bird’s phantom appeared—the Partridge Blood Wheel she had awakened.
Under Su Chen's full support, her cultivation broke through to the Level 3 Foundation Establishment Realm.
"Eh?"
"Junior Su, what is it?"
Still holding her hand, Su Chen looked at the Blood Wheel above her head and said in surprise, "There is something peculiar about your Blood Wheel. If you trust me, let me help you."
"Please, Junior Su."
Of course, she trusted him. Xing Yingxue wouldn't even trust anyone in her own family now, yet she trusted the man before her.
Su Chen’s Chaos Body manifested, and his sword-shaped Blood Wheel emerged, masking his dark, swirling Devouring Blood Wheel. He began to circulate the Chaos Devouring Art. Streams of devouring energy poured into Xing Yingxue, enveloping her Blood Wheel.
Sweat beaded on her face as she gritted her teeth in pain.
The devouring energy began to consume her Partridge Blood Wheel. If she hadn't chosen to trust him, she would have thought he was trying to harm her.
"Senior Sister Xing, hold on."
"Mm."
The pain intensified. It felt as if ten thousand ants were gnawing at her flesh and bones.
Half an hour later, just as Xing Yingxue was about to reach her limit, the Partridge phantom shattered. A brand new phantom emerged from within.
It was a pure white cloud lark with countless black markings. Its cold eyes contained a fierce, formidable light, and it let out a long, heaven-defying cry.
"A mutated Blood Wheel: Heaven-Veiling Lark."
Su Chen knew exactly what a mutated Blood Wheel meant. His own sword Blood Wheel was also a mutation. Such wheels were unique and exceptionally powerful. When he helped her cultivate earlier, he had sensed that her Blood Wheel was sealed; it appeared the mutation hadn't fully awakened, and his intervention had merely acted as the spark.
Originally, he had planned to use the energy of the hundreds of rhinos to break through to the Level 9 Foundation Establishment Realm. However, seeing that Xing Yingxue had awakened a mutated Blood Wheel, he knew she needed the infusion of energy to reap the greatest benefit. Su Chen was not a stingy man; he chose to forgo his own breakthrough and threw all his effort into helping her absorb the energy.
An hour later, the pain vanished, and her prior injuries were completely healed. The Heaven-Veiling Lark Blood Wheel above her head bestowed immense power upon her.
Opening her eyes, she felt the surging energy within. She had jumped four stages, from Level 2 to Level 6. She was overwhelmed with excitement.
"Junior Su, thank you."
"No need for thanks."
Su Chen was happy for her. It was the "useless" Blood Wheel that had made her a pariah in the Xing clan. With this top-tier Heaven-Veiling Lark, her status in the clan would undoubtedly undergo a heaven-shattering change.
As she noticed her hand was still clasped in his, her face turned as red as a ripe apple.
"Xing Yingxue? You really are shameless, engaging in secret affairs here! To think Senior Tang Hao pursued you so hard—have you no sense of decency?"
The students in the Eastern Wasteland Forest did not yet know that Tang Hao’s Blood Wheel had been crippled. A man and a woman walked over, acting as self-appointed arbiters of justice. Everyone in the beginner classes knew that Tang Hao from Class 1 had been pursuing Xing Yingxue, only to be rejected repeatedly.
"Mo Lin, stop spouting nonsense."
Mo Lin and Mu Shuangshuang were both from Class 1 and were essentially Tang Hao’s lackeys. They couldn't stay in the academy forever, and once they left, they needed the support of the Tang clan.
"Nonsense? Am I? Look at you two! If we had arrived any later, would you have started mating in the wild? How could Big Brother Tang Hao even like a bitch like you?"
Mu Shuangshuang added with an expression of disgust, "It’s truly nauseating. Xing Yingxue, today we are going to teach you a lesson on behalf of Senior Tang Hao. Let you know the price of betraying him."
With a calm face devoid of anger, Su Chen pulled Xing Yingxue to her feet and smiled. "No need to be angry. Just treat them as dogs. If a dog bites you, surely you wouldn't bite it back?"
*Pfft!*
Xing Yingxue never expected Junior Su to say such a thing and burst into laughter.