Run!

The moment those two words rang out, the entire crowd erupted.

But the vast majority did not move a step.

Because the very next second-

Lin Yue, Lin Chen, and several classmates who had previously taken the assessment with Xing Yao all turned to look at him almost simultaneously!

Their gazes locked straight onto him, brimming with unconcealed curiosity and questions.

"Xing Yao!"

"What did that captain of the Cloud-Soaring Squad want with you just now?"

"What did you talk about? Did he give you special coaching?"

Several of them had even started walking, ready to surround him.

Xing Yao's expression shifted slightly.

The last thing he wanted right now was to be surrounded by people peppering him with questions. He did not want to explain a single word about the business with Qin Lie.

Seeing things take a bad turn, Xing Yao's gaze sharpened, and he did not hesitate.

"Invisibility-activate!"

A glow so faint it was almost invisible instantly enveloped his entire body. The next second, his figure vanished right before everyone's eyes.

"Where'd he go?!"

"He was right here a second ago!"

"How did he suddenly disappear?!"

Lin Yue, Lin Chen, and the others froze on the spot, staring in astonishment at the empty ground.

Before they could react.

"Teleportation-!"

The space beneath Xing Yao's feet warped slightly, and an invisible force enveloped him, whisking him away in an instant.

When he reappeared, he was already far from the square, in a deserted alley.

He did not dare linger. He raced onward, completely shaking everyone off within a few breaths and sprinting back to his lodgings.

Bang-

The door was gently shut and locked.

Xing Yao leaned against the back of the door and let out a long sigh of relief. Only now did he dare let his taut nerves relax.

Dragging his slightly heavy body to the middle of the bedroom, he collapsed headfirst onto the large, soft bed.

His body sank into the comfortable mattress as he panted heavily, his chest rising and falling slightly.

That string of unexpected events-from Qin Lie coming to find him, to becoming the focus of the entire school's students, to forcing his escape with Invisibility and Teleportation... even with his composure, he had felt a tension unlike anything before.

He lay on the bed, gazing at the ceiling, his eyes going slightly blank.

Three days off.

Rebuild the house.

Return to school in three days, then receive the academy I'd gotten into.

And... Azure Dragon Academy, the secret realm test.

Xing Yao slowly closed his eyes, his fingers curling gently.

I absolutely couldn't waste these three days.

As Xing Yao lay on the bed, everything that had happened today kept circling through his mind.

The sudden appearance of Qin Lie, captain of the Cloud-Soaring Squad, the advance news about Azure Dragon Academy and the secret realm test, the awkwardness of being surrounded by a crowd of classmates just now... countless images flashed through his mind.

After an entire day stretched taut, his nerves finally relaxed completely once he returned to his familiar, safe room.

Exhaustion swept over him like a tide.

He stopped forcing himself to think. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and his consciousness gradually blurred.

Within moments, Xing Yao fell into a deep sleep.

No nightmares, no disturbances.

He slept straight through until daylight.

The next morning.

Sunlight slipped through the gap in the curtains and quietly spilled across the head of the bed, falling warmly on Xing Yao's face.

His eyelashes fluttered gently as he finally began to wake from his deep sleep.

"Mmph..."

Xing Yao murmured groggily, still half asleep, his entire body suffused with the languor of someone who had just woken up.

He slowly opened his eyes, his vision still a little blurry, and instinctively turned his head toward the digital alarm clock beside his bed.

The next second-

Xing Yao's groggy expression abruptly froze!

The numbers shone with perfect clarity on the alarm clock's display:

09:00

Nine in the morning!

He had actually slept until this late!

Xing Yao instantly became much more alert and shot upright in bed. His hair was slightly disheveled, and a trace of lingering sleepiness remained in his eyes, but surprise had already filled them.

"It's nine..."

He murmured under his breath, still finding it a little hard to believe.

This was the deepest and longest he had slept lately.

But the moment he thought of the three days off the principal had mentioned, and of the pile of things he still had to prepare, Xing Yao snapped fully awake, all sleepiness gone.

He rubbed his still slightly throbbing head and took a deep breath. Just as he was about to get moving, his stomach let out a most ill-timed growl.

A wave of hunger instantly surged through him.

After receiving his orders, Clone No. 5 turned and walked lightly toward the door without making the slightest unnecessary noise. Gently opening the door and slowly closing it again, he went straight downstairs to buy breakfast for Xing Yao.

Watching the clone leave, Xing Yao wasted no more time. He leaned comfortably against the head of the bed and slowly closed his eyes. His aura settled slightly as he poured his consciousness without reservation into the vast mental world that belonged to him alone.

The next second, his consciousness arrived steadily within that boundless, empty space, suffused with faint mental energy.

Once Xing Yao had steadied himself, he immediately swept his gaze around, carefully surveying the entire mental world. Wherever he looked, Clone No. 2, Clone No. 3, and Clone No. 4 were scattered in different locations, each seated cross-legged and wreathed in faintly discernible halos of laws. Completely focused and free of distractions, they were immersed in cultivating to comprehend laws and break through to the second tier, not even noticing his arrival. Only the faint energy fluctuations produced by their cultivation remained in the entire mental world.

Yet Xing Yao scanned the whole mental space several times, seeing everything clearly from its central area to its outermost corners, without finding the slightest trace of Clone No. 1.

Xing Yao raised his brows slightly, growing increasingly puzzled.

Clone No. 1 had clearly already broken through to the second tier, and his strength was the most stable. How could he disappear for no reason?

Was he in seclusion comprehending an incredibly powerful ability, or had he discovered some secret?

Curiosity and confusion crept into his heart together. Without dwelling on it, he set off to search the mental world himself.

He passed the places where the other clones were cultivating, carefully sweeping his gaze over every corner, not even overlooking gaps where the energy fluctuated abnormally.

But the more he searched, the more puzzled Xing Yao became:

A second-tier clone couldn't conceal his aura at all. How could he have vanished as though evaporating from the face of the earth?

Just as he passed through a most inconspicuous, remote patch of darkness, Xing Yao abruptly stopped.

Out of the corner of his eye, he vaguely glimpsed a figure crouching on the ground.

The figure huddled in a corner with his back to him, motionless, his body faintly emitting a weak yet exceptionally concentrated fluctuation of energy.

Xing Yao's eyes instantly lit up.

Something was happening!

He immediately held his breath and softened his steps, creeping closer little by little, as silent as a cat.

His footsteps were so light they did not stir even a trace of wind.

Closer, closer still...

Even Xing Yao's heartbeat quietly quickened as guesses raced wildly through his mind:

Could he be condensing a soul skill exclusive to the second tier?

Or was he refining some kind of rare energy?

Or... had he secretly comprehended some heaven-defying law?

He held his breath, slowly craned his head forward, and looked at what lay in front of that figure-