Jujutsu High

Just then, his clone's words appeared clearly in his mind.

Looks like I'll have to push the plot forward. She's already fallen into the illusion, and once I finish dancing with her, the curse will take effect.

He smiled faintly. He already had a plan.

The clone had been more than a probe to test Jia Ruo's strength. By now, he understood her abilities completely.

"I'll use a snake to teach you a lesson, too." Jia Meng formed a hand seal. "Blood Manipulation: Great Serpent."

At his command, the courtyard shook violently. Something seemed to be breaking through the earth beneath it.

A massive crimson snake burst from the ground, mouth agape. It swallowed the courtyard and the house whole.

The serpent leaped into the air, and the house vanished into the night. A moment later, it came crashing down from above, shattering on impact.

Beneath the ruins, Jia Ruo's furious voice rang out.

Her beautiful face twisted into a grotesque mask. She pushed aside the rubble weighing her down, then swung her sword and charged at Jia Meng.

Her eyes glinted with a strange light. Her hair stood on end, and the wrinkles on her face deepened until her skin looked like shattered pieces.

"So you've got a second form, too—and you're hiding a sinister intent."

Jia Meng looked at Jia Ruo and grinned, the corners of his mouth curling with amusement.

He formed another hand seal and murmured,

"Blood Manipulation: Crimson Needles."

At the point of his finger, three blood-red needles shot toward Jia Ruo.

They flew so fast that, in the blink of an eye, they were right in front of her.

Jia Ruo tried to dodge, but the needles were faster than her reflexes. She had no choice but to raise her sword and block.

The needles didn't look particularly powerful, but they carried the strength of an ordinary person.

The three needles battered Jia Ruo's sword until it bent out of shape. Finally, the last one struck her weapon directly, shattering its blade.

Jia Meng pointed a finger and sent out a stream of blood, wrapping it around Jia Ruo's neck.

The blood seemed to possess a strange force, draining all the power from her body.

"Since my clone managed to catch you off guard, the curse took effect. Now it's time to collect what I'm owed."

Jia Meng withdrew the blood and licked his lips, as though savoring a delicious meal.

Jia Meng had completed his mission with ease. In the guise of a blood-stained sorcerer, he had infiltrated Kyoto Jujutsu High.

The school's relationship with Kyoto Jujutsu High had always been pretty good. Since the people who could sway things either way were mostly connected to Kyoto Jujutsu High, working with them would make things easier.

Jia Meng had no choice but to follow Jia Meng's lead. Given Jia Meng's current strength, even his own clan head couldn't keep him in check. They would simply have to wait until Jia Meng had infiltrated Jujutsu High and established himself before appointing him as the clan's heir.

It was the start of another school year. Ye Lian, the old principal of Kyoto Jujutsu High, looked at the four new students seated before him and couldn't help feeling a headache coming on.

The four new students were: Jia Ruo, the Jia clan's rebellious troublemaker; Wusiwu, the fifth-generation scion of the Five Paths clan; Jia Meng, who had defeated Wusiwu; and Xia Bu, the strongest user of Soul Force in the world.

"Since you've all got the strength to take on an entire side, ordinary missions won't be enough for you. Here's one: exorcise a curse in a certain place. There's a chance you may encounter a special-grade curse. Treat it as a test of your abilities."

Ye Lian could only reassure himself this way.

"Since all of you are capable of taking on a whole side, we can skip the ordinary missions. Here's a mission to exorcise a curse spirit."

He looked at the four students. "The curse spirit is in an abandoned building. Go together, and consider it a chance to get to know one another."

Ye Lian handed them the information about the curse spirit, then raised a hand to dismiss them.

All four had already completed a mission to exorcise a blood curse. Exorcising a curse spirit together would be easier by comparison.

Ye Lian didn't understand.

Wusiwu, Xia Bu, and Jia Meng were all top-tier sorcerers. Add in the strength of the Ten Shadows, and he could understand why they'd taken on the mission despite the risk.

But Jia Ruo was a healer. Why was she going along?

Besides, she was close to Jia Meng.

After what had happened to the three clans, Jia Meng, Jia Ruo, and Wusiwu had been the ones to uphold their legacy.

Jia Meng had once tried to persuade Jia Ruo to cultivate cursed energy, then later taught her how to use a binding vow to heal herself.

That let her recover from exhaustion quickly, making training much easier than it was for ordinary people.

Jia Ruo hadn't wanted to cultivate cursed energy at first. After all, it was hard work.

But there was one time when Wusiwu owed her a huge favor, and Jia Ruo couldn't beat him. Just as he was about to repay her, she suddenly remembered Jia Meng's advice.

Jia Ruo had never been able to stomach the hardships of training cursed energy. But she found another way around them, achieving her goal with the method called "binding vows."

Jia Ruo was usually laid-back. She went to bed after sunrise, slept until noon, and only came alive at night.

She'd made a binding vow with herself: after the sun rose each day, she'd wake up on her own and wouldn't sleep again until nightfall.

What made it worthwhile was that the cursed energy she saved up during the day would be converted into energy that strengthened her body.

As a result, Jia Ruo had become a woman of immense strength, despite being a healer who had returned to the world of sorcery.

She still couldn't beat Wusiwu, but if she wanted to vent her frustrations, she could always take the opportunity to punch him.

"Don't worry, Principal. We'll make sure to complete the mission." All four answered in unison.

In front of a large commercial building, the four of them got ready.

"Right, I almost forgot. The company that owns the building is on the eighteenth floor. There are no survivors. Just focus on exorcising the curse. I'll be waiting outside. Good luck."

The assistant in charge of this mission gave them a few more instructions.

"Sorry for the trouble. We'll be on our way." Jia Meng nodded politely. Then, with the other three, he disappeared into the shadows of the building.

Once all four had entered, the assistant cast a barrier around the building to make sure ordinary people wouldn't stumble into the exorcism.

"Jia Ruo, what made you want to come along this time?" Wusiwu asked.

"Don't treat me like some little kid, all right? You're the one who keeps making me worry." Jia Ruo waved a hand. "And don't forget to look after yourself. I'm not here to take care of anyone else."

"Don't worry, Jia Ruo. I won't let anything happen to you." Xia Bu nodded solemnly.

"Wow, you've really been fooled by her delicate appearance. She's stronger than all of us, so you should be careful yourself. If you get on her bad side, she might send you flying." Wusiwu said.

"I'll only use my strength if you give me a reason to, okay? I'm the one who needs protecting, not the one who's going to start a fight." Jia Ruo held out her tender, fair hand and gestured threateningly at Wusiwu.