The dull sound of the impact echoed through the training hall, accompanied by “Bai Feifei’s” chilling laughter.
Blood gushed from the wound carved by the ruler. Li Yan’s body swayed as he stumbled back two steps.
Then he stopped. His head hung low, and his hands dangled motionless at his sides, giving off the eerie impression that he had died where he stood.
The reporters below were stunned, as were the students of Qingping Academy. Ye Yu’s pupils constricted violently as she watched the scene on the arena.
Did she just kill him?!
In front of so many people, in front of the press, in front of everyone from both academies...
No, wait.
Ye Yu stared fixedly at Li Yan’s silhouette. He hadn't fallen.
Blood trickled down the ruler, but something seemed wrong with the boy’s clothes.
They were bulging unnaturally in several places. A low, grinding sound emanated from within his body, and several lumps even protruded from his forehead.
A look of confusion flashed through Ye Yu’s eyes; she didn't quite understand what was happening.
Xu Mo, however, could clearly see the numbers on his game panel—Li Yan’s level was still skyrocketing!
—Aberration!
Feeling the abnormal aura rising from the boy, Xu Mo let out a hideous grin.
Sorry about this, Prophet Liu Yun, but you can’t really blame me.
Besides, it’s been so many days. You should be just about finished with your investigation into the training ground potion incident; we can't just leave it without a deadline forever...
Zheng Ziyun suddenly bolted upright from his chair.
His eyes were wide and round, and his lips trembled violently, unable to hide his utter shock.
However, his shock wasn't just because “Bai Feifei” had committed murder, but because of Li Yan’s current state. He was an Edgerunner, after all; even if the reporters hadn't realized it yet, he could tell—the boy was about to undergo an aberration!
How was this possible?
Why was he mutating?!
His mind went blank for a moment, and his face turned deathly pale.
Before arriving, this was a scenario he had never even considered. Could it be that what “Bai Feifei” said was true? Was there really something wrong with the potions?!
In a flash, he realized he had to set aside all the other chaos. He couldn't let the public witness and confirm this aberration.
He immediately glared at “Bai Feifei.”
“You... As a mentor, you would commit murder in front of everyone?!”
“Bullying the weak! To actually deal a killing blow during a sparring session!”
He roared at the top of his lungs, his voice vibrating against the walls of the training hall.
But as soon as the words left his mouth, he hesitated.
Bullying the weak?
He glanced at the person he was trying to scold. Bai Feifei was a girl not even twenty years old. She was roughly the same age as Li Yan—in fact, Li Yan might even be older...
The phrase “bullying the weak” felt a bit off. Zheng Ziyun’s lip twitched.
But he didn't have time to dwell on it.
Bai Feifei stood on the arena, still holding the blood-dripping ruler. Her face was expressionless, as if she hadn't even noticed the bones beginning to pierce through Li Yan’s skin.
“What are you standing there for? Get in there! Rescue him! Now!” Zheng Ziyun barked at the people from Yaoguang Academy behind him.
Several high-ranking Scavengers moved instantly, charging onto the arena. They were incredibly fast, blurring into streaks as they surrounded the body that was still in the midst of its grotesque transformation.
They wore the instructor uniforms of Yaoguang Academy. On the game panel, they were all displayed as Level 50 or higher.
No one spoke. Weapons were drawn as several of them kept a wary eye on Bai Feifei, while the others moved to shield Li Yan, intending to spirit him away immediately.
Seeing this, Xu Mo laughed.
“What’s the rush?!” Xu Mo took a sudden step forward.
“The show is just getting started. Don’t let it end on a cliffhanger!”
“Everyone is watching. Don't be a buzzkill!”
The Yaoguang Scavengers didn't answer. They exchanged looks and pounced on Xu Mo from several directions simultaneously.
They acted in unison, clearly intending to take him down as quickly as possible.
Seeing them move, the grin on Xu Mo’s face became even more arrogant.
It felt like they had rehearsed this scene back at Qingping Academy a few days ago, didn't it? Except they hadn't actually fought then.
“That’s the spirit!”
He ducked to dodge the first blade, and a longsword instantly materialized in his hand.
Boom!
While speaking, he delivered a direct kick to the chest of the second Scavenger. A colossal force surged through the strike; before the man could even process his shock, he was sent flying!
“Bullying the weak? Well said.”
“If I don't bully the weak, then what’s the point of being superior?”
In truth, Bai Feifei’s current age and status created a bit of a logic bug: hitting students didn't count as bullying the weak since she was their age, and hitting teachers didn't count as insubordination since she was a teacher herself.
However, Xu Mo always considered himself an Old-Timer, so he accepted the label of “bullying the weak” without any issue.
“It’s perfect. I might as well bully you lot too!”
Xu Mo fought as he spoke, his movements fluid and seamless, as if he had practiced them a thousand times.
Crack!
The ruler swept out, slamming into someone’s wrist. The sound of shattering bone was exceptionally crisp.
Xu Mo flicked his toe, kicking the sword in his other hand into the air. He caught it with a smooth hand-swap and followed up with a horizontal sweep!
A few Rank 5 Scavengers weren't going to take anyone away from him anytime soon.
The reporters scrambled back like madmen. Some knocked over their cameras, others tripped out of their shoes, but the lenses remained pointed at the arena.
Their dedication was comparable to that of war correspondents.
In all their years in the industry, when had they ever seen a scene like this?
A student kills another student, and then gets into a brawl with the opposing mentors? If they told anyone about this, they’d be called insane.
“Crazy, they’ve all gone crazy,” one reporter muttered, crouching on the ground and clutching his camera with trembling lips. “She’s a lunatic... Is this really something a sane person would do?”
The students of Qingping Academy stood at the edge of the arena, their eyes vacant, unsure of what to do.
Only now did they realize that the ruler in her hand was truly capable of killing!
Ye Yu stared intently at the figure on the stage and then at Li Yan behind her. Past experience told her that whatever “Bai Feifei” was doing, there had to be a purpose behind it!
Zheng Ziyun stood below the stage, his face livid and the veins on his forehead bulging.
He watched in shock as the instructors he brought were actually held at bay by “Bai Feifei.” So many people, and they couldn't take her down.
More importantly, he had to get Li Yan out of there!
“Enough!” Zheng Ziyun roared, tearing off his dark gray robe as he prepared to step in personally.
Despite his age and status, he couldn't afford to care about appearances anymore; he had to resolve this immediately.
“I don’t care who your backers are. Even if we take this to the City Lord, committing murder in public is a capital crime!” Zheng Ziyun hissed through gritted teeth.
As he prepared to leap onto the arena, a sudden mutation occurred.
The motionless body on the stage suddenly let out a guttural roar!
Li Yan’s body was like a sausage that had been grilled for too long—it simply burst!
Skin peeled outward, revealing white bone spurs and dark red muscle fibers beneath. His spine arched into an unnatural curve as he dropped onto all fours.
Seeing that the mutation was finally complete, Xu Mo curled his lip.
“You’re taking forever to mutate. It’s like you’re constipated.”
Rate on N.U.
