The heavy wooden door of the principal's office closed gently behind him.
Isolating the air in the room that was mixed with the fragrance of tea and the principal's warm laughter.
The corridor suddenly became quiet, and only the bright light coming from the window reflected the fine dust floating slowly in the air.
Wang Jian and Ye Xunxue coincidentally slowed down their steps and cast their eyes vaguely at the freshman girl walking in the middle.
Qiu Yashuang, amateur eighth-dan.
"The principal said that we should go back and prepare separately, so we don't have to attend the afternoon class."
Ye Xunxue spoke first, trying to break the uncomfortable silence.
She tried hard to sound like a gentle and casual senior.
But there was still an unavoidable tension in his voice, which was the invisible pressure brought about by the gap in strength.
Although she is known as the number one person in the third grade of high school, maybe... in this group of three, she is still the one holding back the most...
Wang Jian just nodded silently as a response.
When he reached the fork in the stairs, Qiu Yashuang stopped.
"I'm leaving first." She nodded slightly to the two of them, her tone calm.
Then he turned around and walked towards the stairs leading to the junior high school, his steps were neat and tidy, without any hesitation.
Watching Qiu Yashuang's figure disappear at the corner of the stairs, leaving only Ye Xunxue and Wang Jian in the corridor, the atmosphere seemed to be relaxed, but also a little more indescribable and subtle.
Ye Xunxue took a deep breath, turned to Wang Jian, and put the sassy smile that belonged to the senior sister on her face again.
"Congratulations, junior Wang Jian." She said with a sincere tone, "I just watched your game, it was clean and neat."
"Qu Yang's gun is considered top-notch in our grade. I didn't expect that you can't even hold the weapon."
She paused, with a bit of teasing in her eyes. "Speaking of which, last time we competed, it seemed that I was slightly better? But at that time, you were not forced to use your 'Mystic Rock Bone'."
She was referring to a previous informal exchange in the school. The two exchanged dozens of moves. In the end, Ye Xunxue narrowly won with the advantage of more experience and long weapons...
But she also knew that Wang Jian had not used the true power of his special physique.
Ye Xunxue looked at Wang Jian half jokingly and half seriously. "Alliance Grand Competition, there are so many experts here this time, please don't be merciful anymore."
"If we don't try our best, we won't get good results."
Wang Jian heard this and shook his head, his expression still a bit upright for his age. "I didn't give in to the daily competition."
"It's just that once 'Mystic Rock Bone' is activated, the power is difficult to control precisely, and it can easily fall out of the scope of the competition and become a Life and Death fight."
He raised his eyes and looked at Ye Xunxue calmly, his tone was calm but to the point. "Senior sister, she seems a little too anxious? Is it because of that senior student Qiu?"
Ye Xunxue was startled by his straightforward words. The calm smile that he deliberately maintained on his face was a little unbearable for a moment, and there was a flash of embarrassment at being told the main thing.
She didn't expect that this junior student, who usually seemed a bit dull, would have such keen observation skills.
"I..." She opened her mouth and wanted to refute, but found that there was no way to argue.
In the end, he just smiled helplessly and raised his hand to smooth the broken hair in front of his forehead to cover up the momentary embarrassment.
"Okay, you've seen it. It's a bit stressful to have such a powerful junior girl suddenly appear. It feels like us seniors will be photographed on the beach if we don't work hard."
Wang Jian looked at Ye Xunxue's rare expression of true emotion and didn't say anything more. He just nodded to show his understanding.
Ye Xunxue quickly adjusted his mentality, straightened his back again, and returned to his usual capable appearance. "Okay, let's not talk about this. Let's all go back and prepare well. Team battles still need to be adjusted."
She waved to Wang Jian, "Let's go now, see you later."
"Well, goodbye, senior sister." Wang Jian also nodded goodbye.
Different from the slightly solemn atmosphere of the high school, the junior high school of Jiang City No. 1 High School is much more lively and noisy.
The bell rang as if a seal had been lifted, and the corridor was instantly filled with students pouring out and noisy chatter and laughter.
Qiu Yashuang walked through the laughing and playing crowd expressionlessly and came to the window of a certain class in the second grade of junior high school.
The position by the window has a clear view.
A handsome young man was immersed in writing, while next to him, another young man who looked somewhat similar but more out-of-the-box was lying on the table like a puddle of soft mud, his eyes vacant, as if all his energy had been drained by the book.
"Leave." Qiu Yashuang knocked on the glass window.
"Sister Ya!" Qiu Jiu, who was lying on his stomach, jumped up instantly, with the joy of "finally liberated" written all over his face.
Qiu Rao, who was immersed in writing next to him, also put down his pen when he heard the sound, and began to pack up the textbooks and exercise books spread out on the table in an orderly manner.
Since their cultivation level exceeded the average level of junior high school students, the school deliberately placed the brothers in the same junior high school class to facilitate management and teaching.
The three of them walked side by side on the path home, and the setting sun stretched their shadows long.
"Sister Ya, how was today's on-campus selection? Did it go well?" Qiu Jiu couldn't restrain his curiosity and stepped forward to ask.
"Selected." Qiu Yashuang replied.
"That's for sure!" Qiu Jiu said matter-of-factly, puffing up his chest proudly, "Sister Ya if you take action, is there any suspense?"
"Hey, I feel like I'm about to break through to the fourth level of amateur. The effect of Crimson Blood Fruit is really incredible!" He felt the increasingly full blood in his body and spoke excitedly.
Qiu Rao, who was standing next to him, pushed up his glasses on the bridge of his nose and added calmly, "My amateur level 4 has been stabilized. According to the current progress, I will challenge Amateur Fifth Dan next year. It won't be a big problem."
With the abundant supply of resources, coupled with the foundation and character honed by the three of them in the wilderness, their cultivation progress has been extremely rapid, leaving them far behind their peers.
"Speaking of which, I still have to thank Captain Tan." Qiu Jiu seemed to have remembered something, and his tone was filled with gratitude.
"After the beast tide at Windless City was dealt with last time, Uncle Zhou and Captain Tan... oh no, Uncle Tan mentioned it and said they wanted us to experience normal school life."
"I didn't expect Uncle Tan to be so helpful. Not only did he arrange the three of us's student status and residence clearly, but he also gave Uncle Zhou the title of honorary professor of Southern Martial University, saying that it would be convenient to take care of us."
"Uncle Tan also specifically mentioned it," Qiu Rao took over and stated calmly, "Considering that we were in the wilderness before and may have lacked basic liberal arts education, you can help us apply for the preferential treatment policy for cultural courses in the martial arts college entrance examination."
Hearing this, Qiu Jiu's face fell instantly and he sighed, "What's the result? Uncle Zhou rejected it without even thinking about it!"
Qiu Rao pushed up his glasses and helplessly imitated the unquestionable tone of Zhou Li at that time. "'These three monkeys are very smart and have enough brains. There is no need to use this kind of back door. If you study honestly, I will recognize whatever you get in the exam.'"
"Uncle Zhou is really true..." Qiu Jiu muttered in a low voice, with a bit of grievance, "I don't take any advantage... As a result, I now see that the historical chronological representatives are two in size, which is more tiring than collecting supplies in Wilderness Zone..."
Listening to the complaints of the two younger brothers, Qiu Yashuang, who was walking in front, raised the corners of his cold mouth in a rare way.
During this time, you don't have to be constantly vigilant about possible ferocious beasts, and you don't have to worry about your next meal.
Go to school, get out of school, practice regularly every day...
They are indeed integrating bit by bit into this "normal" life that once seemed out of reach and never even imagined.
Calm, sometimes even a bit boring.
But this step-by-step rhythm contains a sense of solidity that is hard to find in the wilderness.
She knew that Uncle Zhou refused preferential treatment in the hope that they could truly take root and not be forever regarded as "outsiders" in need of special care.
The green light starts flashing and the countdown starts.
The three of them walked to the noisy intersection and stopped with the flow of people, waiting for the next pass.
Traffic flowed continuously in front of us, forming a moving steel barrier.
Across the street, all kinds of people come and go, forming a picture of urban daily life.
Qiu Yashuang's eyes unconsciously swept across the bustling crowd opposite.
However, just as her eyes passed a certain corner, her pupils shrank suddenly!
In the crowd, a young man wearing an ordinary gray sweatshirt turned his back to her...
That back view...
Qiu Yashuang's heart seemed to be clenched tightly by an invisible hand, and suddenly stopped beating, his breathing also stopped, and his brain went blank.
Is... him?!
It's him!
You can't go wrong!
The numbers on the red light were still beating slowly, but her brain could no longer process the information.
The body reacts before consciousness -
"Get out of the way!"
She suddenly pushed aside the uninformed passers-by, ignoring the harsh sound of brakes and the driver's curses, and rushed straight into the fast traffic like an out-of-control deer!
"Sister?!"
"Sister Ya!"
Qiu Jiu and Qiu Rao were frightened by her crazy move and screamed. They rushed forward without thinking, their hearts almost beating out of their throats.
Qiu Yashuang could only see that back figure, and the whole world turned into a blurry background.
She pushed her body skills to the extreme, weaving dangerously through the traffic, and rushed to the other side of the road in a few steps.
But that figure was about to disappear on the street corner.
A voice sounded sharply in her heart:
"If I can't keep him now, I'll never see him again..."
The thought penetrated her mind like an ice pick, making her whole body shiver.
She almost jumped, staggering toward the corner, her heart beating wildly in her chest.
Empty.
At the entrance of the alley there was only the wind passing through, blowing up a few dead leaves.
The back figure just now was like water vapor evaporating in the sun, leaving no trace.
Qiu Yashuang stood frozen on the spot, as if all the strength in his body had been drained away in an instant.
The collision of the desperate impulse just now and the cold reality at this moment made her dizzy, and the whole world lost its sound and color.
There are noisy horns, pedestrians talking, brothers shouting...
At this moment, everyone seemed to be isolated and extremely far away from her.
Only her own increasingly heavy heartbeat was beating against her eardrums like a drum.
She stood there blankly, watching the strange boy curse and adjust his clothes before quickly disappearing into the crowd. Her eyesight went dark and she almost lost her balance.
"Sister! Are you okay?!" Qiu Jiu and Qiu Rao caught up with her panting, holding her swaying body from left to right, their faces full of shock and deep worry.
Qiu Yashuang didn't answer, as if he had lost all his strength.
She stared blankly at the still endless flow of people in front of her. The light that was ignited by the momentary hope in her eyes was extinguished little by little, and in the end, only a bottomless darkness and emptiness remained.
How could it be him?
What on earth was she expecting?
Thunder Roar Mountain said goodbye, Chen Yan let them go first and stayed behind.
Later, Uncle Zhou, whose injuries were slightly relieved, relied on his connection with Black Wind Valley and a high-precision energy detector dedicated to Void-Breaker Squad, and ventured back to the area that had been reduced to scorched earth.
The conclusion of the detection was cold and cruel: the violent and unimaginable thunderstorm energy destroyed all signs of life, and no stable life fluctuations could be detected in the original core area of the battlefield.
The implication is that Chen Yan, together with the terrifying Dark Prison Demon Baleful Tiger and the remaining beast tide, were annihilated in that devastating natural disaster.
Officials determined that he had died.
But there is always a weak voice in my heart stubbornly shouting: Don't believe it!
She doesn't believe it!
How could that mysterious and powerful guy die so easily?
As long as she doesn't see his body with her own eyes for a day and doesn't get 100% conclusive evidence, she won't believe it!
Qiu Yashuang His nails dug deeply into his palms, and he felt a clear tingling sensation. He could barely suppress the sourness rising from the tip of his nose and the heat in his eyes.
She knew that the current Thunder Roar Mountain core area was designated as a temporary restricted area by the Alliance and was not suitable for ordinary people or even low-level warriors to enter.
Wait for her!
Wait until she reaches the professional level!
Wait until she has enough strength and qualifications!
She must go back in person, visit every corner of that scorched land, live to see people, die... and see definite evidence!
"Sister Ya..." Qiu Rao looked at her tense profile, feeling sad in his heart, and opened his mouth, but he didn't know how to comfort her.
Qiu Yashuang slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, his eyes had returned to their usual coldness.
"It's okay." She said softly, her voice a little hoarse, "Let's go home."
She turned around and merged into the crowd, gradually losing sight of her back...
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