Leaving the Domain

For three days, Bai Ye was nowhere to be seen in the freshmen's area. It was as though he had vanished from the freshman residential district after the confrontation between the two Heaven Ranking powerhouses that day.

Many freshmen even speculated that Bai Ye had been frightened into hiding by Xu Huang's threat.

Meanwhile, the person in question had just emerged from Thunder Cloud and was hurrying out of the Thunder Domain, his face somewhat haggard.

For three whole days, he had kept his spiritual soul within the Thunder Sea, allowing it to shatter and repair itself time and again. The toll on his mind had been anything but small.

Only at the very end had he managed to recondense his spiritual soul's entire body, barely accomplishing his goal this time.

The trip had not been in vain, but the gains had not been as great as he had imagined.

Still, when the Ice Plains appeared next time, he should be able to advance a few more steps.

That meant his purpose for this trip had been fulfilled.

But just as he stepped out of the Thunder Domain, an arm blocked his way.

Bai Ye stood before the Thunder Domain's exit, his brows faintly furrowed as he looked at the male student who had suddenly appeared before him.

The man looked ordinary enough and seemed somewhat older than Bai Ye.

He watched Bai Ye with a broad smile but did not speak first, as though waiting for Bai Ye to address him.

Bai Ye swept his gaze over him and walked straight ahead.

If he would not state his purpose, there was nothing to discuss.

The student, who had been waiting for Bai Ye to speak, froze slightly when Bai Ye walked past him, then immediately turned around.

"Stop."

Stop?

Bai Ye acted as though he had not heard and continued onward.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!"

Seeing this, the student reached out, intending to grab him as he moved forward.

Yet the instant his hand touched Bai Ye, it passed straight through his body and grabbed nothing but air.

An afterimage!

"Smack."

Bai Ye's soft voice sounded behind him as a finger casually poked the back of his head.

Powerful spiritual energy was contained within that finger. The student's body stiffened, and he did not dare move in the slightest.

"Whatever you want to say, say it now."

"Kid, is that any way to treat a senior..."

His words abruptly cut off as spiritual energy surged from Bai Ye's finger.

"Fine, fine, I'll talk."

Being subdued by a freshman at the Heaven Merging Realm Initial Stage—those bastards would definitely laugh at him when he returned.

"Our boss wants to see you."

"Name."

"You'll know when you get there."

Bai Ye tilted his head and withdrew his finger. "I have things to do. Don't bother me."

With that, he turned to leave.

He had no interest in some so-called "boss."

Seeing that he was about to leave again, the student immediately grew anxious. "Wait."

Bai Ye suddenly turned back, his eyes icy. He had already warned him not to bother him!

The student's body involuntarily trembled beneath those Gilded Gold eyes. He was a senior student at the Heaven Merging Realm Middle Stage. How could he possibly be scared by a rookie who had only been at the academy for a few days?

Absolutely impossible.

Swallowing hard, the student spoke again.

"You'll be interested. Our boss is an absolute powerhouse in the top ten of the Heaven Ranking."

"Who?"

Hearing mention of the Heaven Ranking, Bai Ye was indeed somewhat interested, and his expression eased.

At his question, the student straightened his back, a deep pride appearing on his face.

"Eighth on the Heaven Ranking, He Yao."

He Yao?

Bai Ye narrowed his eyes. He remembered that among the top ten of the Heaven Ranking, only four had cultivated for two years, and the one who had broken through the ranks of the third-years to claim eighth place was He Yao.

This person wanted to see him?

Interesting.

"Well? Scared stiff, aren't you?"

Seeing Bai Ye lost in thought, the student smiled faintly and teased him.

Bai Ye raised his eyes without saying anything, simply walking past him again.

"Hey, are you going or not?"

Seeing Bai Ye leave for a second time, the student frowned and asked.

"No."

Bai Ye answered bluntly.

He had plans afterward and had no intention of wasting time.

An eighth-ranked Heaven Ranking student he did not know suddenly seeking him out was undoubtedly not something that interested him.

He might be proud, but he did not believe that, on only his third day after enrolling, he would already have drawn the attention of Heaven Transforming Realm powerhouses.

Since that was the case, it was better to refuse outright.

It would save trouble.

But at that moment, spiritual energy surged behind him. The student held both palms out, then struck with one palm directly toward Bai Ye's back.

His previously smiling expression suddenly turned gloomy. He had invited him repeatedly, and since this freshman did not know what was good for him, then...

"Idiot."

The student's eyes widened. In the next instant, a slender-fingered hand pressed directly over his face.

Boom!

Without the slightest hesitation, his body toppled backward, crashing from midair to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.

He lay in the crater formed by the impact, his eyes vacant.

So fast. That was far too fast!

Bai Ye, who had pinned him to the ground, straightened up. Ice crystals flashed over his hand as he cleaned it.

"If he wants to find me, tell him to come himself. Right now, I'm busy."

The student nodded blankly to show that he understood.

But from the look of it, he had clearly not recovered from the disbelief of that strike.

He was at the Heaven Merging Realm Middle Stage. How? How was that possible?

The commotion immediately drew the attention of the people nearby.

Bai Ye withdrew his gaze. He intended to leave while things here were becoming noisy.

His eyes flicked toward the student on the ground. Though they had come to blows, before the man had tried to ambush him, he had actually been fairly decent.

At least, he was not someone who had soured Bai Ye's mood.

"Take these."

Bai Ye spoke indifferently, tossing several black spheres from his hand.

The spheres fell to the ground, crackling with arcs of lightning.

Those were...

"Heavenly Thunder Pearls?"

The student was stunned. By the time he straightened up again, Bai Ye's figure had already vanished into the distance.

???

What the hell?

He felt as though his intelligence had been insulted.

What exactly had just happened?

His attack had failed, then he had been slammed into the ground, and then the freshman responsible had tossed him several Heavenly Thunder Pearls before leaving...

Why could he suddenly not understand how these freshmen thought?

"Whatever, free things are free things." The student muttered as he picked up the Heavenly Thunder Pearls, his face full of worry. "How am I supposed to explain this to Boss He Yao? This is troublesome."

By then, Bai Ye had completely left the Thunder Domain and was heading toward his destination.

The reason he had tossed his gains from the Thunder Domain to that male senior was simply because he was in a good mood.

Moody and unpredictable—this was the most common assessment the younger generation of Ying Longcheng had of him. Naturally, that assessment could not possibly describe only his "temper."

It was like how he had casually given a Level Six Mark to Su Ling'er in the Northern Azure Realm.

Perhaps others considered such things immensely valuable, but to him, they were neither here nor there.

Since he was in a good mood, tossing them away was no big deal.

And for the time ahead, his focus would be entirely on his new destination.

Increasing his speed, Bai Ye streaked through the air toward another popular location within the Northern Azure Spiritual Academy.

Yet just as he was about to reach his destination, Bai Ye stopped in midair.

Above the Mission Hall in the academy's northwestern corner, a straight-backed figure descended slowly like a spear, carrying a bloody human head in one hand.

As though sensing Bai Ye's gaze, the man turned around and looked in his direction.

Their gazes met in midair, then separated at once. Neither gave any reaction.

Yet the moment Bai Ye saw him, he knew his name.

He thought that in the entire Northern Azure Spiritual Academy, there should only be one person with such eyes.

First on the Heaven Ranking, Shen Cangsheng.