Arrangements

The sharp light of the Mingrui Sword reflected deep in Gao Wu's eyes, jolting him awake from his stupor.

His extraordinary constitution of fifteen points allowed him to easily withstand the Strange Spirit's attack; only his mind had been intimidated by it.

The Frost Moon Sword's cold, razor-sharp gleam had also shaken Gao Wu. He silently recited the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Incantation and quickly regained control of his body.

He had deliberately held back one Azure Dragon Divine Qi Incantation, saving his strength for unforeseen changes.

Song Mingyue lay limp and weak in his arms, and her condition did not seem very good.

Gao Wu could no longer sense the Strange Spirit's aura. With no time to think, he hurriedly carried Song Mingyue onto the ice.

Without the lake water blocking his view, Gao Wu saw that Song Mingyue's pupils were black and gleaming, brilliant enough to be called divine light, shining like stars in the night.

It was Gao Wu's first time seeing such beautiful, dazzling eyes. He froze for a moment before saying, "Hey, your eyes are glowing!"

Song Mingyue was limp all over and had no desire to respond to such pointless chatter. After thinking about it, Gao Wu added, "They're really pretty, too!"

More importantly, Song Mingyue was conscious and seemed to be in decent condition, which put Gao Wu in the mood to chat. He did not expect her to interact with him.

After resting for several minutes, Song Mingyue finally managed to sit up.

"Did we get it?" Gao Wu impatiently asked about the important matter.

Song Mingyue shook her head. "It got away."

Gao Wu was rather disappointed. They had taken such a huge risk, yet still failed to kill the Strange Spirit!

"The situation is a little complicated." Song Mingyue's breathing was weak, and she had no strength to explain further. "Let's talk tomorrow."

"Fine." Gao Wu put the block of ice back in place. Nothing looked wrong on the surface.

The ice block he had cut was large, its edges neat, and it fit securely in place with enough buoyancy. Even if someone stepped on it, they would not fall into the water.

After seeing Song Mingyue off, Gao Wu returned to the dormitory.

He had not been there for several days, but nothing in the dorm had changed. Gao Wu took a hot shower. The lake water had not only been bone-piercingly cold, but also murky and full of sludge.

After changing into clean pajamas, Gao Wu lay on his bed and silently recited the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Incantation.

After reaching the Great Accomplishment Realm, he could complete a full round of the incantation in twenty seconds. Every ten recitations, he paused to rest and adjust himself.

After forty minutes, he had recited the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Incantation a hundred times.

The repeated cleansing of the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Incantation completely removed the mark the Strange Spirit had left on his mind.

The mark the Strange Spirit had left on his mind was like a thorn lodged in his brain, making him intensely uncomfortable.

Once the mark was gone, Gao Wu felt his whole body open up, indescribably refreshed.

He glanced at his phone. Song Mingyue had not sent him a message. She probably thought phone communications were unsafe.

Gao Wu sent the old man a message, saying he was resting in the dorm so the old man would not worry. Then he chatted with Shang Qingjun for a while.

Finally, after completing his usual routine, he fell peacefully asleep.

Early the next morning, Gao Wu had planned to go to Bailong Mountain to practice swordsmanship, but after considering it, he ultimately did not dare take the risk.

Better safe than sorry.

Wearing his weighted clothes and carrying his sword, he ran six laps around the school.

No. 9 Middle School was located somewhat remotely, but it stood beside the city's old district. It had originally belonged to a large factory before being converted into a school.

Though the campus buildings were old, the grounds covered a vast area.

Nearly half of Bailin Lake had been included within the campus, becoming its finest scenic area.

One lap around Bailin Lake was nearly four kilometers.

Running on level ground was far too different from climbing mountains, so Gao Wu ran two more laps.

Finally, he went onto Bailin Lake and practiced several rounds of boxing and swordsmanship. None of this was secret, so he was not afraid of others watching.

The true secrets lay in muscle exertion, breathing and circulation, mental visualization, and other such areas. Without someone to guide them, no matter how many times they watched, others could only learn the shape.

Now that martial arts flourished, schools taught the basic cultivation methods for free.

For ordinary students, they could not even finish learning what their teachers taught them. Where would they find the time to secretly learn someone else's skills?

Although Gao Wu was quite famous at No. 9 Middle School, it was so cold early in the morning that no one would make a special trip to watch him.

After practicing boxing and swordsmanship, Gao Wu went to the cafeteria for breakfast. The moment he entered, he drew everyone's attention.

The teachers and students of No. 9 Middle School had all watched the video of Gao Wu killing Zhang Hao. They knew Gao Wu had been arrested, and they also knew he had been released.

Knowing was one thing; seeing Gao Wu in person was another. This was the man who had personally cut someone into two with a sword. He was terrifyingly brutal!

No matter who the person he killed had been, killing itself was an extremely frightening thing.

Most people looked at Gao Wu with awe, mixed with curiosity and scrutiny. They wanted to see what was different about him, that he possessed such courage and such ruthless methods.

Gao Wu gave everyone a friendly smile, skillfully collected two large plates of food from the cafeteria counter, then found an empty table and buried himself in his meal.

Though those around him were curious, no one dared approach him to say hello.

At seven fifty in the morning, Gao Wu walked into Senior Three, Class Two. The main reason he had come to class was that, after discussing it with Shen Yue, they had decided he should show his face publicly.

He absolutely had not come to the classroom specifically to show off to his classmates...

The noisy classroom seemed to have had its pause button pressed. Everyone stared wide-eyed at Gao Wu, and in the huge classroom, even breathing could be heard clearly.

"Hello, everyone." Gao Wu flashed his white teeth and waved at his classmates.

Shen Yue waved from his seat. "Quit acting cool and get over here!"

As Gao Wu sat down, the person in front could not help turning around to inspect him. Gao Wu knew him well and said irritably, "What are you sneaking looks at?"

"Hey, did you really kill someone?" the boy in front asked quietly.

"That wasn't killing someone. I was slaying demons and eliminating evil, upholding justice like a righteous hero!" Gao Wu declared solemnly. The boy froze for a moment, then hurriedly nodded. "Right, right, right, right!"

Then he took out his phone and said with a fawning smile, "Bro, can we take a picture together?"

Gao Wu laughed. "Want an autograph too? It's free."

The boy was overjoyed. He moved close to Gao Wu and took several selfies. Then, gathering his courage, he put an arm around Gao Wu's shoulder and had Shen Yue record a short video for them.

With that boy taking the lead, a group of male classmates soon noisily gathered around Gao Wu for photos.

There was no other reason. Gao Wu was extremely popular online right now. Especially in Dongjiang, he was practically the number one internet celebrity.

There were people who killed others, after all, but killing someone and then getting away so easily was simply incredible!

Young people's thoughts were simple. They only wanted to borrow some of Gao Wu's popularity, join in the excitement, and show off their photos afterward. There was nothing complicated behind it.

The girls also wanted pictures, but they were too embarrassed to crowd around him like the boys did. They could only whisper among themselves nearby.

"He really came back. He's smiling so brightly, like nothing happened at all!"

"He's got such a big heart! He isn't even afraid after killing someone..."

"Why does he look more and more pleasing the longer I look at him? This guy seems to have become more handsome!"

"He feels more charismatic too..."

Gao Wu's senses were keen now, and he could hear most of the girls' whispers. He could not help feeling secretly pleased.

The praise of hundreds of thousands of people online could not compare to the appreciation and admiration of several acquaintances around him.

He had always been a prominent figure in class, but this time was different. His classmates now carried a little more heartfelt respect for him.

It had to be said, the feeling of being respected and admired was simply incredible. Gao Wu felt as if every bone in his body were tingling with electricity, an indescribable rush.

The only problem was that the teacher arrived too soon, interrupting the students' sightseeing and ruining that emotional atmosphere.

However, Gao Wu also saw shock in the teacher's eyes—and even a trace of fear...

That made his feelings somewhat complicated. He was not some homicidal maniac. He had merely been forced to kill a bad guy.

Then again, he felt that there might be something wrong with him too. After killing Zhang Hao, he had been far too normal, without any reaction at all.

Throughout the morning, who knew how many people came to Senior Three, Class Two to gawk at Gao Wu.

Gao Wu was quite used to it. As usual, he smiled and faced everyone cheerfully.

Seeing that he chatted and joked freely without any reservations or airs, everyone grew a little more friendly toward him.

After lunch, Gao Wu even made a special trip to see Houzi and the others.

He gave each of them two rounds of the Great Accomplishment Realm Azure Dragon Divine Qi Incantation. Whatever the effect, he had done his best...

Houzi and Wang Tiesong also knew that Gao Wu had gotten into trouble. They were clearly more awed by him now, and both their words and actions were more restrained.

In the afternoon, Gao Wu went to train at the Martial Arts Arena. Huang Long and the other Martial Arts Team members all wore ingratiating smiles, each treating Gao Wu with great caution.

As Martial Arts Team members, they understood even better just how ruthless and formidable that sword strike had been. Looking at Gao Wu now, they were filled with nothing but awe!

Coach Huang Hai publicly praised Gao Wu, saying that he was brave and decisive, had displayed the heroic bearing of a Martial Artist, and was an example to them all.

After training, Huang Hai called Gao Wu into his office.

"I see that your martial arts cultivation has advanced by leaps and bounds lately. You must have used up the Blood Dragon Agent. And you even slew a Demon-Slaying cultist with your sword—your momentum is at its peak."

Huang Hai spoke unhurriedly. "This is exactly when you should step into the ring for real combat and temper your own skills. What do you think?"

In order to obtain the Blood Dragon Agent, Gao Wu had promised Huang Hai that he would help him fight in the ring. Now that Huang Hai had brought it up again, Gao Wu could not directly refuse. After thinking for a moment, he said, "A lot of people have their eyes on me lately. It wouldn't be good for me to enter the ring."

A rare smile appeared on Huang Hai's gloomy face. "Precisely because you're in the spotlight, entering the ring will draw enough spectators and earn you more prize money."

"I'll think about it..." Gao Wu did not refuse immediately. Huang Hai could not truly force him to do anything, so he would stall for a while first.