Return and Depart Again

Rarely, Hals lost his composure, falling silent. But soon, excitement surged within him—for no other reason than that he had caught a thick, nauseating scent of blood on Zhu Xiyan, whose appearance had drastically changed. To him, however, this meant only one thing: Zhu Xiyan was his kind... but...

Extending his right soul hand, Hals pinched a strand of Zhu Xiyan's blood-red hair, leaned forward slightly, brought it to his face, and inhaled deeply.

Sniff.

Visibly, wisps of blood-red airflow, dotted with specks of green light, drifted from the strand and were drawn into Hals's nostrils.

"An exquisite scent..."

Hals's hoarse voice rang out as he reveled in the sensation, wanting to close his eyes in bliss, but in the end, only his Soul Flame flickered violently.

Zhu Xiyan, who had seemed somewhat relaxed and even carried a hint of hidden pride after her transformation, now lost all her earlier composure. She dared not move a muscle, trembling all over, silently feeling strands of her blood essence and soul being ruthlessly drawn out by Hals.

"Teacher..."

Zhu Xiyan's voice quivered, filled with terror.

Looking at the strand of hair that had turned gray in his hand, Hals coldly let it go, silently watching as a gentle breeze reduced it to ash in the air...

Straightening up, Hals's expression turned somewhat cold. He turned and walked out, saying, "This one time only."

Zhu Xiyan lowered her head, her body still trembling slightly, but her voice carried a hint of relief. After a moment, she raised her head again, her eyes once more filled with fear of Hals and a trace of fervor.

"Yes, Teacher..."

Hals gazed out the window at the swirling fallen leaves, a trace of melancholy in his eyes. Unknowingly, nearly a year and a half had passed since he left Spirit Hall, and over a year since he joined Star Luo Academy.

In his Soul Flame vision, it wasn't just the sky full of leaves—it was the gradually withering, faint soul fires. As his strength grew over the past year, Hals's perception and control over souls had become increasingly terrifying. He could feel that his breakthrough was imminent. Perhaps if he stayed in the academy, it would take no more than another year before he could cross that threshold.

But Hals didn't want to wait that long. In recent days, both his contingency plans and Bibi Dong's letters had conveyed one message to him: Qian Xunji could no longer hold back.

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

Two deep handprints were silently etched into the windowsill—one smooth, the other covered in clear palm lines.

"What? You're leaving again?"

In the office, Yu Xiaoya shouted in surprise, then slammed her hands on the desk and stood up. Leaning forward, she stared at Hals with a fiery yet complicated gaze. "You only came back a month ago, and the academy's higher-ups are already dissatisfied. Now you're telling me you want to leave again, and this time it might be for months?"

Hals showed no emotional reaction to Yu Xiaoya's anger. He stood there calmly, his tone flat. "I'm about to break through."

"Breakthrough or not, it's not allowed." Before Hals could finish, Yu Xiaoya cut him off, but then she suddenly realized what he meant.

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

Her words jumbled, stammering out several "you"s in a row. Yu Xiaoya felt her head spin.

Stumbling back a few steps, she collapsed into her office chair, silently staring at Hals, her eyes full of complexity. This man—for a whole year, no matter how she hinted, he remained indifferent to her, acting especially cold. The several evaluations over the past six months had further proven his outstanding teaching ability, though in her view, the students he trained seemed a bit too cold and overly focused on missions. But unfortunately, this was exactly the kind of talent the empire's higher-ups needed.

Yu Xiaoya sighed softly, recalling how a member of the royal family had openly expressed admiration and high praise for Hals. She felt the gap between herself and Hals growing wider and wider...

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

Faced with Yu Xiaoya's almost pleading words, Hals felt not a single ripple in his heart. He shook his head, the face beneath his hood shifting between light and shadow. "Return date unknown."

Yu Xiaoya looked somewhat dejected, her delicate face dimming. As if she had come to a realization, she lifted her head with determination. "Fine, I'll handle the paperwork for you. But promise me you'll come back. There's something I want to tell you."

Hals nodded, said a "thank you," and turned to disappear from Yu Xiaoya's sight...

Yu Xiaoya remained seated in her office chair, motionless for a long time. After a while, she lowered her head, her voice barely audible:

"Because of you... no need to thank me..."

Once outside the academy gates, Hals felt a moment of confusion. Watching the bustling crowd on the street, he felt somewhat out of place in his black robe. But soon, he composed himself, glanced around, found his direction, and walked away without hesitation.

Nork Town was a moderately renowned town located near the Extreme North, its scale rivaling that of some cities in remote areas. But what made it famous wasn't its size—it was the chaos.

Yes, chaos!

Here, at any moment, the weak were killed for no reason. Perhaps out of greed for your wealth—here, a soul bone was not a gift from heaven but a disaster. Or maybe someone just didn't like the look of you and killed you on a whim, or simply for amusement. But no matter how many died, Nork Town was always crowded. It was a paradise for every fugitive wanted by the empire, a paradise for those being hunted, and a paradise for thugs.

This was the Land of Disorder!

Today, the Land of Disorder welcomed a new guest. This guest, shrouded in a black robe, was utterly unremarkable here. But to the natives of Nork Town, a prey had stepped into their hunting grounds.

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

Feeling the greedy gazes—some concealed, some blatant—shooting from the alleys as he walked, Hals grew excited. Suppressing his agitation, he walked into an inn with a blank expression and lightly slapped two Gold Soul Coins onto the counter with his left hand.

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

A young man who had been keeping his head down behind the counter looked up, startled, and saw the two Gold Soul Coins on the counter. His eyes burned with greed as he looked at Hals like a fat sheep.

He extended a withered right hand, pocketed one Gold Soul Coin, and let out a strange, sneering laugh.

"Guest, one Gold Soul Coin won't cut it. You'll need to add more."

Hals frowned beneath his hood, but inside, he was wildly excited. What a beautiful, perfect soul.

Licking his slightly dry lips, Hals lifted his head slightly, a sinister grin appearing on the lower half of his face.

"Heh."

"Pfft."

Blood sprayed everywhere. The tavern's main hall was stained a festive crimson by the gushing torrent, splattering many patrons passing through. Yet no one dared step forward to challenge Hals—because his left hand still rested on the corpse of the young man before him, whose chest had been torn open and head severed.

Dead silence.

Some were indifferent, some gloated, some found it amusing, but no one spoke.

"Which bastard son of a bitch dares to stir shit in my territory? I'll chop you up and feed you to the dogs!"

A gruff voice bellowed from the back of the tavern, followed by a fat, violent-looking middle-aged man with a face full of tattoos.

The man fixed his gaze on Hals, his eyes dark and sinister. "So it's you, you little shit, causing trouble on my turf?"

Hals looked at the man. Though no eyes were visible, something in that gaze sent a faint chill down the man's spine.

"You the one in charge here?"

But years of experience in Nork Town and his lofty position quickly steadied the man's nerves. He sneered at Hals. "What, you got a problem?"

"Good."

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