Time Flies

The air around the tavern reeked of blood. Everywhere he looked, there was carnage: countless mangled corpses had been casually discarded on the ground, and pools of blood had collected in every low-lying spot.

Hals stood beside a corpse, dazed. His hands were stained crimson. He inhaled the stench of blood and felt the fullness in his stomach, his mind a muddle. It took a long while for his reason and consciousness to return to his body.

Looking at the devastation he had caused, Hals's face darkened, and his hands trembled slightly. Without a word, he turned into a cloud of Black Mist and left.

Back in the basement, Hals silently shut the door and walked to a corner to sit down. He drew up his knees and rested his scabbed hands on them, lowering his head as he pondered something.

For the first time in a long while, Hals felt a trace of fear and panic.

It wasn't because of the killing. From the day he became a Soul Master and joined Spirit Hall, Hals had prepared himself for a life spent surrounded by bloodshed—and that was exactly how he had lived.

The nature of his Martial Soul forced Hals farther and farther down the path of slaughter. Everyone in Spirit Hall thought him an unparalleled genius, his rate of Soul Power advancement unprecedented and unmatched. What they didn't know was that every achievement Hals had made rested upon an endless staircase built from heaps of corpses.

He wasn't afraid of killing. In his eyes, every living thing was his prey. What he feared was that he might never again be able to stay by Bibi Dong's side.

If he continued to treat souls as food and periodically lost control and went berserk, Hals would never allow someone like himself—a bomb liable to explode at any moment—to remain by Bibi Dong's side. But...

"No..."

Hals's voice was low.

"I won't let that happen..." Hals clenched his fists, Soul Flame flickering in his eyes. "I'll find a way to make it better..."

With his resolve firm, Hals temporarily set the matter aside and focused on growing stronger. He sat cross-legged and steadied his mind. A vast, chaotic mass of Soul Force, mixed with all sorts of impurities, appeared in his perception.

He guided the immense Soul Force into the Soul Flame in an unbroken stream. Amid a slight stinging pain, a much smaller but purer and more concentrated Soul Force flowed out of the flame and was absorbed by Hals, strengthening his already powerful soul. At the same time, the Soul Flame mark on his body began to grow hot, drawing a small portion of that pure Soul Force and slowly tempering his flesh...

The basement fell silent once more.

"Crash!"

As if in unison, objects shattered in the rooms of leaders from various factions.

"Crash!"

A tall, thin man with a small mustache around his chin slammed his fist onto the desk, anger plain on his face. He stared at the row of subordinates standing before him with their heads bowed, his voice icy.

"So that bastard went berserk because a greedy little rat had the nerve to sneak into the tavern, and he mistook the rat for one of our people, which stirred his urge to kill? And that's how one of our few Soul Kings got taken out so easily?"

The subordinates didn't dare look up. After a long while, one Strongman cautiously glanced at the man and replied, "That seems to be what happened."

"Slap!"

A sharp slap rang out. The Strongman's left cheek swelled visibly, but even after being struck, he didn't dare make a sound. He lowered his head and stared at the floor again.

The man was furious, his roar resounding throughout the organization's headquarters. "Seems to be? Seems to be? Seems to be?!"

"We, Greenwood, are one of the top factions in Nork Town. Is our control over Nork Town really that poor?"

"Answer me!"

No one replied.

The man's chest heaved with a series of ragged breaths. Then he fell silent and sank back into his chair, his face dark as he rubbed his furrowed brow.

A moment later, his voice rose, low and weary.

"Spread the word. Warn those unaffiliated cultivators not to provoke that bastard. We still don't know how strong he is, and picking a fight with him could cost us dearly."

"Yes, boss," his subordinates replied in unison.

"Boss," the same Strongman said. "Are we really going to let him get away with it?"

"Let him get away with it? Hmph!" The man gave a dark chuckle. "As if. He attacked one of our people, so he's our enemy. I won't let him off."

He thought for a moment, then added, "Keep watching him, but don't send our own people. Put out a message discreetly, and offer a high price to anyone willing to help us keep an eye on him."

"There are always people who'll risk their lives for money, aren't there?"

"Yes, boss." The Strongman bowed and nodded.

The man waved a hand, looking weary.

"Get out."

"Yes."

Alone in the empty room, the man sat in silence, lost in thought.

Hals opened his eyes, waking from sleep for the first time in a long while.

Indeed, as his strength grew, the Soul Flame in his eyes finally stopped burning fiercely all the time. It contracted and condensed, becoming a lustrous green eyeball that radiated both coldness and fire.

A year had passed...

Spirit Hall Forest

Bibi Dong's long eyelashes fluttered. A moment later, she opened her eyes. Her gaze, clear as a lake, seemed almost to speak, and a slight blink revealed her joy.

She stood and happily sensed the strength she had gained.

"Boom!"

A tremendous aura erupted. Seven Soul Rings—yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black—surged with immense pressure behind Bibi Dong, slowly undulating.

Seven rings!

A Spirit Saint!

Feeling the powerful strength surging through her body, Bibi Dong couldn't help thinking of the man who had somehow found his way into her heart. A trace of sadness crossed her face.

Her Martial Soul True Body Armor slowly faded. In silence, Bibi Dong walked deeper into the forest...

"Hals, when will you come back...?"

Star Luo Empire Royal Academy

Advanced Class Nine

A girl with striking, blood-red hair gazed at the horizon, lost in thought.

That was the direction her teacher had left in.

She clenched her delicate fists and bit her lower lip.

"Teacher, I've reached Soul Ancestor. When will you come back?"

She stood there in a daze for a moment, then let out a soft sigh and turned to face her classmates, lined up neatly behind her. The melancholy she'd just shown had vanished. Before them stood a Queen, haughty beyond compare.

She lifted her pretty face slightly, her expression full of disdain.

"With Teacher away, it's only natural that I, as class monitor, take responsibility. And I won't allow anyone to tarnish Teacher's reputation. You know what to do at tomorrow's Class Competition, don't you?"

No one spoke, but waves of dense bloodlust gradually rose from them, shooting straight into the sky.

The sun sank, and the clouds overhead turned blood-red.

Sensing the sweet scent of blood in the air, Zhu Xiyan's lips curved into a lovely smile...

Star Luo Empire Royal Academy

Academic Affairs Office, Administration Building

"Sigh."

Yu Xiaoya sat at her desk, brows knitted slightly as she held a file in her hand, her mood low.

"Sigh."

She sighed again, tossed the file onto the desk, then rose and walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows. In silence, she watched the sunset dye half the sky red, seeming to miss someone.

On the desk lay a file titled "Advanced Class Nine Teacher Application." It bore the name Yu Xiaoya...