Leaving Again After Returning

Rarely did Hals lose his composure. He fell silent, but soon excitement filled his heart. There was no other reason: he could smell an almost nauseating stench of blood on Zhu Xiyan, whose appearance had changed dramatically. To him, though, it meant that Zhu Xiyan was one of his kind... but...

Hals reached out with his spiritual right hand and plucked a strand of Zhu Xiyan's blood-red hair. Bending slightly, he brought it to his face and inhaled deeply.

"Sniff."

Visible to the naked eye, wisps of blood-red vapor, dotted with flecks of green light, drifted from the strand of hair and were drawn into Hals's nostrils.

"What a marvelous scent..."

Hals's hoarse voice rang out. He was so intoxicated that he wanted to close his eyes, but in the end, only his Soul Flame could be seen, flickering violently.

Zhu Xiyan, who had seemed somewhat relaxed and faintly proud after her transformation, was no longer at ease. She didn't dare move a muscle. Trembling all over, she silently felt Hals mercilessly drawing out her blood essence and soul, bit by bit.

"Teacher..."

Zhu Xiyan's voice trembled, filled with fear.

Looking at the strand of hair in his hand, now gray, Hals let it go indifferently. He watched in silence as a breeze reduced it to dust in the air...

Straightening up, Hals turned and walked outside, his expression slightly cold. "Just this once."

Zhu Xiyan lowered her head. Her body was still trembling faintly, but her voice had relaxed somewhat. A moment later, she raised her head again, and her eyes once more held both fear of Hals and a trace of fervor.

"Yes, teacher..."

Hals looked out the window at the falling leaves, his eyes tinged with melancholy. Before he knew it, he had been away from Spirit Hall for nearly a year and a half, and had already spent over a year at Star Luo Academy.

Through the vision of his Soul Flame, he saw not only the leaves falling everywhere, but also the faint flames of souls gradually fading away. As his strength had grown over the past year, Hals's perception and control of souls had become increasingly terrifying. He could sense that his breakthrough was near. Perhaps if he stayed at the academy, it would take only a little over another year for him to cross that threshold.

But Hals didn't want to wait that long. In recent days, both his own preparations and Bibi Dong's letters had been conveying the same message: Qian Xunji was losing patience.

Beneath his hood, his face was expressionless, but the Soul Flame in his eyes flickered restlessly. After a long while, Hals let out an almost imperceptible sigh and turned to leave...

Two deep handprints remained on the windowsill. One was smooth; the other was marked with clear palm lines...

"What? You're leaving again?"

In the office, Yu Xiaoya cried out in surprise, then shot to her feet and slammed both hands on the desk. She stared at Hals with a heated yet troubled gaze. "You only came back a month ago, and the academy's higher-ups are already unhappy. Now you're telling me you're leaving again—and that you might be gone for several months?"

Hals showed no hint of emotion at Yu Xiaoya's anger. He stood there calmly and replied in an even tone, "I'm about to break through."

"That doesn't matter. You still can't go." Yu Xiaoya rejected him before he could finish, but in the next instant, she realized what he had said.

"You, you, you, you..."

Her words tumbled over one another. Yu Xiaoya felt as if her head were spinning.

She staggered backward a few steps and sank into her office chair. In silence, she looked at Hals, her eyes full of complicated emotions. This was the man who, for the past year, had ignored all her hints and remained utterly unmoved by her, acting especially cold toward her. The evaluations over the following six months had also proven his outstanding teaching ability. Although the students seemed unusually cold to her and far too focused on their assignments, there was nothing she could do. Such talent was exactly what the higher-ups of the empire needed.

Yu Xiaoya sighed softly. Remembering how a member of the royal family had openly admired and highly praised Hals, she couldn't help feeling that the gap between them was growing wider and wider...

Forcing down the worry in her heart, Yu Xiaoya looked at Hals, her voice softening. "Can you tell me when you'll be back?"

Faced with Yu Xiaoya's almost pleading words, Hals felt nothing. He shook his head, his face beneath the hood caught between light and shadow. "I don't know when I'll return."

Yu Xiaoya looked dejected, her delicate face drained of color. As if she had come to a decision, she raised her head, her gaze resolute. "All right. I'll take care of the arrangements for you, but promise me you'll come back. There's something I want to tell you."

Hals nodded and said, "Thank you." Then he turned and disappeared from Yu Xiaoya's sight...

Yu Xiaoya remained seated in her office chair, motionless for a long time. At last, she lowered her head and whispered:

"Because of you, there's no need to thank me..."

Once he was outside the academy gates, Hals felt somewhat lost. Watching the crowds moving along the street, he felt that his black robe made him stand out from everyone else. Fortunately, he soon composed himself, looked around, picked a direction, and walked straight off.

Nork Town was a fairly large, well-known town on the outskirts of the Extreme North. It was even comparable in size to cities in some remote regions. But what made it famous wasn't its size. It was the lawlessness.

That's right—lawlessness!

Here, the weak were killed every moment of every day. No reason was needed. Perhaps someone wanted your wealth. Here, Soul Bones weren't a blessing from heaven to anyone—they were a disaster. Or perhaps someone simply didn't like the look of you and killed you on a whim. Or maybe they did it just for fun. But no matter how many people died, Nork Town was always crowded, because it was a haven for everyone wanted by the empire, for everyone being hunted, and for every thug.

This was a lawless land!

Today, the lawless land welcomed a new visitor. The newcomer's black robes were nothing unusual here, but to the residents of Nork Town, a new prey had just entered their hunting ground.

But who was the prey, and who was the hunter?

Feeling the greedy gazes—some concealed, some not—aimed at him from the alleys along his way, Hals was excited. He suppressed his anticipation and walked into a tavern with an impassive expression. He casually placed two Gold Soul Coins on the counter with his left hand.

"One room." His voice was hoarse and indifferent.

A young man behind the counter, who had kept his head lowered, froze. Then he looked up, saw the two Gold Soul Coins on the counter, and his eyes lit up. He looked at Hals as if he were a fat sheep.

He reached out with his withered right hand, pocketed one of the Gold Soul Coins, and gave a strange snicker.

"Customer, one Gold Soul Coin won't do. You'll have to pay more."

Beneath his hood, Hals frowned, but inside he was thrilled. What a beautiful, perfect soul.

He licked his slightly dry lips and raised his head a little. A ferocious grin appeared on the lower half of his face.

"Heh."

"Splurt!"

Blood sprayed everywhere, staining the tavern's main hall a festive red. Many customers passing through the hall were splattered, but no one dared step forward to pick a fight with Hals. His left hand was still resting on the corpse of the young man before him, whose chest had been torn open and head severed.

Dead silence.

Some people were indifferent, some delighted, and others found it interesting, but no one said a word.

"Which son of a bitch dares cause trouble on my turf? I'll chop you to pieces and feed you to the dogs!"

A coarse voice rang out from the back of the tavern, followed by a fat, vicious middle-aged man with tattoos all over his face.

The middle-aged man looked at Hals, his gaze sinister. "So you're the brat causing trouble in my place?"

Hals looked at the man. His eyes couldn't be seen, yet the middle-aged man felt an inexplicable chill creeping up his back.

"You're the one in charge here?"

But years of experience in Nork Town, along with his lofty status, soon helped the middle-aged man regain his composure. He looked at Hals disdainfully.

"What, looking for trouble?"

"Good."

Hals's uniquely soft, hoarse voice rang out. "Then from this moment on, this place is mine..."