Chapter 32: One Sword

Chapter 32: Chapter 32: One Sword

"Hey, wait! Brother Long didn’t mean it that way. It’s truly a misunderstanding, this..."

The girl holding the Snow Leopard Fang sensed that things were going south and immediately tried to explain to Li Heng, all while tugging on the sleeve of the boy next to her.

However, the 190cm-tall boy, whom the pretty girl called Brother Long, cut her off. He lowered his head slightly and spoke to Li Heng in a taunting tone.

"So, classmate, if it’s not a misunderstanding, then what do you plan to do? I’m a blunt person. If it weren’t for Wang Zhipeng, I really wouldn’t even give you lot from Thirteenth Middle School a..."

"In that case, it’s no longer a misunderstanding! Bai Shasha, we’re leaving!"

Seeing Li Heng’s move, Bai Shasha glanced up at Brother Long, then immediately fell into step behind Li Heng. She didn’t even spare a single glance for the Snow Leopard Fang in the other girl’s hand.

Everyone was stunned by the scene that had suddenly unfolded. The Icefield Area fell silent; even the sound of breathing seemed to fade away.

As Li Heng and Bai Shasha left, no one from Fifth Middle School said a word. Not one of them dared to speak up.

Meanwhile, the girl holding the Snow Leopard Fang remained frozen, her hand still outstretched. She stared in horror at Brother Long, the scene that had just transpired replaying over and over in her mind.

GULP~

Brother Long swallowed hard. He hadn’t even finished his threat. The initial thought of teaching this reckless punk from Thirteenth Middle School a lesson had vanished, replaced by a cold sweat that soaked his back.

His school uniform had been sliced open!

But there wasn’t even a scratch on his skin!

Most importantly, all Brother Long had managed to see clearly was Li Heng drawing his Longsword!

He had barely thought about reacting when he saw the other guy sheathing it again!

And just as his opponent sheathed the blade, Brother Long felt a cold draft on his chest, followed by another. It was this chilling wind that finally made Brother Long "sober up."

His uniform had been sliced open with a Longsword by the boy from Thirteenth Middle School, yet he hadn’t even seen how his opponent swung the blade!

A speed too fast to see!

Terrifyingly precise control!

Brother Long, the one it happened to, couldn’t even see Li Heng swing his sword, let alone the others who were standing further away.

Although the others hadn’t seen how Li Heng swung the sword, they had all seen him draw his weapon and strike.

That’s why when Li Heng and Bai Shasha were leaving, no one said a thing. Not a single person made a peep.

"He Long! With your judgment and strength, you should just give up! The Wind Snow Area is no place for you. You won’t even have time to tear your Teleportation Talisman! As for you, Sister Qing, you should reconsider what I told you last night."

Finally, a boy from Seventh Middle School broke the silence. He walked over to the girl with the Snow Leopard Fang and the 190cm-tall boy.

Seeing the lingering look of shock on He Long’s and Xue Qing’s faces, the boy from Seventh Middle School spoke again. "I’m not going to bicker with you anymore. But that last sword strike... tsk tsk... You’ve really made an enemy of an expert!"

After he finished speaking, the other students from Seventh Middle School followed him away, heading elsewhere. No one uttered another word of mockery.

And so, the dispute, which had at first seemed so tumultuous, dissipated into the cold wind for one reason or another.

He Long knew better than anyone: he had completely misjudged the situation.

Or rather, it wasn’t just a misjudgment. It was a massive blunder.

He was a Soul Apprentice!

A standard Soul Apprentice, certified by the Alliance, with maxed-out basic skills and physical fitness that met all the requirements!

And yet, even with all that, he hadn’t even been able to see how the other guy swung his sword...

This meant that the boy from Thirteenth Middle School was, at the very least, a Soul Apprentice who was stronger than him!

If this hadn’t been an exam, if they had been exploring a secret realm for real, He Long figured he would already be a corpse.

’Besides,’ he thought, ’with that kind of fast swordplay and precise control, it’s impossible for him to be a nobody at Thirteenth Middle School, or even in all of Maple City. There should have been rumors, some kind of talk.’

’But before today, I’d never heard a thing.’

’An unknown master is either someone who’s deliberately low-key, planning to make a big splash in the college entrance exams, or they’re just an introvert who’s bad at socializing.’

’Based on what just happened, that kid from Thirteenth Middle School is probably the introverted type.’

’You should never provoke people like that. The consequences of pissing off a reserved person like him... they’re truly more than you can handle.’

The more He Long thought about it, the luckier he felt. It was a good thing this was an exam, and a good thing so many people were around. Otherwise, he’d probably be a dead man by now.

"Brother Long... let’s just drop it for now. Why don’t we go hunt some Snow Leopards?" Xue Qing said to He Long, having recovered some of her composure.

In truth, she was quite disappointed with He Long’s earlier behavior.

Xue Qing had figured it from the start. ’To dare to operate as a two-person team in a harsh environment like this secret realm, and to have already turned in Soul Energy Items safely on the first day... people like that must be strong.’

The atmosphere with Seventh Middle School had been tense. Adhering to the principle of "the less trouble, the better," Xue Qing had wanted to avoid offending anyone else at such a critical moment, so she had chosen the most cautious approach.

The other party had already accepted her apology, and his tone had been calm; she hadn’t detected a hint of anger. Xue Qing thought the matter was settled. She never expected He Long to jump in and stir everything up again!

It was just a single Snow Leopard Fang. On average, you could get a Soul Energy Item for every three Snow Leopards killed. Their group of eight from Fifth Middle School, with He Long the Soul Apprentice, could even take down a Soul Beast if they worked together.

Since they were the ones in the wrong, offering it as an apology was the perfect gesture.

But thanks to He Long, they had ended up offending a master swordsman!

’He Long is a Soul Apprentice. A speed that even a Soul Apprentice couldn’t react to... That boy from Thirteenth Middle School must be an expert far more powerful than a standard Soul Apprentice!’

Xue Qing’s mind was racing. She started thinking about the invitation from the Seventh Middle School student, the one he’d made yesterday and repeated just now.

But now wasn’t the time to decide. Xue Qing needed some time to think it over.

Meanwhile, Li Heng was oblivious to the inner turmoil of He Long, Xue Qing, and the others. He was simply walking across the Icefield, feeling a bit thrilled, and thinking to himself, ’That was close! I was too impulsive. If I hadn’t pulled back my strength in time, that guy would probably be on his last breath.’

Li Heng wasn’t feeling remorseful for his actions. Instead, he felt he had chosen his target poorly. ’If I had another chance, I’d use the hilt and just slam it into him!’

’That way, I wouldn’t cause any real physical damage, so I wouldn’t have to worry about him trying to frame me for it after we leave this place. Plus, it would still teach him a harsh lesson.’

For the first time, Li Heng felt he hadn’t performed well. If circumstances had been different, he definitely would have used the hilt, not the edge of his blade.

"That last move with the sword... was really cool."

Just as Li Heng was lamenting his poor performance, Bai Shasha’s voice suddenly reached his ears. It was very faint, and Li Heng glanced at her instinctively.

But the slender, young-looking girl simply maintained her cold expression. Perhaps from the cold, the tips of her ears were a little red. Her gaze wasn’t on Li Heng; she just kept walking forward.