First Battle

Outside, the slaughter raged without end.

Inside the cafeteria.

Su Yu and Chen Hao could only hear the clash of blades, pained shrieks, and students' cries of alarm... yet neither dared peek outside.

Were their side gaining the upper hand, or had they fallen into a disadvantage?

Even Su Yu, who firmly believed the teachers would win, had no idea what the situation truly was right now.

"Ah Yu..."

In the corner, Chen Hao gripped his saber tightly. His face was somewhat pale, yet also flushed. He wanted to ask Su Yu whether they should go outside.

Su Yu ignored him. His left ear had been twitching slightly all along as he listened to the sounds.

The Kaiyuan Fourth Stage had not improved his combat strength much, but his hearing had become far sharper.

"Shh!"

Su Yu held his index finger before his lips, signaling Chen Hao not to speak.

A moment later, heavy footsteps sounded outside, completely undisguised.

"Come out quickly! The academy has arranged for your evacuation. Gather at the south gate!"

A somewhat urgent voice came through. Shortly afterward, a man in his thirties entered the cafeteria with a saber in hand, calling out, "Are there any students here? Hurry! We can barely hold them off anymore. The Ten Thousand Races Cult is too strong. Evacuate the academy at once!"

The urgent voice came with approaching footsteps.

Chen Hao stirred slightly and looked anxiously at Su Yu. A teacher had come for them—should they go?

Su Yu narrowed his eyes and looked toward the entrance as well. He saw a figure he did not recognize, but there were over two hundred instructors at the academy. It was impossible for him to know them all.

Had an instructor come looking for them?

"Is anyone here? The front lines can't hold any longer! You must evacuate immediately, hurry!"

The newcomer was anxious. The cafeteria was huge, at least several thousand square meters at a glance. Searching the entire place would take more than a minute at minimum—far too much time.

In the corner.

Hearing how anxious the teacher sounded, and hearing that the front lines could not hold, Chen Hao could no longer restrain himself. Without waiting for Su Yu this time, he hurriedly poked his head out. "Teacher, how is it outside?"

The man swept his gaze over at once, unable to suppress the delight in his eyes.

Students were students after all—far too green.

Even though the academy constantly taught them some rules of survival, it was still not enough.

Just before this, he had used those very words in the practical combat rooms to lure out two hidden students. In barely ten seconds, he had drawn two students out from several rooms across an entire floor.

If he had searched for them himself, it would have taken at least two minutes.

They had never suffered setbacks or been on a battlefield. A few lies were enough for these children to take them as truth.

"The situation outside is very bad. Come quickly, leave with me. If you don't go now, it'll be too late..."

As he spoke, the man hurried toward Chen Hao.

Three already!

Delight was written all over the man's face. Of the three hundred elite fighters, two hundred had gone to hold back those instructors, City Guards, guards, and Jifeng Hall members.

Even though they were fewer in number, they still held the advantage, because many of those people were only in the early or middle stages of Thousand Jun.

The rest either attacked the classrooms or searched the academy for scattered students.

The classrooms still had instructors defending them desperately.

The scattered students were not many and were hard to find, but they had no protection. They were easier to kill.

Among several thousand students, even if they slaughtered every last one, each person would kill fewer than ten.

And he had already gained three!

Over the next few minutes, perhaps he would gain even more.

"Come quickly, leave the academy..."

The man moved quickly. He did not slow his pace as he spoke, charging straight at Chen Hao.

To them, students were a one-saber matter. The key was that scattered students were hard to find. Once found, they were merit!

Chen Hao stood up, intending to leave. He instinctively glanced toward Su Yu.

And Su Yu was also watching this "instructor."

When the man first spoke, he had assumed he was an instructor looking for students too. But... Su Yu quickly noticed something was wrong.

It was not that he had truly gained much experience. He had merely been chased and killed too many times in his dreams. The man's urgent tone sounded exactly like the roars of those vicious beasts pursuing him.

It was as though he were shouting, "Come over and let me kill you! I can't wait!"

The words did not literally mean that, but that urgency, that impatient desire to kill you, was exactly the same. It was the same tone!

At that, Su Yu could not help looking at him several more times.

The next moment, sweat seeped across Su Yu's forehead.

Fake!

The instructors' clothes might not have been uniform, but no matter what they wore, they always carried work badges. This guy did not have one!

Had it fallen off?

Had the battle been so fierce that it had been knocked off?

"No..."

Su Yu saw it. He saw the saber lift slightly—the opening stance for drawing a blade. He was about to strike!

"Damn it, Haozi, you idiot!"

Cursing inwardly, Su Yu had no time to think or regret being too careless. He lacked experience too badly. He and Chen Hao were only middle academy students and had never seen such a scene before.

They had thought the enemy would charge in openly and honestly. They had thought the enemy would surely look fierce and vicious. Who would have imagined the enemy would lure weaklings like them out?

"Teacher!"

With a soft cry, Su Yu hurriedly jumped down, his heart pounding wildly.

The man's hand paused, and joy rose in his heart!

There was another one!

Four already!

Su Yu's hand holding the saber was drenched in sweat. He was nervous, afraid, uneasy...

Still, he held on. He had been killed too many times in his dreams. Even though he was afraid, that was only because this was his first real experience. He adapted faster than others.

"Teacher, are we really going to lose outside? There are more than ten students over here. Can I call them out with us?"

Su Yu spoke hurriedly, then turned to glance deeper into the cafeteria. "Otherwise, they won't be able to leave either."

More than ten others?

The man's joy nearly exploded!

More than ten others!

He was going to strike it rich!

Today, he could kill dozens of students!

Perhaps even someone in the Wanshi Realm would not earn as much merit as he would this time. He had hit the jackpot.

The man wanted to laugh, to laugh wildly. More than ten Kaiyuan cultivators were still lambs delivered to the chopping block. He could cut down one with every stroke, and they would not even be able to run.

He had originally wanted to end things quickly, but he immediately changed his mind and hurriedly said, "Quick, call them all out. We need to leave at once."

Su Yu's heart still pounded fiercely, but he said nothing more and turned to face the man.

At this moment, if the man struck once, Su Yu would be finished.

Su Yu turned around and immediately swallowed the essence blood. With his back to the man, he walked deeper into the cafeteria and said uneasily, "Teacher, can you take more people away? I know there are many students hiding elsewhere too. I wonder if you can find them..."

"There are more?"

The man was overjoyed. There were actually more!

He hurried after Su Yu. As for Chen Hao... he could not be bothered with one person alone. He could deal with him whenever he wanted.

He did not notice that Chen Hao's face had instantly turned deathly pale, sweat soaking through him in a flash and covering his face.

They had known each other for so many years. How could Chen Hao not understand his best friend at all?

Where had more than ten students come from? Where had those other people come from...

This was... fake!

A member of the Ten Thousand Races Cult!

He had nearly gotten Su Yu killed!

"I'm so stupid. I'm such an idiot. I... I'm sorry, Ah Yu, I'm sorry..."

Chen Hao's legs had gone weak, and his entire body felt powerless. Yet at this moment, he remembered Su Yu's earlier words. In his panic, he hurriedly shouted, "Teacher, I... I'm scared. I can't really walk anymore. Can you pull me along?"

He truly was scared. He truly could barely walk. His legs were trembling.

The man turned around, somewhat impatient.

If not for smoothly finding the remaining students, he would have split this guy in half with one stroke already. He feared that if he killed him now, those still hiding would be frightened and scatter in every direction. By then, even if he chased after them, he would not catch them all.

"I'll take you!"

Though impatient, the man still turned around and reached toward Chen Hao, preparing to tuck him under his arm and leave.

"Haozi, you're such trash. You only know how to trouble the teacher..."

Behind him, Su Yu spoke as he tightened his grip around the saber. His hands were covered in sweat, making the hilt somewhat slippery.

As he spoke, Su Yu moved a little closer to the man. When the man reached for Chen Hao, viciousness flashed in Su Yu's eyes. Now!

"Haozi, walk by yourself. Don't trouble the teacher..."

Buzz!

The sound of a saber slicing through the air rang out. The man instinctively turned his head, one thought still flashing through his mind. He found out?

Even if he had, it did not matter. He was only Kaiyuan...

Only Kaiyuan?

Kaiyuan!

No, that was not it!

The man had been about to dodge when he suddenly felt his limbs no longer obeying him. At first, he felt nothing in his neck. A moment later, unbearable pain surged through it!

That strike was inaccurate. That's not how you chop off a head...

That thought inexplicably surfaced in the man's mind. It hurt too much. To sever a head, one needed speed, precision, and ruthlessness. This guy had not struck accurately enough. His head had not fallen at once. It hurt so much!

Bang!

A head hit the ground!

The man's body remained standing, still holding the pose of having turned his head. Only his head was gone.

The saber remained in his hand, and his other hand was still stretched forward. His more than ten students... were gone!

Silence.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

Bang!

The corpse collapsed!

"Pant..."

The sound of bellows-like breathing echoed out. Su Yu's mouth was dry, and his mind was utterly blank.

Blood had splashed all over Chen Hao's face. His mind was blank as well.

He had killed him!

Ah Yu had cut that guy down with one stroke!

"Ah... Ah Yu..."

Chen Hao's limbs no longer obeyed him. He instantly crumpled to the ground and crawled toward Su Yu on all fours. He no longer cared about losing face. Just now, he had truly nearly wet himself.

"Ah Yu... Ah Yu... You... I... He's dead, he's dead..."

"Dead!"

Su Yu stared at the corpse before him and the blood on the floor. His throat was hoarse and dry. "Calm down! Calm down! He was an enemy, a beast from the Ten Thousand Races Cult! It's not like you've never seen an execution!"

"Go... change places... hide... otherwise, more of them might come..."

How could Su Yu spare any thought for handling the corpse now? Run.

That strike had left his whole body aching—not with physical pain, but with psychological pain.

"Right, go, hurry..."

As Chen Hao spoke, he was about to keep crawling away when he suddenly gritted his teeth. Eyes shut, he turned around and reached toward the man's corpse.

With his eyes closed, he did not dare think about it or look.

But he remembered. They could enter the War Academy. They could go to the War Academy!

He fumbled around blindly. He felt much sticky liquid on his hands and did not dare think about what it was. The next moment, he found a small cloth pouch. Without even looking at it, he stuffed it into his pocket, then turned and half-dragged himself along by clutching Su Yu's calf, following him on all fours as they fled.

Chen Hao's actions actually eased some of Su Yu's fear and tension. He could not help cursing, "You're still thinking about that at a time like this? Do you want to die?"

"We can... enter the War Academy... Ah Yu... you killed him. You're amazing..."

Su Yu had no time to say anything more. Dragging Chen Hao along, he swiftly left the cafeteria.

He did not dare go far, afraid of encountering enemies again. They hid in a dark patch beside a wall outside the cafeteria.

"Thump, thump, thump..."

His heart still hammered violently, but Su Yu gradually recovered. Soon, he let out a breath. "That was nothing!"

"I'm already used to being killed myself. What else is there to get used to!"

He gave a foolish, self-mocking smile. I've been killed so many times in my dreams that I'm used to it already, aren't I?

If I can accept dying myself, why should I fear cutting down an enemy?

Boom!

Outside, the battle continued.

It sounded like a long sequence of events, but from the moment the man entered until he was killed, and then until they left, less than a minute had probably passed.

"Haozi!"

"Yeah."

"Did you wet your pants?"

"No... no, don't talk nonsense. I didn't!"

Chen Hao's face flushed red. "No!"

Still, Chen Hao hurriedly glanced down at his crotch and let out a breath of relief. Just now, he had felt like he'd lost all sensation. He had no idea whether he'd wet himself.

"Ah Yu... you're amazing!"

"Cut the crap!"

Su Yu raised his head and looked around. He heard the teachers' stern shouts and saw people seemingly searching in the distance.

"They're at a disadvantage!"

Otherwise, the teachers would never have allowed those Ten Thousand Races Cult members to search for students within the academy.

There had to be scattered students around, and some of them might already have died.

Su Yu looked at the knife in his hand, swiftly wiped the blood from it on the nearby grass and leaves, and regained his composure. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Haozi, are you afraid of dying?"

"I am... no!"

"Go. See if there's anyone around. When you spot someone, tell them there are several students hiding here, waiting for rescue. Go ask for help!"

"Huh?"

Su Yu clenched his teeth. "The teachers can't handle everything anymore. If they find the others, those people are dead for sure! Lure one or two over here. I'll kill them, and a few fewer students will die!"

"Ah Yu!"

Chen Hao cried out softly. Then he quickly recalled how Su Yu had cut that guy down with one stroke just now. It seemed... not that frightening after all!

"Fine, I'll go. Ah Yu, can you... can you really kill them again?"

"I can!"

"Then great. Kill one more. That last one was yours; the next one... the next one, can you lend it to me? I... I want to go to the War Academy too."

"Fine!"

Chen Hao seemed to have forgotten his fear. He grinned foolishly. He was going to the War Academy.

His legs no longer felt weak. The next moment, Chen Hao hunched over and moved forward. He poked his head out from around the corner of the wall and looked around. Soon, he spotted quite a few Ten Thousand Races Cult members searching the academy for students.

The nearest was less than a hundred meters away.

Chen Hao was still afraid inside, but he forced down his terror and trembled as he called out, "Teacher... is that you, Teacher?"

Not far away, the man's ears twitched slightly. He instantly turned to look toward Chen Hao.

"Is that you, Teacher? We... we're scared. Teacher, can you take us away?"

"Teacher?"

The Ten Thousand Races Cult member's eyes flickered. These students had mistaken them for teachers?

That made sense. Both sides were human, and there was not really any obvious difference between them. How could a bunch of students possibly tell them apart?

Those with experience could naturally spot the differences at a glance, but what did these students, who had never endured any setbacks, know?

"Teacher, there are a few more people over here. Can you take us away? Just now... just now, someone was chasing us to kill us..."

"There are more?"

The man's heart stirred. He saw Chen Hao's face, pale with terror. That was not an act. He was genuinely scared; the man could tell.

The next moment, the man rushed over.

As for an ambush... it never crossed his mind.

If the academy instructors had the time and energy to set ambushes, they would have gone to the front to fight long ago.

Battle was raging everywhere in the academy now. They were already stretched thin just protecting the gathered students. Where would they find the time or manpower to ambush them?

Chen Hao scrambled and crawled, hurriedly ducking behind the wall.

The man's ears twitched. Even though he was not worried about an ambush, he still instinctively grew a little more cautious. Having completed the Kaiyuan Realm, his ears and eyes were sharp. Unless someone was far stronger than him, he would at least hear some movement.

"There's another student inside!"

He heard faint, nervous panting. The breathing was heavy, not something a Qianjun Realm cultivator should have.

"He said there were several. Are the others hiding somewhere else?"

As the man pondered this, he glanced at several other people searching in the distance and became more cautious. This was his credit; he could not let those guys discover it.

The next moment, the man entered behind the wall. Sure enough, there was another student here.

His face was pale as well.

"Teacher, you're here? Zhou Tao and the others are still waiting for us. Teacher, what exactly happened? Did those beasts from the Ten Thousand Races Cult come to kill us?"

Su Yu rapidly blurted out several sentences, looking delighted yet terrified. He tossed away the knife in his hand and ran toward the man.

"Teacher, I'll take you to find them..."

He had even thrown away his knife!

The man instantly dropped his guard. A Kaiyuan Realm cultivator with a knife posed some threat to them, but barehanded... even if they attacked as much as they wanted, they could not kill a Qianjun Realm cultivator.

They had really mistaken him for their teacher!

What foolish little brats!

"Where are they?"

There was a trace of delight in the man's voice. Just like the previous man, he felt that credit had been delivered right to his doorstep, and he could not hide his pleasure.

"Just follow me, Teacher..."

Su Yu reached out toward the man, as though he intended to grab his arm and lead him along.

The man frowned slightly and wanted to dodge, but he suppressed the urge to cut Su Yu down and gave up on avoiding him. He could let the boy pull him for a moment...

Squelch!

Just as he thought that, the hand moved with incredible speed, seemingly transforming into a claw in an instant. It tore through his flesh and pierced his heart. The other hand seized the arm holding his knife, and with a crack, the arm broke!

The man wanted to roar, but the next moment, his throat was ripped open!

"Hiss, hiss..."

Blood gushed from his mouth in great torrents. The man collapsed to the ground and stared up at Su Yu, still utterly bewildered.

Qianjun Realm—and even high-stage Qianjun Realm!

How was that possible!

This was Nanyuan. How could there possibly be a Qianjun Realm student here? Impossible.

Su Yu swiftly searched the other man's body, grabbed Chen Hao—who had forgotten even how to be afraid—and quickly fled.

This idiot really thought he could kill anyone. Why wasn't he running? What was he getting so excited about!

The instant he fled, Su Yu suddenly saw a sheet of golden light and looked up.

At that moment, Su Yu was stunned.

In midair, a familiar figure rose into the sky, his whole body shining with golden light.

"Instructor Liu..."

Chen Hao saw him too and was equally dumbstruck.

In midair, Liu Wenyan gleamed with golden light as vital energy surged toward him from all around and gathered around his body.

Liu Wenyan's voice was not loud, yet it carried far. "Soaring was not my wish; I only wish the myriad races would be at peace..."

So awesome!

So fake!

At that moment, those two thoughts flashed through Su Yu's mind. It was indeed incredible, but also incredibly fake. Instructor Liu had clearly wanted to manifest his will and enter the Soaring Realm all along. Yet he claimed Soaring was not his wish—what a liar!