Chapter 708: Volume Finale: The Foundation of a Legacy (Part 1)

In short, it was prenatal education.

Carrying a sword around was hardly a problem for Su Zhou. He was an individual who could legally possess weapons of mass destruction. Never mind a single blade—he could theoretically carry a nuclear warhead and it would still be legal. However, it was clear his current state was having a certain effect on the people around him.

“Carrying the blade with you and nurturing it with your Spiritual Power is one method. But I have a better suggestion: take it and cut down other powerful Extraordinary Creatures. Let it taste some blood.”

While Su Zhou was watching Shao Shuangyue play a video game, Yara offered an extremely reasonable suggestion. “At the end of the day, the Blade of Annihilation is a blade. And blades are meant for cutting people. If you don’t let it taste blood, what are you going to do? Chop vegetables with it?”

“Actually, I think to me, those two things are pretty much the same.”

Su Zhou replied in all seriousness, “To be fair, if we’re counting Evil Souls… I can eat all of it.”

“…You’re not wrong.” The Snake Spirit mulled it over for a moment and realized it was true. For this person, there was no fundamental difference between combat and cooking.

“Food’s ready! Time to eat!”

Soon, it was mealtime. Su Zhou dragged Shao Shuangyue downstairs to eat, where Aunt Hex had already prepared a table full of dishes.

For Su Zhou as he was now, it didn’t really matter whether he ate or not. But eating was still a personal hobby of his. Besides, seeing Aunt Hex’s satisfied expression after he’d cleaned his plate always put him in a good mood.

At the moment, there were only three of them in the Shao Family Mansion. Ever since Aunt Wen’s leg had healed, Uncle Shao had been whisking her all over the globe, as if to make up for all her years of suffering. They were off enjoying their time as a couple.

Shao Qiming, meanwhile, had recently taken part in an exploration mission with his squad related to some ruins in the East Sea. It had only just ended this afternoon.

“Aunt Hex, I won’t be eating here tonight.”

After lunch, Su Zhou picked up the Blade of Annihilation and prepared to head out. “Thanks for everything!”

“It was no trouble at all.” Aunt Hex waved a dismissive hand. Thanks to Su Zhou and Shao Qiming, those close to them received the best possible guidance in their cultivation, and Aunt Hex was no exception. She had always been well-muscled, but now her skin was tough and her breathing was even and smooth. She had clearly reached Minor Achievement in her Spiritual Qi Circulation, attaining the Initial Awakening Stage.

As for Su Zhou, he was heading out tonight to celebrate. Shao Qiming’s team from Qinxing Academy had just successfully completed their first high-difficulty ruins exploration mission on their own, and Su Zhou was treating the entire squad to a feast in the Western Capital so they could unwind.

「May 7, 2017. Evening. Western Capital Red Mist Hotel.」

Sitting on the sofa of their private room and taking in the frigid atmosphere, Guan Wanjing felt exhausted.

Mentally exhausted.

A while back, Guan Wanjing and his teammates—Lii Yeyu, Li Hanshan, Jin Qiong, and Shao Qiming—had been the top-ranked squad at Qinxing Academy based on academic credits. They’d undertaken a preliminary exploration mission to a Dragon Palace Secret Realm in the East Sea. Jin Qiong had to leave halfway through due to some issue related to the Beast God Realm. Even so, the remaining four had completed the mission to Perfection, finding and reactivating the Secret Realm’s control hub.

Based on Qinxing Academy’s system, their accumulated credits, and their numerous “Perfection” mission ratings, Guan Wanjing knew his future was set. After graduation, he could get a mid-level leadership position with real authority in any Zhengguo-affiliated organization, even if he picked one with his eyes closed. His accomplishments were enough to make him a captain in a state-level Extraordinary enforcement agency like the Security Bureau, or he could continue on with his teammates as an elite strike team.

And yet, despite having no worries about his future, Guan Wanjing was still exhausted.

Mentally exhausted.

To outsiders, the Qinxing Academy Elite squad was a quiet, exceptionally skilled unit. They were a top-tier team, boasting extremely high scores in everything from their on-paper stats and actual combat records to their written exams and practical assessments. As long as their captain, Lii Yeyu, gave the order, they could overcome any hardship or obstacle.

In actual combat, their coordination was superb—they were practically telepathic. In terms of appearance, the whole team was made up of handsome men and beautiful women. Even Guan Wanjing himself, who was perhaps a little *too* into fitness and a bit overly muscular, was certainly charismatic.

By all accounts, they were a perfect squad. Their hard and soft skills, their looks and their auras—everything fit the definition of “top-tier.”

But from Guan Wanjing’s perspective, his team was just… too damn weird in private!

Captain Lii Yeyu was a taciturn, cold beauty—tall, with long, straight black hair. She was a Shadow Walker. Her commands were concise, her presence cold and decisive. You could always count on her for reconnaissance or infiltration.

But before every mission, she’d pull out a photo of her parents and stare at it with this look of grim resolve. Every time, Guan Wanjing had to resist the urge to shout, ‘Your parents aren’t even dead! Why are you acting like you’re in a pre-death flashback?!’ and ‘Stop raising death flags!’

Then there was their sniper and scout, Li Hanshan. He almost never spoke, perfectly fitting the stereotype of the silent, emotionless sharpshooter. Possessing the bloodline of a Divine Bird, he could perform feats impossible for ordinary snipers, like aerial and extreme long-range attacks. He was a top-tier ranged combatant.