Traitor's Diary

Zhu Shen looked at the evolution point balance on his system panel with great satisfaction, calculating how many more times he could scam others before he could raise his bloodline purity.

Tang San silently picked up the needle that had been stepped on and bent, his expression complex. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately swallowed it back.

"Teacher, I have to forge this needle again."

"Forget about forging it. I'll get you some better materials later," Zhu Shen said with a wave of his hand. "What kind of good stuff can you even forge with that scrap iron from the blacksmith shop?"

Tang San's eyes lit up. "Teacher, you have better materials?"

"Of course I do." Zhu Shen lowered his voice, acting mysterious. "There's a place in Nuoding City that specializes in selling good stuff that can't see the light of day."

Tang San understood immediately. "The black market?"

"Smart." Zhu Shen patted his shoulder. "But don't be in a rush now. Wait a couple of days, and I'll take you there to broaden your horizons."

Tang San nodded and put away the bent needle.

After finishing lunch, Zhu Shen let the work-study students take a nap while he took Tang San back to their dormitory.

Closing the door, Zhu Shen pulled the Dragon God External Spirit Bone from his robes. The spirit bone was entirely gold, its surface covered in fine, dense scale patterns, emitting a faint pressure.

"Teacher, this is..."

"My External Spirit Bone." Zhu Shen weighed it in his hand. "I haven't absorbed it yet, and today happens to be a good time."

Tang San was a bit worried. "Absorbing an External Spirit Bone is very dangerous. Should you find someone to guard you, Teacher?"

"Find who? Your dad?" Zhu Shen rolled his eyes. "Your dad ran off long ago. Don't worry, your teacher is a cheater now; it's just absorbing a spirit bone."

Tang San didn't quite understand what "cheater" meant, but seeing Zhu Shen's confident expression, he didn't try to persuade him further.

Zhu Shen sat cross-legged and pressed the External Spirit Bone against his back.

Golden light flared instantly. Zhu Shen felt as if his back had been branded by a hot iron, followed by a surge of violent energy flooding into his body.

"Holy sh—"

Before he could finish, Zhu Shen's vision went black, and his consciousness was pulled into a golden space.

A Golden Dragon circled in the void, its size several times larger than before. The dragon opened its eyes, its golden pupils staring at Zhu Shen, and let out a low, deep dragon roar.

[Detected that the host is absorbing the Dragon God External Spirit Bone. Enabling set effects...]

[Dragon God Set progress: 2/7. Current enabled effects: Dragon Might increased by 100%, Dragon-type spirit skill power increased by 50%.]

Before Zhu Shen could even feel happy, a sharp pain suddenly erupted from his back.

The energy felt as if it were tearing him apart, burrowing outward from his shoulder blades. Zhu Shen broke out in a cold sweat from the pain, gritting his teeth to endure it.

Outside, Tang San watched as two large lumps bulged on Zhu Shen's back, his expression shifting slightly.

The golden light grew brighter and brighter, and the two lumps expanded until, with a "pop," a pair of golden wings unfurled from Zhu Shen's back.

The wings were not large, spanning only a meter or so, but they were covered in golden scales, their edges as sharp as blades. The wings flapped gently, stirring up a gust of wind that made Tang San's clothes snap loudly.

The golden light slowly faded. Zhu Shen opened his eyes and let out a long breath.

"That hurt like hell." He touched his back, and when he made contact with the wings, his whole body shivered. "Can this thing... be retracted?"

With a thought, the wings retracted as expected, and his back returned to normal.

With another thought, the wings snapped open.

"Interesting." Zhu Shen stood up and tried flapping the wings. His body felt light, hovering half a foot off the ground before dropping back down.

[Note: The flight ability of the External Spirit Bone requires spirit power to sustain. Current spirit power level can maintain low-altitude flight for one quarter of an hour.]

"A quarter of an hour is enough." Zhu Shen nodded in satisfaction and retracted the wings.

Tang San watched from the side, his eyes wide. "Teacher, those wings of yours..."

"Cool, right?" Zhu Shen tossed his hair triumphantly. "From now on, your teacher is someone who can fly."

Tang San's mouth twitched. "But Teacher, didn't you say we should keep a low profile?"

"Isn't this low profile?" Zhu Shen said righteously. "I didn't go outside to fly; I just did it in the room."

Tang San decided not to discuss the issue of keeping a low profile with his teacher anymore.

The afternoon training proceeded as usual.

Zhu Shen led the work-study students to continue their physical training: running laps, moving stones, and holding horse stances. The group of children was exhausted and wailing, but no one quit.

Xiao Lian was particularly eye-catching today. Although she was the slowest runner, she didn't miss a single step of the fifteen laps, and she could still stand after finishing, unlike Li Erniu, who was lying on the ground playing dead.

"Not bad." Zhu Shen nodded. "Same again tomorrow."

Xiao Lian wiped her sweat and asked in a low voice, "Teacher, when can I learn spirit skills?"

"Build a solid foundation first." Zhu Shen squatted down and looked at her seriously. "Your martial soul is quite special and requires more preparation. When the time is right, I will take you to hunt for a suitable spirit ring."

Xiao Lian's eyes brightened. "Really?"

"Of course it's real. When has your teacher ever lied to anyone?"

Tang San, standing to the side, silently lowered his head.

Just as the afternoon training ended, Wang Sheng ran over, panting heavily. "Teacher, it's bad! Xiao Wanshan has brought people here and is blocking the academy gate!"

Zhu Shen raised an eyebrow. "How many people?"

"A lot! At least twenty or thirty, and there are a few wearing armor. They look like guards from the City Lord's Mansion!"

"Let's go take a look."

Zhu Shen led the group of children toward the academy gate. Tang San followed behind, quietly pulling out a few newly forged needles.

A large crowd had gathered at the academy entrance. Xiao Wanshan stood at the very front, followed by over twenty guards and three middle-aged men dressed in spirit master robes. All three spirit masters had badges pinned to their chests: two were three-ringed, and one was four-ringed.

Su Nuo stood to the side, looking troubled. "Councilor Xiao, let's talk this over properly. Why the need for such a grand display?"

"Talk it over?" Xiao Wanshan let out a cold snort. "Dean Su, I have given you plenty of face. This Yu Xiaogang injured my son and dared to threaten me. If I don't teach him a lesson today, how am I, Xiao Wanshan, supposed to hold my head up in Nuoding City in the future?"

Zhu Shen walked out of the school gate, swept a glance over the people opposite him, and smiled. "Councilor Xiao, are you here to start a fight?"

"If you're smart, kneel down, kowtow, pay up, and get lost." Xiao Wanshan pointed at Zhu Shen. "Otherwise, I'll make sure you're carried out of here horizontally today."

Zhu Shen looked at the three spirit masters, his gaze lingering for a moment on the four-ringed one. "Just based on them?"

The four-ringed spirit master was a tall, thin man with a gloomy expression. He sneered upon hearing this. "Yu Xiaogang? I've heard of your reputation—a theoretical Grandmaster, a level twenty-nine piece of trash. What, did you have some stroke of luck and now you've forgotten who you are?"

Zhu Shen sighed. Why was it that every Tom, Dick, and Harry dared to challenge him these days?

"San, step back."

Tang San obediently retreated, though he did not put away the needles in his hand.

Zhu Shen took a step forward and released his Dragon God Martial Soul.

Golden light exploded outward, and the phantom of a Golden Dragon coiled behind him, surrounded by four spirit rings—two purple and two black. The dragon's might crushed down like a physical force; the expressions of the twenty-plus guards changed drastically, and several of them went weak at the knees and collapsed directly to the ground.

The three spirit masters' martial souls released automatically, but they trembled violently in the face of the dragon's might. The four-ringed spirit master's martial soul was a Black Wolf, which was currently cowering on the ground, whimpering and refusing to stand up.

"You..." The four-ringed spirit master turned deathly pale. "What kind of martial soul is this?!"

Zhu Shen did not answer; his figure flickered, and he appeared directly in front of him.

He reached out with a dragon claw, grabbed the man by the throat, and lifted him into the air.

"I'll give you one chance. Leave now, and I'll pretend you were never here."

The four-ringed spirit master was choked to the point of gasping for air and nodded frantically.

Zhu Shen released his grip and tossed him onto the ground. The four-ringed spirit master scrambled up and fled, tumbling and crawling away. Seeing this, the other two three-ringed spirit masters followed suit and ran.

Xiao Wanshan's face turned livid. "You... all of you, come back here!"

No one paid him any mind.

Zhu Shen looked at Xiao Wanshan and smiled. "Councilor Xiao, do you have any other tricks?"

Xiao Wanshan gritted his teeth, his expression shifting between rage and uncertainty. Finally, he stomped his foot. "Yu Xiaogang, you just wait! This isn't over!"

With that, he led his guards away in a dejected retreat.

Su Nuo watched from the side, a strange glint flashing in his eyes, before he stepped forward with a smile. "Grandmaster is truly formidable. I am impressed, truly impressed."

Zhu Shen glanced at him. "Dean Su, there is something I would like to ask you."

"What is it?"

"Who was the person in the dark red clothing you were speaking with this morning?"