Zhu Xiyan

As if he hadn't heard Hals's words, the strange girl sitting in the last row kept her head down, doing who knew what.

Hals frowned, yet uncharacteristically felt no displeasure—only a trace of curiosity and confusion.

"The girl in the second seat of the last row." His voice was hoarse, carrying an unsettling hint of a volcano on the verge of eruption.

The girl still showed no reaction. Just as Hals was growing slightly impatient, the girl in front of her finally couldn't hold back. She leaned sideways, reached her right hand through her armpit, and tapped on her desk.

Tap tap tap

A light but urgent sound jolted the girl awake as if from a dream. She lifted her head abruptly, her face a mix of bewilderment and panic.

The girl in front lowered her head and whispered quietly, "The teacher's calling you."

The girl seemed doubtful. She glanced left and right at her classmates, all of whom wore serious, cautious expressions—it didn't look like a prank. In the end, she hesitantly stood up, keeping her head down and staring at the desk.

Seeing this, a faint curve tugged at the corner of Hals's mouth. He found it somewhat amusing, but his tone remained stiff as he asked, "Your name?"

The girl was flustered, her voice trembling slightly. "Zhu, Zhu Xiyan."

"Zhu Xiyan..." Hals murmured. Then, through his hood, his gaze fixed on the oddly dressed girl. He extended his tongue and licked his slightly cracked lips, his voice carrying a hint of cheerfulness. "Good. From now on, you're the class monitor of Advanced Class Nine. And here's your first task."

He lifted his head slightly, a flicker of Soul Flame light peeking out, pressing down on everyone who saw it with considerable psychological weight. But Zhu Xiyan kept her head down the whole time, so the intimidation didn't reach her.

"Don't disappoint me. Because that means you've already lost your value."

Suddenly, Zhu Xiyan jerked her head up. A flash of anger seemed to glint in her eyes, and her voice hardened. "I, I have value. No one can replace me. No one."

Her voice was a bit shrill, as if driven by rage.

Hals paused, then a faint, enigmatic smile crept onto his face. "Then prove it to me."

He cast another glance at Zhu Xiyan, whose face still bore traces of anger. His form shifted, dissolving into a wisp of black mist that vanished in an instant. Only a hoarse voice lingered in the classroom.

"Attack, agility, control—three per team. Support forms a separate team. Report to the class monitor. I'll be waiting at the training ground. Don't keep me waiting too long..."

As the voice faded, the students in the classroom exchanged glances. Eventually, they got up and began discussing their team compositions.

Hals stood alone on the training ground, motionless. After a long while, he snapped back to reality and glanced at the sky. The sun was nearly directly overhead, yet the students still hadn't arrived.

He said nothing, nor did he go back to check. He remained standing upright, his black robe exuding an oppressive aura.

Finally, half an hour later, a cacophony of voices drifted over from the distance. Unable to close his eyes, Hals was pulled from his contemplation—for him, that counted as rest.

In the distance, students trickled over in scattered groups of three or five. Spotting Hals standing at the corner of the training ground, they slowed their pace, stopped their chatter, and quietly lined up before him. Hals paid them no mind and continued standing in silence.

A moment later, Zhu Xiyan arrived, slightly out of breath and noticeably late. She looked at the silent crowd, opened her mouth as if to say something, then finally slumped her head in defeat and stood at the back of the line.

"Now, everyone except Zhu Xiyan—run laps around the Forest Mimic Training Ground. Don't stop until I say so."

A wave of murmurs broke out. One girl couldn't hold back and questioned, "But, but teacher, this place is almost a kilometer from the training ground, and the mimic ground's perimeter is over twenty thousand meters!"

Though the girl couldn't see it, she could feel Hals's sharp gaze pierce toward her. "Are you questioning me?!"

The chilling question made the girl flinch back a step, nearly stumbling. Her voice turned tearful. "I-I'm sorry. I'll go now."

She turned and shoved past the classmates behind her, running off like a madwoman.

The remaining students stood there dumbfounded, faces blank with confusion.

Hals frowned and barked, "What are you waiting for? Waiting to die?"

At his harsh shout, the students scattered like startled birds, some using soul skills, others relying purely on physical strength to sprint away.

Once they had all left, Hals finally turned his attention to Zhu Xiyan, who had reverted to her earlier demeanor since arriving.

"Lift your head." His voice was hoarse.

The scene was strange. Of the two present, one had eyes hidden behind bangs, and the other had eyes that had vanished entirely beneath a hood.

Hearing Hals's voice, Zhu Xiyan timidly raised her head, but her eyes still fixed on her toes.

When she lifted her head, Hals finally got a proper look at the girl's features. Contrary to his assumption that her lack of confidence stemmed from her looks, Zhu Xiyan—though not a celestial beauty—could still be called pure and charming. So why was she so lacking in confidence?

He pondered this internally, but his face remained expressionless.

"Can you tell me why you were so late?"

His tone was flat, but Zhu Xiyan's face burned. Simply put, she had boasted impulsively in the classroom earlier, only to end up disappointing.

"They kept arguing. Fighting over team members." The girl lowered her head again, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

"Louder." Hals showed no trace of chivalry. Partly because her voice was too soft, but also because, in his heart, there was someone far more important. "Why didn't you stop them?"

The girl seemed a bit aggrieved, suddenly raising her volume. "I did tell them, but they wouldn't listen."

"Then have you thought about why they acted that way?" Hals's soul-searching question only deepened her dejection.

The girl bowed her head even lower, tears glistening in her eyes.

"Because they look down on me."

Hals's voice gradually softened as he guided her. "Then do you know why they look down on you?"

"I, I don't know." The girl's eyes were filled with confusion.

A hint of a smile appeared beneath Hals's hood. His voice was hoarse and low, as if coming from far away yet sounding right beside her ear.

"I can tell you—it's because you're too weak. The weak don't deserve respect. They only deserve to be spat upon."

"Yes," Zhu Xiyan murmured, her gaze vacant. "I'm too weak..."

In truth, being admitted to the Advanced Class of Star Luo Royal Academy was proof of talent and strength. But her family's demands were so exacting that they had crushed her into this state of self-doubt.

That's right. With the surname Zhu and enrollment at Star Luo Royal Academy, Zhu Xiyan was the illegitimate daughter of the Zhu Family Grand Duke of the Star Luo Empire. The reason the Zhu and Dai families had maintained their rule for generations was that only the single most outstanding member of each generation could become the family head. Everyone else had their cultivation crippled and was imprisoned for life.

And Zhu Xiyan was not the sole heir of the Zhu Family this generation. Beneath her was a full-blooded younger sister, who would become her rival. Their positions could never be reconciled. The final outcome would be one of them dead, the other alive.

It was precisely because he had read these details in Spirit Hall's intelligence reports that Hals paid special attention to this girl. Of course, it couldn't be denied that perhaps he also sensed a kindred spirit in her...