Time rewound slightly.
That afternoon, when school let out,
The dismissal bell rang out through the dusk. The clouds burning in the sky were exceptionally vivid, so vivid they were not orange-red, but the dark purple of congealed blood. Under the setting sun, it was as though the heavens were slowly bleeding.
Blackfeather Birds occasionally swept across the sky, coming and going in haste, even seeming
To carry a hint of tragic panic, as though fleeing for their lives?
The thought surfaced in Zhou Yibai's mind at the school gate, but he immediately shook his head.
"I'm not Du Fu. Why am I having such literati thoughts, comparing things to people and humanizing flowers and birds?"
"'Moved by the times, flowers shed tears; hating parting, birds startle the heart.' That doesn't suit me."
"Even if it was just a temporary mistake, I'll never dwell on it. Getting into a Martial Arts University and joining the Nine Schools Alliance are the only things I truly care about!"
He clenched his fist hard, intending to turn this failure into motivation and push into the top hundred in his grade during the coming Monthly Card period!
"Yibai, stop spacing out and get in the car."
Zhou Xinmin, who had driven over, waved for his nephew to get in.
Zhou Yibai hurried over at a jog, opened the car door, and got inside. Zhou Shenghao was already sitting in the front passenger seat, though his expression was somewhat gloomy.
That only made Zhou Yibai look down on his cousin even more.
With that temperament, he did not seem half as resilient as Zhou Yibai, who had always lived under his parents' high expectations and strict demands.
If not for the lack of martial arts resources before, he would have surpassed him long ago and become the family's rising star.
"The Outer Scenery Martial Artist instructor assigned to guide the high schools in our city will be arriving at Bocheng East High-Speed Rail Station shortly."
"Come with me and get acquainted with the instructor first."
After the crushing defeat in that afternoon's practical combat session, Zhou Yibai found the whole thing rather boring and had wanted to refuse.
However, the photo projected inside Zhou Xinmin's car stunned him. Not only him—even Zhou Shenghao reacted the same way.
The tall, mature woman in the photograph, with a dark purple high ponytail and a long saber pressed at her waist, bore a seventy-to-eighty-percent resemblance to Su Nianyi from noon.
"I asked around through some friends. The one assigned to your school came from Clear Spring Dawn Palace, one of the Imperial Capital Two Heavens. She cultivates the Thunder Blade Art and is one of the foremost geniuses among her peers."
"Once you join the Elite Class, Yibai, you must seize this opportunity and ask her more about cultivating the Thunderclap Prison Vine Method and saber techniques."
Zhou Xinmin's words reached him.
Upon hearing the name Clear Spring Dawn Palace, Zhou Yibai immediately abandoned his earlier refusal. It suddenly sounded wonderful.
At the same time, the teenage boy's imagination began running wild. He could not help picturing wonderful developments where he displayed talent in the Thunderclap Prison Vine Method and saber techniques and caught the eye of this older female teacher.
Only Zhou Shenghao stared at the projected photograph, his face growing increasingly unpleasant, until resistance rose within him.
Yet having also been strictly raised by his father since childhood, he did not dare show it and merely remained silent.
The three arrived at Bocheng East High-Speed Rail Station in that silence.
Half an hour later.
They had first experienced a Level Two alarm and been dragged by his uncle into fleeing for their lives,
Then run back to the edge of the city,
Only to endure attacks from several War General-Level Tombstone Meat Mountains thrown over by the explosions, along with the chaotic situation in the area, before getting separated from his uncle.
Feeling that his luck had hit rock bottom, Zhou Yibai finally followed his cousin to a location near the city's safe zone.
Following the city map on their phones, the two passed through alley after alley. Just as they were about to reach the bustling main street ahead,
Crack!
Crack!
Slurp.
Under a light near a trash bin and sewer in the dim alley,
A middle-aged man with his shirt undone and his belly sticking out was sprawled over the corpse of an Abyssal Blood Predator, eating recklessly.
The crisp sounds of teeth crushing bone and the slurping of marrow and blood made Zhou Shenghao and Zhou Yibai instinctively glance over in curiosity as they passed.
That made the feeding middle-aged man instantly sense something. He abruptly stood up and turned to stare at the two students.
At the same time, the bloody mouths lined with interlocking canine teeth that emerged from his palms, along with the Crimson Kunpeng Pattern on the skin of his stomach, were fully exposed before them.
"Actually, we of the Blood God Cult have been keeping up with the times. We don't really eat people anymore. Every murder case gets investigated hard these days. Now we just survive by scavenging corpses."
The man, who looked like an unemployed middle-aged uncle, spoke in a helpless, dispirited tone.
Without them realizing it, he had already moved some distance closer to them.
However, the instant Zhou Yibai and Zhou Shenghao saw him, they both retreated at the same time, each wanting to shield his beloved cousin behind himself.
As a result, the distance between both sides did not shrink at all.
Noticing this, the middle-aged man finally asked with a lingering trace of hope:
"Do you believe what I just said?"
In response, the two had already backed up to a fork in the alley and nearly shouted in unison:
"Run separately!"
In an instant, the two cousins sprinted wildly in different directions.
The middle-aged man ultimately sighed helplessly. After a brief hesitation, his gaze fell upon the figure dressed in a black seamless nano suit.
"A student from No.7 Middle School's Elite Class. Such a fine prospect. If my son had been this promising back then, I wouldn't have had to—"
The rest of his words were drowned out by the sound of air tearing from his high-speed movement.
Yet none of the three, the hunter or the fleeing prey, noticed.
After they left, a red Blood Leech the size of an earthworm crawled out from a corner and burrowed into the Abyssal Blood Predator corpse, which had been reduced to the size of a cat.
The next moment, the corpse suddenly trembled and slowly slid across the sticky, bloody ground. Finally, with a splash, it fell into the sewer.
That night.
While Li Xijun cultivated in the classroom office,
Zhou Yibai ran in a panic to the home of the uncle with whom he was currently staying.
When he opened the door and saw that the entire house was pitch-black, he nearly burst into tears.
Fortunately, the familiar surroundings allowed him to relax slightly. His mad flight had left him thirsty and hungry, so he hurried to the thermostat box, took out an energy drink, and gulped it down.
It was then that he noticed the bathroom light was on!
Seeing a tall, thin silhouette showering inside, he hurried over, pulled open the bathroom door, and shouted, "Cousin, why didn't you turn on the—"
Bang!
The moment he opened the bathroom door and saw the other person's body, Zhou Yibai was struck in the head by a fist and knocked unconscious.
Through his blurred vision, he seemed to see something red flash past.
Late at night.
When Li Xijun happily finished a 300-yuan nutritious meal at the cafeteria, got a massage in the attached Therapy Room, and fell asleep in comfort,
Zhou Yibai suddenly woke with a start. Ignoring the sweat soaking his body, he was about to call out when
He discovered that the luxurious villa where he was staying was brightly lit.
His cousin Zhou Shenghao and his uncle were drinking tea with a man in a Prevention Bureau uniform. From the looks of it, the man was an acquaintance of his uncle's.
Seeing that he was awake, Zhou Xinmin spoke kindly:
"Yibai, I've already told this gentleman from the Prevention Bureau about your encounter with the cultists. You can fill in the details as well."
"Oh, and your cousin went through that life-and-death crisis earlier, so he overreacted a little. When you pushed open the door, he overreacted and knocked you out. Don't take it to heart."
"Come, have some Spirit Nourishing Tea first and recover your energy."
Before you continue